Christmas at P-Pa & Mi-Ma's

We were at my dad's and Michele's (P-Pa & Mi-Ma) for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, we had such a great time! Again, Colin (and both of us) were spoiled with gifts. Colin is not going to know what to do with so many new toys!! Our stay there was very relaxing...even with Colin waking up almost every night and ending up in our bed (he moves and kicks so much). I had a great time catching up with everyone and watching Will interacting with my side of the family. He was able to bond with my dad over Madden and football, but sadly missed watching the Cowboys and Skins game (it was on Sunday) with him. That would have been interesting since my dad is a Cowboy fan and Will is a Redskins fan.

I had wanted to eat out a lot when at my mom's (since there were restaurants that I grew up on and miss) but my dad recently moved to a different town (that I do not know as well) so it was nice to eat home cooked meals. Michele made us breakfast every morning and a nice dinner each night (thank you)!! With the exception of the day we flew out; my dad cooked me his delicious spaghetti (thank you...I still love it)! That was the meal I always requested on my birthdays.

Colin had so much fun playing with P-pa, Mi-ma, the cats (poor cats) and just entertaining himself. He LOVED their hallway. It was long and tiled, great for running...which he did a lot of while we were there. We even braved the cold to entertain him outside a few days (needed to wear his energy out, so he would go to bed at a decent hour).

Below is Colin on Christmas morning with his frizzy hair (he slept with it wet)...he loved the big bath tub so he had frequent baths. It was also useful for warming him up after playing outside in the cold. He is pointing to a singing/hopping penguin that sang and hopped throughout most of our duration there...he loved the thing so much it was close to running out of batteries by the time we left (good idea Michele)!

We had such a wonderful time Dad and Michele - thank you for everything!! We enjoyed visiting, playing Wii, eating the delicious meals and just being around you two (brothers as well). Thank you again for everything!

While we were there some of our friends from Portland came down. It was so nice to see my old BN friend. Andrea and Matt - thank you for coming down! It was fun to see Colin play with Leland. Mallory is so adorable!!! Hope you guys make it out this way soon!

"Bye-bye Quack Quacks"

While at my mom's we took Colin to one of my favorite places to go when I lived there, the duck pond. We brought some bread and let Colin feed the ducks. I have always found the place to be very calming. I was surprised to see so many ducks this time of year.

Colin loved the ducks! He was yelling "quack quacks" and chasing the poor things, but they got fed so...it worked out for them.

I love the male mallard ducks, so beautiful. I know it is due to "survival of the fittest" but it seems a little unfair that the females are not so pretty. Where's their beautiful colors?

Above is one of the weirder looking birds there. I was hoping that Will would get to see a nutria but none came out for food. So sad...those things freak me out. Those tails...aagh!

Colin saying "bye-bye Quack Quacks" as we were leaving! So cute!

Returning to the Nest

I just wanted to take a few entries to recap our trip to Oregon...

We were able to make a trip out to my home state for Christmas this year. It has been 2 years since I have been back and 3 for Will (Colin's first visit). It was so nice being home for Christmas! I love the holidays in Virginia but every once in a while it is just nice to be...home. The traveling part actually went pretty well. We were still exhausted from a day of flying, but Colin did well. He seemed to enjoy flying and did not appear to have any issues with his ears during take-off and landing (thankfully).

We had a great time with my mom and brothers. We got to visit with my aunt, cousins and even made a trip out to the church that I grew up attending for a Christmas play. It was weird seeing kids that I remember when they were a few weeks old that are almost pre-teens. Crazy! Especially Jade, who I used to babysit when she was 9 months old! The play was very cute and it was really good to see everyone!

My mom made a delicious Christmas dinner (we celebrated a few days early)...she even made a separate dish of stuffing with no celery for me (thank you)! Colin was spoiled (and so were Will and I)! I had a great time showing Will the shopping in my hometown and some of my old haunts. The mall is a bit smaller then he is used to but we had a good time, especially shopping with no sales tax - Got to love it!!

