tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8072262017679415402024-03-13T11:35:02.801-07:00Without A DoubtALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07162536388718722735noreply@blogger.comBlogger645125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-65351726390974855942016-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:002016-05-09T05:00:17.836-07:00Traditional Baby Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that my most recent quilt has reached its owner, I can share it here. It's a little more traditional than I usually go, but it's still slightly modern thanks to lots of solids and some fun, subtle stripes. I stuck with my new favorite all-over free motion quilting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJOQNyuoADyD6FFjtvXQM8FRm_kJaFTAnuDWtPgCf89MyHH9hfaQdjH3Tr_cIa4-OJtLuncyvvpdibr8pUTHRBq2fOdJQ_JrLAYY21C0cHOIm30CKlqJVBYSTqKm4e-4lFjWbsHFR-HR6/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJOQNyuoADyD6FFjtvXQM8FRm_kJaFTAnuDWtPgCf89MyHH9hfaQdjH3Tr_cIa4-OJtLuncyvvpdibr8pUTHRBq2fOdJQ_JrLAYY21C0cHOIm30CKlqJVBYSTqKm4e-4lFjWbsHFR-HR6/s640/IMG_0675.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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On the back, I used the same fabric as I put on the back of <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2014/07/baby-boys-houndstooth-quilt.html">Elliott's quilt</a>. I'm hoping Sir E's happy vibes will flow to the new sweet baby boy who's going to be snuggling this quilt.<br />
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I love that my dear friend is going to be a mama and that this quilt will be along for the ride. Can't wait till this baby boy arrives! XOALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-75254344389039040432016-03-09T05:00:00.000-08:002016-03-09T05:00:04.528-08:00Modern Hexagon Quilt for Miss LMy most recent quilt was made with lots of love for my bestie's little girl. It was my first quilt incorporating hexagons (done by machine!) and one of the rare quilts where I had the vision in my mind and went about creating it without ever drawing out the details of the quilt.<br />
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I love the juxtaposition of the modern pattern (hexes, mostly solid fabric, and lots of negative space) with the antique feel of the "crunch" from the overall stipple quilting. It's a little bigger than crib size to make a more comfortable toddler bed quilt.<br />
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I backed it in fabric that I bought in New Zealand (and then spotted in my local fabric shop - doh!). The backing fabric was the inspiration for the fabric I used on the front.<br />
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<i>Sweet Louisa, I hope that you and your family love and enjoy your quilt for years to come!</i>ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-35878666809294430122016-03-03T05:00:00.000-08:002016-03-03T17:13:02.115-08:00Madeleine's 52-Week QuiltWell, hello.<br />
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I've been off living life and not blogging, but I decided to stop by to document a couple of things. As I recently finished a quilt, I realized that I never shared Madeleine's 52-week quilt, so named because I used fabric from her <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/search/label/Madeleine%27s%20Weekly%20Photos">52-week photo project</a>. In doing so, I'll share a bit of her new room. Oh yeah, we moved. :-)<br />
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If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/madeleines52weekquilt/">process</a> of making half square triangles, working out the design, and eventually only using a small fraction of the pieces I'd originally cut/sewn. In the end, I'm really happy with the quilt, which was my first using half square triangles and my first free motion quilting, done on my domestic machine. I have fallen for free motion quilting in a big way.<br />
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The quilt is pretty much reversible because I backed it with this fabric that I picked up ages ago in Kaui. Madeleine calls it the Hawaii side. It was a challenge to get the pattern to match up at the necessary seam, but I love the fabric - so bright and bold. Both sides go with her newly painted walls (<a href="http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/antiguansky">Benjamin Moore Antiguan Sky</a>).<br />
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As much as this quilt makes me swell with pride, I feel like it wasn't really living up to its potential until I added the bunting to the walls, which was the inspiration for the pattern in the first place.<br />
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Sweet Madeleine regularly thanks me for her quilt, so I'm going to call it a big success.<br />
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<br />ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-10594866198763459842015-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:002015-12-16T05:00:00.152-08:00November 2015 Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
November feels like it was a lifetime ago, but here is the recap nonetheless. </div>
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During a particularly rough week, Madeleine requested matching jammies and a photo. Done!</div>
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After many months of health problems, a lot of pain, and many appointments later, a trip to the ER finally pointed me in the direction of a real diagnosis.</div>
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Madeleine is working on cutting bananas...in real life...</div>
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...and in Fruit Ninja. </div>
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Turns out that both of our kids share my love for sesame dumplings at Din Tai Fung, which means they have good taste and create competition for me! </div>
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I made a ton of progress on Madeleine's quilt (follow along <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/madeleines52weekquilt/">here</a>).</div>
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Look who is getting so tall and has mastered tip toes!</div>
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On "student teaching night" at Madeleine's school, she showed us around her classroom and demonstrated her favorite works. We're a big fan of her coffee grinding work, too, because it results in a baggy of fresh grounds each Friday. Score! </div>
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This kid and his cars...</div>
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I feel lucky to have captured that rare moment where the winter sun was streaming in the (dirty) windows and Madeleine was "reading" a book to Elliott. </div>
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On Thanksgiving, I was thankful to feel well enough to run a 5k and then lead Madeleine on her second race, a 1k.</div>
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It was a <i>very</i> cold morning, and she struggled to stay motivated until she realized that she could make her shadow run! If only they'd told us that the finishing medals would be chocolate...</div>
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Sub-freezing temperatures were no match for this smile!</div>
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Just hanging out one evening...</div>
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I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season and not getting too swept up in the hustle and bustle. Cheers!</div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-45984795539386736132015-11-26T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-26T05:00:09.450-08:00Bright Baby Girl QuiltThis past weekend, I got to hand off my newest quilt to its new owner. She is bright, confident, feisty, feminine, and unapologetic. I mean all of those things in the nicest possible way, and she is going to be a wonderful mother to her sweet Adelina.<br />
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In that spirit, I tried to make a quilt that embodied the same character and ended up with this:<br />
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The quilt top came together remarkably quickly thanks to strip piecing and a few cutting shortcuts. </div>
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For the quilting, I wanted to try something different. I attempted to recreate the pattern from the backing fabric. It's imperfect (isn't that the true beauty of quilts?), but I'm pleased with how it turned out. </div>
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ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-15983039213477705982015-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-24T05:00:07.623-08:00October 2015 RecapOctober feels like a lifetime ago, but I'm finally getting a chance to share some highlights with you. Fair warning: it was a very photo-heavy month.<br />
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To start the month, I spent a night away in beautiful Bellingham and treated myself to dinner and a pint at <a href="http://www.bbaybrewery.com/">Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro</a>. I just love Bellingham.</div>
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The next morning, I ran my third half marathon, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Run-Like-a-Girl-Bellingham-109487142493559/timeline">Run Like a Girl Bellingham</a>. I don't really know how to explain it besides an anti-race. There's no mandatory distance (anything up to a half marathon) and no official starting time or time keeper while the finish line includes hunky firefighters and a necklace as a finishing medal. The course, partially hiking trails and partially old logging road perched above the bay, is gorgeous, especially on a sunny crisp fall day like we enjoyed this year. I'd really like to make this an annual event. </div>
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George brought the kids up to cheer me on, and I convinced Madeleine to run the last 10 yards or so with me. Afterwards, she told George, "Daddy, Mummy and I have to go potty because we just ran 8 miles!"</div>
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Meanwhile, Miss M has learned how to plug in our fun electric car.</div>
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She continues to do lots of role play with her stuffed friends. This particular day, Elliott's room was converted into the nap room at school.</div>
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"Mummy, it's an e!" It sure is. It used to be the tube of a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/NoseFrida-The-Snotsucker-Nasal-Aspirator/dp/B00171WXII">Nosefrida</a>.</div>
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One of Madeleine's practical life works at school is coffee grinding. When she brings home the ground beans, we let her help with making the rest of the coffee, starting with pouring her beans into the French press. </div>
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Madeleine went to her first school friend birthday party, which felt like a bit of a milestone for her and her parents!</div>
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Of course, we couldn't let October slip by without running down to our neighborhood pumpkin patch to pick out some decorations. </div>
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The little peanuts from <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2014/10/friday-im-in-love-v.html">last year</a> have grown up!</div>
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Speaking of growing, Elliott still isn't walking (much), but he sure can climb....</div>
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...to the sink to wash hands</div>
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...to the top of the special park</div>
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...on the kid table</div>
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...on chairs</div>
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Elliott completed his first session of toddler yoga. It's hard to tell yet if he likes it as much as Madeleine, but he sure does love flirting with all the other moms.</div>
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He is very charming indeed.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">One afternoon, I managed to keep Elliott busy for quite a while with this simple Pinterest game. Empty tube + Painter's tape + Pompoms</span></div>
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While Elliott was occupied, I got started on the quilt I'm making for Madeleine's "big girl bed" out of fabric from her <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/search/label/Madeleine%27s%20Weekly%20Photos">52-week photo project</a>. You can follow along <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/madeleines52weekquilt/">here</a>.</div>
