Bellevue Botanical Gardens

Gabe and I went to these beautiful gardens with a big group of moms and kids from our ward. It was so fun! The little guys had a blast running around like monkeys and the rest of us had a great time enjoying the gorgeous scenery and talking together. It reminded me of Thanksgiving Point Gardens - a favorite place of mine at home and one I really miss. I can't wait to go again and take Eric.

We drove with my friend Raelynn and her 2 boys. Gabe and Ethan are little buddies now and entertained themselves with biting their socks off on the way home!! They think they are so hilarious!

Beatin' the heat

Actually there is no beating the heat here lately but we have been trying our darnedest!! With record breaking temps of 107 and 85% humidity coupled with NO AIR CONDITIONING... you can only imagine our suffering! There has been hardly any rain this summer too - crazy weather for Western Washington. Right now it is 7:30pm and 82 degrees in the house. The humidity makes me feel like I'm slowly suffocating! Thankfully, I think the worst is over now. Gabe and I did our best to avoid the house during the week by going swimming, over to friends houses (with ac) to play, going to the mall, the library, taking multiple costco trips -even the grocery store was a favorite. I wish I would have taken a picture or two of Gabe sleeping in his diaper with fans going day and night. Poor little guy! The heat was bad during nap time but just awful by bed time (even though we put him to bed later than usual during the worst of it). At bedtime I would fill the sink with cold water and let him soak his feet and play in it for awhile. He would end up soaked head to foot and shivering by the end! It didn't last long but better than nothing! He was a trooper through it all and never complained. He would only say occasionally: "hot in here, Mama"! What a cutie!At a blissfully cool mall in Bellevue with an awesome area called Kids Cove full of stuff for kids to play on. It was PACKED with kids! It seemed like every mom in the Seattle area had the same idea we did!!Last night playing in Cedar River. That felt good!

On Wednesday, ironically what I think was the hottest day, we went to a farm openhouse fun day for kids. It was really neat with all kinds of things to do. Unfortunately we were so hot it was hard to enjoy anything. Gabe was so red-faced I kept pouring the water down his throat and trying to coax him into the shade (to no avail). He did however find a sprinkler and stand in it until his clothes were soaked! His face was like "Ah ha! This feels really good, I think I'll stay!" I had to drag him away eventually. Here he is with his new buddy Ethan - they were both just soaked with sweat but wanted to go, go, go anyway! And a few pictures of Gabe petting the animals. He stands as far away as possible and reaches out to touch for just a fraction of a second and calls it good. You can only imagine the kind of photography skills it takes to capture these moments!

My little tough guy wasn't afraid one whit of that huge, gorgeous horse. He wanted to ride him!!

staying busy

It's easy here...there are so many fun things to see and do! One Saturday the 3 of us hiked to Twin Falls in the morning, went home for naps, then headed out to Alki Beach in the afternoon! It was a packed day but lots of fun - just the way we like it! The hike and waterfalls were gorgeous. Next time we are bringing our swimsuits as there is a great water hole along a portion of the river that people swim in! the water hole....

The ambiance at Alki beach is so fun. There are sand volleyball games going on, kids playing on the beach, the smell and sound of the salt water...it is so refreshing. There wasn't much playing in the water though...it is freezing!! (At one point Gabe's tender little toes came in contact with a wave and he screamed bloody murder!! :) After that he kept a beady eye on those sneaky waves!)

Last weekend Eric's parents and Caitlynn came for a visit. We got to take them around to all the "must see" attractions of Seattle! My favorite is Pike's Market, I love it!

These pictures are at the famous fish vendor that is always featured on TV shows about Seattle's Pikes Market throwing their fish back and forth and yelling/singing! It is really fun to see. There was a huge octopus stretched out on the ice...Gabe couldn't take his eyes off of it. Then there was the hideously ugly monk fish (bottom right corner) that hangs over the ice with a hidden pull string inside that the guys yank on occasionally to freak out the customers! Man I jumped the first time it happened!! Gabe didn't like it...

Here are the most beautiful flowers for dirt cheap!!

at a local beach in Des Moines...

The best picture for last. Gabe was a little tuckered out so he just made himself comfy on Grandpa's head!!

happy happy b-day

I just had a birthday and it was great! I love birthdays...and not just my own. :) It is so fun that we get a specific day every year to just celebrate one person. I love being extra special for one day - getting all that love and attention. What is not to love about birthdays?! Ya ya, they remind you you're getting older but you know what? It doesn't change a thing and why spoil a day that (if you play it right) can lead to a whole bunch of pampering! I LOVE it!! Eric started my birthday week off perfectly when he came home with a gorgeous bunch of flowers. You cannot get it better than that. You know why I value flowers so much? Every time I see them, they make me smile! And when they come from someone I love... they remind me that I'm cared about. (Especially when they come from a guy that doesn't understand the point of flowers. The fact that he still buys them for me means he does it solely because he knows it will make me feel treasured. How romantic is that?!) So here is my beautiful bouquet:

Next on the fun list of birthday activities, Gabe and I went to Renton River Days with a group of girls from our ward. It was SO fun! Gabe just loved all the activities and chaos! His favorite thing was the face painting - he had to check himself in the mirror all day to see that basketball and football on his cheeks! Two of his favorite things in the world painted on his very face... life doesn't get much better!!

