What the Weller???

Big Time Christmas

2011-12-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

Since I had a little more time (and flexibility) with the kids this year than last, I decided to do up Christmas big time. Santa's got a brand new bag. If you need to up your Christmas game for the future (and you live in Seattle), consider this little recap your primer:

Snowflake Lane: This is a classic. Two blocks from our old condo, this is the official sign of Christmas for our family. Althought we only went three times this year, it's still a favorite and we really liked all the new characters and acts they added this year. It's snows every night on Snowflake Lane!

Bellevue Botanical Gardens: Best lights on the Eastside (maybe the greater Seattle area). Period.

Pacific Place: This place has an indoor snowfall every night. Fine but I liked it better the first time when it was called Snowflake Lane. Also there's not even any performers.

Toyland Village: Its a bunch of cute Christmas light displays all along the Seattle waterfront. We worked up an apetite doing the City of Seattle's holiday waterfront scavenger hunt and then took advantage of a little fried shrimp from Ivar's. Very fun.

Christmas Village: The Seattle Center House had a whole Christmas village set up with trains running through it. All the miniatures were really cute and of course the kids liked the trains best. I wouldn't call a miniature train village an A+ for toddlers though, it was a 10 minute max activity for us.

Carousel: Very festive carousel set up in downtown across from Westlake Center. We went less than a week before Christmas so we encountered a little bit of a line. Waiting in this line was not Andrew's favorite. Riding on this carousel was Andrew's favorite. So much so that I had to pry his fingers off the pole one by one amidst hysterical screaming (and probably several cell calls to CPS).

Gingerbread Houses: These were insane. There was one of Grand Central Station for pete's sake. Way over the top, way delicious looking. Leah was willing to take a bite to verify they were edible but we waved her off.

West Seattle Lights: Just a private house with crazy awesome Christmas lights. Not only were there like 29834263 million lights but they were synchronized (by color!) to music that you could tune your radio to. Paul said they are the best Christmas lights he's ever seen. My Mom said the same thing.

Gene Coulon Park: A fun little Christmas lights display down in Renton on the Lake Washington waterfront. It is sponsored by Ivar's so of course it has dancing clam lights - a holiday tradition in every household.

Christmas Eve we had a delicous buffet dinner at our house and a Christmas program by the family:

Opening Song....Joy to the World

Opening Prayer.....Esther

Christmas Cake.....Andrew

Christmas Song Medley.....Leah & Andrew

Christmas Story.....Ann

Light of Christ.....Eric & Emily

Presentation of the Nativity.....Leah

Live Nativity.....Leah & Andrew

Reading of Luke 2.....Paul

Closing Song.....Silent Night

Closing Prayer.....Eric

Everything on the program was great. The Live Nativity had a few issues when Joseph hit baby Jesus on the head with a glow stick and threw it at the Christmas tree. Mary was not pleased with his lack of professionalism.

Despite the behavior I observed leading up to Christmas, Santa did indeed come. Leah's favoriate present was a Doctor's Kit which she has used to examine and diagnose every person that has been to our house so far. Andrew is OBSESSED with a little basketball hoop we got him. It could have been his only present and he wouldn't have cared.

What a fun Christmas we had. Yes, it was full of nuts moments when I wanted to leave my children on a doorstep but that is to be expected with two toddlers. Overall, it was great and went too fast!

I hope yours was great too. Merry Christmas from the Wellers!!

Two Turkeys

2011-12-06T21:29:00.001-08:00

I'm thankful for these two little turkeys. I'm also thankful that Andrew is not old enough to protest wearing overalls with a turkey on them that match his sister. Because I think they look so cute!

Sick of It!

2011-12-05T23:18:00.001-08:00

(Paul playing a game with Leah)
Leah: Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! (and on and on fake sneezing)
Paul: What's wrong with you??
Leah: I'm sick of this.

Babies

2011-12-02T00:02:00.001-08:00

(driving around looking at Christmas lights we spot a nativity scene)
Leah: Look its Baby Jesus! Can I have a Baby Jesus?
Esther: Yes, we have one at home. Do you want to play with it?
Leah: No! We don't have one!
Esther: Yes, we have one at home, you can play with it.
Leah: No we don't, we only have a Baby Andrew-Boy.

Mazel Tov

2011-11-23T15:58:00.001-08:00

My brother tied the knot with his lovely bride, Emily, on 11.11.11. We all traveled to Salt Lake City for the event. The trip was relatively smooth with only a few crises including Leah locking us out of the bedroom with all the clothes we needed for the reception about 10 minutes before we had to change. The wedding was great and the dinner/reception after was super fun. A large part of that was due to the EW&F they played. I worked out a lot of issues on that dance floor. Leah and Andrew looked super duper cute for the pictures. Even better, our nanny came and got them before the dinner so Paul and I could enjoy it without blood-curdling screams and/or food being launched at our faces. A fun time was had by all. Congrats E&E!!!

House of Spooks

2011-11-22T21:01:00.001-08:00

Halloween was fun this year because Leah was old enough to really understand what was going on and to get excited about it. Dora is big in our house lately so I figured she and Andrew could dress up as Dora and Boots. Then Dora herself threw a big wrench in my plans. In Dora's Halloween episode she dresses up like a kitty cat.

Leah: Can I have a costume?
Me: Yes! You can dress up like Dora.
Leah: I can be a kitty cat!!
Me: No, you will look juuust like Dora.
Leah: Yay, I a kitty cat!!
Me: No, you are going to dress like Dora.
Leah: Meow, meow.

I was starting to get frustrated and then the whole thing became a moot point.

Leah: I want a costume. I want to be a shelf.
Me: .........??? uh, a shelf?
Leah: I HAVE to be a shelf. I HAVE TO HAVE A SHELF COSTUME!!
Me: Ok, ok. What does a shelf costume have? (what??)
Leah: I have to have a white hat and glub (glove).
Me: Okaaay.....????
Leah: I HAVE to have a white apron!!
Me: OH! A chef costume.
Leah: Yes, I a shelf.

It turns out she is a genius because she looked so cute and was the only chef around. Everyone loved the originality. We went trick-or-treating at the mall and the people in all the kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma went crazy for her and gave her like 8 pieces of candy.

Speaking of candy, she needs to work on her candy selection skills. She chooses the worst ones. We ended up with a pumpkin full of bit-o-honey, the pink tootsie rolls, and the orange marshmallow shaped like a peanut. No good.

Andrew was, as usual, totally up for whatever. He happily let me dress him in the cutest puppy dog costume and then sat contently as I shoved 239874234 pieces of chocolate in his mouth. Loved it.

I can't wait to see what they ask to dress up as next year.

Teenage Trick-Or-Treating

2011-11-18T14:53:00.001-08:00

Real pictures and stories of Halloween are coming, but in the meantime I wanted to write a quick blog on the topic of teenage trick-or-treating. A while back, a friend posted a question on Facebook about what people thought of older "kids" going trick-or-treating. I didn't comment back but my knee-jerk reaction was highly negative. Then I got to thinking about it and I wondered "What is my problem?"

I think a mini Snickers runs about $0.18. If a 14-year-old kid is willing to walk from house to house (costume or not) for an 18-cent piece of candy, why not let them have it? Our children are forced to grow up so fast these days. If you read or listen to the news then you have an inkling of the sad and upsetting things that many teenagers participate in these days.

I think it is lovely if some teenagers are still so excited about the simple prospect of free candy that they prefer to go trick-or-treating versus going to some party with alcohol, taking drugs, or other common and risky behavior. I hope my kids still want to indulge in an innocent activity like trick-or-treating at that age.

So next year, I say welcome the teengaers and congratulate them for holding onto their childhood a little longer by giving them an extra piece of candy!

IHOJ

2011-11-17T23:32:00.001-08:00

Quick follow-up to the RV post. We took that same trip to Winthrop two years ago. On the way there, we stopped at "Jerky/Taffy Land" which I call the "International House of Jerky." See picture in previous post. For old times' sake, we stopped there again. Apparently the joint burned to the ground in the interim and was rebuilt as fancy as a place specializing in jerky and taffy can possibly be. I got a picture with Paul and the kids in front of their spiffy new sign. Yes, we bought some jerky and taffy. No, it was not that good. The setting is the coolest thing about this place - so beautiful. In fact, I was cleaning out our cupboards a minute ago and found the taffy and threw it away which is what reminded me of this and prompted me to post. Mainly I just think it is weird (maybe even a little cool) that we keep going back there. Also, I think it's super fun to see how different Leah looks.

My New Job

2011-11-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have one more follow-up to my previous post about quitting my job. Lots of people have asked me if I think my "new job" is easier or harder than my last job. This is a very loaded question. I can say unequivocally that I am MUCH happier and I love it a lot more. But is it harder? Definitely. Being a stay-at-home-mom is way more physically and emotionally demanding than any job I had in my career at Microsoft.

For example, NONE of the following things ever happened to me when I worked at Microsoft:

A co-worker pooping their pants and then expecting me to wipe it clean
Someone in the cafeteria throwing part of their lunch at my hair
Me showing my boss a report and, because he liked it, making me read the report to him 2983742346 more times
Someone banging on the stall door and yelling the entire time I am going to the bathroom
My colleague taking off her shoes and socks and running the other direction 15 seconds before we are about to leave for a meeting
A team member walking up to me when I am working on my computer and banging their palm down on the keyboard and then busting up laughing
Someone going from bosisterous laughter to hysterical screaming/crying and then back to boisterous laughter in a matter of about 9 seconds
A manager throwing herself on the floor and screaming because I handed her a blue pen instead of a red pen

I'm just saying, none of these things happened to me in all my 12 years at Microsoft yet ALL of them happened to me yesterday, probably within a couple hours. It's a nuthouse around here for sure. But I still love it! My new "co-workers" are way more fun and hilarious than my old ones, and let's be honest, much better looking! How can I not want to spend the day with these little faces:

The Next Chapter

2011-10-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

I quit my job. If that's enough information for you, you can stop reading. The rest of this post will basically expound on those four crazy little words. I have gotten a surprising amount of questions about this decision so I figured I'd explain it for my enormous blog leadership. I also think it's good to document it for later.

The Backstory
I began working at Microsoft at the ripe old age of 22, straight out of college. I worked in three divisions, four different teams and had six different titles in my almost-twelve years at the company. Looking back, I can't believe they hired me. What does anyone know at 22?? Nothing! But I was cocky, educated and a woman in a man's industry so the odds were in my favor. I will not go into all the details of my 12 years there but suffice it to say that overall, I absolutely loved working at Microsoft. I thought the people were smart, the technology was interesting and the business was exciting. They paid for two condos, three cars, one wedding, two childbirths (including maternity leave), one graduate degree (MBA), and countless trips to various parts of the world. They took good care of me and "raised" me in my career.

The Buildup
In the spring of this year, it just seemed like life got way busier and more stressful. I still had my full-time job at Microsoft but was only working part-time in the office (11 am to 5 pm). We had an awesome nanny who took care of our two babies during these hours, three of which the kids spent napping. In the mornings and evenings I spent time with my children, in the late night hours I caught up on work. At that time we were just coming up on my big conference that I run every year. I was working until 1 or 2 in them morning every night. In the time in between I did everything else that life required - housework, bills, shopping, church assignments, playdates, laundry, exercise....you know, life. Except the "time in between" was nonexistent so I didn't actually get any of that done. Still, Paul is a very hands-on husband and father and we were making it work...barely.

The Decision
Ever since I became pregnant with Leah, we knew that me quitting was the long-term goal but the time was never right. Financially, it was not feasible for us to live on one income and after 12 years at Microsoft, I was getting a nice deal. On top of that we always felt like our kids had plenty of time with us, it wasn't like we were dropping them off at a daycare at 7:30 am and picking them up at 6:00 pm. But it got to the point where it was starting to take a toll on our marriage and I was totally and completely exhausted. I just knew it was time. If I quit, I couldn't see how we would make it work but I hoped we could figure it out. "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Ether 12:6 So I took the leap of faith and gave my notice.