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Toward the end of the month, we took a trip to San Jose. George went down for work, and I braved my first solo flight with two littles to join him for the weekend. I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon.</div>
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The first morning we were there, Madeleine woke up at 5am, vomiting neon yellow, so we got to spend most of our first day in town at the ER.</div>
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Fortunately, it only took about 24 hours for her to rebound and be able to hang out with her buddies.</div>
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The scenery has changed quite a bit from our days hanging out 80-100 feet below the ocean surface, but I wouldn't say that it's any less fun. Look at all those smiles!</div>
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Before we left, we managed to snap a kiddo group photo. Elliott is <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2014/10/san-jose-california.html">catching up</a>!</div>
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We made it home in time to celebrate Halloween. This year, the kids were Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kitty Cat of <a href="http://pbskids.org/daniel/">Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood</a> fame. I loved every moment of making their costumes and hope they get lots of love throughout the year as dress up costumes. </div>
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Phew. It was a very full month. No wonder I went into November utterly exhausted.</div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-59066281797078918302015-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:002015-10-28T05:00:01.104-07:00September 2015 Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Hello! I'm stopping in to share our September photos (at the end of October) after an unanticipated blogging break. I'll be honest: I didn't really see this coming. </i></div>
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<i>September sort of swept me away as we adjusted to our new schedules and routines. Despite having one fewer child to wrangle during the week, I haven't really found myself with any additional time. </i></div>
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<i>On top of this, I'm really trying to be more present and less connected. I uninstalled Facebook from my phone and actually go days without even opening the page on my computer. It's almost like I'm living in 1999 and not comparing my every move with those of friends/acquaintances/strangers anymore. I highly recommend giving it a go! </i></div>
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<i>So, I'm not sure how often I'll be on here or what the future holds for this space, but...today...here I am.</i></div>
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Madeleine started preschool at the local Montessori school. Appropriately, it rained on the first day of school. The first two or three weeks were a bit rough, but she is now thriving in the environment and with the schedule. As her teacher says, Madeleine is Montessori to the core. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5iuLB9FfSB-cVFjRhYQb9ENGV_YQB78znpeF6fkcK2q4oRh_UY-QPu5o-O8qYy-YeU6p3cq2grElfRHNlDtkJOCwocFUeKsxD53qI0Gtob1Nn7lqvE9mWH_0XvcegLXXPTYRBdj9h9Ug/s1600/IMG_9450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5iuLB9FfSB-cVFjRhYQb9ENGV_YQB78znpeF6fkcK2q4oRh_UY-QPu5o-O8qYy-YeU6p3cq2grElfRHNlDtkJOCwocFUeKsxD53qI0Gtob1Nn7lqvE9mWH_0XvcegLXXPTYRBdj9h9Ug/s640/IMG_9450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I found out that there was going to be a half marathon on my usual running trail on the day when I was already planning to run a 12-mile training run, I decided to just do the whole race. I improved my time by 15 minutes and had a ball. Oh, and I ran every last step. :-)</div>
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I have THE best cheering squad. I am so grateful for George's unwavering encouragement of my running habit and willingness to take the parenting reins solo during so much of his weekends.</div>
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On of of the last remaining sunny days, I met up with a friend with our toddlers and cameras to go crazy capturing the kiddos. Elliott cooperated a little, but I just love how he decided to turn away from me when I got him to sit still in the light I wanted. And, yes, I do think he's going to have some curls in his beautiful ginger hair.</div>
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I'm a sucker for matching jammies. Funny thing is that big sister only <i>just</i> outgrew these ones, and little brother is already busting out of them!</div>
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On a day off of school, I took the kids to the zoo. We took advantage of getting to feed the giraffes, though Madeleine dropped her leaves and backed up as soon as the tall guy came near. </div>
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Elliott loved the hiking pack and penguin exhibit.</div>
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Elliott is following in Madeleine's footsteps as he loves to empty any and every drawer he can find and pull disposable diapers out of the package. Realistically, this photo represents a lot of why I'm not around this blog very often. </div>
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Madeleine has a wild imagination, and I never know what adventures I'll find her leading when I go into her room each morning. </div>
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Hmmm, I wonder who threw every toy and easily removable article of clothing out of the crib at the end of nap time...</div>
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George and I enjoyed a rare date day to hear a live taping of two NPR shows.</div>
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And how could I not share these growing, plump feet?</div>
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I hope your October is going well. With any luck, I'll be back to share our Halloween costumes soon!ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-69050492841922344922015-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:002015-09-02T05:00:02.618-07:00August 2015 RecapWhile I want to say that August went really fast, the reality is that there were a lot of long days during the month. Madeleine finished daycare at the end of July and spent August home full time. We had quite a few adventures and not too many naps, so there were definitely challenging times. But, a look back at the photos reminds me of all that we accomplished...where accomplished is defined by toddler outings and ridiculous costumes.<br />
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Throughout the month, there has been a major construction project behind our house, and M has loved spotting giant excavators and other exciting equipment.</div>
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At the beginning of the month, my good friend and her son, my godson, came over for a fun visit.</div>
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The kids loved splashing in the water table and pool together.</div>
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We went out to lunch on the afternoon of the Seafair hydroplane races, and Madeleine was enthralled with them and still asks about the way they work and why they need cranes to be lifted from the water.</div>
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Elliott was happy to much on Madeleine's leftovers of a crab apple from our yard. </div>
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This is pretty much life at our house: one kid constantly in motion and a second trying to do as much as he can. </div>
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Madeleine took swimming lessons twice a week during August. I'm so proud of her independence and confidence in the water. She made a lot of progress, and the teacher even experimented with removing her floats all together during her last lesson.</div>
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We hosted a couple of fun PEPS events at our house.</div>
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Busted! This cutie has started to chew on his crib. No bueno.</div>
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I love to see the toy combinations she creates (this ensemble includes strings from lacing cards, blocks from a shape sorting stacking toy, and small plush animals), but I don't love that she has started to ask for pets. Pure karma.</div>
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Elliott can get into things Madeleine couldn't reach until she was at least a year older (and more likely to listen to our logic and reason). Among them: wine fridge, range dials and buttons, top drawers, and countertops). </div>
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To help Madeleine's visual learning, I've labeled various things around the house. After reading a new back to school book, she decided to swipe one of them for her nametag. Ha!</div>
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Salmon fillet as sandwich.</div>
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I laid down my 364 day old and woke up to a one year old. Birthday details to come.</div>
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Actually, I didn't wake Elliott on his birthday because I was out on a 9.5 mile run with Rachel. We were rewarded for our early morning hard work with several hot air balloons in the sky along with the most eerie red sunrise as a result of the devastating wildfires to our east. </div>
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One day, I got out the nice camera to capture playtime in the yard.</div>
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Have no fear - I live with a firefighting super hero!</div>
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Madeleine was all bravery and excitement on her first visit to her new school. </div>
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I scored this hiking pack for virtually nothing, and Elliott is super excited to have both a good view and easy access to pulling his mother's hair.</div>
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Friends visited from New Zealand, and Madeleine was more than happy to show their tot the ropes. </div>
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After the brunt of the windstorm died down, Madeleine and I took our "babies" out for a walk. I just love her technique. I don't love that our neighbor's tree fell down, mostly in our yard.</div>
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On her last day at home before starting school, Madeleine chose to paint. No surprises there.</div>
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And, finally, I captured proof that George's prediction (months before Madeleine was born) that she would be able to scale her bookshelves like a ladder has come true. Part spiderwoman?</div>
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Part of me is really sad for summer to go, but the other part of me is grateful that it happened and ready to cozy up in that delicious fall wardrobe waiting for me. How about you?ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-71244140947903979612015-08-31T22:00:00.000-07:002015-08-31T22:00:02.678-07:00Seaside, OregonIn early August, we spent a fabulous long weekend in Seaside, Oregon with our friends, whose family happens to include our kids' friends. As a bonus, the trip wrapped up on my birthday, so I got to kick off my new year with donuts and a spirited preschooler version of happy birthday. It really was a special trip!<br />
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We stayed in a large condo south of town, rented through <a href="http://www.seasidevacationhomes.com/">this</a> agency. When looking at accommodation, we had two primary requirements: oceanfront and large enough that most, if not all, of the kids could have their own rooms. With five bedrooms, the only ones who had to double up were the preschoolers - one on the bed provided and the other on <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Shrunks-Indoor-Toddler-Travel-Bed/dp/B001EQ66WK/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1441063638&sr=8-1&keywords=inflatable+toddler+bed&pebp=1441063640160&perid=1XQNTZ8YFEZDEXGCP7B1">this</a> great bed. We all expected it to be a complete debacle, but it ended up working out pretty well. The first few nights provided plenty of entertainment for the adults watching on the video monitor; by the last night, they went to bed without a peep. Naps, on the other hand, were a fail, but you win some and lose some. Overall, I'd absolutely go back to this location. The beach was right across the street and down a short path, and the condo was well-appointed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kelly/Rob<br />The younger siblings have a budding friendship.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a bad view toward town, eh?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the beach is all about: piggies in the sand.</td></tr>
