A Day in the Life of Micah and Kim

Christmas Eve Eve

2012-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

My family has a tradition of going to downtown Seattle on Christmas Eve Eve (as we like to call it). We first got on the light rail and rode it to Westlake where we looked in a toy shop and enjoyed our morning coffee (or hot chocolate) and the paper before we headed out on the town.

Our next stop was at the Sheraton Hotel, where every year there is a gingerbread house display with the most amazing gingerbread houses. The theme this year was train stations around the world and they had The Polar Express playing while we stood in line.

Then we went on the carousel. Andrew had lots of fun, but Josiah was not too sure about it.

Christmas Presents

2012-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

This year I made most of the Christmas presents we gave. I started in the summer, so I had plenty of time to prepare them all. If you are interested in finding the directions for these, most of them I found on the internet and posted on my Pinterest boards.We picked marionberries from our garden and made them into jam for our neighbors.

I made some Christmas tags for presents for the women in my MOPS group.

I sewed some hot pads for my mom and sister-in-law.

I also sewed a sandwich cozy for them.

The sandwich cozy can then be used as a placemat for the sandwich.

Preschool Packs for my nieces. I found the pages to download and print from 1+1+1=1.

Headbands for my nieces using the hem of a t-shirt and some felt flowers I cut out with my Big Shot die cutting tool.

A car cozy for Josiah that I found on homemade by jill.

Tool belts for the boys. Micah even made them a little workbench (I'll need to take some pictures and post it).

Advent Activities

2012-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

This year I found many great ideas on the internet for fun things to do with the boys for advent. One of the things we did was read The Christmas Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs, and then we made our own Christmas trees using sugar cones, frosting and candy. Andrew loved eating his after he decorated it. We also wrapped up Christmas books, and had the boys unwrap one each night (I had no idea I had accumulated so many Christmas books). Some of our other activities were: making and decorating cookies, driving to look at Christmas lights, watching Christmas movies as a family, and having a movie night with our friends Michael and Lyndsay and their kids. We all enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Savior by doing things together as a family.

Kids Quest Museum

2011-11-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

Back in October we went with our friends Bob, Patti and their little guy, Caleb, to Kids Quest up in Factoria. It was a fun place to let the boys explore and play. They have all sorts of activities for kids to do. Andrew's favorite thing was the capes they had for dressing up. He was going around pretending he was "Thunder Head" the superhero. Bob even took him over to the face painting station to put thunderbolts on his cheeks. Josiah liked the area they have for toddlers where they can play with light switches, trains, etc. We also put Josiah in the superhero cape, although he had difficulty walking while he was wearing it.

Fall Fun

2011-11-19T11:22:00.001-08:00

A little while ago it was sunny outside, so we decided to do some work/playing in the backyard. Micah mowed the lawn, I raked the leaves and the boys had fun playing in the leaves. Andrew had lots of fun jumping into the piles I made for him. Josiah liked watching Daddy mow, and enjoyed pointing at him.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, before Halloween, we went to the Cove in Normandy Park for their Halloween party for kids. A few years ago Micah's cousin, Laura, gave us this cute dinosaur costume and now Andrew finally fits into it. Micah thought it would be cute for Josiah to be a dinosaur egg so we made him an egg costume, but I never got around to making his hat. Oh well. At the Halloween party they had different games for the kids to play. The boys were a bit young for most of them, but I think they still had fun. And it was nice that when they finished a game they got a prize (a little puzzle, playdough, etc.)

After the party we came home to carve pumpkins. Andrew ended up falling asleep on the couch before we carved his. I guess he was tuckered out from the party.

Josiah loved the glowing pumpkin!

Monday nights are when our Missional Community (church small group) meets at our house, so we decided to combine our MC and trick or treating. Micah put up a "big screen" and hooked up a projector in the garage and had Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin playing. We also had hot chocolate and apple cider. We were able to visit with some of our neighbors, and we had a fun night.

Josiah at 12 Months

2011-11-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of Josiah. Recently I let him try out using a spoon to feed himself. He loves it, and does pretty good for the most part. If he is really hungry he gets frustrated that he can't get the food in fast enough. He also tends to make a big mess, so I pick and choose what I am willing to let him get all over the kitchen floor.

The other morning I came in to get him, and he was sitting like this. I thought it was so cute I had to get a picture, but of course he got mad since I didn't get him out right away. I am still nursing him just for his morning feeding, and he wants to eat right away when he wakes up.

A week after his birthday he took his first steps, and now he is walking all over the place. He can even go long distances. It amazes me how balanced he is, for only walking less than a month.Some cute things he has been doing lately are: giving open mouthed kisses, clapping when he is excited, saying, "nigh nigh da da" (night, night daddy). He is such an adorable little guy we love him so much!

Preschool Homeschool

2011-10-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of October I started doing preschool homeschooling with my friend Lyndsay. Her boys are 4 and 3, and Andrew is 3. We have been doing it twice a week for two hours a day. Each week we learn a new letter and its sound. We are also doing some math activities, holiday projects, Bible stories, calendar time, and songs. It has been fun to see the boys improve and want to learn more.

Fun with Pipe Cleaners

2011-10-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

A little while ago my mom gave me some pipe cleaners she bought for Josiah's birthday cake, but didn't end up using. At first I had no idea what to do with them. Then I found some fun things on my new favorite website, Pinterest. We made glasses, a dinosaur, and then a cool hat. It was a great way to play with the boys.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to a local pumpkin patch with my MOPS group. Micah and my mom were able to join us. It was a beautiful day, and we had lots of fun playing on the sawdust hill, going through the corn maze, looking at the animals, and walking through the rows and rows of pumpkins.

Josiah's 1st Birthday

2011-10-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our little squirt turned 1!

My mom made this whale cake; she makes awesome cakes for us!

We had a much smaller party than we did for Andrew's 1st, which was a good thing since it was rainy outside.

Josiah loved his cupcake, and really enjoyed eating it.

My friend Lori knit him an adorable sweater!

Puyallup Fair 2011

2011-10-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Back in September we took the boys to the Puyallup Fair on opening day since admission was free. My mom joined us for the fun. To start off the fair they had a cattle run and parade. It was way more than I expected; there were all sorts of horses, marching bands, even bagpipers. It was our favorite part of the day.

Then we went and looked at all the animals.

For a snack we had scones, one of our favorite things to eat at the fair. Josiah loved his and devoured it.