The Fallout
My boss was not happy to hear my decision (that is putting it mildly) but I was surprised at the support that I got from her and from the rest of my team, mostly phrased in an "I'm so jealous" kind of way (from both men and women). I also got a lot of support from my colleagues saying they would watch out for contracting gigs for me and to keep in touch so that if I want to come back when the kids are in school they could help me find something. It was just what I wanted to hear and reinforced my decision.

The Aftermath
I was worried that I would struggle with the transition but let me tell you, so far it's been wonderful. I thought I might be a little bored but we are super busy! At the same time, I am much more calm and relaxed. For the first time in a long time, I have some down time during the day while the kids nap. I am also working out regularly which feels really good. All of this is making me a happier and more relaxed mama and wife. Life is good. I'm not going to sugar coat everything, we are really stretching to make it work but it's worth it. I'm also struggling a little to come to terms with my identity sans professional endeavors, but much less so than I expected. Lots of good, unexpected things have developed too. Paul's career is getting stronger and stronger, our nanny (who we obviously had to let go) is finally getting a baby to adopt after over 10 years of trying to conceive or adopt. We are blessed.

The Pet Peeve
As you can see I have been really happy with my decision and things are going great. However, there has been one recurring reaction that has been somewhat irritating. There is a subset of people who, when I tell them I quit, have reponded with some variation of "It's about time" as if I finally figured out a mistake I had been making all along. The thing is, I quit exactly when I needed to and not a day sooner or later. I'm happy with the time I spent working, I was happy with time I spent with my kids and the care my children received in the few hours I was away. I'm happy with the money that we were able to save for our future during that time. I'm happy with all the benefits we took advantage of and I'm happy about the intellectual and professional growth that I achieved. When I stopped being happy with those things, I quit. I'm totally satisfied with the years I spent working and the time at which I quit so I think it's kind of weird how people will sometimes assume that my decision implies otherwise.

So that's the story of my big transition. It was a great run at Bill's house but now I'm ready for the next chapter of life. On that note, anyone want to hit up the zoo tomorrow? :)

RV's: They're not just for rednecks anymore

2011-10-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Traveling with small people is not fun. And by "not fun" I mean a complete and utter nightmare of the worst kind. A couple of months ago we took a road trip to Idaho for Paul's brother's graduation. While it was great to see Paul's familly the journey was not ideal. For example, at one point in the trip, we were pulled over on the side of the road and I was out of the truck yelling "I hate your face!" at Paul. Not my finest moment, but fairly representative of the driving experience. I dealt with the stress by shopping at every rest stop. "What do you guys do here? Opals? I'll take a ring. Silver? Why not an ice bucket with matching scoop." It was an expensive trip on many levels.

Experiences like this are why I have a policy of generally NOT going further than 5 miles from home with my kids. However, I have been SO curious to try traveling in an RV. So when Paul suggested going to Winthrop, WA for a mountain biking festival I said I would do it if we rented an RV. (Never heard of Winthrop? Exactly.)

Let me tell you, it was great. I will break it down for you in a compare/contrast of traditional road trip and RV road trip.

Category 1: STUFF
Note: I have determined that number of suitcases is inversely proportional to size of human being. The average American is 5 ft 6 1/2 inches. Therefore if the average person needs 1 suitcase that means that Andrew needs roughly 2 and a half suitcases and our whole family needs 6 suitcases. This formula is so accurate, I am working on getting this theory considered for the Nobel Prize in Mathematics.

Normal road trip: Load, unload and rifle through 6 different suitcases looking for what you need at every rest stop and hotel. Many things, once packed, are never seen again.

RV road trip: Everything is organized and put away in your little moving apartment before you even leave your driveway. You have what you need and you know where it is the entire length of your trip.

Category 2: FOOD

Normal road trip: Wake up, small people start throwing themselves on the floor "I'm huuuuuuuuuuungry!!" You shove Nutrigrain bars at them while you pack up your stuff and try to find a restaurant nearby in a town you don't know. You go in the restaurant, pour over the menu to see what you can get for the kids and order $12 worth of food which they don't eat, don't like, and throw at the wig of the older lady at the table next to you while screaming like they are being stabbed (when in reality they are not being stabbed but simply being encouraged to eat a bite of a totally normal pancake). You then have T-90 seconds to cram all of your food in your mouth before they hit Defcon 1 and you are asked to leave. You get to repeat this at every meal and snack.

RV road trip: Wake up, small people start throwing themselves on the floor "I'm huuuuuuuuuuungry!!" You open the fridge, get out some food and make them exactly what they like to eat for breakfast. Then you finish your breakfast in peace while the kids play. Repeat this at every meal and snack, no matter where you happen to be.

Category 3: Accomodations and Recreation

Normal road trip: You get to stay at hotel or motel which never has a crib in your room when you arrive even though you told them ten times in advance that you need one. Once your child goes to bed you get to turn off all the lights and then lay completely still in the dark praying the light of your cell phone doesn't keep them awake. For fun, your child can play with the ice machine, sit quietly in the lobby, or get a martini at the hotel bar. All great options for a 2-year-old.

RV road trip: Everything you need for sleeping is ready to go (see "Stuff" section) and you just pull into a parking spot at a campground. When the kids go to sleep, you can close the divider in the RV and shower, read, watch movies on your computer, or "other stuff." For fun, your child can run around, play on the playground equipment, go swimming, throw rocks at a tree, or get an ice cream from the little office store.

I think you get the gist of what I'm saying here. We actually had a fun trip and I liked Paul's face the whole time. I highly recommend it!!

How We Do It

2011-10-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

These are from a toddler rave we had at our house:

First Day of School

2011-10-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Fall means school even when you are only 2 years old. Leah goes to a great little "preschool" a couple times a week that she absolutely loves. "Classes" started up again in September and she was so excited to go. Look how cute our little schoolgirl looked on the first day!

We Remembered

2011-10-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

As you all know, this year was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I watched lots of various specials on TV about the event and was reminded of the far-reaching effects of that day. Some terrible like the massive loss of life and some amazing like my brother being inspired to join the military. NYC has a special place in my heart for many reasons. But despite the tragedy of that day, it is also a wonderful reminder of how fragile life is and how blessed we all are every single day.

I like to move it move it

2011-07-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows us well knows that we live with a 3-foot-tall marathon runner. She has a little problem with her training in our 900 square foot downtown condo. A friend of ours just moved into a house with a nice fenced backyard and after the first visit to her place (in which Leah happily ran around the yard with little or no supervision from me), we decided that it was time to make something happen. 8 days later we moved. Let me repeat that, EIGHT DAYS LATER WE MOVED. Here's how it went down:

Day 1 (Friday) - List condo for rent on Craigslist. Second person to see it wants to rent it and will put down three months rent in advance. Wants to move in immediatly.
Day 2 (Saturday) - I throw the kids in the back of the car with 23847273 bags of sour patch kids and 2372347 DVD's and tell them to shut it while my Mom and I work through a 2-inch stack of Craigslist postings for rental houses. My Mom is in charge of making notes as we drive around and so at the end of the day I find various helpful observations written on each ad such as "Crapper," "Major crapper," "No good," "Nasty," and "SICK!!!" Luckily we do find the perfect house. The landlord wants someone who will move in immediately.
Day 3 (Sunday) - Paul gets back into town from being at Hoopfest. Upon arrival I tell him we are moving in six days and introduce him to his new house. Such a good sport, he was very excited. Leases signed, deposits given/received. Moving day the following Saturday.
Day 4 (Monday) - Panic and packing. I did the panicking and my Mom did the packing.
Day 5 (Tuesday) - More panicking and packing (same distribution of responsibilities). Show up to work 15 minutes late to a divisional meeting and 10 minutes later receive a major award that comes with a bonus!! 15 minutes after the meeting I happily spend said bonus on piano movers and regular movers. Significant decrease in panicking. Best decision ever.
Days 6-8 (Wednesday-Friday) - Mad, insane, intense packing. Move some heirloom china ourselves before official move.
Day 9 (Saturday) - The movers come and the deed is done. You would think that with 4 people living in 900 square feet there would not be much room for stuff but we had an OBSCENE amount of stuff. I was so disgusted with myself by the time the moving truck was loaded I was hoping it would crash and I would never see any of that crap again. Alas, it arrived safely.

I still can't believe we did it but now I am so happy it all worked out. Our new house has a two car garage and a huge, flat, fenced yard. A backyard is the best babysitter ever! We even got a climbing/slide set and some outdoor toys so the kids are livin it up. We are all loving it here!

Guess who started preschool?

2011-06-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

She loves it!!

A Very Sparkly Birthday

2011-06-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

In case anyone is wondering if I had a happy birthday, this might give you an idea:

Princess cut, one carat total weight. Is Paul the best or what?!? So yeah, I had a happy birthday.

The Little Prince

2011-06-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Andrew turned one-year-old on June 2nd! I know this sounds cliche but I really can't believe how fast his first year went. He is such a sweet little guy, we are super lucky to have him in our family.

As required by Mom Law, I will provide his one year stats:
Length: 31 inches
Weight: 24.8 pounds
Head: 19 inches

All of these are in the 90% so he's a big boy. For his birthday, his Aunt Jenni flew all the way to Seattle from Pennsylvania to celebrate. He had a fun little party with Mom, Dad, Leah, Bookie, Grandma, Uncle Eric, and Aunt Jenni. He was our little prince and he had a birthday cake fit for royalty by Sweet Lorraine's Cakes!

Here's our little guy's progress report:
Strengths:
Looking cute
Giving high fives
Smiling at strangers and reaching out for their hand
Sporting a Bieber
Drinking milk from a sippy cup
Eating regular food, including meat and sweet stuff (unlike his salty vegetarian sister)
Crawling super fast
Walking with his walker
Taking two naps a day
Sleeping soundly through his sister's shenanigans
Looking at books
Climbing up on the couch
Swiping snacks and cups from Leah
Yelling, squealing, giggling
Snuggling
Saying Mama and Dada

Areas of improvement:
Developing a stronger calming influence on sister
Not trying to walk so much (I'm not ready!)
Showing more patience when in high chair and Mommy is trying to prepare food

What a sweetheart! Happy Birthday Andrew!

Truth Thursday: The Truth about Easter

2011-06-09T14:19:00.001-07:00

I have never had any interest in making my kids take pictures with people dressed in giant character costumes (e.g. Santa Claus). However, leading up to Easter, Leah was kind of getting into the whole Easter Bunny concept. When I asked her if she wanted to go see the Easter Bunny she was very enthusiastic about the idea so I got both kids all decked out and headed to the mall at like 10 am on a Tuesday (no line).

I was so very wrong. Of course, Andrew sat happily on the Easter Bunny's lap for 10 minutes while we begged, bribed, pleaded with, and threatened Leah to get her on the bunny's lap. All we could get was "My get in stroller, my go home!" Fine, we gave up and they took Andrew's picture and we walked away. 5 minutes later...

"My see a Easter Bunny!!!!" What the Weller?? Fine, there sill no line so they let us try one more time. The best we could do was the picture below. I will point out several aspects to the photo you might not notice:
1) Leah is sitting on MY lap and I am leaning back in a half-sit-up trying to get out of the picture as much as possible.
2) No part of Leah could be touching the bunny and no part of the bunny could be touching Leah.
3) For safety reasons, the arm on the bunny side was lodged into her dress.
4) Smiling was obviously out of the question.

I hope everyone enjoys this photo because it is the first and last photo of my kids with the Easter Bunny.

Truth Tuesday: GO TO BED!!!!!