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The beach was the main attraction. If not for meals and naps, we'd probably have spent all day every day on the beach. All of the kids were really into the sand and gentle surf and that made the adults very happy. I wasn't surprised that Madeleine loved the beach, but I was (pleasantly) surprised at Elliott's relative beach maturity. There was a minimum of sand-eating but lots of digging and pouring. Both kids loved to chase the birds on the beach, and Elliott's army crawl trail was pretty hilarious.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kelly/Rob</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmmm...where has Elliott been?</td></tr>
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Despite the constant (and sometimes chilly) wind, they all enjoyed splashing along the edge of the ocean. We typically tried to keep the kids from moving toward the water until our beach time was getting short because, once they were wet, chattering teeth and blue lips were not too far behind. That said, there were a few times when I was cold and the kids held out for more and more beach time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two are two peas in a pod.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGq84xIXfaDvHEOhGi5xqdxlzU7WNkr2H76lqSPZOPzR4mMj2HXZB3xwDjOJCFaXGP1ol9NntjdRwRKHcz3EqgK9uHClGG6xpIDcmEV7s1aVJA2IMeNqWAUTcQ5LQqB_IB0pLHLqVVgka/s1600/IMG_20150809_163910386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGq84xIXfaDvHEOhGi5xqdxlzU7WNkr2H76lqSPZOPzR4mMj2HXZB3xwDjOJCFaXGP1ol9NntjdRwRKHcz3EqgK9uHClGG6xpIDcmEV7s1aVJA2IMeNqWAUTcQ5LQqB_IB0pLHLqVVgka/s640/IMG_20150809_163910386.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elliott was ready to crawl across the Pacific.</td></tr>
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Having phones, and therefore cameras, at the beach is both a blessing and a curse. We were able to capture a lot of the special moments, but I had a hard time saying enough is enough and just enjoying the moment. Perhaps it was a good thing we had our phones on hand, though, on the afternoon when a stranger wandered by with several serious cameras hanging around his neck and generously agreed to snap a group shot for us on one of our phones. I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't have gotten a picture of all eight of us together otherwise.<br />
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When we weren't at the beach, we ventured into town. I feel like there are two different Seasides. Along the promenade, there are lots of carnival and fair type activities - such as bumper cars, arcades, a carousel, fried food, the amazing <a href="http://www.zingersicecream.com/">Zinger's ice cream</a> and cheesy gift shops. A few blocks inland, you run into this cute downtown area with a pretty terrific antique mall and some restaurants, including the very (very) kid-friendly <a href="http://seasidebrewery.com/">Seaside Brewing Company</a>. Both areas were fun, just in different ways.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5-Jw-cG3NdXhsIoHbIRywTit-iIx3puboNb-cFefjnggbd2F5ajDEzqBXsSj2Xku6cRbvcHAXJsqfQUUnb0a9Ad_1Ecqq7urpxg-t3kQpdDDw_XbixxTemji0_wghmnG9dK53vmaKqTA/s1600/IMG_20150810_152124669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5-Jw-cG3NdXhsIoHbIRywTit-iIx3puboNb-cFefjnggbd2F5ajDEzqBXsSj2Xku6cRbvcHAXJsqfQUUnb0a9Ad_1Ecqq7urpxg-t3kQpdDDw_XbixxTemji0_wghmnG9dK53vmaKqTA/s640/IMG_20150810_152124669.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enthralled by the bumper cars but not yet ready to ride themselves...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquKQN-cPqbMPR9izh48pXGCHphmkML3RbTPX_vjdExWoN_rQGUt2fmeEDFuTvLc58hUS60WRxlxjqe17BFp6O3VaPnRsKMByttEqSl500A4Iui4U3vGI-CQFsVzNAYMUEGlbdkPkeT1r1/s1600/2015-08-10+16.14.37-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquKQN-cPqbMPR9izh48pXGCHphmkML3RbTPX_vjdExWoN_rQGUt2fmeEDFuTvLc58hUS60WRxlxjqe17BFp6O3VaPnRsKMByttEqSl500A4Iui4U3vGI-CQFsVzNAYMUEGlbdkPkeT1r1/s640/2015-08-10+16.14.37-XL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kelly/Rob<br />Madeleine insisted on ice cream, and we all thoroughly enjoyed our Zingers...except poor egg-allergic Elliott.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRPOq_pM-L7r8LPuXLB0Uj21lXqwvgohoK2IvirZV4AnlYgvoTZmaPslbk_G3zJyoxWgm76ivibR7RjfpMiJptnNKVUgHQP7HTWJV_s9z8IjY_2LZg827oVtJV234qZk9CEI3noyCSPx3/s1600/IMG_20150810_153724984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRPOq_pM-L7r8LPuXLB0Uj21lXqwvgohoK2IvirZV4AnlYgvoTZmaPslbk_G3zJyoxWgm76ivibR7RjfpMiJptnNKVUgHQP7HTWJV_s9z8IjY_2LZg827oVtJV234qZk9CEI3noyCSPx3/s640/IMG_20150810_153724984.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got to watch the bulldozer leveling the mounds that had been created for fans watching a volleyball tournament.</td></tr>
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For me, one of the perks of being at the beach was getting to run on and along the beach. I'm currently training for my second half marathon, so I did both a long run around town and a tempo run on the beach on my birthday. Running on my birthday takes me back to my high school cross country days, and it always makes me feel grateful for starting my new year with a bit of fitness and good health!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkh7pabcZGqMtqc2a7MIT8YCNTddChCDriVQdndDGjgQLvjqhECe6esx7Y3QU5Qf23G3WFPrgbOOSoHNctI7i-rHaXlg1fW91jrb7jMIdcpGjWbI_V2f-vJTcf9j9xsJJw4fhw-k7gddX/s1600/_DSC4817-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkh7pabcZGqMtqc2a7MIT8YCNTddChCDriVQdndDGjgQLvjqhECe6esx7Y3QU5Qf23G3WFPrgbOOSoHNctI7i-rHaXlg1fW91jrb7jMIdcpGjWbI_V2f-vJTcf9j9xsJJw4fhw-k7gddX/s640/_DSC4817-X2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kelly/Rob<br />Run? Check. A little yoga on the beach? Check. Time to face reality.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5GV_jTovy5Aty_DnGd0VFrLSGKHkRYzsnlLNYVzitdR8n6DBj-G-ftFa19oYGZu2hCecgpZYO-RAmNOz40-Y6yZqDYJYRSkQ1aqYmytRFUlBD5MWuZTAxuh95N98ZBWPIijcx5hjheU5/s1600/2015-08-11+11.19.53-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5GV_jTovy5Aty_DnGd0VFrLSGKHkRYzsnlLNYVzitdR8n6DBj-G-ftFa19oYGZu2hCecgpZYO-RAmNOz40-Y6yZqDYJYRSkQ1aqYmytRFUlBD5MWuZTAxuh95N98ZBWPIijcx5hjheU5/s640/2015-08-11+11.19.53-XL.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kelly/Rob</td></tr>
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We eventually had to pack up and head home, but I am so grateful for the memories we got to take with us!<br />
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Going back through these photos makes me that much more hopeful that we'll get to revisit Seaside again. Until next time...ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-82441877957068110652015-08-26T05:00:00.000-07:002015-08-31T22:15:15.346-07:00Elliott - 12 months old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here we are at the last monthly update for our sweet Elliott, who turned one last weekend.<br />
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Sweet is a great way to describe our little boy. People often ask me if he's always that happy. Mostly. When he's not happy, he is <i>really</i> not happy. But most of the time, he is generously spreading cheer with that big, crazy grin. I think we're entering the third month of virtually non-stop teething with Elliott's sixth tooth just below the surface. Even so, none of his teeth are fully into place, so he looks pretty silly when all of his teeth are showing. I worry a bit that he has my dental genes, which basically means that we should start saving our pennies now.<br />
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Those teeth allow Elliott to eat any and everything. He continues to eat the same food as the rest of the family and consistently eats more than Madeleine and close to my portion. He's doing slightly better with the silverware that we introduced last month, though he has a long way to go, and meals are <i>so</i> messy now that he's feeding himself everything. We've also started pulling him straight up to the table without his tray, which does not help the mess factor. On his birthday, I gave him cow's milk for the first time, a bit fearful that he'd reject it. Nope. He downed the entire sippy cup. While he still won't sign for more, he does throw things on the floor, push himself away from the table, and wave his hands forcefully when he is finished.<br />
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All of the food is necessary to fuel this very, very, very busy boy. He has surprised me by not taking to walking ahead of his birthday, but I think that is because he wants to move and knows that crawling will get him around quickly. Within the last week, I'd say he's switched to more regular crawling than army crawl, but he definitely reverts to old faithful whenever he's on a mission. He pulls up on any and everything, even walls. And he is a climber. He has crawled up the fireplace hearth and the stool at the bathroom sink. He can also climb both up and down the stairs, though he can't yet get himself into the right position for the descent. He doesn't often stop moving, but when he does, I find that he's sucking his thumb more and more. I'm glad he can use it to soothe himself at sleeping times, but I'm not excited about this habit expanding as we're currently in the process of breaking Madeleine's finger sucking habit.<br />
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Elliott still takes two naps a day, but his afternoon nap has gotten noticeably shorter. I'm both excited about and dreading nap consolidation because we'll gain some more freedom from the house while I'll lose some quiet time. Overnight, he generally sleeps from about 7:30/8pm to 7am with earlier wake ups during particularly bad teething times. I'm still nursing Elliott when he wakes up in the morning and before bed, but I plan to have him weaned within the next month. Although I reeeeeeeally hate breastfeeding in the early months and tolerate it the rest of the year, I'm once again finding the end bittersweet. Of course, Elliott's current habit of ending each feeding with a little bite is helping to encourage me.<br />
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There is still plenty of babbling going on around here. Pretty much everybody is Dah-dah, and there are certain words that he will repeat. He attempted to say Madeleine the other day, which was both hilarious and adorable. I've been trying to teach him that owls say hoo-hoo, and he seems to say "ow" and "hooooo." I'm not sure if I have a higher standard or his language is just more muffled than Madeleine's was at this age, but I'm not really ready to say that he has his first word.<br />
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I can hardly believe I'm saying it, but Elliott is more a toddler every day. He loves spending chunks of time looking at books (but will not sit still to listen to them) and playing. He likes playing games and laughing at silly songs or funny faces. He loves riding the plasma car inside and giraffe tike outside. We do laugh that he's part dog because he loves to find and chew on shoes - gross. On the other hand, it was so fun to see him soak up all of the attention he received on his birthday and just bask in the celebration.<br />
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When my big (90th percentile for height and 75th for weight) boy tries to wiggle from my arms to go and explore, it's hard for me to believe that it was a year ago that a short and intense morning labor brought our sweet boy into this world. I just want to hold his soft, plump baby skin in my arms forever.<br />
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The fox that used to be the size of Elliott...well, isn't anymore.</div>
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<br />ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-52896919638142096892015-08-12T05:00:00.000-07:002015-08-12T05:00:03.955-07:00Thank You Gingham QuiltI'm excited to finally share my most recent quilt, which is a greatly belated thank you gift. I'd been looking for the right pattern when I ran across <a href="http://craftyblossom.blogspot.com/2012/09/gingham-patchwork-quilt.html">this</a> one, which I thought would be perfect for our friends who love picnicking. What says picnic more than gingham?!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yep, our grass is that brown. That drought is no joke.</i></td></tr>