Colin had a great time playing with Uncle Willie and Uncle Greggie! I was so surprised that he was so comfortable so fast. He really did not have a problem going up to any of my family. This was his first time meeting most of them (besides my mom and Greggie).

Will, Grammie and I took Colin to one of my old grade schools. It was fun to go back and see how small everything seems now. I had a good time taking pictures of my son playing at the place I went to for 3rd thru 6th grade. Good memories...Go Hawks!

I also got to go to my favorite restaurants!! I made it to the Greek restaurant twice! I have never had a Greek salad as good as the one from Alexander's. It is the best!!! Will wanted to go to a McMenamins, so we went to the one in town that used to be a railroad station. It was pretty good. I forgot how much I love the Terminator Stout!

Well, we had a great time! Love you all and miss you already!

Baby's First Flight

This past Friday, Colin flew for the first time...across the U.S. We left at 5 pm EST and got to my dad's around 1:30 am PST (so 4:30 am our time). We were so exhausted! Colin actually did really well though. He did not have any problems with his ears during take-off and landing, which is something we were worried about. He enjoyed talking to everyone and driving his choo-choos across the airplane wall. He is really good at entertaining himself.

I thought that Colin would wake us up really early the next day, but it ended up being us parents trying to wake up the little guy. We got bored so we started talking louder to try and wake him up. He has been in a very good mood the last few days. I thought that the traveling would throw him off a bit. Lucky us!

We spent the first day with my dad and Michele. We got to do some Christmas shopping and just hung out and enjoyed each other's company. It has been a long time! It has been 2 years since I have been back and 3 for Will. It is nice to be home!

Now we are at my mom's. Colin is enjoying time with his two uncles and Grammie. We went to a Christmas play last night at the church that I grew up in. It was so nice to see everyone! It has been too long!

P.S. We had a connecting flight in San Fran...I forgot how much I love their sourdough bread! It was soooo good. Sourdough bread with tomato bisque soup - the best!!!

O Christmas Tree...in DC

Something that I have been wanting to do since we moved to the DC area is to see the National Christmas tree near the White House. So, three years later...we finally made it! Will, Colin and I went with our friends, Amy and Steve. We had a lot of fun! We didn't make it down there until 8:30 or so (way past lil C's bedtime) but he did very well. He was in a good mood and it wasn't too cold. The National tree was gorgeous and there was also a tree for each state and each territory. We had good intentions to see Oregon's but didn't quite make it. It was located where the biggest crowd happened to be and by then we were ready to move on to the Capitol tree. There was also...trains!!! Colin was very excited to see the choo-choos!

The above picture is a little blurry but I just thought it was a good family picture!

Our happy little family! Happy holiday season everyone!

A Day of Snow

Since I am obsessed with taking photos, here are a few more from our time in the snow today.



Outside was so beautiful!

A big pond that is behind our place. It is a great place to take Colin for walks.

Colin did not like the snow at first. It took him awhile to figure out how to walk in his snow boots.

But, once he figured it out, he loved it!!!

Daddy throwing snowballs at us!

My adorable boy!

Colin had such a great time that when we got home, he would not let me take his boots off. He even struggled when I took off his snowpants and jacket.

Also, Colin can say "snow", "cold", "brrr", "santa", "ho, ho, ho", "tree", "nose", and "tummy". He is learning so many words these last few weeks!

"Go to sleep and dream of...

...Snow, snow, snow..."

It snowed quite a bit here on Saturday! Colin was fascinated by the snow! Sadly, the snow made us miss our nephew, Brady's birthday party, but we still had a very enjoyable day filled with snow! Here are some pictures:

For those who do not watch White Christmas every year like me, the title of this blog is from the song "Snow" that they sing on the train...yes, I know, I am a dork!

"Choo-Chooooo"

The second birthday celebration was a success! More meatballs, finger foods and plenty of other snacks...plus, I baked a Boston Creme Cake! I am not much for baking (I prefer cooking), but I really enjoyed this. The adults had the cake while the kids enjoyed a pudding dessert (which I did not realize I was buying cook & serve pudding rather than instant...my poor pans! There will only be instant pudding in my future!)