2011-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Truth: Things are a disaster at our house right now. The reason is (as usual) three feet tall with great hair. Leah has figured out how to quickly and easily climb in and out of her crib. It's a lower crib (converts to a toddler bed) so she can just hop in and out like it's nothing. Last night she didn't go to sleep until 11:15 pm.

Sometimes she'll get out and come into the family room wearing rain boots and carrying her purse and say "Whatcha doin guys!??!?" Other times she'll try to sneak out and then make a break for the fridge ("black drinkie!!!"). Last night the childproof door handle came off the front door and we forgot to put it back on so at 11:00 pm she got out of bed, ran out the front door, over to the neighbors door and started knocking on it yelling "Peggy!!!" (our neighbor).

We're doing all the textbook stuff you're supposed to do for a toddler that gets out of bed. So far it's not really working but it's only been a few days so I am trying to stay optimistic. Not only is it frustrating because she won't stay in bed and go to sleep but it's making me crazy not having any time in the evenings to catch up on stuff. It's also making Paul and I very impatient with each other which isn't that fun either. Leah and Andrew aren't perfect but they have always been awesome sleepers and easy to put to bed. If Leah takes that away from me there may not be enough Diet Coke in the world for me to handle it gracefully.

Smooth Like Butter

2011-05-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I was getting Andrew dressed for church and heard a very foreboding silence from the family room. As soon as I realized it, I ran out there and discovered that Leah had created some lovely artwork for us on the sliding glass door. Lucky for her, her chosen medium was edible so she was able to take a few licks in between each pass of the hands.

The next day she favored us with a similar display, except with vaseline, which everyone knows comes out of blankets, clothes, and hair very easily. :(

Truth Tuesday - The Car

2011-05-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who does a blog post every Tuesday she calls "Truth Tuesday" where she reveals something about herself or her family. I love it. My favorite blogs and posts are the ones that talk about and reveal the realities of family life! I'm sorry but we are not all happily sitting around in sparkling clean houses with perfectly behaved children while listening to Conference talks. Or at least I'm not so I like it when I get glimpses into other people's realities - it's comforting and fun! So I think I might adopt Truth Tuesday. At least, I'll start with today. I am going to admit something very embarrassing today. I hope you are ready for it.

After three years as a one-car family, I got a new (to me) car. Many of you remember my last ride, the blue pony. I had some fun times in that car and it definitely fit my lifestyle and outlook on life. Ditto for the car that I just got, a Kia Rondo:

Here's the embarrasing part: I actually love it! It's so roomy and has tons of storage space. It even has an optional third row of seats that pop up so it can seat up to 7 people! It has great gas mileage and is still small (same length as a Prius!) so I can fit into city street parking spots or compact spots in the garage. We got a great deal on it from a guy in my building who was relocating to Europe.

Flashy sports coupe to compact minivan. If that doesn't describe the last three years of my life, I don't know what does.

Lee-Lee Girl

2011-05-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

If a picture is worth 1000 words then here's 3000 words that capture our little girl.

CrossFit

2011-05-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that Andrew is about to turn one and I still look 7 months pregnant, I have really been trying to get in shape and lose weight. My previous attempts have been unsuccessful. So I am trying something different called CrossFit. It is basically the worst thing you can voluntarily do to your body. Okay maybe second to giving birth, but a very close second. I'm convinced that in order to do CrossFit you have to be a) clinically insane or b) morbidly obese. Since I am both, it is the perfect workout for me.

How it works is that every day they set a "workout of the day." Everyone does the same workout, so classes are just people who get together at a certain time to do the workout. You basically do everything as fast as you can, which in my case looks like slow motion. The types of exercises are pretty much the worst things you can think of - all kinds of variations of push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and heavy weightlifting. You can see a lot of the stuff in the video below. I have done (or at least been told to do) most of the stuff you see there but the difference is that I do it using the lightest weight possible (or no weight). Also, I am crying when I do it.

Here are the pros and cons of CrossFit:
Pros -
1) Each workout usually takes less than 30 minutes so I can go, workout, get home and shower all in about an hour. This point is huge as I have no free time in life.
2) It is effective. This is not like 20 minutes on the elliptical where you can walk and talk normally and your body can easily adjust. This is hardest stuff I've ever done so I started seeing results almost immediately.

Cons -
1) It feels like I am paying someone to waterboard me.
2) I usually can't walk the rest of the day.
3) I am sore all the time.
4) My muscles hurt so bad I want to call 911.
5) I have stopped washing my hair and shaving my legs because I can't lift my arms or bend down with out crying out in pain
6) I wake up every morning feeling like I have been physcially assaulted by a stocky mobster wearing brass knuckles
7) The feeling of "I can't do one more [squat/lift/lunge]!!" usually comes about 30 seconds after I begin each workout
8) There are no fat people in the classes! To clarify, there are several weak and skinny people but no fat people (besides me obviously). I find this annoying but if I'm honest, it is somewhat motivating.
9) I could list more cons but my arms are so sore right now it even hurts to type.

Lastly, I didn't know whether to call this a "pro" or a "con" but the setting is one where the "coach" basically yells at you if you are at all slacking. If I pause I get yelled at, if I say I can't do anymore reps of a certain exercise they usually say it is because I'm "going too slow - get going!!!!" If I say I need a lighter weight they dismiss it and say that if I can carry it over to my spot then I just proved I can lift it.

I have to go take some more Advil now.

Easter Reality

2011-05-06T21:14:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think that I have two kids. Then I try to do something that would be fun with two kids and it reminds me that I don't actually have two kids. I have two babies. Coloring easter eggs is one such revelatory experience.

The process was a failure from the beginning. Leah could not put the eggs into the pot of water without dropping them. We had to refill the pot twice and lost three eggs in the process (not to mention the hysterical screaming when I wouldn't let her try anymore). While the eggs were cooking, we decorated paper eggs that I printed out from the Dora web site. This was a complete success. All she did was pick out paper decorations and glue them on. She was thrilled with the process and outcome and I was thriled with the cleanup (none). Why couldn't I stop there? The initial egg cracking was such obvious foreshadowing of the events to come. But no, I plowed on.

Once the eggs were cooked then it was time to assemble the special "no spill" egg coloring kit I had paid extra for. Between Paul and I we have two bachelor's degrees and three master's degrees but we were no match for this CHILD'S EGG COLORING KIT. A half hour later we had decoded the riddle of the setup and were ready for the eggs. Exactly 13 seconds in, Leah had used the "no spill" kit to spill dye all over a towel, her clothes, my clothes, the countertop and the floor. We abandoned the project (more screaming) and ended up with one of each color (just barely) and two smashed eggs. Andrew could do nothing but observe the whole debacle with an expression of confused shock. We will try it again when Leah is 18 and Andrew is 17. It will be paper eggs from here on out. Which gives me a great idea - can you say paper Christmas tree??

A Scout Is...

2011-05-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Paul is the Scoutmaster for the Boy Scout troop at Church and recently it came to my attention that he would be receiving an award from the District something-or-other (I'm not great on Scout organization). I thought I would surprise Paul by spiffing up his Scout uniform for the occasion. First item of business was to go to the Scout store in Seattle to replace a patch. Let me pause to express that I cannot say enough positive things about the Boy Scouts organization and program. I think it is an amazing program and Andrew will most certainly be an Eagle Scout. Having said that, I hope never again to have to venture in the alternate universe that is the Scout store. (I believe the feeling is mutual).

So many more things happen on my road to a nice looking Scout shirt for Paul but I will spare you the details. Suffice it to say it involved three trips to two different dry cleaners, four lost (and later found by dry cleaner) patches, and two trips to the aforementioned dark corner of the fourth dimension (Scout store).

In the end Paul's uniform ended up looking great and he received his award. He is a fantastic Scoutmaster who genuinely likes all the boys he works with and goes out of his way to make Scouts an enjoyable experience for them. He does a great job with minimal support from me (mostly I just complain about how often he is gone which is a lot). I'm glad he was recognized for all of his efforts, because he deserves it!!

Banksy Boy

2011-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is what cute looks like, people! We finally went in for Andrew's 9-month-old checkup a couple weeks late. Here are the stats:

Height: 31 inches (above 95%)
Weight: 21 lbs. 13 ounces (60%)
Head: 19 inches (above 95%)

Nicknames: Banksy Boy, Bank Shot, Fairbanks, Andrew Andrew Andrew Boy, Beebee

Skills: Turbo crawling, sippy cup drinking, yelling, sleeping all night, taking two naps, being sweet and looking cute, growing two teeth, falling asleep while Leah is 3 feet away still blabbering on and on, pulling up on everything, banging kitchen cabinets, opening drawers and removing the contents, following big sister around and laughing at everything she does

Areas of improvement: avoiding sharp corners, managing big noggin so it doesn't hit things, growing more than two teeth, defending against big sister's toy swiping habits

22 Minutes

2011-04-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to tell you about my 22 minutes. Every morning, Paul gets ready and goes to work about 8:15 am. I don't go to work until 11:00 am which is nice because I can spend most of the morning with my kids. We eat breakfast, play, read books, but mostly just lounge around in our pajamas. However, at some point, we have to get a few things done and that is when I turn to my assistant, Dora. She is able to literally hipnotize Leah for 22 minutes. I don't like letting Leah watch very much TV so I am always in a rush to get everything done in these 22 minutes.

This includes:
1. Change Andrew's diaper (I don't remember feeding him that)
2. Get Leah's clothes for the day out of the kids' room so I can put Andrew down (so convenient to have them in the same room)
3. Hold Andrew, cuddle, and sing some songs/lullabies to him in his room (see how calm life is andrew? bwahahahahahahaha!)
4. Put Andrew down for his morning nap (PLEASE lay down, I only have 13 minutes left!)
5. Get dressed for work (how do I choose, everything looks AMAZING)
6. Do my hair (this isn't working, why is it standing up like that? what?? I only have 6 minutes left? Ponytail!)
7. Do my makeup (my adult acne makes me feel youthful!)
8. Brush my teeth (the sound of the Sonicare snaps Leah out of her hypnotic state..."what's that? where mommy? where baby? my brush teeth! MY BRUSH TEETH" oh no! get back on the couch, here's your toothbrush!)
9. Straighten up the bathroom so our nanny doesn't know how we really live (totally working)
10. Unload dishwas....crap, forgot to turn it on last night. Cram breakfast dishes into full dishwasher, turn it on. ("We did it" song comes on - I only have a minute left!)
11. Find laptop, badge, keys, etc... ("MORE DORA!!!! MORE DORA!!!!! MORE DORA!!!!" All done Dora! Let's pick out a book!)

If everything has gone as planned, I'm all done and can play with Leah until the nanny arrives. If I could be as productive throughout the day as I am in those 22 minutes, I think I would be a white Oprah. Until then, I will just cling to my 22 minutes.

Blog Giveaway

2011-04-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I had a strong blog following. Then my life and body were thrown into complete chaos by the arrival of my two children approximately 10 minutes apart. This affected the frequency of my blogs (and probably the quality). I rarely get comments now and that is okay since I mainly do this blog as a family journal. But I am curious if I have any more readers than the 5 good friends that I know about. I think the best way to find out is a giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment about my blog and I'll choose 5 lucky winners at random to receive a 1GB thumb drive. If I'm right and it's only you 5 reading then you all win. :) I'll draw the winners one week from today!

2000 Flushes

2011-04-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today I walked into the restroom at work and there was a woman in one of the stalls talking loudly (on her cell phone I assume/hope). There's really only one thing you should do in that situation: I ignored my buffer stall strategy and went into the stall right next to her and began flushing the toilet repeatedly until she hung up. You get what you give, lady (and you should have learned that in 1998)!

I Don't Know Why

2011-04-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Leah eats the middle out of her food first. If you hand her a slice of pizza she takes a bite out of the middle of it. I'm not talking about the side of the pizza halfway up, I'm talking about the exact middle. Same with toast, sandwiches, you name it. I don't know why. Here's what I'm talking about, this is a real picture of her breakfast plate a few days ago.