Not Your Usual Spam

2011-10-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

So, having a blog can attract some interesting spam. We get at least a few bogus "Comments" each week that are just filled with links to people's web sites. For the most part, they are inappropriate and annoying. However, this last week we got a message from a company representative that I just have to share. Not only that but, I feel that with the economy the way it is, the company link is worth sharing. Jooble-us.com It is a decent job searching site. Well, on to the message:

Hello!I'm so glad that someone else reads books :) I found The Myst Trilogy in your profile, it is one of my favorite ones! By the way, I do not know if you read The Narnia Series, I can recommend it to you, I think you should like it.I just want to thank you for your wonderful blog micahstorer.blogspot.com.I read the first post "A Day in the Life of Micah and Kim" and then I spent another hour on your blog by reading your posts with pleasure :) Every article is interesting and easy to read. I really like the "August in Review".I work for Jooble company, we aggregate job adverts around the world.My job is to persuade bloggers to link to our site.I really love my job! We have a friendly team and good management, but unfortunately I have no idea how to convince a blogger to link to us, I'm afraid I might lose my job because of it :(And that is why, instead of sending letters to thousands of different blogs, I am reading yours.Honestly, I am not really sure if the link to our website in United States - jooble-us.com, will be appropriate for your blog, but if you believe it will and it is possible to add it, I would be really grateful to you! Our site is really cool, it can greatly help hundreds of people to find a job.I wish you to have a good day and excellent mood! Thanks again for your nice blog. Write more! Thanks!

So, it worked. I am sharing the link. If only more spam was like this.I too, wish you to have a good day and excellent mood.

August in Review

2011-09-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a while, so I thought I would do a quick catch-up. Here are some of the highlights of August:We celebrated Micah's 33rd birthday on August 3rd. We took a family bike ride on a gorgeous day.

One of our favorite parts of this summer was going to Music at the Park near my parents' house. We would load up the boys in the wagon, walk to the park, have a picnic dinner and listen to some music. Our favorite was Casper Babypants, and now that is all Andrew wants to listen to when we are driving in the van.

Micah gave the boys haircuts. This was Josiah's first haircut. He had a little mullet going on, and I could not stand it any longer.

I made my first apple pie from scratch using apples from our tree. I will definitely have to do it again next year!

Andrew and Josiah going for a wheel-barrow ride from Uncle Justin

Josiah started pulling himself up and cruising around.

Minneapolis Trip

2011-08-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

In mid-July we flew to Minneapolis to meet Micah's brother Troy, our sister-in-law LaRae and our two nieces Eden and Violet. We got adjoining hotel rooms and had lots of fun swimming in the pool, going to the Mall of America and just hanging out.

Josiah at 9 Months

2011-07-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Josiah has been growing so much and doing more and more. This last month he has started pulling himself up on tables, chairs, the bathtub, you name it. He loves to stand and has even started doing some "cruising" (walking around the tables, chairs, etc.). I just love seeing him in only his diaper; it shows off his cute chubbiness!

4th of July

2011-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July this year we went to Normandy Park, where my parents live, to participate in their parade. When we got there we saw Micah's aunt's tow trucks, so we had to stop and say "hello". Andrew loves all the tow trucks. We also got to see Sam, Toby and Micah's cousin, Jared. Then we lined up to watch all the tow trucks and other vehicles for the parade. We got to follow and be in the parade too. It was so much fun! Andrew enjoyed waving his flag and saying "Happy 4th of July" to the people watching the parade. At the end we ended up at the Cove where there were free hot dogs, snow cones, and more along with bouncy houses and some of the vehicles that participated in the parade. The police car was Andrew's favorite (since the tow trucks weren't there because they had to go over to do the Burien parade). Normandy Park sure knows how to build community, it was a great thing to be a part of. We look forward to doing it again next year!

Summer Intern

2011-07-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

For the summer we have a college student staying with us while he is doing an internship with Soma (our church body). His name is Chris and he is from South Carolina. We have enjoyed getting to know him, and seeing how we do church through fresh eyes. It has also been amazing to see how God is working, and using this summer internship to further His kingdom.
One of the things we have done with Chris is we did a quick tour of downtown Seattle on a gorgeous summer evening. We ate dinner at Ivar's on the waterfront, took a peek at a closed Pike Place, went to the top of the Space Needle for some incredible views, and ended with a drive on Alki.

Seabrook Vacation

2011-07-20T21:22:00.001-07:00

Over Father's Day weekend we took a little vacation to Seabrook with my parents and Micah's parents. Seabrook is a little community of vacation rental homes on the Washington coast. It was so nice to all be in a house together and just spend time as a family. Here are some of the things we did. I will have to do another post since I have more pictures that I haven't uploaded yet, so stay tuned for more.

Andrew's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Andrew by his birthday banner.
Andrew and Jack decorate their robot costumes.
Nana made Andrew his robot birthday cake. The kids could not wait to dig in and eat all of that candy!
Micah was wonderful at leading the kids in some robot games.
The kids playing robot "Simon Says"
Andrew ready to eat cake.
Me and Ann serving the yummy robot cake with ice cream.
My dad happened to have a bouncy house in his van, so we set it up. The kids loved it!
Here are most of the kids who helped us celebrate.

Andrew's Birthday Preparations

2011-07-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun getting ready for Andrew's 3rd birthday party. I like to check crafty blogs and I found lots of great ideas. One of the sites I got a lot of inspiration from is www.homemadebyjill.com . Andrew wanted a robot themed party, so I searched high and low for robot favors. I didn't find a whole lot, so I ended up making all my own stuff. I did find robot fabric at Joann's for these cute bags.
In the bags I put robot sugar cookies.
And I melted down broken crayons and poured them into chocolate molds to make birthday crayons.

Father's Day Celebration

2011-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last month we celebrated Father's day by going to The Crab Pot in downtown Seattle. It is a place we have wanted to go, but have just never gone. We all enjoyed the yummy seafood! The fun part about this restaurant is that they cook all the seafood, corn on the cob, sausage and potatoes together in a big pot with lots of yummy spices. Then they come and just dump all of that delicious goodness onto the parchment lined table and we get to go to town with our mallets. Andrew loved hammering his food.

Aviation Day

2011-05-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday was Aviation Day. To celebrate Alaska Airlines had a BBQ for their employees. We got to go to the Alaska hanger at the airport to check out some cool airplanes and rescue vehicles. Then we ate dinner in the hanger. We invited our friends John, Tricia and Aaron to join in the fun since we could get 3 extra tickets.
Disneyland here we come! (Or at least we wish we were on this plane to the happiest place on earth.)
The airport fire truck.
Looking at the inner workings of the airplane. (This was Micah's favorite part.)
Andrew and Aaron in one of the engines.
Mommy and Andrew ready to fly the plane.
One of the highlights was seeing the F-15 jet; it even took off (straight up in the air) while we were there.
We stopped in at Micah's work so Tricia and Aaron could see the simulators.

Soma School

2011-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last week we hosted an attendee of Soma School, a training that our church does for church planters. We had lots of fun getting to know Brian while he was staying with us. He also has two boys that are each about a year older than our boys, so we had lots to talk about, and he got along great with Andrew and Josiah. It was also fun to hear about all he was learning, and how God was teaching him. Hopefully we will get to meet the rest of his family sometime soon.

