Maifest at Leavenworth

On Saturday we packed up the kiddies and their strollers, blankies, treats, and toys and made the 2.5 hour trek to Leavenworth for Maifest! Leavenworth is a small Bavarian-style town tucked into the mountains NE of Seattle. All of the architecture is so quaint with the gingerbread house carved wooden railings and eaves. I loved it! It reminded me of Matt's townhouse at the Zermatt in Midway! We had a great time. Some of the highlights were... a grand parade, countless Bernese Mountain Dogs (some pulling little flower carts!), a traditional dance around the Mai Pole, yummy lunch of Bratwurst and German potato pancakes, a beautiful walk around an island and best of all... a ferocious hailstorm!! Of course that hit while I was sitting on a little stone wall watching Gabe play on the grass and attempting to nurse Nyah. Eric was gone fetching us some lunch when it started to rain. I managed to get the umbrella covering the baby and stroller while somehow keeping myself covered and her latched on. (Gabe couldn't be persuaded to join us!) By the time the hail started Eric had returned (thank goodness) and we all huddled together underneath the tiny protection of the umbrella. Gabe was looking like he wasn't too certain he liked the experience so Eric and I were making it sound super fun! (Oh boy-what a blast. haha!) Eventually we made a run for it and got under the eaves of a building across the street. Drenched, we ducked into a restaurant for shelter mostly, and also lunch. By the time we were done, the sky was clear and the sun was out - it looked like a different day altogether! Before heading home, we had a wonderful walk along the riverand over into an island. Gabe thought it was loads of fun to push his own stroller. I had to take a picture of him giggling hysterically while zigzagging back and forth on the path! He pushed that thing the entire time too - it felt like a mile although I don't know for sure how far it was. What a fun adventure!!

snapshot moments

There are moments in time you want to make sure you never forget - those snapshots of life that are precious. As a parent, they seem to happen pretty regularly! Gabe and Nyah bring so much happiness and laughter to our home...

Gabe's Precious "bb"

All of his blankies are dear "bb's" but the "bugs bb" has been his favorite this past 6 months - thanks Aunt Erin for making it!! :) He takes one corner (his favorite being the ripped corner for some reason) and holds it to his mouth as he makes a soft sucking sound - like he is sucking on an invisible binki. Gabe has always found comfort in this, usually when he is tired... even as a newborn he would nuzzle his face into the blankey and do it. It is one of those unique and endearing things about him that Eric and I will always treasure. We are already sad for the time when this quirky habit fades!

The Milk Coma

Nyah drunk on milk!! :)

Family Time

Right after FHE one Monday evening. I am cuddled with Nyah (in her milk coma aftermath) while Eric reads to Gabe before bed. I love this picture because it reminds me of how I felt at that moment: utter contentment and happiness with my family.

Too Tired to Play

This was a monumental discovery... finding Gabe asleep on the couch one morning! He has never fallen asleep outside of his bed, ever! I guess waking up at 5am every day is starting to wear on him... thank goodness! On this day, story time had been interrupted by Nyah needing to be nursed. I told him I would return to finish reading to him and he fell asleep as he waited for me. Poor tired little guy! Unfortunately, this 10 minute snooze spoiled his real nap, darn it! No more sleeping on the couch Gabe!

Isn't dinner time always when babies are fussy and just want your attention? Well, luckily Nyah is a happy little baby and rarely cries... but there are those times when she just wants to be cuddled and it's always in the evening. About a week ago I was trying to make dinner one-handed as I held my little lovebug and I was just so distracted because every time I looked down I saw her sweet little face peering up at me, happy as a clam to be held. It was so adorable, I had to pause and take a picture:

She was so alert and quiet that I had to take her out of her blankie and take a few more pictures! What a sweet girl. How am I supposed to get anything done with such a cute distraction around?!

meeting grandma and grandpa

Eric's parents and little sister Caitlynn got to fly out and meet Nyah... and spoil Gabe rotten, like usual! :) I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of them with Gabe - but he certainly got his normal quota of tons of attention!! It was so fun to show off our little sweetheart to them too. She was a little angel and captured all their hearts by the end of the weekend. (Who am I kidding, she had them wrapped around her little finger in 2 seconds flat!!) It was so fun to have them come and spend time just being together. It is so fulfilling and comforting to witness how much my little ones are loved. Gabe and Nyah are absolutely doted on, and I love that as a parent! Sometimes I imagine how difficult it would be to have no family... to know that there was no one else that cherished your children the way you did. What a blessing it is to have so many people in our lives that love us and that we love in return! It is what life is all about... family.

in love

It has been only a little over 2 weeks with Nyah and I am head over heels in love. She is the sweetest little darling. I absolutely love having a newborn in our home. She adds so much softness and love to our family, I am savoring every moment with her. It's wonderful to see her influence in our lives, even Gabe is naturally tender and sweet with her. There are so many endearing things about her right now... sweet little things I never want to forget... I love her noisy little "talk". She is full of squeaks and creaks, groans and grunts. It makes me laugh all day! Gabe and I have dubbed her our mouse in the house.

I love her oh-so-soft skin. She has a beautiful, porcelain complexion that is silky to the touch. I could (and do) stroke her cheeks and her soft, downy head all day!

I love her silly expressions which can range from a grimace of disgust to a goofy smile all in about 3 seconds - usually accompanied with a lot of stretching and groaning!

I love the tiny little rolls of fat on her legs. She is not a chubby baby but those little rolls are just adorable... I'll be so sad when they disappear.

I love her tendency to go practically comatose for about 2 minutes after nursing! She will break off and throw her milk-smeared face back and then just stay that way, limp as a noodle, until she finally rouses herself a few minutes later. It is the cutest, most endearing thing.