The Tree

2011-04-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

As Leah has gotten older, we've had to remove the beautiful paintings my grandmother did above the changing table because she would hit them or kick them or throw toys at them when we changed her diaper. Mr. Grabbyhands is no better. So for the longest time, there's been a boring blank wall in the nursery... until I put up this tree.I love it! It's perfect for their room since it is gender neutral but still fun, both of them love it and (so far) they can't wreck it. I win again.

Addendum: I've gotten several questions about the tree - it's the popular vinyl cling stuff. I got it off of Etsy after looking at about 238742634 different kinds of trees.

Daddy Day Care

2011-03-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

I came home from work the other day to find the kids playing happily with Daddy and the Magna Doodle. A few minutes later I walked by and noticed what was on the "screen."

My want black drinkie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is what Leah screams whenever I am drinking a Diet Coke (which is basically most of the time). My sister gave her some like a year ago to taste and ever since then she loves the stuff. Of course it is terrible for her so I rarely give her any but in a pinch it is a 100% guaranteed stop crying solution even in a case where she is really hurt or in pain. It has the same effect on me so I totally understand.

Cool Stuff To Do

2011-03-17T23:10:00.001-07:00

Here are cool things I have done lately. You should do them too.

The Head and the Heart
My friend Suzanne invited me to go to this show. It's a local Seattle band called The Head and the Heart. I didn't know much about them going into the show but it was great. They just signed a record contract a couple days before the sold-out show so they were in great spirits and played a super fun show. They even have a violinist. I love hearing them on the radio now and knowing I was at that show.

Thaddillac
First of all, what more do you need to know besides that name?? My friend Kathy is in this band and they are awesome. Thaddillac (aka Thaddeus Turner) is a great performer and entertainer. Plus, if you have any issues you need to work out, this funk music and a dance floor is pretty much all you need.

The Mysterious Content of Softness
The Bellevue Arts Museum has an exhibit right now called "The Mysterious Content of Softness" that features pieces created using various fiber techniques. My favorite is a piece called "Locker Room" by Nathan Vincent which is basically an entire men's locker room crocheted out of yarn. It's a great contrast between a traditionally female hobby and a very masculine place. Note: the first Friday of every month is free at BAM!

Moments Like This

2011-03-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Heart Day

2011-02-26T22:57:00.001-08:00

Paul and I have a tradition of keeping our Valentine's Day low-key, partially due to the proximity of our anniversary and partially due to the reality of having kids. However, this year was a bit of an exception. Our nanny's husband was out of town so she was planning to babysit. Then at lunchtime on the big day I heard about a deal (half price) that Kenmore Air was running for floatplane tours of Seattle so I called and booked us on a 4 pm tour.

They called me back at 2 pm and said that the weather was deteriorating and the sooner we could go the better chance we'd have that our flight actually happened. So I called Paul and asked if he could leave work early and picked him up. He had no idea what we were doing until we pulled into the parking lot, at which point he totally freaked. (For those who don't know, Paul grew up on an airstrip and his Dad had a small plane. Paul has solo'd and will eventually finish up his pilot's license once we stop having babies for 5 minutes.)

Our tour was great and it was so fun to check out all the sights of Seattle from the air. Take off and landing was awesome on water - way smoother than land. We both had a great time. Despite this unusual method of celebration, we stayed true to our Valentine's Tradition and finished the afternoon with a couple of delicious burgers from Lunchbox Laboratory.

Leah and Andrew celebrated Valentine's Day with the ridiculous amount of presents that Bookie and their aunts and cousins sent them. Shopping cart, toys, balloons, stuffed animals, it was quite the day for them. It's not too surprising though, who wouldn't want to be these two cuties' valentine?

Leah's Valentine came with two lollipops:
Andrew's Valentine came with a box of Sweethearts candy:

Third Anniversary

2011-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

February 1st was our third anniversary! Life is a little crazy right now and we are a little sleep deprived so we snuck out of work early for a senior citizen schedule early bird dinner and a movie. I think that in and of itself says a lot about how life has changed in the last three years. However, three years and two kids later we are more in love than ever!

Each anniversary prompts a little trip down memory lane and I always have a good time looking back on all the fun little details of our wedding day. One thing that was great that night was hitting the dance floor with our family and friends. Paul and I both love to dance so I'm glad we included that in our reception.

Of course, we had fun surprising everyone with our first dance:

It was a great day, but it was just the first of many, many more...

Two is Terrific!

2011-02-14T22:16:00.001-08:00

January 9th Leah turned 2-years-old. She has been practicing for a while so she makes a really good 2-year-old. Her actual birthday happened when we were visiting my sister in Pennsylvania. My sister has five boys ranging from 8 to 16 and Leah thought they were all awesome! She bonded most with the 8-year-old who she affectionately calls "Mate Dogg" (supposed to be Nate Dogg since his name is Nate). It was Nate's baptism that brought us there in the first place.
Mate Dogg seemed to be a family favorite since all it took to entertain Andrew was Mate Dogg and a shipping box.
Back to Leah's birthday, my sister decorated everything in pink streamers and balloons and Leah even got her very own Yo Gabba Gabba birthday cake which she loved so much she did not want to eat it. Her favorite present at Jennifer's was easily her princess purse. The picture says it all.When we got back to Washington, she had another party with her peeps here.The theme was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - lots of stars, lots of yellow. We had a few games including an obstacle course that was a big hit. Kelsey and I made a seascape out of construction paper for a fishing game which I think is pretty much my best piece of art to date. I will be busting this thing out for many more birthdays to come. "But Mom, I'm sixteen!" "Shutup, we're playing the fishing game - look how creative this seascape is!!!"Here are some facts and tidbits about Leah now that she is 2-years-old:
She is three feet tall exactly, weighs 31.2 pounds and wears a size 8 shoe.
She has long thick hair that cooperates very well with being curled, straightened, braided, and more
She can sing the following songs completely by herself: Twinkle Twinkle and Row Row Row Your Boat
She loves to do the actions and sing most words to about a million other songs including Sunbeam, Eensy Weensy Spider, Old MacDonald, Snowman, Teapot, and many many many more
She has absolutely NO sweet tooth whatsoever and will take only a bit or two of anything sweet
On the other hand she loves salty snacks like salt and vinegar chips, extreme cheddar Goldfish, Pirate's Booty and more
She can walk three miles without asking to be picked up
We have yet to meet anyone (except Paul's Mom) who says they have seen a toddler with as much energy as she has
Despite her wild personality, she is the sweetest big sister you can imagine. She is tender and sweet with Andrew and has yet to do anything (intentionally) agressive to him...ever!
She shares a room with her brother and sleeps through his fussing without stirring
She can count to 12 and identify all the numbers in print
She knows her colors
She loves to jump and climb
She has a major crush on "Twist" from the Fresh Beat Band and gets embarrased when he smiles directly into the camera (which she must think he is doing for her)
She loves to play "Dance Central" with her parents on Kinect and imitate their moves

And last but not least....she is loved and adored by her family!!!

White Christmas

2011-02-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

This year I had a real humdinger of an idea for a Christmas card. It turned out darling (in my opinion) but I almost divorced and gave my kids to CPS getting the photo. As you can see below, the main requirement of the shot was for everyone to lie quietly still and close their eyes. Aren't you shocked that my two children under two did not do this easily? I thought about it afterwards and realized it was the most ridiculous thing to imagine happening. I mean, honestly, if I knew how to get them to lie still and close their eyes, I would do it every night!! Oh well, it all worked out in the end and I still think it turned out great.

Only Becca Can Do That

2011-01-21T16:21:00.001-08:00

We have a great nanny named Rebecca (Leah calls her "Becca") who takes good care of my kids while I'm at work. There are a couple things that Leah really likes to do that I just don't want to deal with so I make Rebecca do them. For example, if Leah wants to play with Play-Doh I just tell her, "Only Becca knows how to do that." What's awesome is that she totally believes me and doesn't press the issue. It's a win-win because not only do I not have to clean up play-doh, but it makes Leah excited to see Becca rather than crying because I am leaving. The other thing in this category is painting of any kind. I highly recommend this method. If you don't have a nanny, just substitute Daddy. For example, "I want to go to Chuck E. Cheese!" Response: "Only Daddy knows where that is."

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Cancelled)

2011-01-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

This year I cancelled Christmas. This was because I had a lovely Christmas Eve Dinner and Program planned and then Paul got really sick and couldn't get out of bed. So I postponed it until Christmas Day and my Mom got really sick too. So then I just yelled at everyone, "Christmas is cancelled!" But I guess it wasn't really because we still opened present and had Christmas dinner and our program.

This year I went overboard and bought my kids like 1278312 Christmas outfits. There were just so many cute ones! We didn't take advantage of Snowflake Lane as many times this year as we have in the past but we still went several times. Leah really loves it now. She walks straight up to all the characters and waits to give them a hug, it's so adorable. Andrew loves the music and just kicks and kicks while it plays.

Leah and Andrew got an insane amount of toys this year even though I really tried to keep it simple. Some of her favorites were a toy jewelry box and a Yo Gabba Gabba keyboard. Andrew's favorites were a turtle that plays music and a toy guitar.

The best part of Christmas was definitely the Program I put together. The actual printed programs were awesome too. Here was the line-up:

Opening Song - "Joy to the World"
Opening Prayer - Ann
Christmas Story - Paul
"Jingle Bells" - Esther & Leah (on bells)
Parable of the Shopper - Ann
Christms Video - Eric
"Once There Was a Snowman" - Leah & Andrew
"Silent Night" - Esther (on piano)
Nativity Presentation - Leah (pointed out all the people/animals in her nativity set)
Reading of Luke, Chapter 2 - Eric
Closing Song - "O Come All Ye Faithful"
Closing Prayer - Paul

It was awesome. Leah did all her parts perfectly and with enthusiasm! How many times do we have to say it? The best parts of Christmas have nothing to do with presents!

Movember

2011-01-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

This year I was able to convince Paul to participate in Movember. This is a charity event where men grow a moustache for the entire month of November to raise awareness for men's health issues, particularly prostate cancer. I have been trying to convince Paul to grow a moustache pretty much ever since we met because I thought it would look awesome. I was totally right.

Kidnapped!

2011-01-16T20:22:00.001-08:00

Recently we went to Pennsylvania to visit my sister and her family. I'll post more about the trip later but for now I am just going to post about the part where I was kidnapped and held against my will.

I was already very hesitant about the whole trip because it meant spending approximately 6-7 hours inside a very small and crowded space (airplane) during which time I was supposed to keep my children calm and quiet. I'm sure you can already see the holes in my plan.

It was acutally not bad going out there and the kids were relatively well-behaved. On the way back we had a two-hour flight to Chicago which went well. Then we had a four-hour flight from Chicago to Seattle. Leah fell asleep right away and Andrew slept and then played quietly. As we are getting ready to land in Seattle the captain announces that we are in a holding pattern due to snow.

After 45 minutes he announces that we are running out of fuel so we are going to Spokane. So we fly to Spokane, land, and then sit at a gate on the airplane waiting for the runways to reopen in Seattle. We can't get off the airplane because the airport is closed. Of course, by this time both babies are awake and not happy because it is the middle of the night and they are trapped on an airplane. I am trying to keep them calm and keep myself calm. We had not seen a snack or beverage in hours and I was starting to freak. Big time. At that point I was seriously contemplating calling 911. I knew that would probably not go over well with law enforcement but I felt confident they would not prosecute me based on the circumstances and I was sure that I would have public opinion on my side.

Luckily as I begin to consider that open, the runways in Seattle open and we take off. We get to Seattle and are put in a holding pattern again because of all the flights trying to land. Eventually we do land in Seattle. By the time we got our luggage and got home it was almost 2 am Seattle time. Of course, we were on East Coast time so that is almost 5 am. Andrew felt like that was pretty close to the time he normally wakes up so he tried to get the party started. We quashed that idea and finally got everyone to sleep.