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Whether I can convince them to haul it into the great outdoors or it keeps them cozy in their home, I hope that the new owners of the quilt enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for them!ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-8104145738755679172015-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:002015-08-10T05:00:09.512-07:00July 2015 RecapNow that the middle of August is nearly here, I'm finally finding a few minutes to share our July photos. We had a <i>fun</i> and full July with - so it seemed - an activity nearly every day.<br />
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The month started with an appearance at our zoo by Daniel Tiger. Madeleine didn't seem to mind that we just took her photo with Daniel in the background rather than wait in the two-hour line on a fully sunny 90+ degree day.</div>
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Elliott experienced his first carousel ride and - mostly - approved. </div>
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When at the zoo, act like a flamingo?</div>
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I exposed Elliott to finger painting for the first time, but he was far more interested in clapping and smearing the paint on his body than on putting anything on paper. A true artist? (Yes, this was in the bathtub with a disposable diaper, a genius idea from a wise mom friend.)</div>
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When they came to visit, we took Grandma and Papa on our favorite local (toddler) hike, and Miss M chose her long pink dress...of course.</div>
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Grandma helped Mister E eat his first popsicle (made from yogurt and fruit in <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Silicone-Molds-Maker-Clear-Recipes/dp/B00KDSHW0U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439155744&sr=8-1&keywords=clear+silicone+popsicle+molds">these</a> great molds).</div>
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We headed to our local lavender farm for some family photos.</div>
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George and I got away for a night for our anniversary and spent the next day downtown on a day date, including a visit to the <a href="http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/">Chihuly Garden and Glass</a> exhibit.</div>
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We always enjoy our time away as much as coming back to these two.</div>
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Elliott had a ton of milestones in July, including starting to ride the rocking horse...</div>
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...and the giraffe.</div>
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We've started turning over the spoon and bowl to our hungry guy.</div>
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Without any prompting, Elliott climbed onto the hearth and started onto the Duplo table. That makes us two for two with kids who climb before they walk.</div>
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Speaking of climbing, Elliott can now climb the stairs rather successfully. We're still working on safe decent.</div>
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Maybe the learning tower will be next?</div>
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Madeleine has noticed that her parents spend time on the rower and wants to follow.</div>
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Madeleine and I had a failed camp out attempt. She loved the campfire, s'more, staying up past bedtime, and using her flashlight. She did not like the idea of actually going to sleep.</div>
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I took Madeleine to her first Mariner's game, and we had a great time! And yay for a $5 jersey at the consignment shop!</div>
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We bused to the game and back, but she fell asleep on the ride home.</div>
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Meanwhile, George took Elliott to his favorite restaurant for Elliott's first Malaysian food.</div>
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One sunny day, we took a stroll with our babies in their umbrella strollers to the mailbox. </div>
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We took another family ride on the zoo carousel. Elliott grows fonder with each ride.</div>
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When Elliott and I met up with a friend his age, we both enjoyed discovering a new park. He thought it was particularly tasty. Mmm, wood chips.</div>
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The phase of making this face seems to have come and gone all in the period of about a month.</div>
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With such a hot summer in Seattle, we've spent many afternoons in the water in our backyard.</div>
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On pretty much the only rainy day all month, we met friends for blueberry picking. Despite rain dripping down our faces, it was smiles all around.</div>
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We wrapped up July with a picnic at Husky Stadium sponsored by George's employer. </div>
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What a summer...and it's still not over! Thank you for your patience as I've been largely absent from the blog this summer. At least I have some cute photos to show for it. :-)ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-41068567390537268562015-07-22T23:07:00.002-07:002015-07-22T23:07:53.653-07:00Elliott - 11 Months OldOn one hand, I can't believe this is the penultimate monthly Elliott update. On the other hand, are these torturous monthly shoots over yet?<br />
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again: our Elliott is on the move! He is one speedy army crawler. Within the last couple of days, he is spending more and more time up on his knees, even doing a bit of traditional crawling. Mostly, though, his knees are used to get him high enough to pull up on whatever object is nearest. He has done very little cruising but seems surprisingly stable when standing, holding hands.<br />
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He has been teething pretty much the whole month. His first two teeth are still working their way down. His bottom middle two teeth are through the surface but not much else. A fifth tooth (top middle on the right side) has just peeked through the gum. As a result, many nights have included some sort of interruption at some point, and naps have been less than stellar. Poor boy.<br />
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Elliott's personality is shining through more every day. As I've said previously, he is persistent, and redirection is successful less than half the time. He's most interested in what his sister is playing with that that very moment. When she's not here, he loves her Duplo (and the table) and putting things into and taking them out of her pots and pans. Elliott has developed quite a love for books. When his bedroom door opens, he almost always jets out to start taking them out of the shelf. When left alone, he can spend a long time (in baby time) looking at board book. Reading time before naps is one of the few times in the day when our busy boy actually stops for a few minutes. Elliott continues to be generous with his (vampire) smiles and puts his arms out to be held by familiar people.<br />
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Elliott still only signs for milk, but I have noticed him paying close attention to the other signs I've been doing with him; hopefully a breakthrough is around the corner. He continues to babble and be rather vocal. In the last week or so, Elliott has started to repeat our words by making noises in similar intonations. I've had him do this with banana, brown bear, all done, and a few others. Yesterday, he said "dah" while pushing away from me and trying to get down. Today, he said "bah" while reach for a ball and "nah nah nah" while shaking his head side to side. I think a language explosion may be on the horizon, and I can't wait! After catching Madeleine's first word on video (<a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2013/05/madeleine-week-47.html">at almost exactly the same age!</a>), I feel a bit of pressure to over-document.<br />
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In addition to language output, I've also noticed that he seems to be more aware of his behavior and instructions given to him. Diaper changes have been more pleasant since I realized that he actually listens when I tell him "no rolling on the changing table" like I actually mean it rather than just for play. He responds when we call to him and is starting to follow basic instructions ("arms up" "come to the table for dinner").<br />
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Elliott still eats well and turns away very little. When he turns away food, we continue to offer it at subsequent meals. I'm currently working on getting him to eat one of his sister's favorites: cottage cheese. This week, I started weaning by eliminating his feeding after his morning nap. I figure that this one usually came right before lunch, so he's still getting fed in the event that he's hungry when he wakes from his nap. I'm still nursing him at wake up, after his afternoon nap, and at bedtime. While I look longingly at my non-nursing friendly fall wardrobe, I also cherish these last remaining weeks of quiet time with my otherwise busy baby boy.<br />
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By some miracle, I snapped this one (and only one) shot of Elliott on his back on his sheepskin before he pulled the tie over his head and scooted away. Look how long and lean he's getting with all this activity!<br />
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Oh, I do love my little gingersnap! </div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-87618388780663904532015-07-17T05:00:00.000-07:002015-07-17T05:00:02.127-07:00Friday I'm in LoveSo I haven't been the most faithful <i>Friday I'm in Love</i> blogger this summer, but I'm stopping by today with some love!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">ONE: Charlotte's Good News</span></b><br />
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I was overjoyed to learn this week that Misha's beautiful and brave niece, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Charlotte.will.beat.this?fref=nf">Charlotte</a>, is making great progress towards beating her cancer...and all before age 2. Keep going, fierce one!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">TWO: Schick Intuition</span></b><br />
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I know that a razor is a weird thing to love, but I am lovin' the <a href="http://www.schick.com/brands-women/schick-intuition?&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=SCC-MST-14_Exact+Branded+Products&utm_term=schick%20intuition&utm_content=sGyFX9GEU_dc|pcrid|70960019477|pkw|schick%20intuition|pmt|e">Schick Intuition</a>. I first read about this when <a href="http://ohbotherblog.com/2014/03/psa-preg-approved-razor/#.VagnlsZViko">Meg blogged about it</a> while I was pregnant with Elliott. I bought one and loved it during pregnancy, but I figured that I'd go back to a regular ol' razor + shaving gel once I could reach my ankles again. My feet are well within my reach these days, but I still love the simplicity of this razor and cream in one and the added nick resistance it gives a clumsy-with-a-razor girl like me.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">THREE: No means no. </span></b><br />
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Consent has been a big topic in our house lately. Madeleine loves to love on Elliott, but he is getting to an age where he has sometimes had enough of her hugs. We're constantly telling her that his cries are his way of saying "no" right now and that we have to respect his wishes and stop when he says "no." I love how <a href="http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2014/7/8/4-ways-parents-teach-kids-that-consent-doesnt-matter">this</a> video sums it up.<br />
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Admittedly, I was pretty oblivious about this whole notion until I saw the video, and I now try my best to respect Madeleine's wishes regarding her body (easier said than done, especially with a strong-willed potty-training toddler) and remind her to do the same for others (for example, telling her to ask her friends if they want a hug before she goes in for the cuddle). I'm certainly a work in progress, but I hope that this foundation will serve our kids well as they get older and face more difficult situations where they have to be confident in their right to say "no" and in respecting others' right to do the same.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">FOUR: Nordstrom Sale</span></b><br />
