Merry & Bright

It's been so nice having four days off in a row (5, sorta) and I love the feeling in the air around the holidays. I was able to get some decent shopping done on Friday, then we hit Seattle Center for the annual Winterfest celebration later that evening where we enjoyed music, trains, and lights. Uncle Casey spent all of Saturday mallin', eating, and playing with us, and today was a family day of egg nog, more leftovers, and filling the house with everything Christmas. The tree is glowing, the lights are up outside, the stockings are hung, the mistletoe is ready, and all is merry and bright under this roof.

Happy Turkey Day

We enjoyed a lovely feast at Andrew's parents house for turkey day.

We truly do have countless reasons to be grateful.

I myself cherish a charming and kind husband, my inquisitive and gentle son, my loving family, genuine friends, the life that I am living, and the strength and inspiration I hold from being able to love Andrew and Bennett with an overflowing heart.

We hope everyone took several moments to feel the true happiness today.

Thanks to the Turpins for cooking and sharing a huge meal (that pecan pie really hit the spot!) and for sharing your love with the 3 of us.

Cozy

Snow Day!

When it snows in Seattle, the whole city seems to shut down! The snow storm hit hard around rush hour on Monday evening and impacted traffic in a way I have never seen. We sat in the car for 2 hours and went about one mile before we had no choice but to turn around and drive back to Andrew's office and hang out in the warm Starbucks building until traffic barely started creeping along around 9pm. We managed to make it home (the 5 miles) safely by about 11pm!

Lucky for us, all this snow meant a great time at home with our boy today!

I love that he has a Minnesota attitude in this cold weather!!

Marnie Comes to Visit!

"Auntie" Marnie flew up from San Francisco for a visit this weekend. It was awesome to have her here! She met Bennett for the first time and showered him with love and attention. We had fun getting pedicures, going out to dinner, going to the market, and taking a walk in the snow! Thanks for being here with us Marnie!

Love those Giggles

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I ran across this clip from last month and thought I would share it. I was getting ready in the morning, so I had Bennett in his pack n' play, when Andrew arrived home from a quick latte run and kneeled down to say hi. Bennett absolutely adores his daddy and finds all of their interactions to be quite hilarious, as you will see. I love how children can find so much happiness in all the little moments, and how they constantly remind us to do the same. I could never get enough of this boy's laughter.

Taco Thursday

We enjoyed Taco Thursday at our place tonight with friends Mike and Kelli, who shower Bennett with attention whenever possible. I think Bennett has a little crush on Kelli as he would not stop smiling or finding ways to make her look at him tonight.

Thanks for a great night!

5 Weeks Later...

I am happy to report that Bennett's hearing is back to normal! We met with the audiologist this morning and learned that B's tubes and ears look just how they should and he passed his hearing tests with flying colors! Great news! On a side note, he certainly enjoyed all of the attention he received by being the youngest and most vocal little guy in the waiting room too!

Bigger Eater

Bennett has all of a sudden, within the last week, gone from eating a few spoonfuls of solids in one meal to basically eating a whole container of food at once. He especially loves sweet potatoes and avocado, but this could all change for tomorrow. He definitely went at his own pace, and we are so happy to fulfill his new appetite!

Little Turkey

Eight Months Old Today!!

...and he seems to be loving every minute!! So do we!!

My Uncle

Since Andrew is out of town, it was so nice to have Uncle Casey over for a fun afternoon. We headed out for some sun, had great playtime, and a hefty meal too. Can't wait to see you soon!

The Little Gym

(loves bubbles)

Today we attended a Little Bugs class at The Little Gym. I could tell Bennett enjoyed the class as he smiled while playing with sticks, balls, bubbles, sang several songs, and did some jumping, crawling, stretching, and walking practice. We even learned how to do a front and back 'flip' together! He showed his curiosity the most as he watched the teacher and other children doing their tricks.

In the Neighborhood

I love our neighborhood, and it seems that we continuously find more reasons to love it even more all the time. We highly enjoyed our little neck of the woods the past few days while enjoying some meals at some of our favorite eateries, walking through the parks, hitting the area of shops, the farmers market, and ending with a Sunday evening dinner with nearby friends. You gotta love West Seattle.

Hanging with my Buddies

Happy Boy