The best part was that Paul and I both had to go to work the next day, and I even had an early conference call. That was not what I would call a pleasant travel experience.

No-Hitter

2011-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

I think my last post was the blogging equivalent of talking about a no-hitter while it's happening. I jinx'd it. Lately Andrew has been a night-partier. One night he woke up four times. Another night he was awake from 1:40 - 4:00 am. To be fair, he's getting all kinds of teeth right now. There's two on the bottom already broken through and I'm pretty sure there are a couple more coming in. We had a little sleeping blip with Leah at about the same age so all of that combined means we shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, he seems to be snapping out of it lately and getting back to his angel ways but I'm not going to blog about that.

What I WILL blog about is that Andrew is getting bigger! He had his six-month-old appointment last month and here are the stats:

Weight: 17 pounds, 11 ounces (75%)
Height: 28.5 inches (90%)
Head: 18.5 inches (95%)

So we've got a pretty solid little boy on our hands. Right now he rolls all over the place and can get from one end of the room to other by rolling. He often gets up on his hands and knees and rocks forward with dreams of traveling more efficiently but that is only a wish at this point. We call him Mr. Grabby Hands because when you are not looking he will grab something you thought was way to far away for him to reach and then latch onto it with an unbreakable vice grip. This is adorable when it is a little fluffy toy. It's not as cute when it's a bowl of applesauce. His favorite baby foods are peaches and bananas. He loathes peas. He is extremely entertained by his sister but has learned to scream when she takes his toy. He is THE friendliest baby ever born. He smiles at everyone and will let anyone hold him. Basically, we think he is super rad.

Is this kid for real?

2011-01-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

The other night Paul and I were just watching TV and doing things around the house while Andrew rolled around and played on the floor. Next thing I know, I look over and see the scene below. He's sound asleep. What baby just falls asleep quietly playing?? He's such a sweetheart!!

Thankful

2011-01-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving at Paul's brother's place with most of his family there. This Thanksgiving we really had a lot to be thankful for but I think it's obvious what is at the top of our list:

MO TWINKDA!

2011-01-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Paul and I and the kids met up with some of his family at the Great Wolf Lodge. GWL is an indoor water park about an hour and a half south of us.

Just to back up a little, Paul and I both like to travel and are fairly adventurous. So when people propose ideas to us like trips and camping we can usually be talked into it. In our minds, we have two mild children who sleep easily, obey us, and require very little. In reality, 100% of the time we are driving home from these debacles and we look at each other and say, "We are NEVER leaving the house again!!!"

As usual, when Great Wolf Lodge was suggested, we imagined it to be a kid-friendly vacation and relatively manageable. Guess what? It was!! We actually had a pretty good time! Leah wanted to move in at the water park. They had a whole area for toddlers and she was loving it. It did a lot for her tolerance for water in the face too. We are definitely planning to make it a regular family trip.

One awesome thing that happened was when we got back to our room to settle in for the night. Of course, we were all sharing one room so when we put Leah in her bed it was hard for her to go to sleep with us around. So Paul sang her current favorite song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She laid quietly while he sang and then when he was done she would scream, "MO TWINKDA!!" (translation: "More Twinkle!") Paul ended up singing it at least 40 times and by the end it was completely monotone and he was half asleep. It worked though and eventually she went to sleep and slept soundly until the next day. Mo Twinkda people.

Bellevue Turkey Bowl

2010-12-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow on Thanksgiving Day so I felt bad for Paul because they had a Turkey Bowl planned. Apparently my sympathy was terribly misdirected and snow is, in fact, "perfect" for a Turkey Bowl. Okay.

One Toddler Mind, Blown

2010-12-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

Paul is a good sport. We both are, but especially Paul. Anyone who has spent more than 30 seconds with Leah knows she LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba (see Halloween post). So when we heard the characters were coming to the Nordstrom across the street, we had to go!

Side note: Paul did not understand why I got Leah "dressed up" (i.e. dress, tights, etc...). We are working on the little-girls-wear-dresses-for-all-special-occassions-not-just-church concept.

Regardless, we wait in the line and get to the front. Leah is giddy with anticipation. She walks right up to the them and then beelines for the exit. She is NOT having it. To make sure we don't miss this opportunity, Paul steps in and gets in the picture with Leah.

I'm sure this would have been the highlight of his day except that afternoon he took Leah to the Yo Gabba Gabba Live! concert at the Tacoma dome with thousands of other toddlers, and worse, their parents. Of course, Leah was beside herself at the show seeing all her favorite peeps, singing her favorite songs, and making quick work of all the dances they did. It was her own personal heaven and my own personal the-opposite which is why Paul took her and let me stay home. What a great daddy!

Snow

2010-12-26T21:44:00.001-08:00

One of the best things about snow is dressing your kid up like this and then telling them to go play in it when they can barely bend at the waist. So funny.

Also, what about how we had crazy snow for Thanksgiving? I've never heard of a white Thanksgiving but I'll take it!

Love, Chaos and Dinner

2010-12-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

For Paul's birthday I wanted to give him something unique. He is the kind of person that always wants to try something new and different. I succeeded.

First we celebrated at home with the kids, a few presents and a little birthday cake. We have a cute little birthday hat that everyone wears on their birthday and luckily Paul obliged me in that tradition.

Then our nanny came over and watched the kids while I took him to the Teatro Zinzanni show, "Hearts on Fire." For those of you who have never been to Teatro Zinzanni, it is a three-hour whirlwind of cirque, comedy and cabaret all served up with a five-course feast. Paul loved the show and we had a fantastic time and were extremely well-fed and well-entertained. Happy Birthday PW!

Trouble

2010-12-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

It's very hard not to just laugh when this is the face causing all the trouble. So that's mainly what I do.

Pumpkins & Costumes

2010-11-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

Leah's favorite thing about October is definitely pumpkins. She was very into them this year. Her interest focused mainly on identification (i.e. yelling "Punkie, Punkie!!!" every time she saw one). One day I bought her a mini-pumpkin at the store on my way to the mall with her. While on 8th she dropped it and it rolled into the road, immediately being smashed by a passing truck and exploding all over the road. I kept it together but Paul burst out laughing. We couldn't help it, her face was priceless. She was (for once) speechless and had the worst look on her face. Luckily she was easily distracted and the pumpkin quickly replaced. We took her to the same pumpkin patch as last year. It's crazy how different she looks.

Her second favorite thing about Halloween was dressing up. We got her a Foofa costume from her favorite TV show. She was in heaven. There were a lot of people who had no idea who she was but she didn't care. She rocked that costume like she was on a runway. She was also thrilled with the whole trick-or-tread concept. Unlike her mommy she exercised excellent self-control and only took one candy from each bucket even when encouraged to take more.

Andrew, on the other hand, was not too much of a fan of the costume. He basically had this expression on his face that said, "what are you doing to me?!" And let's be honest, it's a valid question. Paul and I had a couple Halloween parties to attend so we dressed up too. We found some hideous polyester clothes and together we dressed up as "100% Polyester." Awesome.

Nice Try

2010-11-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Why on earth did I think this would ever happen?

Fantastic Four

2010-11-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

Andrew turned four months old on October 2nd. That went fast! He was 26.5 inches long and weighed 16 pounds 15 ounces! That's a big boy, people. He's dang cute too. A few things about him: He is just the absolute sweetest and friendliest baby ever. He smiles at everyone! He almost never cries and if he does it's for a specific reason (hungry, tired, etc...). As soon as you address the problem, he's happy again! He loves to snuggle too. He sleeps happily with his sister in his crib in their room and is undisturbed by her noises and vice versa. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!

Style Amateur

2010-11-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

I think Leah is still working on developing her personal style but I am thrilled to see how much she likes to accessorize. I will be happy to help nuture that instinct.

Feelin Hot Hot Hot!!

2010-11-28T15:54:00.001-08:00

We spent most of September in that dried out piece of brown cardboard called Mesa, Arizona. We were helping my Mom clean out her house so she can rent it. She will keep a small apartment there, her apartment here, and live a life of leisure splitting her time between grandkids. I am so excited for her! I was, however, not excited to clean out 40 years of stuff. All my siblings came out for the job and we worked our behinds off (unfortunately, not literally!).
In the meantime, Andrew was just hanging out in his swing checking out all the action and trying to stay cool. Leah was thrilled with having a backyard and spent as much time out there as we would let her! She had a little inflatable pool that she loved and the heat didn't seem to bother her as much as her mother! Now we are back in our little condo and I think she misses her days of roaming free in her desert backyard!

Blessed Little Boy

2010-11-28T15:39:00.001-08:00

We blessed Andrew on September 5th in our ward. He looked SO sweet and Paul did an amazing job on the blessing. In the blessing circle was: Paul Weller, Eric Engstrom, David Weller, Danny Weller, and Steven Fox. Afterwards we all got a chance to visit and have lunch at Bellevue Downtown Park. The forecasted rain even stopped and the sun came out. What a charmed little boy!!

Lady of the Lake

2010-11-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants a piece of Leah's future. I want her to be a violin virtuoso, Paul wants her to be a World Cup soccer player, and Stephanie wants her to be championship wakeboarder. And let me tell you, she has not taken this lightly. She got Leah out on the boat at her first opportunity.
She has also identified some early training equipment to get her out on the water next summer. Apparently her strategy is working because Leah loved the boat and had a blast even though it was a very typical Northwest day on the lake - freezing cold and threatening rain. I know firsthand how persuasive Stephanie can be ("Who cares if it's October 30th - you don't need a wet suit!") so I better monitor this little mentorship pretty closely. Paul had just as much fun as Leah - I think we need a boat!!

Evergreen State Fair

2010-11-20T23:12:00.001-08:00

The Wellers decided to check out the Evergreen State Fair. The good part is that it is not as crowded and busy as the Puyallup. Also, it seemed the clientele was just as "entertaining" as the Puallup so it was a win/win. Leah was loving all the animals but her favorite by far was the petting zoo of course:

Big Sister, Little Brother

2010-11-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

With a big sister like Leah, you'd be a little worried too:
But he still finds her hilarious!

Camping Fail

2010-09-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we went camping.
I feel like I could really just stop there and you would understand the title of this post. Two adults, one toddler, one infant, one tent, one night. I mean, come on. What was I thinking? I was thinking that all Leah ever wants to do is run, climb, get messy, and explore. Camping is one of the few times she is almost completely free to do all that stuff. So I took one for the team and agreed to go camping. We went with a big group so everything was planned for us which was nice.

It was the longest night of my life. Actually, everyone else slept really great. After finally falling asleep, Leah stayed asleep all night and the baby only woke up at his normal time to eat and went back to sleep. Leah wouldn't stay in her sleeping bag and it was pretty cold at night so every time she rolled over, I had to fix her blanket to cover her again. Basically I was woken up at approximately 45 minute intervals by the following realities of married/family life: the baby needing to be fed, Leah needing to be covered and/or her foot in my face, someone using a chainsaw near our tent (which I finally realized was snoring), and my crappy deflated sleeping pad. But I was right that Leah loved running around and playing in the dirt and exploring, which was pretty cute so maybe it wasn't a total fail. I'd be willing to try it again...in about five years.

Also, Paul told me that putting a flower in Leah's hair was not appropriate for camping. Judging from the other kids, he may have been right, but it was (and always is) worth the struggle in my opinion.

Visitors

2010-09-11T15:03:00.001-07:00

Last month our friends Jen & Joel came to visit with their cute little daughter, Ava. We took them to one of our favorite little "hikes" (more of a walk) near the UW. The paths are right next to the water around some of the little islands where people canoe. Afterwards we had subs from one of our favorite places, Jimmy John's. One of the best parts of their visit was sitting around lamenting about how hard it is to travel with a baby and all the crazy things you do to try to get them to sleep and how none of it really works. I get so annoyed when people with babies go on trips and then say how great and easy it was. Either you are lying or your kid is a weirdo!! (my opinion) We miss you Jen & Joel and hope to get to see you again soon!!

