A Celebratory Sort of Day

We had a BIG day on Saturday! We stopped by the Chase Lake Community School's big carnival so I could scope out the school right next to the new home, and it was wild fun! You know, carnival game playing, prize winning, balloons on the ceiling, treat eating, and lots of people sort of fun! It looks like a pretty happy place as far as I can tell so far.Then Q and I were off to Olea's creative dance birthday party. Here is a collage of the fun:

Then we had to sneak away in order to rush to the ferry for the next celebration! It was a baby shower for Anna Pekoz! It was so lovely to get to see Anna up here from Colorado before Baby Pekoz arrives in a few months, and Anna and Anna did an incredible job with the shower decor etc. It was an alphabet theme, with a blue/orange/brown/gray color palette. Of course this collage doesn't nearly show it all, nor the whole wonderful gang there, but I'm sure one of them will post more about it as well. Anna was adorable as ever, and we'll be excited to meet her new little one soon!

Creative Dance Time

Our SCP field trip this week was to the Creative Dance Center. Quin and I had a blast doing the Brain Dance, getting creative with scarves, stretchy bands, instruments and more!
Lucky for us we get to go back today for Olea's birthday party!

You Know She's Petite When...

She STILL fits into this one:
2010
2009
2008
I don't really have long underwear for H, so this did the trick on our snowy outing yesterday. Must shop for more soon!

Surprise Adventure #1

In case our week hasn't been too exciting already, we went on a surprise adventure today with the Roberts' fam! It was Chrissy's idea to take a surprise trip and I pleaded to join. So, we kept the activity a secret, and just told the boys it was a surprise.

Q thought he might need his goggles...While helping Q get all his layers on this morn one of his guesses was mountains, but I didn't suggest he was right, and I'd already loaded up the sled, so he wasn't sure. Then, when we picked up the Roberts' to trek to Snoqualmie together, I backed the van up and loaded their sleds in under a blanket.
I LOVE surprise adventures, they bring me right back to when Todd planned a surprise trip to Victoria one year and another to Portland, those trips were SO fun! I really want to continue this tradition with the kids and plan a bigger surprise trip this spring/summer, and maybe I'll give Todd the hint to plan one for just the two of us this next summer (there, I just did, that's a lot of lead time cutes ;)).
So, back to today, we got there and brrr...it's cold in the mountains.
So, we bundled the kiddos up and by that time Chrissy and I already realized this was going to be a total workout for us! The Zackey fam went down the bigger hill over and over all together, and thus H had her first sledding experience and I think she liked it! I also took Josie and H over to the tiny hill, where they could go down alone.
We stopped for some lunch and rest in the car, then one last run or two down the big hill, and a hot cocoa break.
Then, we headed home tired out just as a light snow started to fall. It's good to get some time in the snow this time of year, so thanks Chrissy for the great idea!

My Family, By Quin

I guess I've never asked him to do a portrait of our family before, cause we don't have one around. So, I thought I'd share this one he made at preschool the other day:So that's "IQ (short for Quin), Theo, Hazel, Mama, Quin, and PAPA! Guess we all know whose so very important to Quin these days!

Bring on the Bubbly!

We GOT it! It's the perfect day for celebrations too. It's been exactly a decade since Todd and I went on our very first half blind date. And coincidentally we went on that date on the same day as my parents anniversary and my uncle's birthday. SO, hooray!!!
Now, I'll just need some instructions on how to keep those bobble plants so bobbley!

Hazel, a 1.5 year old!

H, is now a 1.5 year old, wow! She's certainly been a strong willed, verbal chica lately. So when I did an impromptu photo session at Penny's I didn't expect much. And, as I predicted she was a rascal, wanting to run away, say "no", and pretty much not smiling on cue, because for goodness sake she's learning to become her own gal. But of course, that didn't stop me from attempting my own photo shoot on the playground on this lovely sunny day. I have to admit yet again, I'm not too surprised that mine seemed to turn out better than those portrait studio ones. I did order a few though, and I'm glad I went for the reminder that all I need is to spend some time with my girl, some cute clothes (from Gigi of course), and my camera!

Ooo, Excited All Over Again!