To top off the day, Eric took me out to dinner at Bahama Breeze (yum) and then to get a b-day pizookie for dessert (double yum). It was a wonderful day! And ya, I'm now 31... :)

Independence Day!

We got to celebrate our first holiday right after moving in! My mother in law Cheryl came to spend the 4th of July weekend with us and we had so much fun. Friday night we went downtown to the waterfront and had dinner at The Fishermans. It was right on the water - Gabe could not even eat he was so excited about the "BOATS, mama!!!!!!" and the "WAAAAter, mama!!!!" It was so darn cute! The next day we went to a town celebration in Issaquah, a town about 20 minutes away that reminds us of Midway. It is beautiful there and they had the best parade and fair! I had forgotten how exciting parades are for kids! All that candy, fire engines, police motorcycles, horsies, and dogs... wow! :) The fair had live music, face painting, pony rides, those big blow up slides and jumping rooms and tons of games and races. The best part was everything was free! Gabe was a little young for it all this year but I can't wait for next year- he is going to have a ball. So if any of you want to join us for a great 4th of July in 2010, we would love to have you!
Then for the fireworks... we went to Bellevue where they do a huge show. It was awesome! The night was perfect too - no clouds to screw things up. Now this was Gabe's first firework show and we had been hyping it up to him all day. He got to stay up super late and everything... well it ends up fireworks are not as cool as we thought: after the first few Gabe decided he did NOT like them and wanted them to stop! Poor little guy was terrified! Eric and I thought he would love them but then we realized how overwhelming fireworks can be to a 2 year old. (duh) They are huge and bright and very loud and they look like they're going to fall right on you! So Gabe just clung on tight (and I mean tight-every muscle was tense) and closed his eyes. Once in a while he would peek out and then look quickly away as if to say "yup, bad as I remembered!" He was such a trooper. (To be honest I didn't mind the forced cuddle session!) Other than the 20 min nightmare fireworks we had a wonderful night! :)

We're here!!

Hey everyone, I missed you! :) We could not get internet until yesterday. I am so happy to be back online. Haha! Every day I have caught myself actually composing blog posts in my head about what has been going on! Where to start?....Seattle is beautiful. We are finally pretty much settled in now. I'm actually starting to explore the area, meet friends, and have fun- we even went swimming yesterday with new ward friends. Gabe is loving our yard here - he brings me his shoes and asks to play outside all the time! (He learns fast) If only we had a fenced back yard... but it works out since I can watch him through the big windows in the kitchen and across the back of the house. We have the best neighbors and so we just kind of share the big area behind our houses. We are backed up next to what is called a greenbelt here - which is a section of wild vegation that is left to grow naturally. Gabe likes to explore back there! Mostly it's way too thick to walk in - even inpenetrable - but at the edge are some pine trees he loves to walk under. Can you believe the size of those trees?!!! They are even taller than I could capture in the picture - amazing.The people here are awesome- so friendly and nice. I have heard that to be true but I can't help thinking it's HF sending me lots of little angels to help me through this difficult transition. Well either way, it's great! I'm not very good at going out of my comfort zone and making friends... but somehow it's working out. Mostly because they are too friendly and sweet for me to stay aloof! Just yesterday I pulled over to ask a woman walking her dog a question and today I found myself (with Gabe of course) at her house enjoying her gorgeous yard and spending the rest of the morning going on a beautiful walk with her through the forest. And her husband actually chauffeured us around so she could show me the area and all the best places to go walking! Can you believe it?! How incredibly kind and wonderful is that?! For how homesick I am, I can't help but feel so blessed and watched out for.

So I have to go back and tell you about moving in.... what a headache! There was one big reason for this: the house was so dirty!! First of all, I was not particularly happy about the house with my first look (sorry, honey- I know you tried) but the more I looked closely the more unhappy I got! It was just disgusting... and the movers were moving all my stuff into it. To make a long story short, the rental company ended up paying for 9 hours of professional cleaners and shampooed the carpets and it still wasn't clean! (They had not seen it yet and the owners assured them it was "immaculate". Hmm, okaaay.) The kitchen was coated with that icky sticky residue that happens when it's not cleaned for a long time, all the corners of the floors were thick with grime and junk like it had never been properly mopped or vacuumed, and the walls were absolutely atrocious. And most of that was still there after the cleaners since they were doing more basic stuff! I was appalled and justifiably grumbled my way through 2 more weeks of scrubbing... and cursing dirty people. Well, it felt justified at the time! :) Now it is mostly done and I feel better. After all, the plan is to be here only through Christmas. By that time we are hoping to have sold our house and have bought one here. I can't wait! Now someone please go buy our adorable, awesome townhome!! :)

Here are a few shots (not that good of pics though) of the 2 rooms I really like...the formal living and dining. Only since we don't have a dining set, I have made that room into a little reading nook. We love it!

Here is an extra few pics... Gabe helping Daddy wash the cars (he was so happy) and on a walk with Mommy yesterday. Tomorrow I will post a whole bunch of pictures we took on the 4th of July!