First Mariner's Game

2011-05-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Last night we took the boys to their first ever baseball game. Micah won tickets through work since Alaska Airlines is one of the sponsors for the Mariners they had a special Alaska employee night. Along with the tickets we got food vouchers too.
Since we were going with the boys we decided to get to Safeco early so that we could also leave early. It was a beautiful evening, the sun was shining and it was in the high 50s, so not too cold. We found some cheap parking and walked a few blocks to the stadium. Poor Micah had to carry both boys part of the way.
When we first got in the stadium we walked down close to the field so Andrew could see the baseball players.
Then we looked around at some of the food vendors to see what our options were for dinner. We also headed over to the kids play area. Andrew loved climbing up in the tunnels. He also liked going in the lookout areas and watching the train go by.

We only ended up sitting in our seats for the pre-game stuff while we ate dinner (Andrew and I shared a cheeseburger from Kidd Valley and Micah had a BBQ brisket sandwich; both were really good) and we also stayed in our seats for the first inning. By then it was time for Josiah to eat and get ready for bed so we went down to the first level to do that.
Before we left we used the rest of our food vouchers to get some chocolate dipped strawberries. So good! I love how both Andrew and Josiah are going for the shiskaberries in this picture. But of course Josiah could not have any.
We ended up having a wonderful time and look forward to taking them again sometime.

Josiah at 7 Months

2011-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Josiah has been very busy this month. He has gotten his second tooth, learned to roll from his back to his tummy, and he has learned to scoot around. He is really getting around now! Sometimes he even gets up on his hands and knees and does one "crawl" motion. Mostly, he rolls, turns himself in a circle and scoots. He loves to roll over to where we keep the toys and chew on anything and everything he can get his hands on.

Sleepy Baby

2011-05-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Josiah was just so sleepy that he ended up falling asleep on the floor while I was going through my clothes getting rid of ones I don't wear anymore. I think he looks so precious; especially the way he grabbed the arm of my sweater and put it over his face. So cute!

Easter Egg Hunt at the Cove

2011-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day for an Easter egg hunt. We ended up going to the Cove in Normandy Park where my parents live. It is right on the Puget Sound, and it is where we had our wedding reception. The views were beautiful, and it was a clear day so we could see the Olympic Mountains. Thankfully we got there early and scouted out a good place to start. They just had big squares marked out for each age group with lots of candy "hidden" in the tall grass.
It was so funny to watch Andrew. He would just squat down and put as much candy into his bucket as he could find, then walk a little ways and squat down again to put in more candy. He got tons! We actually had to tell him to stop even before all the candy was gone because we didn't want him to get too much candy. Afterwards we walked to the beach and took some pictures.

Going to the Fire Station

2011-04-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last week we took the boys to visit Micah's cousin, Jared, at the fire station he works at. All the firefighters were really nice, and were great at showing Andrew everything. Micah enjoyed getting to put on all the gear, especially since it said "Storer". Andrew really liked going to the fire house and seeing the fire truck and aid cars.

In front of one of the aid cars.
Sitting on the front of the fire truck with two of the fire fighters who showed us the fire truck while Jared was out on a call.
Jared showing Andrew how he puts on all his gear.
The Storer boys.
Daddy and Andrew

Getting the Garden Ready

2011-03-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Andrew helps Daddy rototill the garden. I love how in the first picture he looks like he is directing Micah, and telling him where to go.

Master Bedroom Makeover Part 2

2011-03-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

You may remember that this summer we posted Part 1 of our bedroom makeover. Well, we have now finally put the finishing touches on it. We put up some pictures, moved some furniture and hung some new curtains. You can check out Part 1 here.

New Guest Room

2011-03-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

Recently we have been working on getting a guest room ready. At first our motivation was that Micah's parents were coming to visit at the end of this month, but then their plans changed and they will come out in June instead. Then we found out about an opportunity to house a college student for the summer while they are doing an internship with our church, so we decided to participate in that. And we wanted a better bed for anyone who stays with us.
We were able to get a bed for free off of Craigslist, and then put our mattress on it and got a new mattress for us. The guest room is also my craft room, so I have my big desk and a dresser for my work area.

Adventures in Potty Training

2011-03-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been wearing big boy underpants for 3 months now and is doing really well. In fact, recently we have had very few accidents. And he will even be playing and tell us he has to go potty, go to the bathroom, and get on the toilet all by himself. He is doing so well, we are very proud of him!

Josiah at 6 Months

2011-03-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Josiah in for his 6 month appointment. He now weighs 17 pounds, 8 ounces; and is 26 inches long (which is the same length he was at 4 months which means he was probably measured wrong at the 4 month appointment).

Andrew's Crash

2011-03-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last night Andrew had a crash on his little car. He was using it to stand on, and of course ended up falling off, and he hit his mouth on our heat register. I went over and held him while he cried, then when I held him out to look at him all I saw was blood all over his mouth. I called Micah and had him clean Andrew up since I cannot stand the sight of blood. But Micah did have me look at it while we discussed if Andrew needed stitches or not. We thought it looked deep enough that we wanted a doctor's opinion. Well, when Micah took him to the urgent care by us they said they couldn't treat him because they do not have the anesthetic for children, and that they don't stitch up cuts in the mouth. Since Andrew's was half in his mouth and half out, we decided to just take him home and keep an eye on it. So far he has been doing really well, and it hasn't bled any more. He was a very brave boy!

Zoo Trip

2011-03-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

A little while back we took the boys for a trip to the zoo. We got there right when it opened on a day that was supposed to rain all day. So there was almost no one else at the zoo. It ended up not raining at all while we were there. We got to see lots of animals and take our time. The best part of the trip was when we went to see the sharks there was a lady there who said in a few minutes two divers were going to be getting into the tank to do a shark talk. We stuck around and watched the divers and learned about the different sharks. On the drive home we asked Andrew what his favorite part was, and of course he said the divers. It was pretty cool. I wish I had taken a picture. Oh well.

Snow Day

2011-03-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we got about 4 inches of snow at our house. Thankfully I took Andrew out to go play in it in the morning, since almost all of it had melted by the afternoon. We had fun making snow angels, eating snow and making a snow woman (it started off as a snowman, but then the only thing we could find for eyes was rosemary from our garden, and it looked like our snowman had eyelashes, so the he became a she). After all of our playing outside we came in for some nice warm hot chocolate. Yummy!

Just Riding Around

2011-03-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew loves to ride around in this little car. A little while back he decided to put his skateboard in the "trunk". Daddy thought it would make a perfect seat for Josiah. We were amazed that Josiah stayed on, and that Andrew was okay with him being there.

Josiah Rolling Over

2011-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Last week when Micah was working swing shift he missed Josiah rolling over for the first time. I kept trying to get him doing it on video so Daddy could see, but he didn't cooperate with me. But Micah did get to see him do it multiple times this weekend. One of the times was when Micah put him down for a nap (Josiah loves to sleep on his tummy so we put him down that way). And when Micah put him on his tummy in his crib he looked up to see Daddy and ended up rolling onto his back, which made him giggle. Micah turned him over, but he did it again. Hopefully it won't be a problem until he learns to roll from his back to his tummy.