We made an offer on another house! It's also 50's era, but in really excellent shape, truly move in ready, and even comes with a laundry chute, working appliances, and a hot tub! Plus it has very nice landscaping, is smaller but still a good size for us, is 1/2 a block from an Elementary school, close to Patti's house here, and not far from other conveniences. I truly hope they accept our offer!

Walking Away

We saw a rainbow on the way home from preschool today. It was huge, gleaming and more than a bit distracting as I attempted to keep my eyes on the road. I decided it was an omen of some sort, perhaps bringing us luck for the inspection. It was with pessimistic optimism that we went into this inspection today. We were fairly certain the house needed new windows, deck work, gutters, an arborist, new appliances, and fairly soon new bathrooms and kitchen. All of these things are pricey, but the big house in a good location seemed worth the investment of time and money. That said, we also new that if there were any other big ticket items like the roof or foundation with issues, we'd walk away.
When the inspector (Brandal from Vi Home Inspections, BEST inspector EVER!) gave us the report of the damage in the attic + pest evidence, and need for new roofing, well I said, "That was the deal breaker." We still held out, noticed the good over the bad, thought hard about it all, and read the full 18 page photo report and 21 page written report (well ok Todd did, I was there after all). But Todd's work load being something fierce this week, and we realized that we were plain over our heads so we are absolutely walking away, and happy! So, maybe that rainbow brought us some good luck after all, I'd like to think so.My little rainbow (cause geez I can't stare out the window at the rainbow while driving AND take a picture! ;))

Ice Cream Snowmen and Beans!

One has to balance out the roller coaster of real estate buying/inspecting blah, blah, blah by making creative desserts, don't you agree? Quin crafted this little ice cream snowman for dessert tonight, yum!

And H after eating her little bowl of ice cream, pushed it aside for more soy beans and green beans, she is SO good!
I, on the other hand, enjoyed every last bit of my own fudge topped ice cream, mmmm, stress relieving....
Oh and I won't keep you on your toes too much longer, I promise. Todd just has to finish reading the oh so long inspectors report, then we'll make our final decision.

"Oh Barnacle!"

When Q's frustrated about something lately it's been, "Oh barnacle!" he says with vigor. Todd and I have no clue where he got this, but we vote for it to stick around for a long time, thus we'll be adopting the phrase ourselves, feel free to join us!

Off to College

In case it wasn't enough that Q has been talking about how much bigger he is, and how he used to do any number of things back when he was a kid, he's now frequently talking about when he goes to college! Ok, it's cute and all, but really it does also make me want to stop him from growing, put some bricks on his head, keep him as curious and cuddly, as energetic and enthusiastic and as wildly talkative as he is right now. And not ever, ever let him leave home, or at least not become a teenager. I've also got to work on those secret tape recordings of these silly things he's always saying. 4 is going to be oh so funny, I can already tell!

Her Cheese Face, Intensified

Woah, H's cheese face is going a little too far these days. If I even so much as glance in her direction with the camera she just slaps on that goofy look, yikes! Here are some examples:

Seriously?!
Gettin' those squinty eyes goin' like Papa
Cheese face at the top of the slide (she knew I had the camera on her!)
Now THAT'S one intense cheesy face!
And in case she's not goofy enough with those cheese faces for ya, here's one of kissing that cute twin of hers in the mirror:
Ummm, between these faces, her oh so lovely screaming skills, and the little temper tantrums she now throws, I'm thinking I might just have a little Drama Queen on my hands, just maybe...

Reading Her Mind

H and I volunteered to be part of a UW study on non verbal communication this past Wednesday. She and Quin both have participated in other studies at UW as part of the participant pool for the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. I find these studies interesting, and find myself more apt to both look into child development/brain development, and study my own children's behaviors more closely afterward.
This study was a fun one where H was mostly playing with toys and interacting with the researcher who was using a bandanna to see how H would react when she had it on and still interacted with the toys as told by another researcher. It was a bit of an abstract method to see if H thought the bandanna would or wouldn't allow the researcher to correctly identify and see the toys. H watched very intently, and was saying "danna" while the researcher wore it. And she did look in the direction the researcher looked even with it on. But apparently if an older child, even at age 2, were to do this same experiment he/she wouldn't tolerate the researcher acting as though she could see through the bandanna. Hmmm....so much changes so quickly at this age.
If you or anyone you know might like to participate in other I-LABS studies they said they always need people. You can check out the Participant Pool online.