Transportation Time Machine

2010-09-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

When Paul told me he was going to ride his bike down to Portland, I thought I had been transported back in time to before we had things like planes, trains, and automobiles. Then I realized that it was still 2010 and Paul actually wanted to do it. For fun.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a nice bike ride, say along the beach. But this is over 200 miles! AND he wanted to do it in one day. Bonkers.

He did it though, with his brother Danny by his side. (Maybe it runs in the family?) They completed the 210 mile ride all on ONE DAY, in less than 14 hours. I think he actually enjoyed it too as he returned the next day in great spirits and not too sore, considering. I kept telling him I thought the whole thing was nuts but just between you and I, I also think it's kinda sexy. (Just as long as he doesn't try to get me to ride a bike that far!)

Annoying + The Worst = My Choice For Free Time

2010-08-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

I learned the hard way with Leah that all of you who said I would lose my pregnancy weight by breastfeeding were liars. Then, as fate would have it, I got pregnant again before I could react to this lie and I am determined not to make the same mistake twice. So I have been really proactive this time about getting back into shape post-childbirth. I went with my go-to workout, which is jogging, but since I am old (see previous post) and fat, my knee was protesting the decision. In the meantime, I was looking for another workout. Then a new hot yoga studio just opened a few block from my house offering 10 classes for $10.

Just to backtrack a little, some of you know that I grew up in Arizona. I had many fun times there and still have lots of friends from AZ but I hate, hate, hate the heat. It is THE WORST (see blog post title). My friend Sonya can attest to my hatred of the heat having witnessed me deteriorate into a belligerent ranting psychopath due to extreme heat (remember Singapore and Brazil?). Also, even though I live in Seattle, I have never gotten into yoga and consider it, at best, an annoying fad (see blog post title).

With this in mind, I went ahead and signed up for hot yoga, logically combining my two worst things. Not surprisingly, I don't like it. Repeat, I do not like it and also I feel perfectly happy holding on to all my "toxins." However, I also don't like carrying around a deflated doughnut pillow filled with pudding underneath the front of my shirt either. And this workout kicks my trash!! Their "Power Yoga" class is super hard and great for strength training, which I need. You should see me when I walk out of this class. I am totally drenched with sweat and my face is completely red. I mean it is really an all-time low point for me with respect to personal appearance.

Anyway, I guess I am doing hot yoga now. It's a little messed up that pretty much the only time I get out of the house without the kids is to torture myself, but I just remind myself it is all part of my bigger plan to lose tons of weight, quit my job, join a hip-hop dance team and win America's Best Dance Crew.

I am 21387423864 years old

2010-08-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

I know that I am getting older and my life is changing now that I have two kids but sometimes I like to think that I am not that bad. I still listen to hip-hop and I still have a decent sense of what's new in pop culture. But now I know the truth. I am old. The other day my Mom and I went to Hollister to buy a birthday present for my nephew. Unfortunately right when we walked in the electricity went out. But that turned out to just be how they keep the lighting. Then (and I know how bad this sounds) the music was turned up ridiculously loud. I thought I was walking into a rave. I found a shirt and tried to show my Mom but not only could I not make out what color it was or what the price tag said, I was unable to get my Mom's attention because she could neither see me nor hear me. I stumbled to what I assume was a check-out counter because someone took my card and shoved a bag into my hand. When we finally found our way out of the store, squinting and disoriented we checked the bag and found that what we bought was acceptable, luckily. Please let it be "cool" to turn on lights by the time Leah and Andrew want to buy clothes at the mall.

Andrew is 2-months-old!

2010-08-04T15:53:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it but Andrew is already 2-months-old. I love it because his personality is starting to show. He's such a mellow, happy baby. His "forlorn" expression is more often replaced with a cute smile and it's easy to make him laugh. He still sleeps great - for the most part only waking up once in the early morning to eat and then going back to sleep. We got lucky with him! At the doctor yesterday he weighed 12 lbs 11 ounces and was 25 inches long, both above 95% for his age so obviously breastfeeding is going well. Good boy!

What Trouble Looks Like

2010-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

18-months-old!!!

2010-07-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Leah just passed the 18-months-old mark! I can't believe it! She is growing up so fast. Seriously, she is really growing fast. People always look at her weird and ask why that 3-year-old can't talk. Hello, she's only a year and a half! She's super tall and already 28 pounds. She's in a size 6 shoe. Maybe she won't be a midget like her mom! Here's some info about our little toddler:

She climbs on EVERYTHING. She can climb up on top of the dining table, on top of the stroller, she climbs up into her high chair by herself, and can climb out of her crib!
- She talks a lot. Most of it we can't understand but she says it very emphatically. She does have lots of words we do understand and it's so fun when she can really communicate with us, like when she says "cup!" when she's thirsty.
- She is impossible to wear out. She can run and run and run and run and run forever.
- She has no fear. If you let her go, she will take off exploring and never look back to see if you are there.
- She's ridiculously cute. I know I am biased but look at those pictures. Look at those eyes! She's super super cute! I love all the comments we get when we are out and about.
- She is super smart. Again, I know I am biased but we are amazed every day at what she knows! She wanted to go outside the other day and couldn't open the door so she dug through my purse, found my keys, and tried using them to get out. She watches everything we do and can imitate it perfectly.
- She loves to accessorize. One of her favorite things to do is try on necklaces, hats and sunglasses in front of the mirror (we have a big box of them right next to a big mirror on the floor). I love watching her expressions in the mirror. She also likes to try on shoes in stores. She will sit still as long as I am getting more shoes for her to try on.
- Her favorite foods are hot dogs, strawberries, and Pirate's Booty.
- She is still an awesome sleeper. Goes to bed with no problems and sleeps 11-12 hours.
- She gives excellent hugs when she wants to.
- Her favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba! I mean, FAVORITE. She LOVES it.
- Her best friend is Harmon Evans. We are trying to set up an arranged marriage.

Leah is such a good girl and so much fun to be around. We are so lucky to have her in our family, we love her so much!!

Leah's Latest Tricks

2010-07-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was taking pictures of Leah in her fourth of July dress and she was in a good mood so I decided to record a video of her and some of her latest tricks. Shortly into the video Andrew started squeaking and you can see her point at him and get a really annoyed look on her face.

Mailbox Peak

2010-07-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

As part of his training for STP, Paul decided to take Leah on a hike and picked Mailbox Peak. It is a 2.5 mile hike with 4040 feet of elevation gain. So basically the worst hike you can possibly imagine. As Paul was loading Leah up into the backpack in the parking lot, several people approached him to ask if he had ever done the hike before looking skeptically at the huge backpack with a toddler. Then, on the way up, people kept freaking out over him carrying Leah all the way up. When he got to the top, a guy offered to take his picture and email it to Paul so he would have proof he did the hike with Leah on his back! Of course, Paul was loving all this and it probably fueled him most of the way! Leah enjoyed herself too, talking or snoozing most of the way. Nice job, Paul!

The Fourth

2010-07-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July is really about America's independence. It used to be about BBQ's and fireworks for me. Now it's about dressing up my kids in cute red, white, and blue clothes. This year did not disappoint. Also, I was reminded (as I am every day) how awesome our condo is because we could see downtown Bellevue's fireworks show from about 10 feet in front of our door. Both Leah and Andrew slept through the entire show! The fireworks are set off from a parking garage across the street from us so that gives you an idea of how loud they are. Paul and I were shocked and laughing about how we always tiptoe around the house after they go to bed. No more of that! The next morning there was a flag-raising at the church which Paul, as Scoutmaster, oversaw as his scouts raised the flag. They were preparing for it when I asked if he wanted me to show them how to do it. He was skeptical about my skills but I set him straight. Camp Lomia girls camp represent!! Leah was restless during the flag raising so I moved to the side so she could see Paul, thinking that would quiet her down. Wrong. It was basically dead silence as the flag went up except for her yelling "Dada!!! Dada!!! DADA!!!" Oh well, she's my own little fourth of July firecracker!

The Other June Birthday

2010-07-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks after Andrew's arrival I celebrated my 33rd birthday. In light of the sleeping and sitting-down situation, we kept it pretty low key. That afternoon my sis and Mom took care of the babies and Paul and I went out for a perfect lunch. First we stuffed ourselves with delicious sushi. I love sushi but couldn't eat it when I was pregnant so I had been craving it for months! After that we went to DQ for blizzards. Obviously delicious as well. The rest of the day we just hung out with family and had cake and opened presents. It was a nice birthday!

Andrew Fairbanks Weller

2010-07-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

On June 2nd at 11:20 am we welcomed the fourth member of our family into the world! Andrew Fairbanks Weller weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz. and was 22 1/4 inches long. I call that nine pounds. I also call that big! However, this delivery was SOOOO much better than my first.

I had been trying everything to get this kid to come out. Finally we scheduled an induction for June 2. I guess that convinced him because about 4 am that day I started having contractions and then my water broke! Unlike with Leah, I took my time getting ready to go to the hospital, even stalling a bit eating breakfast. This time I knew what was about to happen and I was dreading it!! Finally my contractions were 5 minutes apart and Paul put his foot down so off we went to the hospital.

They started my IV on the FIFTH attempt (two different nurses) - this was the second most painful event of the day - horrible. After all of that got settled then the anesthesiologist came in to do my epidural. Around 9 am we realized we had forgotten the camera so I sent Paul home to get it. When we had Leah we got to the hospital early morning too and she was born at 10:45 pm so I figured we had plenty of time. Paul got back around 10 am and that was when I was really starting to complain about the pain. At the same time, my epidural had me numb way up in my chest (not good). So basically they couldn't do anything for me and for the second time, my epidural didn't work correctly.

About 11 am I said I wanted to push and so the nurse told me to try a push and we'll see what happens. I did that and she said, "Well, he's got a lot of hair! Stop pushing, I need to call the doctor!" The doctor arrived and I did about 15 minutes of hard pushing. This was the worst pain I have ever experienced, including Leah's birth. But then he was born at 11:20 am! I couldn't believe how fast!!

Andrew came out looking good, just like Leah. Lots of dark hair and no smushed face or conehead. He was so cute and sweet. Up until that moment we weren't sure what we were going to name him so I asked Paul and he said, "Andrew." I absolutely love his name and have gotten a lot of comments about it. Fairbanks is Paul's mother's maiden name and the name of his great-grandfather who was a famous artist.

Paul was really really sick the day Andrew was born and had to go home shortly after his birth. That first night it was just Andrew and me alone in the hospital room. We can joke about it now but it was a tough night taking care of a newborn after just giving birth. I had to call the nurse to hold him just so I could try to get up and go to the bathroom. But there were definitely moments that night when I was so glad it was just the two of us. I knew as soon as we got home I would have to share him with Paul and we would be engulfed in the chaos of everyday life including a high energy (and high volume) toddler. So I cherished those quiet moments alone with him and didn't really put him down all night. Early the next morning I was tired of the awkward hospital bed, the hard bassinet and the pathetic excuse for a hospital gown, so I called Paul to take me home.

Now we are settling into our new life as a family of four. Andrew has been an amazing baby, sleeping like a champ from day one! He eats well and rarely cries. I couldn't have asked for a better baby. But I will be honest, it is really really really hard taking care of two kids so young and close together. I definitely have times where I don't think I can do it. Thank goodness I have the help of my mom and Paul but it is still a huge challenge so I give credit to those moms who do it on their own all day. But how could I want anything else? I have a smart little firecracker of a daughter and sweet little angel baby, not to mention an incredible husband who practically begs me to go do something for myself while he watches one or both of the kids. I am one lucky girl!!