Another Baby in the House?

2011-02-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

The other night I heard a noise in the dining room. I went to investigate and this is what I found. Leo, our cat, had found a pacifier and thought it was a great toy to play with. Then he bit it and had it in his mouth. I just had to take a picture since he looked so funny.
Thankfully Josiah doesn't like the pacifier, so I don't mind that Leo ruined this one.

Josiah's First Solid Food

2011-02-21T13:13:00.001-08:00

Josiah is now getting to experience baby cereal. And he LOVES it! Last week he started waking up earlier in the morning, and I thought it might be because he is getting hungry. So I decided to feed him some cereal at dinnertime to see if that helped. And it did!
He is so cute whenever we feed him he watches the spoon and turns towards it. And he has to get those fingers in his mouth to help him "eat". I can't wait to start making baby food again and see how he likes all the new flavors and textures.

Josiah at 4 Months

2011-02-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent pictures of our adorable boy! He is now 15 pounds 8 ounces, and 26 1/4 inches long.

Brothers

2011-02-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

It has been so much fun watching Andrew and Josiah's relationship start to blossom. Josiah loves to watch Andrew, and if Andrew is nearby it is hard for us to get Josiah's attention because he will zone in on his brother. And Andrew has started paying more attention to Josiah. He will even try to calm him down when we are driving in the van (one of Josiah's least favorite things to do). Lately Andrew has been singing lullabies to him. So cute!
We are looking forward to continuing to see Andrew and Josiah grow in their relationship. And we hope that they will be lifelong best friends.

What to do on a Rainy Day?

2011-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

This has been a rainy week and I have tried to be creative with things to do with Andrew. Yesterday I got out the playdough, little cookie cutters and a toy rolling pin. We had fun making "sugar cookies." Then Andrew, in true boy fashion, had to take the cookies and build a tower. Then we rolled each cookie into a little ball.
Another thing I did this week that ended up keeping him occupied was I moved all of our dining room and kitchen chairs into the living room so I could do a thorough sweep and mop. I did not expect this to entertain him, but he really enjoyed climbing and hiding in the chairs.

Josiah's New Skills

2011-01-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

It has been fun to watch Josiah grow and want to do more and more. He is following in his brother's footsteps and loves to jump. Even when we are holding him he will arch his back so that you stand him up. He loves to be in the jumper and the exersaucer, which works great for when we are eating meals. Josiah has also found his thumb and has fallen in love. Now when I go to get him from his naps I find him with his thumb in his mouth. I was finally able to get a picture of him doing it.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we had a relaxing evening at my parent's house. We ate yummy seafood ravioli, had birthday cake for Jesus, and opened our stockings. It was a wonderful evening of celebrating our Savior's birth.

Christmas in North Dakota 2010

2010-12-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we went to Grand Forks, North Dakota to stay with Micah's parents to celebrate Christmas with his family. We had a really nice time spending time with family. It was so fun to see Andrew play with his cousins. And a nice bonus was he became interested in learning to use the potty more. He saw his cousin Violet, who is a couple months younger than him, and she is fully potty trained.

Making Bread

2010-12-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

I just made bread for the first time. When we were in North Dakota one of my sister-in-laws showed me a book she has, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I was intrigued and looked through it. When we got home I saw our library had it, and put in on hold. I recently got the book, and was excited to try it out. And I was really excited that I was able to make bread! I have been intimidated by making it before, but this book explains how to make it really well. And you make a big batch, then take off enough for one loaf, and leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator for another time. Each batch makes about 4 loaves, so one batch would probably give you bread for a week if you baked a loaf every other day or so. I am looking forward to trying out some of the different recipes in the book.

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Eve going to Downtown Seattle

Decorating Sugar Cookies

Weekend of Lights

2010-12-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we did some fun outings to see Christmas lights. First, on Saturday we drove to Leavenworth with our friends John, Tricia and their son Aaron. While we were there it ended up snowing! It felt so Christmasy. All of the adults had lots of fun, but the 2 year olds ended up missing their naps, so Andrew was really cranky. And then they both conked out right before the tree lighting. To start out the lighting they had someone come up and talk about the real reason for Christmas and say a prayer over the lighting. It was beautiful to see the buildings light up one by one, and then to see the park of trees light up. What a great way to start our week leading up to Christmas!

We had an early dinner of bratwursts and beer.
Andrew crying and being cranky. He kept saying he was cold, so we got some hot cocoa, but he wouldn't drink he. He was
Josiah hanging out in the Bjorn. He is wearing an adorable hat that a cousin of mine knitted.

Then on Sunday evening we went with my family to the Point Defiance Zoo for Zoolights. We were thankful we are members and get discounted tickets; we didn't think it was worth the full ticket price. Andrew did have fun riding the carousel and seeing the lights, but he kept asking where the animals were.

Decorating for Christmas

2010-12-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of decorating the day after Thanksgiving. This year Andrew got to join in the fun. Although, it was an exercise in patience for Mommy and Daddy.

Setting up the tree.

Helping Daddy troubleshoot the lighting problem.

Setting up the Nativity.

Pictures of Josiah

2010-12-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here of some pictures of our adorable Josiah.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

Last week we got some snow it the Seattle area. On Monday morning there was just a light dusting at our house, but we still wanted Andrew to get a chance to play in it. So we bundled him up in his snow boots and coat, and let him play around in the snow for a little bit. Then I took him and Josiah to my friend Lyndsay's house. While we were there it started to snow more, and Andrew had lots of fun playing with Owen and Jack. You can see pictures on Lyndsay's blog. After a couple hours Micah called me and said the snow was starting to stick to the roads. I didn't think too much of it, and I stayed a little while longer to finish my baking project with Lyndsay. When we left I was kicking myself for not leaving earlier. The roads were slippery and the drivers were scaring me. And then Josiah started screaming. After 10 minutes of listening to him screaming and not getting very far on the road I decided to call it quits and have Micah come rescue us. It took him an hour and a half to get to me, and I was only about 5 minutes from our house (when the roads are normal). Once he got to us we went in the Starbucks to get some hot cocoa. Micah got Andrew his very first Starbucks kid drink. We enjoyed sipping our cocoa, and then headed back out on the roads to go home.
You can see the difference in the amount of snow in the two pictures.
On Thanksgiving we ended up having some snow flurries. It was a picturesque morning with the snow falling, Christmas music playing, Daddy and Mommy making French toast and bacon, and spending time as a family. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.

Future Pilot?

2010-12-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

Recently we got to go to Micah's work, and Andrew had to go in one of the simulators. He likes to talk about the "flagger guy". He is the guy on the runway who tells the pilot when to move. Andrew loves the simulators and anytime he goes to Daddy's work he wants to fly one of them (off motion of course).