I love her wide, wide eyes... so wide sometimes that there is a ring of white around her deep blue iris. It gives her this adorable look of shock!

I love those moments when time stands still as she looks directly into my eyes while I talk softly to her. Nothing wavers about her expression - just a slow blink now and then. We are the only two people in the world... it is amazing.

I love her soft, sweet smell. There is nothing like it.

I love her little personality. She is sweet but spunky- easily comforted but lets you know, in no uncertain terms, when she needs your comfort! She is incredibly alert and interactive, even at her tender age.

Although it has only been a short time with her here, I feel like I really know her. But then I believe we did know each other before... that we were very close and loved each other dearly. I am thrilled to have been sent her sweet spirit to our family. I feel like we have been so blessed with our darling Gabe already and now we have our precious Nyah. Life can't get better than this.

(Her signature wide-eyed look of shock! What a doll.)

big brother

a big brother gives lots of soft, gentle kisses...
a big brother takes care of his baby sister- even if it means interrupting his dinner to run upstairs and "go make sure baby Nyah is ok" when a little cry is heard on the monitor.

a big brother is interested in even the mundane details of baby life - like inspecting each poopy diaper and exclaiming that her poop is indeed yellow!a big brother finds joy in all the new and exciting paraphernalia that comes with a baby sister...
a big brother loves to hold his little sister - and when he is done, will kindly ask me if I want a turn!
a big brother loves his new baby... Gabe is the best big brother!

HAPPY EASTER!

It was our first real holiday alone... strange and a little lonely but we made it fun! We had our friends Raelynn and Brett over for dinner (made possible by Mom's delicious food in the freezer!) which helped make it feel special for us all. Gabe was super excited to have the Easter Bunny come and leave him a basket of surprises! When he woke up Saturday morning, he got to search for all the eggs he dyed with Grandma, then find his Easter basket... I got all the excitement on video! Holidays just get better and better as he gets older! Gabe was THRILLED with the giant bug that the Easter Bunny left for him in his basket. He caught me saying "ewww, gross!!" once and from then on has been informing me that his bug is "not gross, Mommy!!" :)

Nyah slept through it all but I had to include her in the photos!

I had to include this last picture... as you can see, Gabe is thoroughly enjoying the little farm animals he got in his basket! :)

2 weeks already?!!

Has it really been two weeks since Nyah was born?! Wow!! I can't believe she has been here that long... but then other moments I can't imagine life before her anymore! She is such a delightful baby... just like Gabe was. Only this time I find myself enjoying the "moment" much more. I had such a hard time when Gabe was a newborn - I remember feeling so stressed and tired all the time. I can hardly remember anything of his first month - it is all a haze now, which makes me really sad. I'm so happy that this time around I can truly enjoy my baby. I'm not sure what is different, but I feel so much more relaxed. I'm sleeping better, I'm not stressed out about how much she is nursing and sleeping and a million other little things that I obsessed about with poor Gabe!! Of course I remember adoring my little boy - just like I do with my little girl - nothing is different there! But I'm just happy to report that all is well - better than expected actually! Life is wonderful at our house... short nights, poopy diapers, and (the occasional) toddler tantrum and all! :)

I love the comparison photos so here are my two cute babies. (I see a resemblance but they are not that close in appearance to me. What do you think?)

Nyah at 2 weeks

Gabe at 10 days

there's no one like Mom

I have been spoiled and pampered for almost a week... Mom came to help me with the baby! I didn't wash a dish, do laundry, clean, cook or pretty much do anything the entire time - it was fabulous! :) Gabe had the time of his life with Grandma... they read stacks of books, played all kinds of games, went on walks, and played trains by the hour. What a lucky little guy. And what a lucky mommy that got to take naps and relax with his new little sis! But the real reason I was so happy was that I got to just be around my wonderful mom. She has this knack of making me feel like the most important person in the world. I have missed her so much since we have moved away. This is the first time she has been able to come visit and I can't tell you how excited I have been! It has been heaven to have her presence in the house. There really is no one in the world like Mom!! I can't wait to some day share the same kind of relationship with Nyah. (Gotta love that face on Gabe!! haha!)

Mom brought so many presents for us! She made Nyah 4 of the cutest little blanket sets that she crocheted the edges of (which I was SO excited about since those are what I use for swaddling and I only had 1 for Nyah that I had made. I was worried I was going to have to use Gabe's little blue blankets - gasp!) She also made a darling quilt for Nyah! It is so warm and soft - we have been loving it for the middle of the night feedings! Then there were the clothes... oh my goodness, the clothes!! Can I just say that between my mom (and sisters!) and Eric's mom, Nyah is going to be the best dressed baby girl you can imagine! And I have been having a great time admiring all those adorable outfits! :)
Gabe got a great hair cut from Grandma - thanks mom!! What a handsome boy!Mom and Nyah did a lot of cuddling... It made me so happy that my mom could share with me this special time with Nyah and Gabe. That is probably the hardest part of living far away from family - knowing that we are missing so much of each others' lives, especially when it comes to little ones.
Making cookies with Grandma - what a blast! Gabe also helped make countless other goodies like rolls, muffins and cinnamon rolls - most of which are in the freezer for a rainy day. (Uh yeah, I have broken into the stash already but it has been awfully rainy here!!) He had so much fun with his Grandma!On the morning that Mom had to leave, we dyed our Easter eggs. Well, actually Mom and Gabe did... Nyah and I cuddled and took pictures of their hard work! It was so fun. I just love the holidays and the traditions that come with each one!
I'll admit that it was a struggle for me to watch my mom leave for home... but I'm so happy for the time we got to spend together. Thanks for coming Mom! I love you!!