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On a lighter note, I've been loving the <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/anniversary-early-access?dept=8000001&origin=topnav">Nordstrom Anniversary sale</a>, which opens to the public today. I have so far resisted these adorable dresses (<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/maggy-london-shadow-branch-print-scuba-midi-dress-regular-petite/4018902?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=166.36363275780172">this</a> and <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bcbgmaxazria-adele-print-matte-jersey-wrap-dress/4013561?origin=category">this</a>). I was thrilled to see the <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/early-access-women-activewear?origin=leftnav#category=b60166301&type=category&marketingslots=1&defaultsize3=&size=&width=&color=&price=&brand=5227&stores=&instoreavailability=false&lastfilter=brand&sizeFinderId=0&resultsmode=&segmentId=50&page=1">Zella Live In</a> collection in the sale. They are the only bottoms I've ever found that allow me to work out without needing a single adjustment. I can't wait to see the tops I ordered because I get a little giddy thinking about wearing clothes that don't have to be nursing-accessible. I can't wait to see my fall capsule shape up after my purchases arrive!<br />
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Be sure to check out what the other Friday gals are loving: <a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a>, <a href="http://smallstepsofchange.com/">Aileen</a>, <a href="http://www.brighteyesandbushytales.com/">Jessica</a>, and <a href="https://steelewall.wordpress.com/">Ashley</a>. <i>What are you loving?</i>ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-32353366909880672442015-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:002015-07-08T05:00:09.139-07:00It started with the closet...Like so many, I was incredibly inspired when my friend, <a href="http://www.cribtotable.com/">Denaye</a>, emptied her closet and built a <a href="http://www.un-fancy.com/capsule-wardrobe-101/what-is-a-capsule-wardrobe-anyway/">wardrobe capsule</a> from 37 pieces of clothing. Until I saw her (viral) <a href="http://dallas.citymomsblog.com/why-i-got-rid-of-my-wardrobe-capsule-wardrobe/">post</a> demonstrating how a few pieces can turn into so many outfits, <b>I thought it was a little crazy</b>. After seeing her photographic evidence, however, I thought that this might be just the change I need.<br />
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Over the past three or four months, this idea of <b>the freedom of having less has changed several aspects of my life</b>, starting with my closet. Let's start with a look at the before, where my closet held a (large) collection of lingering maternity clothes, cheap clothes purchased between pregnancies, some impulse buys that I thought would cheer me up after having Elliott, and some aspirational pieces kept from before getting pregnant with Madeleine. Oh, and let's not forget the gifts, sentimental, and too-expensive-to-ever-discard items.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKOHzBix0PxbAFkR6-mplOgOmlpsd3Zco7RiQ5RrHu7XKqJ-qeE9y3l5B1U3LPvCw30r0xNKHzYXh9PnzBcn4tiaFpuDiDvy6uRKvA52s1WMdKZo8_owm7bhqS6huqHzs4CzOfg5-JaX6/s1600/IMG_6420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKOHzBix0PxbAFkR6-mplOgOmlpsd3Zco7RiQ5RrHu7XKqJ-qeE9y3l5B1U3LPvCw30r0xNKHzYXh9PnzBcn4tiaFpuDiDvy6uRKvA52s1WMdKZo8_owm7bhqS6huqHzs4CzOfg5-JaX6/s640/IMG_6420.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>BEFORE</b></td></tr>
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I didn't follow the <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436138251&sr=8-1&keywords=kondo">Kondo</a> rules outlined in <a href="http://www.today.com/home/life-changing-magic-tidying-testing-marie-kondos-method-t21356">this</a> article; rather, I started with a slow purge. <b>Each time I walked into my closet, I would take out an item or two that I knew I wouldn't wear.</b> You see, despite having all those clothes hanging in my closet, I wouldn't even consider wearing most of them. Over a few weeks and very little effort, <b>I removed the visual clutter</b>, leaving me with a manageable amount for the actual purge. When evaluating what would go back into my closet, I kept definite spring/summer "keep" clothes, boxed up "keep" clothes that were better suited for fall or winter, and set aside clothes that I felt deserved one more wear to make the final decision...and then I wore those clothes and only kept the winners. I ended up with maybe a dozen pieces of clothing, which were joined by some terrific pieces picked out with the help of a <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2015/06/friday-im-in-love.html">personal shopper</a> (I know it sounds luxurious, but it's <i>free</i> and exceptionally efficient).<br />
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Throughout the process, I did not fixate on a particular number of items but rather <b>chose clothes that (1) feel great on me, (2) make me feel great, and (3) are appropriate for me <i>right now</i> - in this season of the year and of my life. Nothing more. Nothing less.</b> I really took <a href="http://www.un-fancy.com/capsule-wardrobe-101/year-two/">Caroline's approach</a> to heart, and sticking with these principles rather than hard and fast rules gave me control over the process and caused me to continually reflect on why I wanted to do this.<br />
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I lived with my nearly empty closet for a few weeks before completely reconfiguring it. My closet now has plenty of space for my clothes and shoes, some inspirational art, space for displaying my accessories, storage space, and some blank space. Do you see that empty floor?!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAKkYLRnwf16HQbcltdWkMEMPTOe2f6iC6jyKURLxSCsVxoLcY0q5h8q2LNDSuT8lGnL4u_rNQt3oJurqya5aIo4FhjoE9ELWx-hca1hIft-6grYvKwxWD7P8dlSsPLvhSePE6kRVfnA2/s1600/IMG_7621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAKkYLRnwf16HQbcltdWkMEMPTOe2f6iC6jyKURLxSCsVxoLcY0q5h8q2LNDSuT8lGnL4u_rNQt3oJurqya5aIo4FhjoE9ELWx-hca1hIft-6grYvKwxWD7P8dlSsPLvhSePE6kRVfnA2/s640/IMG_7621.JPG" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>AFTER</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Yb09oZsrAuyxhL3_G9Je1vdJ-V_F8kyUU-L1OW2FnrZ49Y1SN41GLvrLFetY5aDIHAp9-ensTTeoKeQFPIeOw7iDzb50nQrx61pilAwg-KqydOyrdRlfzaBRriAJNta5YeVKVwcMzvW/s1600/IMG_7626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Yb09oZsrAuyxhL3_G9Je1vdJ-V_F8kyUU-L1OW2FnrZ49Y1SN41GLvrLFetY5aDIHAp9-ensTTeoKeQFPIeOw7iDzb50nQrx61pilAwg-KqydOyrdRlfzaBRriAJNta5YeVKVwcMzvW/s640/IMG_7626.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>AFTER</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0d9Etxc_Pi5974Zp7WPg1lCf7uTrzCd8VWzwfmstaFlC3gJlI-ejNN2tBIEEHsC0Elg4Mo-58hZP_Spy0CNn8E5ApaniljwMyrnONGGM_dyTcMstf-bbum6fwT-96MRL51kD4bH7VCnu/s1600/IMG_7633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0d9Etxc_Pi5974Zp7WPg1lCf7uTrzCd8VWzwfmstaFlC3gJlI-ejNN2tBIEEHsC0Elg4Mo-58hZP_Spy0CNn8E5ApaniljwMyrnONGGM_dyTcMstf-bbum6fwT-96MRL51kD4bH7VCnu/s640/IMG_7633.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>AFTER</b></td></tr>
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In the end, I chose just shy of 40 pieces of everyday clothes, 10 pairs of shoes (plus business shoes saved for a future return to the office), a small stack of PJs, a stack of workout clothes, a few favorite special occasion little black dresses spanning four sizes, and a small stack of multi-purpose tank tops. I'll share a closer look at my summer capsule in a future post. At the outset, this smaller wardrobe was largely expected; I didn't expect many of its other effects.<br />
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<b>I smile every time I walk into my closet.</b> No joke. I love that my days now start and end in this peaceful place rather than the disorganized, overwhelming hole my closet used to be.<br />
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While a wardrobe capsule can make getting dressed a no-brainer, I find that <b>I am more deliberate about what I wear</b>. Most evenings, I pick out an outfit, accessories, and shoes for the next day. Because they are all in view and in one spot, it's simple to do and results in a <i>much</i> more put together look than what I was previously sporting. Because all of the clothes in my closet are ones I love, <b>I don't have to wait for any particular occasion to wear something special</b>.<br />
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<b>My laundry has plummeted.</b> Do I have your attention? I often give things a second wear before a washing, and I generally have fewer items of clothes. So, less laundry. Less folding. It's beautiful. This is perhaps my biggest motivating factor in planning to do kid wardrobe capsules in the future.<br />
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This project <b>spread like wildfire through the rest of my house</b>. I sorted through outerwear, outgrown kids' clothes, linens, toiletries, you name it. Fortunately, George was on board with this purge and even sorted out bags worth of his own clothes. We're also fortunate to have a <a href="http://www.bigbluetruck.org/">local reputable charity</a> that will come and pick up large donations.<br />
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Beyond our house, <b>I've been inspired to clear out other parts of my life</b>, like my inbox. I'm still not great at responding to email, but now it's easy to see how many unanswered messages I have from among the 50 or 75 in my inbox rather than the 5000 I had just a month or two ago. I finally went through my promotions inbox and unsubscribed to (almost) all of those pesky marketing emails.<br />
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While I am a work in progress, this single change has had a bigger and more profound impact on my ability to feel in control of my life than anything I've done in my adult life. <i>Thank you for the inspiration, <a href="http://www.cribtotable.com/">Denaye</a>! </i>ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-68836378362070428472015-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:002015-07-06T05:00:06.491-07:00June 2015 RecapAre you ready for another photo-heavy post? June was a really busy month for us with lots happening.<br />
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At the beginning of the month, <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2015/06/visit-to-ohio.html">we visited Ohio</a>. </div>
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Shortly after getting back, <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2015/06/seattle-rock-n-roll-half-marathon.html">I ran my first half marathon</a> and braved the expo the day before with the kiddos at lunch/nap time. Madeleine was unsure of the gecko, and Elliott was focused on his snack.</div>
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It was the hottest June on record, so we spent a fair bit of time doing this. </div>
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Elliott discovered built-in musical instruments, and Madeleine happily joined in the (loud) fun.</div>
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Madeleine loved picking (wild) raspberries from our backyard at every opportunity. I love anything that bears fruit and requires nothing of me. </div>
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We celebrated Father's Day by inviting <a href="http://www.accidental-chef-ler.com/">a favorite chef</a> to make dinner for us and another couple. Yum is an understatement.</div>
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"I need some help, Mummy. Elliott wants to wear these." And so it begins.</div>
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We thoroughly enjoyed hosting our cousins (my first cousin and his family), including taking them to our wedding site at Gas Works Park. </div>
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Around town, Elliott was incredibly patient to adjust naps or take them on the go.</div>
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Standing on the steps where we said our vows had a lot of extra meaning given that it was the day of the (awesome) SCOTUS decision clarifying marriage. </div>
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The birthday girl jumped for joy at riding a ferry for her birthday. </div>
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Once she opened her bike helmet, she refused to take it off, even during birthday cake time.</div>
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I will never tire of this. </div>
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...or this.</div>