Leavenworth Getaway

2010-11-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Micah and I were able to go to Leavenworth for a night. We left Andrew with Nana and Papa and took Josiah with us. When we got to Leavenworth we ate lunch at a crepe restaurant our friend Dori told us about (which was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Leavenworth). Our crepes were fabulous, but I forgot to take pictures (we had a rough night and were pretty sleepy). Then we went to our hotel to feed Josiah and take a nap. I had no problem napping, but Micah was kept up by some teenagers making lots of noise in the next room. He ended up going to the front desk to see if we could switch rooms. They offered him an upgrade to a suite for only $50 more, and he decided to do it. When we got to the suite I was so happy he did. It was MUCH nicer than our first room. There was even a jetted bathtub, a gas fireplace, and the bed was more comfortable. I enjoyed a bath while Micah went to go get dinner. Then, one of our favorite things to do when we go away is to watch HGTV. We don't have cable, and I love that channel so we always end up watching some HGTV when we stay in hotels. That night Josiah slept really well for us and only woke up once, so we were able to get some good sleep. It was wonderful. We had a great time getting away, and got some good relaxing in.

Carving Our Pumpkin

2010-11-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

A week before Halloween we carved our pumpkin with Andrew. Micah had a little saw that he let Andrew use to cut the top off. He made a circle and had Andrew follow the lines to cut. Andrew loved it; he got to use tools! Andrew also enjoyed pushing out the pieces of the face once Daddy cut them out. He kept pushing them out, putting them back in so he could push them out again.

While Daddy pulled out all the insides of the pumpkin I read The Pumpkin Patch Parable book to Andrew. It is one he loves, and we read it year round, but it was fun to read it while we were carving our very own pumpkin. It was a great way to bring the Gospel into a fun tradition. It talks about how the farmer (God) plants pumpkins and picks out one to carve. He then puts his light into the pumpkin, and the pumpkin shines the light out for all to see.

Pumpkin Patch with MOPS

2010-11-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our MOPS group had an outing to Scholz Farm in Orting. Andrew had lots of fun with his friends, and loved picking out his own pumpkin.

Nana Dawn and Papa Robin

2010-10-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Andrew had lots of fun having Nana Dawn and Papa Robin come stay with us. They were great at entertaining Andrew, and getting Josiah to sleep. We wish they could have stayed longer.

Happy Birthday Nana

2010-10-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

My Cute Boys

2010-10-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this adorable picture. I just wish Josiah was looking towards the camera, but newborns aren't the most cooperative.

Going to the Zoo

2010-10-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Last week Micah's parents were here to visit, and to meet Josiah. One of the days they were here we all went to the zoo, and my mom joined us for the fun. We had a nice morning, and Andrew loved seeing the animals. Josiah slept almost the whole time we were there. It is always fun taking a trip to the zoo, especially when you get to go with both Nana's and a Papa.

Big Brother Andrew

2010-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

One question we are asked a lot now is, How is Andrew adjusting to being a big brother? And for the most part he is doing really well. He sometimes likes to give Josiah hugs and kisses, but there are also times he doesn't want Mommy to hold Josiah. Andrew likes to call him Baby Siah. Sometimes he will try to share his toys with Josiah, but most of the time he just ignores Baby Siah.
We are looking forward to watching their relationship grow, and seeing how the interact as they get older. We hope they become great friends.

Josiah's Birth Story

2010-09-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, September 19, I woke up at 2am with some light contractions. I started timing them and they were 4-6 minutes apart. I woke Micah up, and we called the hospital, then we headed out. When we got to the hospital we went to triage and they monitored my contractions and started my penicillin IV that I needed. At 4am I was 3-4 cm dilated, so we knew we still had a ways to go. When we went to the hospital with Andrew we were already 7-8 cm dilated, and this time around I wanted to get to the hospital before that point, so I was happy that we had time to get settled in. When we got a room we dropped off our bags and started walking. We walked for about 45 minutes, and came back to the room since my contractions were getting harder. At 6am I got in the jacuzzi tub, and it was wonderful! The warm water helped with the pain of the contractions. After an hour in the tub I felt like things were progressing fast, and the contractions were at the point where I had to close my eyes and focus on breathing and relaxing through them. And at this point my midwife was done delivering another baby, and was now able to check me. I was now 8cm dilated and 90% effaced, so things were going pretty fast. At 7:30 I felt like pushing, and Josiah was born at 8am.
It only ended up being a 6 hour labor, and I couldn't have planned it any more perfect than it was. I ended up getting the midwife I was hoping for (I went to a practice that has 6 midwives who rotate call). She got off at 8am, and Josiah was born at 8:04. This time around I wanted to get to use the tub and have a more relaxing hospital experience before I went into full blown labor, and we were able to do that. God is so good! And Josiah was born exactly one month before my mom's birthday.

Our nurse Vivian was wonderful, and very helpful.
Laura, our midwife,

Our cute little bundle has arrived.

Andrew's Room Makeover

2010-09-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Before Pictures

In preparation for the arrival of baby, we moved some rooms around. We moved Andrew out of the nursery, and made the guest bedroom his room. Then added the guest bed in the nursery. Our friend Michael painted Andrew's room for us, so that he didn't have to have a yellow room. Now it is a nice baby blue. Andrew LOVES his big boy room. Ever since we moved him into it we have had a much easier time keeping him in his toddler bed for nap time and bed time. He loves showing off his room to friends who come to the house. Now we would like to get some rub on decals of cars, trains, tractors, etc. to put on the walls.

After Pictures

The Nursery

2010-09-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our nursery all put together. Of course there are a few extra things in the room right now. We are trying to sell some things on Craigslist, so they are stashed on the bed in the nursery for now. But the crib is put together with all the bedding, the closet is filled and the changing table is all ready, and even has some new cloth diapers washed and ready to go.

Weekend Getaway

2010-09-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Recently Micah and I were able to go away for a night while my parents watched Andrew. One of Micah's co-workers was gracious enough to offer us the use of his mother-in-law's vacation house in Clearwater, which is a little tiny town past Enumclaw on the way to Crystal Mt. On our way out of town we stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some fun, easy things to make for dinner. We had mini crab cakes, rice with scallops, peas and mushrooms in a cheese sauce and baby lava cakes for dessert. We spent our time relaxing, talking about how our lives would change with two little boys, and going over expectations for after baby's arrival. It was a nice time to get away and have some good conversation before our life gets really hectic.

Master Bedroom Makeover

2010-09-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

Before Pictures

Recently we changed our bedroom a bit. We had our friend Michael, who is a painter, do some work for us (watch for more posts on the other work he did around our house). One thing we had him do was to take down the wallpaper in our room, and then paint the wall a darker tan. We slightly changed the colors in our room. They were tan, cream and green and now they are tan, cream and blue. We got rid of our green comforter, and replaced it with a duvet cover that is blue, tan and cream stripped. We also got a new dresser from IKEA. It is the one that matches our bed, and I have been wanting it for a looooong time. We still want to get the matching 6 drawer upright dresser, but that will have to wait. And on the wall with our bed we want to hang 3 pictures that have a cream frame and blue matting. Another thing we still want to do is get some blue drapes to cover our lovely foil covered window. :) Our window looks like this so that Micah can sleep during the day when he is on graveyard shift.