The party was great, more Thomas the Tank Engine (I was corrected, thanks Will!). Aunt Wen Wen (she is trying to teach Colin to say that), Uncle E, Aidan, Alexei, Bill and Patty were all there. His cousins were sweet and showed him how to play with all of his new Thomas toys ("choo-choos"). Every morning now, Colin wakes up saying "choo-choo"! That or "Pooh". His room has a Winnie-the-Pooh theme and we recently hung up some Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore cut-outs above his crib. He loves them!!! When he points to Tigger he starts bouncing! Too cute! He also has a Winnie-the-Pooh lamp that plays songs and he wants to hear it before bed and when he wakes up! OK, got a little off topic...

He got some very cool gifts; a firetruck puzzle/toy, Thomas toy, cars, and a Thomas toy that shared his name Colin the Crane! I actually played with that toy, it was very cool!

So, at one point Colin showed Bill and Patty his dance moves to a song by Kool and the Gang. He loves that group and loves to dance. He also has started to sing with songs. We ended the night with Will and Patty entertaining Colin, while Bill and I discussed Bram Stoker and the interesting themes in Dracula...got to love conversations with Bill, so very interesting!

Thank you everyone! Colin had a wonderful birthday! He loved all the gifts (every one of them has had their fair share of playtime) and enjoyed having everyone over!

Our Baby is 2!!!!

Our baby boy, our precious little Baby Colin turned 2 yesterday!!! I cannot believe it! The past two years have been the best of my life and have gone by the fastest!
I started off the morning with participating in a walk for the homeless in D.C. (see my previous blog). Thank you Will for cleaning and doing last minute party preparation! He was so sweet and did a really good job of cleaning and getting everything ready!

Colin is having two parties this weekend. I thought it would be easier to celebrate on two days since our place is not overly big. Today, Grandma Liz, Michael, Aunt Ann, Uncle Jamie and cousins Ryan and Brady came over. We had a lot of fun as usual. I adore my nephews and always have a great time hanging out with Liz and the rest of the family.

I love cooking, so I was excited to put together a menu. I did go more for finger foods (less messy with kids) but I got to try a new recipe (for meatballs) that I got from a friend. She made them for a BBQ we went to and Will and I just loved them, which is weird for me to "love" anything about meat.

Colin LOVED his gifts. Will and I got him a train set. He loves trains, hence the Thomas the Train themed party. He also got a Thomas the train toy from Grandma Liz along with some very cool books (that he looked at for quite some time and a cute sweatsuit. He also got a very cool car case with some hot wheels in it from Uncle Michael (thank you)! Ann, Jamie and the boys got him some legos and a Mr. Potato head...he loves all of them and has been playing all morning with his choo-choos, cars and Mr. Potato head.

Walk for the Homeless

A few of us ladies from work decided to participate in the Walk for the Homeless in D.C. today. The course was a 3 mile path around the mall. It was very beautiful! It was a little cold at first but then it warmed up and turned out to be a very nice day. Amy and Wendy brought Lansing and Shilo...it is always nice being around dogs. I miss mine.

I love that the company I work for is really involved in charity programs and events. I have really enjoyed the ones that I have participated in so far. My favorite was volunteering at a rescue horse ranch in Colorado. I love animals and especially horses; they're such a beautiful animal. I am also looking forward to buying Christmas gifts for some of the local and military families in need this holiday season. This is something that we have done the past few years and I am hoping to get Colin involved this year by having him pick out a few toys for the kids.

If you're interested in learning more about charity for the homeless go to http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/.

Today is Colin's birthday!! He is 2!!! I cannot believe it! We had a party today (great time) and have another one tomorrow...I will blog more about it later...so tired...

Daycare Fun

Today, Colin went to a farm with his daycare. Ms. Tonya was very quick with posting the pictures, so I thought I would share them...they are so cute!