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<i>Summer, must you go so fast?</i>ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-65023799909238822042015-07-02T05:00:00.000-07:002015-07-02T05:00:08.514-07:00Madeleine's Third Year in ReviewMadeleine turned three last weekend, so it's time for a photo- and detail-heavy post summarizing her year. I love looking back at the changes Madeleine has undergone each year. You can find year one <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2013/07/year-in-review.html">here</a> and year two <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2014/07/madeleines-year-two-in-review.html">here</a>. This seems like a particularly big year as she was just a young toddler when the year started and has blossomed into a preschooler with lots of her own thoughts and the ability to be largely independent. And let's not forget that this was the year in which Madeleine became a big sister. <div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCt6Nh5OTvmuQgXnfN8eFot1JhyJIGezSixyKJmISuZIRvhuzNzMrHFS3-EbnWnsLVWw_x3v_SttXPIqBrC4EU2RWiIA3w25W8hc1A5od0CEy_dTq-Ra_ybsPjT4HpTKvsL2_pfVkyyI2/s1600/Family+Photos+Websize+%257C+Evantide+2014_024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCt6Nh5OTvmuQgXnfN8eFot1JhyJIGezSixyKJmISuZIRvhuzNzMrHFS3-EbnWnsLVWw_x3v_SttXPIqBrC4EU2RWiIA3w25W8hc1A5od0CEy_dTq-Ra_ybsPjT4HpTKvsL2_pfVkyyI2/s640/Family+Photos+Websize+%257C+Evantide+2014_024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://evantidephotography.com/">Evantide Photography</a><br />June 2014 - Age 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPOOrieVSVttCRoZ5UQdp2Unrj_p01ccDoNsnYO1cGFfCJrWZ6e6tRirbB8nnKGLxZHD0aZQJrWKkO6Wsx0tXLgBNbtZLULog2eDDGqgdAWr4q-j8tSTUYumaJZx7IgNueUH5zFfhujbA/s1600/the+Happy+Film+Company+-+Sadlier-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPOOrieVSVttCRoZ5UQdp2Unrj_p01ccDoNsnYO1cGFfCJrWZ6e6tRirbB8nnKGLxZHD0aZQJrWKkO6Wsx0tXLgBNbtZLULog2eDDGqgdAWr4q-j8tSTUYumaJZx7IgNueUH5zFfhujbA/s640/the+Happy+Film+Company+-+Sadlier-21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.thehappyfilmcompany.com/">The Happy Film Company</a><br />December 2014 - Age 2.5</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2015 - Age 3</td></tr>
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Madeleine's personality is a wonderful mix of bookworm, social butterfly, curious climber, and nurturing little mama. We are so thankful that Madeleine has always been drawn to books. She loves to sit down and look through hers a stack at a time and routinely uses books as a way to wind down at the beginning of her nap. She is almost always willing to sit and listen to any book that anyone is willing to read to her. She went through a period this year where she was tearing (sometimes into tiny little pieces) her books, so we had to take them all out of her room. It ended up working out okay because they're now in a shelf where she and Elliott can share them. Whether from loving books or having pretty advanced language skills, Madeleine is very interested in discovering the alphabet all around her. About halfway through the year, she started to identify her most familiar letters in road signs. Then, she discovered that she could delay bedtime by asking her daddy about the letters of things in her room ("what does bed start with?" "what does octopus start with?"). Now, we're turning that around and having her tell us what letter she thinks begins the word, and she's definitely picking up on sounds. We joke that she has her own phonetic alphabet: Addie, Brody, Charlotte/Cooper, Daddy, Elliott, Farah, etc. I am not teaching her to read but do want to follow her interest in this area. </div>
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Our Miss M loves her friends. We still meet weekly with our PEPS friends, who are more like family than friends. It has been so fun to watch the little friendships develop after so much time spent merely playing beside each other. She has made some good friends at her daycare, and we've even gotten together for a few playdates with them. Madeleine is remembering more and more of our friends and family, and it's neat to see those relationships grow. I've seen tremendous growth in Madeleine's social skills in the last couple of months in that she can now go into a room of strangers and make friends; she wants to talk to other kids at the park and generally be social. As a relatively reserved person myself, I'm both proud and envious of her courage. </div>
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Despite the gender stereotype of females being more physically subdued, Madeleine is curious and can be very physical. She has no fear of heights or climbing or exploring new places. She can somersault, very nearly swim on her own, and spot puddles from a mile away. Thankfully, she seems to know her limits and rarely does things that are completely ridiculous. I'd like to think that this is a result of us giving her quite a bit of freedom to explore and discover her limitations for herself. She loves swinging and, while she can pump and swing herself, she strongly prefers asking to be pushed "high in the sky."</div>
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The aspect of Madeleine's personality that stands out the most to me is her nurturing nature. She loves her stuffed animals and babies, and she takes care of them as she dresses and (more often) undresses them, feeds them, burps them, reads to them, and puts them down for naps. Unsurprisingly, she has taken up breastfeeding this year and likes to steal blankets from her brother's room for her babies. While she has lots of trucks, she is more likely to be seen covering them with a blanket than racing them around the house. That said, she does still love garbage trucks and gets excited about watching them at work.</div>
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Madeleine has shown her independence this year. During rough patches, it manifested as nap strikes (for a whole month and a half beginning the week I was due for Elliott), climbing out of her crib, and power struggles surrounding potty training and clothes selection. </div>
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On the other hand, her independence has led her to be able to completely dress and undress herself, and it's been the better part of a year since I've had to regularly help her put her shoes on or off. Most recently, Madeleine has also wanted to choose her clothes, and I am learning to give her that control, which is made easier by her love for dresses over the last month or so. Madeleine has also enjoyed helping in the kitchen throughout the year. It all started when I gave her the job of cleaning the potatoes and apples for Thanksgiving dinner, and she now loves to chop fruit and veg and make smoothies. As part of fostering her independence and reaffirming her as part of our family and household, Madeleine has also picked up some "jobs" around the house, including clearing her place at the table after every meal, bringing in the garbage bin from the street, and plugging in the electric car. </div>
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Madeleine is great at independent play and does so for most of her play time. She does a lot of role play at this point, including taking care of her babies, cooking various creations, dressing up, and playing doctor. She has mastered changing her babies' diapers and doing snaps. She builds with her Duplo, usually cars, houses, castles, and towers. She watches a few episodes of Daniel Tiger each week and is largely disinterested in Sesame Street and Dinosaur Train, which were popular earlier this year. She enjoys art, especially stickers and painting, but I only allow her to do them under supervision. </div>
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Her eating is totally unpredictable. There have been times this year where I swear she's turning down everything except mac and cheese, and there are times when she is begging for more asparagus. For the most part, she likes a wide range of foods with Chinese dumplings (pronounced dump-a-lings by Madeleine), mac and cheese, pizza, dill pickle soup, Mexican rice and beans, yogurt, apples, bananas, ranch dressing, ice cream, and salmon being pretty consistent favorites. I don't really acknowledge blanket likes/dislikes as far as letting them influence what we have or what she is offered, except that she has never liked avocado. Otherwise, I continue to offer her a variety of food, enforce the one "no thank you" bite, and give thanks for what a good eater she is <i>most</i> of the time. </div>
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As unpredictable as Madeleine's eating can be, her sleep is pretty consistent. She goes to bed around 7:30pm and gets up somewhere between 7am and 8:30am. She <i>very rarely</i> gives us a hard time going to bed as her routine is largely the same as it has been her entire life. When she does, it tends to be delay tactics like asking for another trip to the bathroom, a drink of water, or thinking of some minute detail of the routine that was missed. Her daily nap happens after lunch, beginning somewhere between 1pm and 3pm. Right now, she naps about 75% of the time and otherwise lays in bed reading books or putting her dolls and animals to bed. She always sleeps with Bear in her arms and a subset of friends sleep at her feet. </div>
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The week that I was due for Elliott, she climbed out of her crib, so she moved into her "big girl bed" shortly thereafter. With few exceptions, it has been a really good experience, and we're lucky that Madeleine respects the boundaries of the bed and generally stays there during appropriate times. </div>
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Speaking of Elliott's arrival, Madeleine has experienced a number of emotions related to her role as big sister. She clearly loves Elliott. While he was immobile, she loved covering him with a blanket and treating him like one of her babies. Now that he's mobile and interested in all of her toys, her feelings can sometimes be more complicated. She can get aggressive with him, but in the next moment, she'll be calling him "my Elliott" and "my baby." And, thus, a sibling relationship is formed. </div>
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Madeleine's new bed and new brother weren't the only big changes for her this year. We started potty training just before Thanksgiving, and we are still on the winding road to no accidents. She initially had a lot of success and has since experienced numerous regressions. With every step forward, we savor the progress and hope that the next regression will leave us with at least a little overall progress. </div>
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Madeleine continues to be a good traveler and has 10 more flights under her belt after traveling to California, Hawaii, Texas, and Ohio. She now carries on her own backpack with her supplies, sits in her own seat, and watches PBS shows or plays on apps for some portion of most flights. She has adjusted to sleeping in different beds as we travel, and usually her first question upon arrival involves where she will sleep. </div>
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Physically, Madeleine has grown quite a bit taller and finally has a good amount of hair. As of her check up, she is right in the 50th percentile for height and weight. </div>
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I can't wait to see where this next year takes us as Madeleine enters preschool and begins a new era. </div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-64414357299908348902015-06-24T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-24T05:00:02.801-07:00Seattle Rock-n-Roll Half MarathonThe story starts back in February or March when I was talking with the other moms at our weekly mom/baby group about getting back into running. I wondered if anyone else was interested in running the local Mother's Day 5K with me. That's when one of the other ladies, Rachel, said that she was just about to start training for a half marathon in June. I asked if I could tag along on some of her training runs, and she agreed.<br />
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At that time, my immediate running goals were to be able to run a 5K with minimal effort in the near term and to consider a half marathon sometime in the calendar year. As I started thinking, though, I wondered if this was my opportunity to do the half marathon. After all, training and running the race would be a lot more fun with a friend. I'd started working with a trainer to help me meet my running and other fitness goals, and she thought the half was achievable as long as I used a walk/run strategy. Within a couple of weeks, I'd signed up for the race.<br />
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Throughout the training, I ran only once or twice a week, except when we were traveling and running was my only fitness option. I did most of my short- and middle-distance runs with another mom from our group, Erin, and then did most of my long-distance runs with Rachel (and sometimes her husband, who was also signed up for the race). The rest of the week, my workouts consisted of rowing circuits and strength training. In some ways, I wanted to run more often, but doing it this way kept me from burning out too much and was the only practical option given our schedule.<br />