After Pictures

Bike Ride with Daddy

2010-09-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Andrew got to ride in the bike trailer and go for a ride with Daddy. He loved it. When he came home all he could talk about was the bike trailer. And it was fun for him to have some Daddy time.

Shakespeare in the Park

2010-09-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

One of the things we did to celebrate Micah's birthday was to go to a Shakespeare in the Park play. We ended up getting some Thai food to go, and ate it at the park while we waited for the play to start. The play we saw was As You Like It. Neither one of us had read it or seen it before. It was a fun experience getting to watch it performed outdoors. Next time I think I will bring a chair though, and we hope there will be a next time since we really enjoyed it, and the best part was it was free.

Picking Berries

2010-09-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went in search of some yummy blackberries. We were able to pick quite a few, over 10 cups worth. We found this great little spot in the valley near a business park. One of my favorite things about summer is berries. I was sad when our marrionberry bushes didn't produce as many berries as last year, so Micah suggested we go find some free blackberries. I like to have berries in the freezer for when I feel like making some muffins, so now I have a good supply.

37 Weeks

2010-09-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

We are now only about 3 weeks away from meeting our little one. We are getting very excited! Everything is ready for his arrival. Both Micah and I have been in "nesting" mode the last week or so. The nursery is ready, all the baby stuff is down out of the attic and cleaned and washed, the grass is mowed, the cars are washed and vacuumed, the clothes are in the dresser, and there are meals in the freezer. Now we are just waiting to see when he decides to make his debut.

Slight change on Blog Comments

2010-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI, we have changed to a new comment setting. We have been getting more and more spam as comments on our blog entries. So to save us from manually deleting these nuisance messages, we have implemented a delay in the comments so we have to approve of them prior to publishing. We will do it as soon as the comments are received, so you shouldn't notice too much of a delay in seeing your wonderful bits of feedback in print for worldwide consumption. Thanks again for reading and making this such a fun way to share our life.

Andrew's Big Boy Bed

2010-08-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we transitioned Andrew to sleep in a toddler bed. It has been quite the experience. When we came home from vacation he started climbing out of his crib, so we decided we better put him in the bed so he doesn't end up hurting himself.
My mom got him the cute comforter set with cars and trucks on it. And we found the matching rug on clearance for $5!
Andrew has been doing better at sleeping in his big boy bed, and is very excited to show it off to those who visit. He still gets up at least once after we put him down for nap or bedtime. We think he just likes to be tucked in more than once. We're hoping this trend does not stay long.

Micah's Birthday

2010-08-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month it was Micah's birthday. On his birthday Andrew and I came and got him from work to go to a midwife appointment, and then out to lunch. For lunch we went to a Vietnamese restaurant near our house. Micah loves Pho soup, and it's not something I enjoy, so he rarely gets it. We were surprised at how much Andrew ate while we were at the restaurant. He loved the soy bean sprouts, and ate everything we gave him. He especially liked the free ice cream for dessert.
Tomorrow we get to celebrate Micah's birthday some more on our date night. We are going to the Crab Pot in Seattle, and then to Volunteer Park to watch a Shakespeare play.

Reyna and Tex's Wedding

2010-07-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to my cousin Reyna's wedding. It was quite the fancy affair at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle. The view was gorgeous! When I first found out that Andrew was also invited to this formal event, I was wondering what he was going to wear. My friend Lyndsay (who has two boys around Andrew's age) happened to have a little suit outfit and black dress shoes that she graciously let me borrow. Andrew looked so adorable, and he didn't mind the outfit too much.
When we first got to the wedding Andrew was really shy and wanted one of us to hold him. Thankfully Nana, Papa and Uncle Justin were also there to take turns holding him.
Andrew did really well during the ceremony, partially because he was scared of all the strangers surrounding him and also because Nana came prepared with Mentos. After the ceremony we enjoyed a cocktail hour of hors d'oeuvres and visiting with family. We kept Andrew entertained by taking him to the windows to see the "Big Guy Hammer Man" aka The Hammering Man in front of the Seattle Art Museum, riding on the elevator, and playing with cars I had brought along.

We ended our evening with the reception and a lovely dinner with a fantastic view. Since Andrew was with us, and Micah had to work early the next morning we weren't able to stick around for cake or dancing. We still had a fun time, and really enjoyed seeing how our family members are doing and celebrating with Reyna and Tex.

30 Weeks

2010-07-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

These are only the second belly shots I have taken this pregnancy. I keep forgetting to do it. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I guess it is because I am chasing after a two year old, so I don't have a lot of time to stop and think about being pregnant. Although lately it has been getting harder and harder for me to do things like pick toys up off the ground, or stand up from sitting on the floor. It is hard to believe that our little Josiah will be joining us in just a little over two months! One thing I am looking forward to is seeing if he has red hair like Andrew.

4th of July

2010-07-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I last updated our blog! Well, to catch up here are some pictures we took on the 4th of July. In the afternoon we headed to Burien to watch the tow trucks in the parade. Andrew LOVED seeing them. We have the Airport/Burien Towing calendar, and he wants to look through all the pictures of the tow trucks almost everyday, so it was a big deal to see them in person.
Then we went to my parents' house for a BBQ. We had fun hanging out with friends and eating lots of yummy food. Once it started getting dark most everyone else left the party, but we stuck around to do a few fireworks. Uncle Justin had a small stash, and he let Andrew pick out which fireworks to set off. Andrew had fun watching the fireworks (from a safe distance of course). He even got to try out a sparkler for the first time.

Andrew's 2nd Birthday Party

2010-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

This year for Andrew's birthday we had his party early since we will be on vacation during his actual birthday. And I decided to have a much smaller guest list than last year. We did a backyard beach party, and thankfully the weather cooperated, thanks to God for answering our prayers! The kids had fun playing in the little pool and sandbox. My mom made two really cute cakes, one was a fish, and the other was an aquarium. The kids loved that they were covered in candy!

And I made some little sorbet fishies. Our friends John and Tricia were wonderful, and provided the yummy sorbet for us.
Andrew was so cute when he opened the presents. He wanted to play with each one as he opened it, and who can blame him he got some fun things!
For the last few months I have been working on a playhouse for Andrew, and I was able to get it done in time for his birthday. Micah was a big help and did all the final seams for me since I was a little daunted by that task. So far Andrew has enjoyed playing with it. He especially likes to put the flowers in the mailbox.

This Boy LOVES Tractors

2010-06-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Anytime Andrew sees a tractor he gets really excited. He calls them "gokey tracktey" or something like that. I think he is trying to say vroom vroom tractor, but I'm not sure.

23 Weeks

2010-05-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to taking a picture of my tummy. I don't know why, but I keep forgetting to take pictures. I am still pretty small, and not showing a whole lot. I am actually enjoying not being too big right now. I know that in a month or two it will be harder to sleep and get around, so I am not sad that I'm not showing that much.