Colin looking at the pigs.
Colin calmly looking thru the fence...

Then noticing that there is a big SHEEP in front of him!

Colin being his adorable self! Just look at that blonde hair!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We will be very busy...I am participating in a Walk for the Homless tomorrow in D.C. and then we are having a party for Colin's birthday (yes, our baby is 2 tomorrow) and a second one on Sunday. Busy, busy, busy!

27...oh my!!

No More Counting Candles



I am not having a hard time getting older, but man the last few years have gone by fast. It seems like yesterday I was excited to be turning 21...

I have been busy the past few weeks so this will be short and not as detailed as most of my entries, but you'll get the idea...I had a wonderful birthday week!

Will was very sweet to me; cooking dinner, renting chick flicks, letting me sleep in, spoiling me with incredible gifts and just being an overall sweetie! He made me a wonderful dinner for my birthday (pasta Alfredo - still on my white food/drink diet...just a few more days!) that we had with a white wine (that we got at the vineyard we went to the same day as the pumpkin patch). It was delicious! After dinner we had some yummy lemon cake dessert (picture below). They were these cute little squares and yes, Colin tried to taste them all!

Also, some of my girlfriends from work took me to lunch. I have the sweetest friends! I threatened the waiter with no tip if they sang to me. They did not sing. I almost made it the whole day with no singing (I blush easily), but my project group all sang to me before the end of the work day, which was actually very sweet and the cookies were delicious! I guess it isn't quite a birthday without at least one birthday song...even if I blush. Actually, Will sang to me too, so I was lucky enough to have two.

Will 's little dessert creation. Small cake squares with a huge candle that played music!

My little buddy and I. I was saying "cheese", hence the big smile!

Thank you to all my friends and family for the birthday wishes, cards and gifts! I am blessed with knowing such wonderful people...Thank you Will for making my week an amazing celebration filled with many wonderful memories!

Veterans Day

Just wanted to wish a happy day to all veterans out there (the military people who have served and are currently serving our country). I am very proud to be married to a vet and the big sister of one as well.

My hubby was a firefighter in the Air Force for a few years and got out before I met him. I am so proud of all that he was able to accomplish while he was in (and of course once he got out as well). His experiences while serving in the Air Force have played such a big part of who he is today...and I am definitely thankful for who he is today!

My little brother became a Marine after high school and served for four years (traveling between Japan, Australia and Hawaii). A year or two after he got out he was called back and went to Iraq for a year. I am so proud of him and his courage to leave home at such a young age and just try to conquer his dreams.

When I was younger I always liked this holiday because it was the day before my birthday and it meant we got out of school...overtime I have realized what it means to be in the military and what people are putting on the line. Being older and having a better understanding of war has really changed my perspective on this holiday. Even though we should be grateful everyday for what people in the military do for our country, it is nice to have a day where the country officially says "thank you". So, thank you to my husband, my brother and everyone else!

Kicking Off My Birthday Week!

The next couple of weekends we are pretty busy so we thought that this weekend would be the best time to celebrate my birthday (my bday is this coming week). I have not been as excited about this birthday as I have others. I am not sure if it is because I am getting closer to 30 or if we just have so much going on it just kind of snuck up on me. I think it is that I am more excited about Colin's birthday and his just happens to be so close to mine that it just overshadows it. I keep telling Will I am not 27 until 8:00 PM EST, since I was born at 5PM PST. I am giving myself to the last second! Maybe I am not looking forward to 27 :)

Saturday:

OK, to get the point of this blog...Will made birthday plans on Saturday and would not tell me anything! He planned a perfect day for me! Aunt Wen and Uncle E babysat - thank you guys! Will first took me to Olive Garden for an early lunch! I love Olive Garden and it has been a while since we have been there. The food was delicious! I even tried something new...stuffed chicken Marsala...highly recommended!