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Then, on June 13th, I did it. I ran my first half marathon. Well, I ran the vast majority of it.<br />
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<i>Here we are at the starting line.</i></div>
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The race was <i>huge</i>. We didn't make it to the starting line until more than a half hour past the original start. For the first several miles, maybe six or seven, the course was so congested that I had to really pay attention to make sure that I wasn't tripping on someone else and adjust my pace accordingly.<br />
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<i>I was really excited to see my cheering squad near the beginning of the race.</i><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKwBXHIz5IaXB8qWbsNiz5nQPyelDXj__SHTnNDpA8XMi0lKWbC6vrCQI8RRprg6cfH4ngk2uzkZpTEHEbbqQeMmlUJO8xy753LpjtKcKYsCDfBf_uCbivAhYRbTY79llc69xhYjoCNWs/s1600/IMG_20150613_080116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKwBXHIz5IaXB8qWbsNiz5nQPyelDXj__SHTnNDpA8XMi0lKWbC6vrCQI8RRprg6cfH4ngk2uzkZpTEHEbbqQeMmlUJO8xy753LpjtKcKYsCDfBf_uCbivAhYRbTY79llc69xhYjoCNWs/s640/IMG_20150613_080116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a hot day (ok, for Seattle), and a lot of the course was more exposed than the river trail where I did most of my training. The biggest hill of the race is right after 9 miles, and that's where things got messy. Physically, I was fine. Mentally, the end of 13 miles seemed a lifetime away. From there until mile 12, I took intermittent walking breaks while I waved Rachel and Ryan on. I was disappointed in myself at the time, and I'm disappointed looking back at it. I knew that (the mental aspect) was my weak spot from my long training runs.<br />
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From the beginning of mile 12 until the end, I ran with everything I had left in my body. I was really excited to finish sooner than the 2:30 that I had predicted when I signed up. Unfortunately, according to my Garmin, the 13.1 mile course was actually 13.45 miles. I saw George and the kids again around 13.3, and asked where I could find the $&*%-ing finish line!<br />
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Up a hill, and there it was. I finished in 2:33.<br />
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It wasn't pretty, but I'm glad that I did it. Despite George's sacrifice of the last many weekend mornings, he's already asking when I'm going to run my next half. It won't be particularly soon, but I do think I'll do another one.<br />
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Next time, I'm going to do more running and be more familiar with the course so that I can be mentally prepared. <i>What lessons have you taken away from your first competition?</i>ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-89002644144712349012015-06-23T15:08:00.002-07:002015-06-23T15:08:59.137-07:00Elliott - 10 Months OldThe first thing that everyone seems to notice about Elliott is that he is active. This boy likes to move and explore and is never still. He's still army crawling, but I see more use of his legs all the time. He can pull himself up and down a single step and is working on figuring out how to pull himself up multiple steps. Elliott does like to be upright, and he'll hold himself up if put in the standing position. Sometimes, though, he seems to forget that he can't stand alone and will just let go. He rolls constantly and doesn't seem to like to be on his back. He does this funny side lounge position when he needs to reach something, which is usually whatever also interests Madeleine, books from the shelf, or heating/cooling grates.<br />
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The other thing that is often mentioned about Elliott is his size. He continues to grow and is now pretty solidly into size 18 months. After a week or so of what felt like non-stop requests for nursing followed by a few days of long naps, I think he may have just gone through a growth spurt. He eats pretty well, doing most of the feeding by himself with his fingers and his well-developed pincher grasp. I'm hesitant to hand over the spoon for messy things because I know just how much mess is possible. He nurses four times a day (wake up, after each nap, and at bedtime), though I think he may be cutting out the feeding after his afternoon nap because he hasn't been interested in it the last two days or so. In general, his nursing is getting a lot faster, like less than five minutes total per feeding.<br />
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Elliott does some signing. He opens and closes his fists (the sign for milk) when he wants something, especially milk. We've been consciously working on more and all done, and it's a slow go. I think he's catching on to "more" by doing clapping as the sign, and he will sometimes repeat a noise that sounds like "all done" when I'm signing and saying it. Signs or not, Elliott has a lot to tell us. He babbles most of the time and loves the attention it brings him. I'm not sure that he properly associates the words yet, but he says "dada" and "mama." For the last week or so, "gah gah" has been his chant of choice. He tends to babble "nah nah" when he's unhappy (like at pre-nap diaper changes). I can't wait until I can understand all of his lovely stories and find out what it is that so frequently makes him squeal with delight!<br />
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One big change this month is that Elliott's gummy smile now has a couple of pearly whites. Two have poked through (<a href="http://www.chw.org/medical-care/dental-care/dental-and-oral-health/anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth-and-teeth/">upper lateral incisors</a>, unusual) with four more on their way. Teething has definitely interrupted his sleep, though it has been a little hard to distinguish between teething interruptions and jet lag. It has also interfered with his normally ferocious appetite, and he has been happiest munching on cold melon, cold cucumbers, and peanut butter sandwiches. In general, we've been treating the teething symptoms with the occasional Tylenol and plenty of extra cuddles and naps on the lap.<br />
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Elliott continues to have two naps, one is usually an hour and the other 2+ hours. He sleeps about 11 hours at night. As soon as I lay him in his crib, he rolls onto his side or sometimes his belly. Even if he falls asleep right away, he seems to always end up with his head in one of the corners - silly boy. He still sucks his left thumb to put himself to sleep and sometimes while he's sleeping. I introduced a lovey this month to give him something to chew on when his teeth are sore, and he seems to notice it about half of the time. After I saw him pull himself to sitting and pull himself to nearly standing once on the crib, we lowered the mattress to its lowest setting. That was a sad moment to realize that my baby is growing up...and that the crib skirt no longer works for the bed height. It's a toss up as to whether Elliott is going to wake up screaming or happily babbling, and he frequently wakes up with bedhead now that his hair is starting to grow a little bit.<br />
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I'm so excited to see Elliott's personality develop. He is incredibly determined and persistent. He's also insanely sweet. I just love when I hold him and he gives me gentle, loving pats on the shoulder. He's generous with his infectious smile and loves to wave at people. He can be really goofy and loves playing games. I'm not very fond of the one where he grabs my glasses and laughs, shaking his head side to side while I sternly tell him "no" or the one where he pulls his sun hat off of his head as fast as I can put it on him again. Nonetheless, it's fun to see him anticipate the next thing that is going to happen or laugh at his sister playing peek-a-boo.<br />
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Apologies for this month's blurry photo. It was the <i>only</i> one where he was actually on his back. Every other time that I picked up the camera, he'd roll over and take off. See what I mean about the games?<br />
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<br />ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-82466690725740905252015-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-22T05:00:11.314-07:00Visit to OhioIt's hard for me to believe that it has already been more than two weeks since we traveled to Ohio to visit my family. This was our final family trip of the spring/early summer, and Elliott started teething just before the trip started. Our recovery has been a bit slow and very light on sleep, but getting to make memories with family is always worth it. <div>
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Speaking of memories, let's have a quick look back at some of my favorite shots from the trip: </div>
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Madeleine loved playing with the vintage 1980s toys from my childhood.</div>
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Elliott helped himself, too.</div>
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Grandma and Papa gave Madeleine her birthday presents, which she loved using all at the same time.</div>
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Elliott enjoyed the swing Papa installed for him. </div>
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The kids enjoyed the wagon that was mine as a child.</div>
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Madeleine loved following Grandma to the clothes line each morning to "help."</div>
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She was very excited about their little cart...</div>
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...until Grandma started it, and Madeleine decided that it was too loud.</div>
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In her rain boots, Madeleine acted like she owned the woods. She loved going for walks, spotting the creatures Papa has put throughout, and splashing in all the puddles. </div>
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One morning, I took Madeleine to the playground - indeed the very equipment - where I played when I was her age.</div>
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Each night, Madeleine curled up on Grandma's lap for stories. It's unclear who enjoyed it more.</div>
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When we got together with extended family, Madeleine's cousin drove her around in his little jeep.</div>
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And he nearly flipped himself off the slide.</div>
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On the way home, Bear was granted Junior Officer status by the TSA. </div>
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It was a really fun visit, and we're super excited to welcome some of our family to our home later this summer! </div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-32034343006438680712015-06-19T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-19T05:00:09.640-07:00Friday I'm in LoveFriday already?! This month is flying! Nonetheless, I want to stop by with a few things that have caught my eyes over the last week or so.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">ONE: Golden Honeydew</span></b><br />
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Our family has grown rather fond of this subtle, soft, delicious melon. In fact, Madeleine and Elliott literally fight over who is going to get the last of it when supplies run low. With Elliott working on <i>six</i> teeth, he wins. Cold melon is a lifesaver for a teething baby!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">TWO: <a href="http://www.target.com/c/office-supplies-nate-berkus-brand-shop/-/N-551ps#?lnk=lnav_shop categories_6">Nate Berkus Office Supplies</a> at Target</span></b><br />
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Have you guys seen the Nate Berkus line of office supplies? I spotted it this week and could not help but stop and lust after several items, including <a href="http://www.target.com/p/nate-berkus-file-folders/-/A-15023739#prodSlot=_1_2">these</a> folders and <a href="http://www.target.com/p/nate-berkus-limited-edition-swingline-747-stapler/-/A-15023970#prodSlot=_1_18">this</a> stapler. So fun!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">THREE: Denaye's Take on Motherhood</span></b><br />
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My friend, <a href="http://www.cribtotable.com/">Denaye</a>, wrote another outstanding <a href="http://dallas.citymomsblog.com/why-i-choose-to-lean-in-to-motherhood/">post</a> for Dallas Moms Blog. She eloquently summarized many of my own motherhood aspirations.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #999999;">FOUR: Personal Shopping</span></b><br />