Seattle International Film Festival

2010-05-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Micah got an email at work saying that they would be giving away some tickets to the Seattle International Film Festival. All you had to do was tell them which movies you were interested in seeing, and they would do a drawing to see who would win the tickets. Our first choice was A Little Help starring Jenna Fischer from The Office. And we ended up getting tickets to it! We didn't expect much, but when we got to the theater we saw that the cast was there. It ended up being the world premiere of the movie, so they were there to promote it. Before the movie started the director, Rob Schiller (who also directed King of Queens and Family Ties), introduced the movie.
At the end of the movie the director and cast got up to answer some questions. It was interesting to hear how an independent movie is made differently than a big studio movie.

Fun in the Sun

2010-05-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Last week it felt like summer, and so we tried to take advantage of the good weather. One of the days we went to Seahurst Park in Burien with some friends to spend some time in the sunshine. Andrew had lots of fun playing in the sand and playing with his friends (or at least he had fun playing with their toys). He still doesn't really play "with" other kids. Hopefully that will happen soon. He does enjoy being around other kids his age, he just doesn't interact with them a whole lot. But we had a great morning at the beach chatting with friends and soaking up some sun.

Andrew posing by Jack.
The three boys: Owen, Jack and Andrew.

Pt. Defiance Zoo

2010-05-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the zoo with Nana. My mom and I went in together to get an annual pass. It ends up being a fabulous deal because each time we go we can get 3 people in for FREE. I hope to make many trips to the zoo over the summer.
It was so much fun watching Andrew and his reactions. We would tell him what animal we were seeing, and he would repeat the name, and then tell every other kid that came up what it was. It was adorable.

We even fed the goats. Andrew was a little nervous around them since they kept trying to climb the fence to get the food.
To end our time at the zoo I took Andrew on the carousel. It was a fun day, and it was beautiful outside, so it was nice to be outside enjoying the sunshine.

Reading

2010-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

We always read to Andrew before we put him down for a nap, or at bedtime. The other night we told him it was time to get ready for bed. He headed right to his room, picked out a book, and climbed into the rocking chair where we read to him. It was so cute, and great to see that he likes our routine of reading stories for bed.

Andrew's Birthday Present

2010-05-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

For the last month I have been working on a big project for Andrew's birthday present. I am making him a felt playhouse that will slip over our folding card table. I got the idea from my favorite craft blog: www.homemadebyjill.blogspot.com I saw her playhouse, and just knew Andrew would love one of his own. I still have lots of work to do, but I have a little less than two months, so hopefully it all comes together. Right now my sewing machine is broken, so I have been cutting all the pieces. Hopefully Micah will be able to get it back up and running soon.

This will be the front. I still need to make the front door and put in a window.
Andrew likes to help Daddy wash the car, so on this side he will practice washing his own car. I still want to make a hose that he can "spray" the car with.
This is the garden. Andrew will be able to pick his own lettuce and carrots. I still want to add one more veggie, I haven't decided if it should be corn or pumpkins.
Andrew loves tractors, so I decided to add a tractor to his playhouse. On this side he can pick the apples off the tree. I will add a cart behind the tractor with a basket to put the picked apples.
Here are all four sides. Nothing is sewn on yet. I just put everything down to see how it looks.

First Cooking Lesson

2010-04-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to let Andrew help me make cookies. I usually bake when he is napping, but yesterday I need something for us to do together, so I decided to give it a go. And I was surprised at how well he did. I measured out the dry ingredients, and let him dump them in. Then I let him stir them together. He loved it! And he didn't get too messy. The best part was sampling the finished product, Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies (they have peanut butter and oats). Yummy!

We're Having a Boy!

2010-04-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

We are now 19 weeks into my pregnancy. It is amazing how fast it is going by! Yesterday we went in for our ultrasound, and found out that we are having a baby boy. So Andrew is going to have a little brother to run around and play with soon. I was hoping for a girl, but I'm excited about a boy too. It means we will not need much at all once the baby comes. I do plan on getting more cloth diapers since Andrew will probably be needing the diapers too. But other than that there's not much else we will need to get which will be nice. And I am excited that Andrew will have a playmate!
Our ultrasound went really well. We had an u/s tech who has been doing it for over 25 years, so she was quick. And she told us everything she was doing, and pointed out what we were looking at. She was wonderful! And she said our baby is very photogenic and cooperative, so that helped too. :)
Now we need to come up with a name. I had a girl name picked out, but we didn't have a boys name (even though I was almost positive we were having another boy). I'm just having a hard time finding one I like. There are a few criteria I like to follow. I like names that have options. For example, Andrew can be Andy, Drew or Andrew. So if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. :)

Easter Basket

2010-04-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

I love carrying on traditions from my childhood with Andrew. Like Easter baskets. It was so cute to see his face when he spotted his little basket. He even turned to pose for me, a first! :) He never stays still for the camera. Micah and I also talked about how we can teach our kids the real meaning of the holidays, not just the Easter bunny and Santa stuff. We want Andrew, and any future kids, to know why we celebrate, and it's all about Jesus, not about us getting stuff. So if anyone has any ideas, we would love to hear them.

Easter Egg Hunting

2010-04-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

This was Andrew's first year to try out Easter egg hunting. We were surprised at how quickly he caught on. All we had to do was show him one egg and how to put it in his bucket, and he was off. The whole time he was saying, "egg, egg, bucky, bucky." We had one egg hunt on Saturday at my aunt's house, and then another one on Sunday at my mom's house.
Both days there were other little ones looking for eggs with him. It was interesting to see how he handled other kids getting to eggs before him. He was pretty okay with it. And it was neat to see my cousin's little two year old girl give Andrew an egg if they were both going after it. What a little sweetie!

Tulip Fields 2010

2010-04-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

On Friday we drove up to the tulip fields in Skagit County. It was a rainy, windy day, but we still had fun. And we got to the fields before most of the rain and wind. The highlight of the trip for Andrew was seeing tractors. He LOVES tractors, so every time we drove by one he would shout out, "tracty, tracty." So of course we had to stop and let him see some close up. One farmer even let Andrew get in his tractor and pretend to drive it.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

2010-03-22T13:02:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Micah and I went down to Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival. This was our Christmas present to each other. We found a hotel that was offering a package deal of a one night stay, 2 tickets to any play and $30 off a dinner in their restaurant. So we flew down early on a Thursday morning, arrived around lunch time, and had a great lunch at a brew house. Then we explored the cute little town of Ashland. There were lots of cute shops to browse through. Later we headed back to the hotel to check in and took a nap. Then we headed off to dinner and our play. Dinner was wonderful! And we ended it with one of the best desserts I have ever had. It was a warm, melting chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream on the side. Oh so yummy! I want to go back just for that dessert. After dinner it was time for our play. We saw Pride and Prejudice, and it was fantastic. They did a wonderful job. And our seats were amazing!