We skipped dessert and went on to our next thing...ICE SKATING!!!! I was sooooo excited! I love ice skating and it was something that Will has never done. He was so cute to watch. We had so much fun!! Will had a bit of a rough time at first ( I think he regretted not rollerblading when he was younger) but he ended up getting the hang of it and he never fell...came close a couple of times but ended up sticking it out until he found his balance! I do not think that this is the end to our ice skating!

We ended our time as childless parents with a stop at Starbucks (my kind of dessert)! My honey treated me to a white chocolate mocha, delicious! I have been on a clear or white food diet for what feels like forever, so no caffeine...I REALLY enjoyed this drink!

Sunday:

Yesterday, I woke up early to run and workout (the best way to start a morning). The weather was so beautiful. Cool but sunny. Since it was so nice we decided to go on a family walk so Colin could burn some energy. So energetic! We took him to some nearby tennis courts and he ran around and threw his new found tennis ball.

Later I met up with a friend of mine and some of her friends to go to a vineyard. The place was beautiful, the day was beautiful and the wine was wonderful! I still am not supposed to have colored drinks and food so I stuck with the white, but still enjoyed it. I loved the white sangria. I had such a nice time. The ladies had brought plenty of food, we got plenty of drinks and just enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL day! I love this weather!

Such a great start to my birthday week!

It's a Bird...It's a Plane

...It's Superman!!!!

We decided to go a simple route with Colin's outfit this year...there were a few really cute costumes that I wanted to buy (like a dino - it would have been so cute cause he can roar!) but we knew that he would not be very cooperative with anything that goes over his head. Hats are such a hard thing to get him to wear. A while back, Grammie had sent us two cute pajama sets of Superman (cape and all) and Batman (that he had not worn and were a little big but worked)! Yes, Will was very excited when those came in the mail! We thought that Colin would make an adorable Superman and Batman.

On Friday he wore his Batman outfit for school/daycare (they were having a little Halloween party). He looked so cute! Black is not a color that he usually wears and I thought it looked really good on him. Over the next few years, you will probably see more black filtering into his wardrobe! I only have the one picture of Batman and you cannot really see the outfit, but he looks adorable!

On Halloween, Colin did not make it to far with the actual trick or treating, but he did make a few stops. We stopped at Grandfather B's first and Colin charmed all in his Superman costume (he even had Superman's little curl across his forehead - thanks to daddy)! He did not learn to say "trick or treat" but he still lifted his bucket up (while repeating "ball" - the shapes are similar) and got some candy! He was more excited about two little light up toys shaped like a pumpkin and a ghost. They entertained him all night! Thank you Patty!

We then stopped at Grandma Liz's house. We got to see Colin's cousins, Ryan and Brady, who were adorable as Captain Jack Sparrow and a tiger. Liz made a delicious minestrone type soup for us and just had a wonderful night! Colin got his fill of chasing around Rusty (poor dog) who was dressed for Halloween as well. Lil C had his first lollipop, which he LOVED! That was actually the only piece of candy he had all night...daddy got the bulk of it :)

Our last stop was at Aunt Wendy and Uncle Eric's. Our nephews were adorable as Bumble Bee (transformers) and a Clone Trooper (Star Wars). They were both very sweet and gave Colin some of their candy (which made Uncle Billy very happy). He also got a very cool fire truck that makes noise and lights up...this entertained Colin on the drive home...over and over...Thank you guys! Just teasing - Colin loves it!

What a wonderful Halloween, maybe next year we will attempt to trick or treat at homes outside of our family!

So Many Pumpkins!

On Saturday morning the three of us carved and decorated our pumpkins! I drew the design and scooped out the goopy stuff while Will carved our beautiful pumpkin or ball (as Colin would call it).

Colin got to draw on a couple small pumpkins for his grandma and grandpa! He has been very cute since we bought the pumpkins. He likes to organize them all in a line at one end of the living room and then carry them all (individually) over the dining room table and set them on there. He is so organized! This entertains him for quite some time...the whole month :) Cheap toys. He would get frustrated with our bigger pumpkin because it was "stuck".

The picture above is all of Colin's pumpkins and below is Colin organizing them and getting ready to decorate.