Mother's Day

2010-07-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

This year Mother's Day left a little something to be desired. I will not get into all the details but SOME of what the day included was: a family fight in the church parking lot, a huge diaper blowout at church for Leah and no wipes in the diaper bag, Leah screaming for over an hour at nap time (what the weller??), my Mom tripping and spilling a tray of chocolate chip cookies all over the parking lot, me spilling Leah's cup of apple juice all over the kitchen, and on and on. So my Mother's Day was less about relaxing and more of a reminder of what being a mother truly involves. The day was salvaged at the end when Paul and Eric made dinner for my Mom, Paul's mom, and me. It was delicious!!! Paul also showed how much he likes me by buying me a beautiful necklace. He then showed how much he loves me by letting me return it and buy the huge turquoise stone I had been eyeing. Good man. Here's a pic of Leah and me on the fateful day.

My Husband Is A Genius (which explains his attraction to me)

2010-07-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

The same week Andrew was born we found out that Paul passed his Professional Engineering exam! That is so awesome!! Paul is now officially a licensed engineer! We are super excited and proud of him!!

7 Hills

2010-07-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Paul's bikes were recently stolen and with our awesome homeowner's insurance, he was able to replace them with two new sweet rides. Since he is trying to train for the STP, he is always looking for an opportunity to use them but that can be a challenge with family and schedules. Last month I told him about the 7 Hills of Kirkland ride/race on Memorial Day and said that he could do it as long as I hadn't had the baby. I considered this a perfect situation because I thought there was no WAY that I would still be pregnant at that point but I would still get credit for encouraging him to do it. Alas, I WAS still pregnant so Leah and I (and my belly) hung out in downtown Kirkland to welcome him across the finish line. As you can tell by the name, the race is basically seven hills in a row. Not my idea of fun but Paul enjoyed it and got a great workout.

All I Wanted...

2010-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Shortly before our special delivery, my friend, Eileen, and my Mom gave me a little baby shower/lunch at Eileen's. It was a fun time with some good friends, good food, and adorable gifts. It was about two weeks before Andrew was born so at that point all I really had left was my sense of humor, which was what drove my wardrobe choice for the event. If you can't read it in the picture, my shirt says "All I wanted was a backrub."
One of the highlights was, as usual, a cake from Sweet Lorraine. Can you believe how darling it is?? She came up with the whole design - she is amazing! One tier was chocolate with tangerine filling and the other was chocolate with raspberry filling - both were divine. But her cakes do not induce labor as I was hoping. Thanks Mom and Eileen for a fun afternoon!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-05-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I am a nuts Mariners fan. When I was single, I would go to about 20 games a season, most of which were part of a season ticket package I shared with my friends. After I got married we still went to lots of games but obviously that dropped off after I had Leah. Still, we made it to a few games and I never missed an opening day.....until now. This year would have marked my 11th consecutive Opening Day at Safeco Field. We had great tickets to the game in hand and then Leah got sick. Very sick. Children's ER at midnight the night before sick. There was no way around it, I had to stay home and take care of my little baby girl! I was so worried about her at the time I didn't really care about the game. We sold my tickets but Paul was able to go with the rest of our group. Even though it was just a baseball game, I was a pretty sad to break my attendance streak. I will be even sadder when this sweet little girl who I sacrificed one of my favorite traditions for tells me I'm ruining her life when she's 13 (or some similar comment). I will probably try to tell her about this day and she will roll her eyes at me. I'll tell her anyway just to make myself feel better. :)

PE Exam

2010-05-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

Last month Paul took a really important professional test called the PE Exam. You have to qualify just to take the test with education and professional experience (four years). Despite test takers having these credentials and experience, only 60% of them even pass the test. The test is EIGHT HOURS long and completely open book. Basically the worst test ever. Since it's open book people get crazy with the materials they bring. The night before the test Paul got out our huge rolling suitcase and filled it with books. I thought he was being excessive but apparently over half the test takers that day had suitcases with some people even renting dollies to haul their reference materials in!! Despite the fact that the test is multiple choice, he doesn't get to find out if he passed until July. If he does then he becomes a licensed Professional Engineer. Either way I am proud of him for just surviving that process - all the months of studying and that ridiculously long and intense test. We've got our fingers crossed!

LUDA!!

2010-05-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Paul and I eating at Benihana in Seattle at 4:30 on a Saturday (yes, 4:30 pm - that's how I roll now apparently) with our friends Mike and Suzanne. Suzanne leaned over and said, "Is that someone famous sitting over there?" I thought she was pointing to this old white guy and I said I didn't recognize him. About five minutes later I TOTALLY freaked out because I realized that Ludacris was sitting one table over from us. I dug out my camera and tried to surreptitiously snap a photo when he wasn't looking to have proof of my star sighting. When he was done eating, he and his HUGE bodyguards got up to leave and he pointed at me and said, "I got you!" I wasn't sure if he calling me out because he was annoyed by the photo but it turned out he was just being friendly and came over and offered to take a photo with me. He is very good looking in person and I was a little starstruck. I wonder if he thought it was cool or weird that his biggest fan that afternoon was a huge 8-months-pregnant white lady from Bellevue. Either way, he approached ME, so from now on the story will be told that I was hit on by Ludacris at Benihana.

Ride or Die Chick

2010-05-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of the best purchases we have made lately is a bike trailer for Leah - everyone loves it. Paul loves it because he likes to go on long bike rides but feels bad ditching me with Leah. Leah loves it because it's faster than the stroller and she gets to see all kinds of exciting things. I love it because Paul and Leah go on long bike rides - enough said. By now she knows to get her helmet on and get in the seat. Her paranoid mother tucks her in with blankets, her baby doll, a pacifier and many other things she doesn't really need. They usually do one lap in the parking lot before taking off so I can wave to her. She looks like a little mushroom with her big helmet on but she seems to enjoy it!

Cluck Cluck Cluck

2010-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

This year Leah was old enough to enjoy some of the finer points of Easter - a new dress, a basket full of treats, and time with family.

I love the demands of a one-year-old. She would open each Easter egg in her basket and be completely thrilled to discover a single goldfish cracker. How long will that last??

Her Aunt Jennifer sent her the cutest pink ballerina pajamas which she proudly wore. She was definitely the cutest Easter bunny around.

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips

2010-05-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

As part of Sonya's visit to Seattle, we checked out the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for the second year in a row. Last year there were no tulips and Leah screamed quite a bit of the way there and back. This year we made up for it with fields and fields of blooms and Leah only did a little bit of screaming. She wanted to pat all the tulips, which is her stamp of approval, so I'm glad she likes them!

Battle Studies

2010-05-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my BFF Sonya came to visit us from NYC. Sonya is a big fan of John Mayer and I am a big fan of Sonya, ergo I have seen John Mayer in concert eight times. Once she came out and we saw him three nights in a row (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland). Her last visit was the eighth time for me and we all saw him at the Key Arena. It was Paul's second John Mayer concert and Sonya's 30th John Mayer concert!! Obviously John Mayer is a big weirdo when it comes to some of his press but his concerts are soooooo good!! His music is easy to listen to whether you know all the words like us or if you just know a few songs from the radio. He's an extremely talented musician so he sounds really great and he mixes things up for all his shows so they aren't all the same. He played a lot of great stuff including my favorite, "Why Georgia" which had Sonya and I singing at the top of our lungs. He's coming again this summer to the Gorge. I would love to see him but "Mister No-Name" (as my Mom calls him because we can't decide on a name) will be a little young for a concert so we might have to wait until the next tour.

America's Hat

2010-04-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons for my recent blog pause was this enormous conference I was in charge of for my extended team. The conference was in Vancouver, BC and had about 500 attendees. In the past there have been two or three people managing the event but this year it was just me so it was pretty stressful. Happily, the event was a success and it reflected well on me, which I am glad about since I will be leaving on maternity leave soon and wanted this to be something my management remembers.

One perk of being in charge of the event was that I got to assign the nice rooms to our executives and speakers. Most importantly, I got to assign myself one of the penthouse suites! It was both awesome and a little depressing that it was almost double the size of our condo. As such, Paul and Leah decided to come up toward the end of my conference to take advantage of the nice room and see some sights.

Since traveling alone with Leah is a challenge, we decided I would drive up and Paul would fly up with Leah. Upon arriving at the airport he discovered that despite my research, Leah did, in fact, need a passport to fly to Vancouver (a birth certificate is fine to cross by train, car, or boat). So he went straight to the train station from the airport and took the train up to Vancouver which departed at 7 and arrived after 11 pm (all this with luggage and a toddler). I would have given up and gone home!!! They arrived in Vancouver late that night and Paul was totally calm and said the train ride was "nice." I need his disposition, I was a stressed out mess just thinking of them.

While I finished up my conference they went to Stanley Park and rented a bike and bike trailer and rode all around the park. Leah loved the trailer which inspired us to buy one when we got back. Once I was done, we were able to check out some sights together including the Olympic Torch and a few areas of downtown Vancouver. We had a super fun time visiting America's Hat.

First Lady of Shoes

2010-04-06T17:17:00.001-07:00

Right now there is a very cool exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum called "Beth Levine: First Lady of Shoes." Beth Levine was the first widely successful female shoe designer and the exhibit features over 100 pairs of her shoes and boots. Due to my sheer size and shortness of breath, I am on touring hiatus so unfortunately I have not gotten to work this exhibit but I have been to it twice and I think it is just a blast. Every first Friday of the month is free at the museum so last month I invited a bunch of friends and we had over a dozen of us there salivating over the shoes. If you have the chance, I highly recommend it!!

Heart Day

2010-04-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Due to the proximity of Valentine's Day and our anniversary, Paul and I set up a tradition when we were married to keep Valentine's Day simple - we look for a great burger and exchange cards. This year we heard about Skillet Street Food, which is basically a mobile diner that parks all around the city. Since Valentine's Day was on a Sunday we found out where it would be on Saturday (Fremont) and tracked it down. Suffice it to say, we made the right choice. Their burger is grass fed beef, arugula, bacon jam and cambozola on a soft roll - delicious. The whole concept was really fun too. It was a good choice for Valentine's Day since I was in love with both Paul and the burger that day.

I wanted to do some decorating for Leah for Valentine's Day so I put up lots of paper hearts with stickers and got her a couple of Valentine's cards. Since she loves balloons, I sent Paul out to get some to tie to her chair. He came back with two plain pink balloons, one black balloon, and a breast cancer awareness balloon. I just burst out laughing. First of all, of all the Valentine's Day balloons, black/silver would be the last one I would choose. Still, it did say Valentine's Day with hearts. But I was curious about the last balloon so I asked, "What made you choose this one?" and Paul said, "Well, it has a ribbon on it and you are always putting bows in her hair." Turns out he didn't even know it was related to breast cancer. I just thought the whole balloon selection was hilarious because it really illustrated the difference between us. Of course, Leah LOVED all the balloons and so it all worked out great and we had a fun Valentine's Day together.

Two Years of Wedded Bliss

2010-03-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

While we were visiting my sister, she kindly offered to take care of Leah so we could go into D.C. overnight to celebrate our second anniversary. We took the train into the city and then checked into the Hotel George, a trendy little hotel about a block from Union Station - super convenient.

We spent the afternoon on the campus of the George Washington University, where I did my undergrad. I showed Paul all of my old stomping grounds and told Paul lots of stories of college and of course, left a few out. There is a bust of George Washington on campus that I took a picture next to when I started there as a freshman. About 11 years later when I met Paul I found out the statue was done by his great grandfather, Avard Fairbanks.

That night we had an amazing steak dinner at the District Chophouse and then walked around the monuments. They are beautiful at night and were always a great, free place to go on dates in colege. It worked just as well on Paul as it did then. ;)

The next day we had a lazy room service breakfast and then took a tour of the Capitol. As you may know, every state has two statues in the Capitol. We saw both from the state of Washington and guess what? One of them was of Marcus Whitman, sculpted by none other than Avard Fairbanks! (Turns out he has two others there.)