West Fenwick Park

2010-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago it was a sunny morning, and Micah was home, so we decided to take Andrew to the park up the street from our house. Andrew had lots of fun running around, going down slides, and climbing on the toys. I was hoping he would wear himself out and take a good nap, but no such luck. Oh well. It was still a fun morning.

Driving Around Fred Meyer

2010-03-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

I just had to take a picture of Andrew in the car cart at Fred Meyer (our local grocery store). He absolutely loves cars, and loves to ride around the store in this cart. He even steers the wheel. He is just so darn cute!

A Few Announcements...

2010-03-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't been blogging much lately. Things around our house have been pretty busy the last couple of months. For one thing, we bought a minivan. We are very excited about it. We have been saving for years, and were just waiting until we found the right van. I had been checking Craigslist for a couple of months, and ended up finding a great deal on a 2006 Honda Odyssey. And we ended up buying it! Andrew LOVES the van. The first few weeks we had it, he kept asking to go down to the car. So we would go down and get in the van. He likes pretending he is driving, and of course he has to push all the buttons.
Another thing we have added to our lives is that Kim became a Stampin Up demonstrator. (A Stampin Up demonstrator is someone who sells Stampin Up stamps, scrapbook supplies, etc. and does parties where she demonstrate the products.) Her friend who was a demonstrator was stepping down, and asked Kim if she wanted to take her place. So far it has been a positive addition to our lives, but it does take up more of Kim's time (thus less time to blog). And it has been a way for us to add more income, which has been nice. God continues to provide for all of our needs! Below is one of the cards Kim made with her Stampin Up supplies:

And the card goes along with our last announcement. We are expecting another baby! The baby is due around September 21st. So we are about 12 weeks along. We are very excited! It will be fun to see Andrew as a big brother, and meet our new little one.

Bath Time is Fun Time

2010-02-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

Uncle Justin got Andrew a fun boat and bubble bath for Christmas. Andrew loves to take baths, and now every time he sees the bathtub he says, "boat?". The boat is the kind that you pull a string in the back and it goes forward. We love playing with it too.

Christmas Day

2009-12-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

We spent the night of Christmas Eve at my parent's house. So when we woke up in the morning my mom had two of Andrew's presents waiting for him. They were a cute little bench for outside and a Mickey stuffed animal that talks. The first thing Mickey said when we pressed his hand was, "Merry Christmas!" We thought it was quite appropriate. While Andrew was having fun with "Mi, Mi" and Nana, Micah and I got ready for the day. Then when everyone was up and ready we ate a wonderful breakfast my dad prepared-waffles, Canadian bacon, berries and whipped cream.
When we were done with breakfast it was time to open presents. It was fun watching Andrew this year. He had fun opening presents, and oohhed and aahhed over each thing he got. He even had fun helping us open our presents too.
After presents and cleaning up we took a short walk to the park near my parent's house. Andrew had fun playing on the toys until his hands got too cold, then we headed back to the house.

The rest of the day we just played games and relaxed until it was time for the rest of my dad's side to come over for our dinner together.

Christmas in North Dakota

2009-12-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

Last week we headed to Bismark, ND to visit Micah's family. We all stayed at Micah's sister Kayla's house. While we were there we celebrated Christmas and had a great time visiting with family and playing games together.
Andrew loved playing harmonica with great Grandpa Seidler.
Playing with his cousins Eden and Violet.
Opening presents, some of which were Daddy's toys from when he was little. This one I also happened to have when I was growing up, so it's fun to see Andrew play with it now.
And we got to see Kayla and Bethanie with their cute pregnant tummies. I can't wait to meet the new babies the next time we all get together.

Christmas Eve Eve

2009-12-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

My family has a tradition of going to downtown Seattle on the day before Christmas Eve, or as we like to call it, Christmas Eve Eve. Andrew was already to go in his hat and mittens from Papa Robin and Grandma Dawn. And he is wearing a sweater that my grandma knit for me when I was a baby.
We met my family at the link light rail in Tukwila. Andrew loved seeing Nana and riding the train.
When we arrived in downtown we walked to the Cheesecake Factory, and found out it was a long wait. We put our name in and then headed to the Sheraton to look at the amazing gingerbread houses. This year they had a theme of Christmas movies, so each house was based off of a classic Christmas movie. We decided not to wait in the loooong line, and instead just walked by them. We didn't get a close look, but it was enough. It still wasn't time for us to go back to the Cheesecake Factory so we walked to the Convention Center, took a picture by the Christmas tree and then Andrew spotted the fountain. He loved the fountain. He kept saying "ooohhh". Of course Uncle Justin had fun watching it with him too.
Then we went back to the restaurant to wait for our turn. We had a nice dinner and had fun tasting bits of each others meals. By the end of our meal it was time to catch the train back home so we could put Andrew to bed. It was a fun evening, and helped get us ready to celebrate Christmas.

Christmas Projects Part 3

2009-12-26T13:17:00.001-08:00

The biggest project I tackled was to make Quiet Books for my nieces, Eden (age 4 and Violet age 14 months). One of my aunts made me a Quiet Book when I was little and I still have it. I recently got it out and Andrew has enjoyed playing with it. Then when I saw that the blog I found the burp cloth templates on also had templates for Quiet Book pages I just knew I wanted to make ones for my nieces. I used ideas from the blog and from my aunt's book to make the pages. I also made up one of my own. Eden likes Hello Kitty so I decided to make a page where she could dress up Hello Kitty. I looked online for pictures of Hello Kitty and then drew my own kitty and clothes. So here are the pages for Eden's book:

The Cover
Page 1-Mailbox where Eden can open the mailbox to find a postcard from Auntie Kim.
Pages 2-3-Eden can button on her first and middle names. Unzip the tent to find a polar bear. (I didn't have any brown felt.)
Pages 4-5-A ladybug to unzip and hide things in. And a fish tank to velcro on the fish.
Pages 6-7-Dress Hello Kitty in clothes or a mermaid costume. And then button the flowers onto the stems.
Page 8-Open the barn to find a chicken, cow and pig finger puppets.

And I used some of the same pages in both girls' books (fish tank, barn with finger puppets and button-on flowers). Here are the pictures of Violet's book:

The Cover
Pages 2-3_Hang the clothes on the line, and match the colored balloons.
Pages 4-5-A clown for Violet to velcro on his eyes, nose, and mouth. And a mitt for her to put her hand into.

Christmas Projects Part 1

2009-12-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

On Micah's side of the family we like to make Christmas presents for each other. This year Micah's sister Kayla, and our sister-in-law Bethanie are both pregnant so I thought I would make them some burp cloths for when the babies come. I found this website: www.homemadebyjill.blogspot.com where she has a template for burp cloths. She also makes bibs, so I decided to give those a try too. Now I am addicted, they are so easy and fun to make.
Then since Bethanie is going to be doing cloth diapers I thought I would make some wipes out of some of the leftover material from the burp cloths. And I thought Kayla could use them as wash cloths. These were super easy!