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The intersection between working toward my fitness goals and rethinking my wardrobe is the need for some new clothes. I decided to take <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/personal-stylists">Nordstrom's personal shopping</a> for a spin. It's a free service with no obligation to purchase, but my successful experience resulted in the backbones for a small but extremely functional wardrobe. I'm thrilled about getting clothes that fit me well and are a little outside of my normal comfort zone. What's even better is that I spent less than two hours of my time and didn't have to visit the post office for a single return shipment. I'm convinced that this is way more efficient than online shopping and not necessarily much more expensive (quality versus quantity). Give it a try!<br />
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Check out what the other gals (<a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a>, <a href="http://smallstepsofchange.com/">Aileen</a>, and <a href="http://www.brighteyesandbushytales.com/">Jessica</a>) are loving today and then tell me what you're loving! Happy Friday!ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-788040326761157822015-06-10T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-10T05:00:00.962-07:00Visit to Dallas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few weeks ago, we all headed to Dallas to visit with <a href="http://www.cribtotable.com/">Denaye</a>, David, and Nico (and Lucy). I've visited a couple of times, and I was really excited to take George this time and to introduce Elliott to our dear friends. </div>
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I had two requests: lots of time hanging out and good food. We ate <i>very </i>well. When we were at their house, the kids all loved using the Montessori table and chairs. </div>
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Hanging out in the yard, we were excited to see Nicolas get acquainted with his new bike and see how much he has grown up since he visited us the week before Elliott was born.</div>
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Madeleine was more than happy to borrow his bike and hat. </div>
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Meanwhile, Elliott enjoyed the swing. </div>
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And I had to capture his photo on the <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2013/03/texas-forever.html">same blanket, in the same yard, at roughly the same age</a> as his sister first crawled. Elliott crawled off the blanket in about 30 seconds, though.</div>
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The guys (sans Nico) did some bonding over the grill.</div>
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While the kids were napping or after they went to bed, the grown ups enjoyed chatting over games of <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Mayfair-Games-MFG3061-Settlers-Catan/dp/B000W7JWUA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1433903150&sr=1-1&keywords=settlers+of+catan">Settlers of Catan</a>. </div>
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The BBQ place where we had our final meal together gave us the perfect backdrop for a photo of these ol' high school (junior high?) friends and off-spring. Nearly twenty years since its inception, I'm grateful for our friendship.</div>
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We were so glad to get lots of time to catch up with our friends (young and less young) and enjoy the local cuisine. Success.</div>
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<i>What do you like to do when you visit friends in a new town?</i></div>
ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-50898257625020925092015-06-08T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-08T05:00:01.007-07:00May 2015 RecapMay - phew - what a month! It was fast and full!<br />
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Once we got back from <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2015/05/maui-baby.html">Hawaii</a>, I finished my prep for the <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2015/05/running-reflections.html">Mother's Day 5K</a>. We wrapped up Mother's Day with a picnic in our backyard with some good friends. <br />
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George and Madeleine have started playing a new game in which they are co-pilots.</div>
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In George's car, the kids can now hold hands across the back seat. *Heart melts.*</div>
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<a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a> and Eloise came over for a playdate, and the littles "got acquainted."</div>
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Madeleine has been working on setting the table. This particular day, not at meal time, she sat a friend at each seat with a cookie on his/her plate. Pretty stinkin' cute.</div>
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This was the day I discovered that Elliott can remove our vent covers. Joy.</div>
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And he can crawl up/down a single step. Look at the pride in his eyes!</div>
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I hate bubbles. They are sticky and messy and don't work half the time. But I've told myself that I need to let go of some of my particularities so that my kiddos can experience some of the messier aspects of childhood. They both <i>loved</i> the afternoon when I broke out the bubbles.</div>
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Speaking of messy, Madeleine likes to get into Elliott's cabinets to find supplies for her babies' diaper changes, bedtimes, baths, etc. After finding this mess, I both cleaned out the infant supplies from his nursery and activated the childproofing already installed on the cabinets. You'd think that this child doesn't have half a dozen baby blankets waiting in her room.</div>
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We've continued to do a fair bit of hiking with our <a href="http://www.peps.org/">PEPS</a> group, and I think that we all agree that the best trails are the ones that end with a playground.</div>
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For Memorial Day weekend, we headed to Dallas via this gorgeous PNW scene. Stay tuned for a photo summary.</div>
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No particular story with this one; I just love this moment in time.</div>
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Girlfriend can walk more naturally in my heels than I can. </div>
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We ended the month with another <a href="http://www.peps.org/">PEPS</a> hike. Good company, good trail.</div>
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Am I the only one who is in a little bit of denial that it's already June? Is that just because my first born is about to turn THREE years old (and reminds me of it several times a day)?ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-2266093845124506682015-06-03T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-03T05:00:14.322-07:00Summer Bucket List 2.0With summer's unofficial start last week, it's time to start thinking about what fun things we want to do while the weather is warm and dry (and it's supposed to be a particularly warm and dry one here). I really liked referring back to <a href="http://woutadoubt.blogspot.com/2014/06/summer-bucket-list.html">my bucket list last summer</a>, so I'm creating another one this year. Like last year, I don't expect to accomplish them all, but I hope to get through many of them!<div>
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<ul>
<li>Teach Madeleine how to ride a bike</li>
<li>Teach Elliott how to walk</li>
<li>Do a backyard camp out with Madeleine</li>
<li>Do a family outing to a <a href="http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sea">Mariners</a> game</li>
<li>Take Madeleine horseback riding</li>
<li>Make popsicles</li>
<li>Check out at least three farmers markets</li>
<li>Check out at least three beach parks</li>
<li>Take at least five family hikes</li>
<li>Have a picnic on the lawn of <a href="https://www.ste-michelle.com/">Chateau Ste. Michelle</a></li>
<li>Have a picnic on <a href="http://www.portofeverett.com/recreation/beaches-kiteboarding/jetty-island-290">Jetty Island</a></li>
<li>Spend a weekend on the Oregon coast</li>
<li>Stroll the <a href="http://www.bellevuearts.org/fair/">Bellevue Arts Fair</a></li>
<li>Have a day date to <a href="http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/">Chihuly Garden and Glass</a></li>
<li>Explore Lake Union with a picnic on a <a href="http://cwb.org/rent/seattle-livery/">paddle boat</a> or a <a href="http://aguaverde.com/paddleclub/guided-tours/">sunset kayak</a></li>
<li>Play with glass at a <a href="http://glassybaby.com/hot-shop">Glassybaby hot shop</a> open house</li>
<li>Check out <a href="http://cafejuanita.com/">Cafe Juanita</a>'s new old space</li>
<li>Explore at least three new wineries</li>
<li>Sew a dress for Madeleine</li>
<li>Do large scale painting in the back yard</li>
<li>Run a half marathon</li>
</ul>
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<i>What's on your list for the summer?</i></div>
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ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-807226201767941540.post-85305249841765710152015-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-23T15:09:27.678-07:00Elliott - Nine Months OldI'm late with Elliott's nine month post because I wanted to get his growth stats at our check-up. Unsurprisingly, he's still in the 75th to 90th percentile for height and weight while his head circumference is perfectly average.<br />
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His biggest change this month is that he started army crawling just a few days into the month. He gets faster and shows more stamina with each day. He can even go up and down a single step on his belly. He loves all of Madeleine's toys (especially her tea cups), floor heating/cooling vents (which he has mastered removing), and doors. Like his sister, he's also interested in electrical outlets, so I'm glad that all of ours remain childproof.<br />
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We've done a lot of traveling this month (Hawaii and Texas) with mixed results. Elliott is less contemplative than Madeleine and more insistent about being mobile. Combining that personality with his size, flights are challenging. His sleep was mixed during both of our trips with more screaming than I would have liked. I think he just wakes up when he is between sleep cycles and has a hard time going right back to sleep in a new place. The first night back from each trip was rough, too, but, after one long session of crying (yes, we're those parents), he has otherwise slept through the night.<br />
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Elliott continues to be a pretty good eater, not showing much favoritism. He passed his baked egg challenge, which means that he is cleared to eat foods that contain egg as long as the egg is thoroughly cooked. We've used our <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Zo-li-Bot-Straw-Sippy-Cup/dp/B0031E1GEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432940138&sr=8-1&keywords=zuli+cup">favorite</a> sippy cups with Elliott, and he has taken to them pretty well. There are times during meals when he will start to fight the food (throw it on the floor, bat at the spoon) because he's thirsty and only wants water, which he gets at each meal. He still nurses four times a day (wake up, after each nap, and bedtime), which I anticipate continuing until we start weaning in earnest (August probably). Hopefully I can survive his current habit of pinching me while nursing. The pediatrician drew my attention to swollen lower gums, so I may have teeth to contend with sooner rather than later.<br />
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Elliott continues to be chatty. Most of the time that means babbling, but it can also mean screaming. He screams - in the highest pitch, most ear-piercing scream ever - when he is really excited. His crying also tends toward screaming and away from fussing. Between his voice and his crawling, I think we're seeing more and more of Elliott's personality. He's not quite as laid back as we'd originally thought but rather persistent and determined. At the same time he's very sweet and cuddly, generously offering smiles and laughs.<br />
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I had a little help in the photography department this month as big sister wanted to photograph Elliott with her "camera" (a turtle toy with a tiny mirror on it, which she consistently pretends is a camera).<br />
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<br />ALKShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16742380757710251677noreply@blogger.com1