June 2015 Recap

Are you ready for another photo-heavy post? June was a really busy month for us with lots happening.

At the beginning of the month, we visited Ohio. 

Shortly after getting back, I ran my first half marathon 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.

It was the hottest June on record, so we spent a fair bit of time doing this. 

Elliott discovered built-in musical instruments, and Madeleine happily joined in the (loud) fun.

Madeleine loved picking (wild) raspberries from our backyard at every opportunity. I love anything that bears fruit and requires nothing of me. 

We celebrated Father's Day by inviting a favorite chef to make dinner for us and another couple. Yum is an understatement.

"I need some help, Mummy. Elliott wants to wear these." And so it begins.

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting our cousins (my first cousin and his family), including taking them to our wedding site at Gas Works Park. 

Around town, Elliott was incredibly patient to adjust naps or take them on the go.

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. 

The birthday girl jumped for joy at riding a ferry for her birthday. 

Once she opened her bike helmet, she refused to take it off, even during birthday cake time.

I will never tire of this. 

...or this.

Summer, must you go so fast?

Family Photos

We decided it was once again time to hire the fabulous Aaron and Meg of Evantide Photography to capture our family as Madeleine turns two, the bump is making his presence known, and our days as a family of three are limited. As always, they captured us in this very moment perfectly, and I am so excited to share some of my favorites with you.

I am getting more excited by the day to meet our little boy...especially as he outgrows his living quarters.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying every precious moment of this exuberant little girl. She is so full of life and energy and spunk!

Can you read her lips? Hint: this spot overlooks train tracks.

Let's hope that she is as enthusiastic about kissing her brother after he arrives as she is right now. Right now, she loves patting, kissing, and cuddling her brother. She has even started bringing me books that he "needs" and suggesting he needs his diaper changed.

And I leave you with my favorite...

Which is your favorite?

Weekend Visitors

We were so happy to have Denaye, David, and Nicolas visit us this past weekend from the great state of Texas. We only had a day and a half of good weather before rain set in for the rest of their visit. Despite the grey skies, we had a great time catching up, taking in a few local attractions, eating delicious food, and laughing pretty hard. And you would never know this was Nico's inaugural trip; he is a natural born traveler!

Madeleine and Nico were fast friends. He hardly took his eyes off of her, and she was all too willing to bring him toys and offer cuddles. Of course, she also nearly sat on top of him while trying to sit by him and ripped toys out of his hands on more than one occasion. Nonetheless, it was fun to see the beginning of a friendship and get some more confirmation that Miss M is ready to be a big sister.

Kisses for Nico

Denaye and I did some (mostly window) shopping at a few of my favorite local kid stores (for locals who are curious: Hanna Andersson outlet, Merry Go Round, Wee Tots). David was able to get out and explore a few miles of our local utility/horse/walking/running/biking trail before the rain. He said that he enjoyed it, and I'm seriously impressed at anyone who can run those hills!

All six of us took in Pike Place Market on a busy, sunny Friday. The kiddos loved having so much to see, and Madeleine enjoyed the dried apple sample she scored from a vendor.

Denaye and David requested a visit to Din Tai Fung, which they had visited on a trip to China. We are a dumpling-loving family and were more than happy to make it happen. Spicy wontons continue to be a favorite of all three locals. Yum!

Living so close to the heart of wine country, we had to do a few tastings. We visited an old favorite and some new-to-us wineries and were pleased on all accounts. It was particularly cool that Denaye and David caught a rainbow when they had popped out for a quick tasting one afternoon.

Finally, do you think that the visit would be complete without matching outfits? No way.

There aren't enough words for me to say how much we all enjoyed spending the long weekend with the B family! Perhaps Madeleine said it all when she whimpered the whole way home from taking them to the airport. I kept telling her, "it's okay to be sad. I'm sad, too." Our next connection, whether in Washington, Texas, Ohio, or somewhere else entirely can't come soon enough!

+1

We are thrilled to share that a baby boy will be joining our family in mid- to late August. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

To celebrate the day, I thought I'd share our photo of the day:

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from me and mine.

Pssst. I'll be taking tomorrow off of Pinned It & Did It, but come back often starting next week to check out a whole lot of holiday-inspired craft projects during the month of December.

Spontaneity lives!

Last Thursday at about 10pm, we decided to take a weekend trip to Oregon, and we left the next morning. This is the most spontaneous I've been in at least five years. Seriously.

George's brother, Heath, is visiting us and was keen to see the Spruce Goose, so we got right up in the cockpit. 

The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum was fantastic and surprisingly kid-friendly. Not only did it have a great kiddo section and kid-friendly volunteers, but it has an equally impressive, Madeleine-approved playground. I'm already itching to go back to explore a little more and check out the water park.

We took advantage of having a photographer with us to get a family picture.

Our favorite winery, Eyrie, was having a special tasting event, and we just had to stop in. It was Madeleine's second visit to Eyrie (third if you count in utero), and she was just as charming as usual, ducking through the wine barrels in search of "cheese, peeeeeeeez!"

{compare with our visit in May}

Unfortunately, Miss Madeleine woke up on Sunday morning with a fever, so we cut our Portland plans a little short and headed home with a sleepy baby in the back seat right after a delicious brunch.

Nonetheless, it was a fantastic weekend. We stayed in an immaculately clean rental house in McMinnville thanks to VRBO, where we saw a family of deer several times. And, wow, did we eat well! Our two visits to Bistro Maison blew us away; our standard for orange juice hit a new level at Crescent Cafe; and we got to meet THE mother while enjoying an amazing meal at Mothers. This weekend reminded me, yet again, why the Willamette Valley is one of my favorite places to visit.

What's your favorite weekend getaway spot?

What makes home home?

This theme keeps coming up in conversations, so I'm going to take a few minutes to write about it. 

I believe that one element of "home" is comprised of the things we bring into our house. The things that surround us become familiar and, in concert with memories and time, transform a house into a home. 

Anyone who knows my mom knows that she's a collector. I've called her a hoarder, but it's really more that she keeps things around that are meaningful or interesting to her. Don't we all? 

One thing I remember always being at our home growing up was her collection of antique glass jars. I never thought much about them until I was visiting, and my mom mentioned that she was interested in moving them on to their next home. I thought about it for about 20 seconds and suddenly realized that they are both something meaningful (or at least familiar) from my childhood and also something I'd pick up at an antique store myself. Fast forward a few weeks, and two boxes marked fragile arrived on my doorstep. 

Look at what's now sitting on our mantel: 

George and I often talk about deliberately choosing the items we want to be "home" for Madeleine, and I am so thrilled that one of those items is going to be something that has been "home" for me since I was her age. 

What makes your home home? 

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Apologies for the quiet week last week. Getting ready for a baby shower and visiting family while caring for a sick child means that "blog" was left unchecked on my to-do list all week. Here's hoping that some good health and regular routines are just around the corner!