House Hmmms....

So, I promised pictures, but of course our days around here get a little more than swamped mid week, so, here are a few more from the quick "taking the dog for a walk around the neighborhood" visit on Tuesday late afternoon:

H scoping out the backyard:+ checking up on things (yep needs a new paint job and gutter work):Q getting acquainted with the backyard aka gathering sticks etc.
It's the view from back here that makes me a little nervous, as the deck needs new railings, the house paint, the windows redone, the trees cut back, etc. But it's also exciting, that basement room is huge, the deck could be built out to go around the cedars with a rope ladder or pole going down to the ground, the space gives us room to grow and some not too daunting sweat equity to gain!
Peeking into the dining room and kitchen from the deck:The front, another area we envision improvements, mostly simple native landscaping:
Then, on our walk around the area, including the pretty busy Richmond Beach Road, we got to the Innis Arden Swim Club which is actually just kiddy corner to the back of our lot (and I'm thinking easily accessible through the gate that's right there!;)). The kids were thrilled with the little playground:
And I was excited about the big field and paved trail. So, the potentials seemed exciting and yet the work a little daunting. So, we still have the inspection next Monday, and some hard thinking to do this weekend. This Point Wells issue is what has us really thinking about our choice though. Any thoughts???

Elmo Time

It was a fun surprise to get a special visit with Elmo at the Children's Museum when we went this week for VPG. Quin was particularly excited as he's been enjoying the Sesame Street Body exhibit at the museum AND he's even seen some Elmo's World shows and even Sesame Street for the first time lately! H on the other hand clung to me like glue. She's not quite there yet with these sorts of ginormous stuffed animals that move and want to hug you.

This JUST In...

We GOT it! Oh my gosh, that was exciting! Will have to go by again soon and take pictures to show you all. We've got a ways to go with inspections and such, but still, we've got a potential new home! I'm thinking it was the cheese factor 12 letter to the sellers with pictures of our fam that did it.

Dads

Have those big strong shoulders for caring little tikes back home from our walk in the woods.
And the wisdom to build a little fire while BBQing dinner in January.Sitting by the cozy fire is a nice way to end the long weekend together, peacefully.

Time Flies: Swing Edition

I took this picture while at the park this afternoon,
and thought it resembled one I took last year:He still loves pushing her on the swing, and she's still loving it too (well for the most part).

Mr. Inquisitive

Teacher Patty noted this week how very inquisitive Quin is about the world around him. This was after reading a book on rocks and minerals (one of the DK Eyewitness books he loves so much), and exploring the science display of rocks and minerals.
It was fitting comment for her to state this week in particular as he has been mildly obsessed with asking, "How is that made?" about nearly everything around him. From the ketchup to the place mats, from the granola bars to the car's wheels, from the corn chips to the books we read. So much has been food I'm realizing we need to eat even more whole foods without so many ingredients! This line of questioning has really helped me think about how things are made and those processes I truly never contemplate. Though it can be weary to explain so much, I love that he is so fascinated with the way things work and is trying to figure them out. We have done some fun you tube searches for factory tours, and seen some fun ones on jelly beans, computers and such. I've been interested in taking the Theo Chocolate Factory tour for years, so now is definitely the time and I'm sure Quin will soak it all up, not just the chocolate that is.

Possibilty...

Cause I like to keep you (and also future me) in the loop of our every move around these parts, I have some exciting news! We are making an offer on a house! It's only been on the market 2 days, already has 2 offers, and it actually needs some work. So, it might not be our future home, but it could be...

Boing Birthday!

Q and I bounced our hearts out at Jump Planet today in celebration of our old PEPS pals Gabe and Alex. We really did a whole lot of sliding on the giant slide, I wish we had one of those things in our backyard!

Then of course we had some tasty cake and treats (I say "we" cause I have no restraint when there is extra birthday cake around ;)).These boys are two of Q's oldest pals, I love it:
Q, Alex and Gabe (about 4 months old)
Q and Alex (~ 6 months old)
There was even a fun pinata mosh pit, kid style! Nan and Shellie sure know how to throw a party!