It was a fun getaway for our anniversary! Sometimes I'm amazed we have only been married two years since it seems like we have been a family for a long time. Here's a pic from the day it all started two years ago - the best day of my life!

The Wellers go to Washington (D.C.)

2010-03-26T15:16:00.001-07:00

At the end of January, we all took a trip out to visit my sister who lives in southern Pennsylvania. We spent about seven hours on planes each way. I was stressed out beyond the capacity for rational thought when thinking about how we were going to deal with Leah for all those hours when we can't even get her to sit still to eat dinner. We didn't get her a ticket either because she is still "lap infant" age, which is a totally inaccurate way to describe her. Still, we got really lucky and she was great both ways. Paul perfected a "clamp" hold wherein she would fall asleep quickly and slept quite a bit both ways. On all but one of the flights we had an extra seat as well which made a huge difference. I'm not lining up to fly with Leah again soon but it was not bad and definitely worth it to see the family.

In PA Leah had an awesome time getting to know her cousins and watching the rough-and-tumble ways of playing in a house of five boys. All the boys were very good about keeping an eye on her when she was headed for the stairs or other dangers, especially Aaron. Little Nate had to "serenade" Leah with his violin while she would eat her lunch. If he stopped playing she would scream. Luckily Nate knew a lot of songs and had a lot of patience. We had a blast with all the boys and had to go to about 518786414537 basketball games.

To show our appreciation, on one of our last nights there Paul took all the boys snow tubing. My sister, Leah, and I went to check it out for a bit and it was the first time Leah had been in snow. She thought it was pretty interesting but didn't seem to be fazed by it. Paul and the boys had a great time hooking their tubes together for runs. I'm surprised Paul didn't turn it into a merit badge of some kind.

Leah still looks at pictures of her cousins on the fridge and tries to kiss them so I think she misses all those boys spoiling her. Hopefully we will get to see them soon!

Blog Pause

2010-03-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hello world. There has been a painfully long pause in my blogging lately and I apologize for that. I have several good reasons for this:

1. I'm pregnant.
2. Due to staffing changes at work I have been doing between two and four jobs at once for the last few months.
3. I have an extremely high energy toddler to take care of.
4. I had to put on a huge annual conference for my extended team of 500 last week in Vancouver B.C.
5. I'm pregnant.

I hope you will accept these reasons and excuse my absence. Please join me over the next few days while I catch up on some long overdue posts.

In case you hadn't heard...

2010-02-07T20:22:00.001-08:00

We're having a boy! I'm due at the end of May. At first I wasn't too sure about the idea of a boy because Leah and I are really enjoying outnumbering Paul at home. But it's pretty fun to think about having one of each and this is a great excuse to do lots of baby clothes shopping. Time is flying by with this pregnancy and we are getting really excited to meet this little guy!

MOD Pizza

2010-01-24T21:45:00.003-08:00

There's a new pizza joint in town - M.O.D. pizza in downtown Bellevue. It's the second location for them, with the first being in Seattle. It just opened on Saturday so the Wellers decided to be part of pizza pioneers and try it for dinner that day. We are fans.

All they sell is personal pizzas (about 11" diameter) and every pizza is $5.88 no matter what you want on it. They have lots of options to choose from or you can just pick your own toppings.

Just as we were checking out, I noticed a cake stand piled high with ding-dongs. Two please. The whole dinner was so cheap, the pizza was good, and the atmosphere is fun. We'll be back.

EW + MS 4EVA

2010-01-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my other serious, long-term relationship - Microsoft. I can't believe I have been employed there for ten years! When I started I sort of thought I might be a millionaire by my 10th anniversary. I think I got my 10 years mixed up with the previous ten. Nevertheless, it has been an AWESOME place to work - tons of smart people, good pay and benefits, lots of perks, and interesting technology. The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. Instead, Microsoft got me a crystal statue and plaque and ten share of Microsoft stock. I think I like that better than tin. Best of all they gave me a job and a paycheck for ten years and in this economy, that's plenty to be happy about. Thanks Bill and Steve!!

Fun to Be One!!

2010-01-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Leah's first birthday on January 9th! It is so shocking to think it has already been one year! She is growing up fast!

Because of her age and the fact that she mostly has no idea what's going on, I was determined to keep the party low key. We have a small condo so we can't really accomodate a big party. So we decided to just invite the two Grandmas, my brother who lives nearby and my sister who was in town - humble beginnings to the extravaganza that ensued.

It was a special occasion so of course I had to turn to my go-to cake genius. I didn't even know what I wanted so I just told her to do something cute. I was (as usual) amazed and impressed with what we got. It was a pink and white two-tiered pink vanilla cake with a tiara on top and a wand. It was as darling as it was delicious.

I thought that one-year-old was a good time to start introducing Leah to some of the beauty tools that will be an integral part of her life going forward. So I brough out the sponge rollers. She didn't protest too much and I have to admit, I thought she looked super cute in just the rollers! Paul was a little shocked when he saw them. He has no idea what he is in for these next 17 years. Her hair came out great - so cute and curly! I was a little sad though because I thought it made her look so old!

She had a cute little dress that said "Birthday Girl" with lots of tulle and a diamond tiara. She got tons of awesome presents that she loved but they all had a hard time competing with her main party favorite - the balloons.
I did have a hard time resisting all the "1st Birthday" decorations at the party store, especially the confetti that said "Leah" on it. So in the end, we had quite a little party and everyone had a great time.

Now Leah is one year old and here are some of her favorite things:
- Walking all over (often like a drunken sailor)
- Walking too fast for her mother's taste
- Growing teeth (yes! the top two have broken through)
- Playing at the mall playground
- Being pushed in the swings at the park
- Drinking regular milk out of a sippy cup
- Climbing onto the end tables and derailing all her Mom's baby-proofing
- Opening the gate which is also supposed to be baby-proof
- Reading books (you can tell her which one to bring and she will find it and bring it over)
- Playing peek-a-boo in her playhut
- Being chased by her Daddy
- Yelling/talking

She is a big girl now! Happy Birthday Leah!!

The Nice List

2010-01-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Wellers had a great holiday season this year! One of our favorite activities was inviting people to come over to see Snowflake Lane with us. That was also a good excuse for us to have lots of treats on hand for visitors. Of course, I had to sample them frequently to make sure they tasted great for our guests. We would get Leah all bundled up in her little snowsuit and red hat and put her in a backpack carrier to see the show. Her favorite were the soldiers on stilts. I think she was impressed that someone was even taller than she was, up in her backpack.

We all made out like bandits on Christmas with lots of great gifts. Leah did pretty well opening all her presents but was consistently conflicted between playing with the gift or licking the wrapping paper. In most cases, she did both. Her dream come true would have been for us to let her lick all the ornaments. Heaven knows she tried. She did love the tree and the lights though and would stand at the edge of her play area looking at it whenever we said "tree."

I missed being with my family this Christmas but we had a wonderful Christmas dinner with Paul's grandparents and family in Bellingham. That city is starting to grow on me.

Another favorite part of the season was all the Christmas cards we received. We LOVE sending out cards and receiving them. It is fun to get them in the mail and it's great to see and hear about what our friends and family are doing. We got many more this year than last and are hoping to continue the trend.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well and a happy new year!

Turkey Month

2009-12-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

We have been very busy lately so we are way behind on our blog! This will be my attempt to catch up on all our Turkey Month activities.

Our good friends, Cindi & Rob, got married! It was a great day and everything turned out beautifully, especially my violin playing at their reception.

Things have been bonkers for me at work. My manager and one other person on my team moved to different jobs at Microsoft so I have been filling in for both of them. Thank goodness Microsoft has cold Diet Coke available on demand.

I have also been doing a bit of volunteering at the Bellevue Arts Museum. I am a docent there and had several shifts of gallery duty at the museum lately. There are some really great exhibits there right now so if you live in the area, you should check it out!

An entire holiday dedicated to food is right up my alley so of course we celebrated Thanksgiving properly. Paul's brother had most of his family over to their house for a huge, traditional spread of food. We had all the classics including turkey, potatoes, gravy, yams, green beans, rolls, and much more. Leah's favorite were the yams that her Dad made. They were my favorite too.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving Paul and I were in our room getting ready for church when Leah just stood up and walked across our bedroom with no prompting! We totally freaked out clapping and hugging her. I'm pretty sure she had no idea what the big deal was. She still crawls a lot because it's easier and much faster but she wobbles around quite a bit and I'm sure it's only a matter of time!

Because Thanksgiving was later this year we got our Christmas tree up the week before and it looks great! Per my tradition I made us watch "Elf" while we were decorating. That movie bugs Paul more and more every year which drives me to all sorts of extreme comments about him trying to strangle the Christmas Spirit. Leah loves the tree with all the lights and ornaments. She would really love to get her hands on some of those ornaments. More importantly she would really like to get her tongue on them since everything has to go in her mouth first thing.

A couple blocks from our condo in downtown Bellevue there's a little Christmas show every night at 7 pm called Snowflake Lane. We like to invite our friends to come see the show with us and we've already been to see it about six times. Leah still looks at all the characters like they are nuts but she loves the drummers.

November was a great month to get us geared up for the holidays which we are currently enjoying regardless of which of Santa's lists we are on this year.

Little Miss Ladybug

2009-11-13T14:15:00.001-08:00

This year was Leah's first Halloween. Unfortunately she did not prepare properly by growing some teeth to eat candy with. Those two measly little ones in the front can barely get through a crushed up cheerio so she was out of luck on the trick-or-treating deal. However, she did attend three parties:

1) Microsoft Halloween Celebration at the Commons. She was not interested in bales of hay, Guitar Hero, or coloring so this was her least favorite. However, she did love looking at the other kids all dressed up and making a face at them like they were nuts for wearing that.

2) Ward Halloween Party. This one she liked more because she got more compliments. Also at this party she got to go on stage and model her costume. She started crying when Paul took her off stage for the next child to come out.

3) Kelsey's Halloween Party. This was her favorite because her boyfriend Harmon was there in a duck costume and also because she won the costume contest. It was her mother's favorite party for the same reasons.

I think our little Ladybug is a fan of Halloween already. Just think how much she will love it next year with a mouth full of chocolate!

(W)hat (T)he (F)lood?!?

2009-11-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had a hard rain here in Seattle on a Saturday morning. After a quick jaunt over to QFC I looked down the stairs to my Mom's unit and saw water about shin deep through the whole courtyard. I called Paul to get his behind home from basketball just as my Mom pulled up. I shoved Leah in her hands and went wading down the stairs. I spent the next few hours doing the following:

1) shoving every piece of furniture in my Mom's condo up against the wall away from the flooding side of the unit single-handedly (I got superhuman strength)
2) rolling up and moving huge area rugs
3) yelling at Paul to do certain things
4) shoving towels down in areas that seemed to have more water coming through
5) bailing out water from her patio area to a higher drain

Paul spent those hours doing the following:

1) hauling sandbags from the storage area and putting them down around every inch of the outside of my Mom's condo
2) laying down flat on his stomach in said water in order to try to clear out blocked drains
3) pumping water out of the patio area
4) hauling rugs up the stairs to air out over the balcony
5) helping sweep water out of the storage areas

We were both WORN OUT by the time everything got under control. The whole thing happened so fast, no one is really sure what the problem was. Some people think it was the drains in the courtyard being plugged, some people think it was overflow of city water since the city drains were clogged, and some people have their own theories too crazy to mention. All I know is that thanks to our quick work, none of my Mom's stuff was affected except for a couple rugs which we were able to have cleaned. Thank goodness for tile floors and a landlord who was there in 30 minutes with a cleanup crew. It was the best workout I've had in the last six months so I think I'm good to go on excercise for the rest of 2009.

Pre-flood:

Mid-flood: