Holiday Spirit

Wow! It seems this month has really flown by!

We kicked off the holiday season right after Thanksgiving with a trip into downtown Seattle to see the Christmas lights and displays. Some of the highlights were riding the carousel in Westlake Park and watching the "snowfall" in Pacific Place. In some ways it felt like this year was really Evelyn's first Christmas because she was so tuned into what was going on. She loved the lights and the music. We'll probably be singing "Away in the Manger" the rest of the year.




We had our first white Christmas in recent memory. The entire state got record snowfall in December. In the Seattle area we had about 6-8 inches and it stuck around for a good two weeks. The rising temperature and rain has melted most of it now except for where it was really piled up. Evelyn really seemed to be fascinated with the snow. We did brave the cold a couple of times and even built a snowman.

after the first snowfall - just a few inches

more snow - enough to build a snowman!

On Christmas morning we woke up at our usual times - fortunately Evelyn is a late sleeper :)

Before we sat down for breakfast we heard honking and music out in the streets. We looked out and saw the old vintage fire truck from the station up the street coming around the corner. Santa Claus was riding on the back and got off to hand out candy as people came out of their homes. That was Evelyn's first introduction to Santa - she seemed more interested in the fire truck!

Evelyn's gaze is directed toward the fire truck.

After breakfast we opened presents which Evelyn seemed to enjoy. The first gift she opened was a little doll stroller that she immediately wanted to play with and could care less about opening more presents. Fortunately after a few runs down the hall, we managed to redirect her back to the rest of her gifts. She's spent the last several days playing with all her new toys.
Disclaimer: I did try to get more video of Evelyn opening presents, but for some reason the camera was not cooperating - might have been operator error. Anyway, Evelyn received lots of wonderful gifts from her family and was delighted with all of them.

Later that afternoon we headed over to Jeremy's Aunt and Uncle's home on Bainbridge Island. We always enjoy our time with the Kaczmarek family and it is nice to have some relatives nearby. Evelyn enjoyed playing with the "jingle bell" necklace that Aunt Ginger had, and just getting all sorts of attention in general.

The best picture we could get in her Christmas dress.

One of Santa's elves.

Happy Thanksgiving

We took our first long trip with Evelyn over Thanksgiving. We headed over the mountains to Waitsburg for Thanksgiving with Grandpa Phil and Grandma J. The 5-hour drive was tolerable with Evelyn providing a running commentary and practicing her vocabulary.

We made a much needed pit stop in Ellensburg and visited cousin Marylou who graciously filled our bellies with tortellini soup and produced a huge box of toys to entertain Evelyn. We were then able to continue the drive and Evelyn eventually fell asleep giving Jeremy and I some welcome quiet for at least part of the drive.

On Thursday we went down to the barn and introduced Evelyn to the ponies. She seemed to be quite excited about the prospect of seeing them and kept repeating "pony, pony, pony" all morning. The novelty soon wore off and then she just wanted "down" so she could run around in the pasture. It kept us busy trying to keep her from running through the piles of horse poo that were scattered about.

"Hello Star"

Taking a ride around the pasture.

I'd rather just run!

This is what we refer to as Evelyn's "old man face." She's just being a goof.


Sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma J, Aunt Helene, Uncle Joe and Aunt Donna.


Saying "bye-bye" to Aunt Donna


Story and cuddle time with Grandpa Phil.


Time to say "bye-bye" to Grandma and Grandpa.

The visit was too short. Unfortunately we had to leave Friday in order for Jeremy to be back at work on Saturday. Fortunately Evelyn did get to spend some quality time with her grandparents. And as Grandpa pointed out when we were leaving "no amount of time would be enough."

Our Little Helper

Evelyn is now 18 months old and has suddenly become quite the helper. Not that we are complaining!

It all started while Jeremy and I were in Mexico (early October) and Grammy Cathy and Grandpa Lucky were staying with Evelyn. Before we left, Evelyn would always follow me into the laundry room and watch while I got the dog's food. I guess she learned everything she needed to know because the day after we got back I went to get Tatum's bowl to feed her and Evelyn demanded to carry it into the laundry room. Once in the laundry room where we keep the food, she proceeded to go to the bag and wanted to put the food in the bowl. Then she wanted to carry it out all by herself! She carried it all the way over to where Tatum eats her food and set it down without spilling a bit. I was so amazed. Grandma and Grandpa explained that she just started doing it after we left and didn't want to have any help (other than getting the food out of the bag). Now she feeds the dog almost every day, and most of the time we don't even have to remind her that it's time to do it.

Other things she likes to "help" with:

Dishes - she can't quite reach the faucet when she's standing on her stool, but she really stretches and will try to rinse off some of the dishes we let her have.

Cooking - every time I'm in the kitchen cooking she asks to get her stool so she can "see" what I'm doing. When I make scrambled eggs, I break the eggs into the bowl and let her mix them up.

Laundry - Evelyn will follow me into the laundry room and help put the dirty clothes in the washer (she's almost tall enough to get the clothes in herself), wet clothes into the dryer, take the dry clothes out, etc.

I hope this lasts!

I did manage to get a video of Evelyn feeding the dog. Proof that I'm not just making this up!

Trick or Treat?

I found a great costume for Evelyn at a consignment store. A little ladybug!



At our PEPS Halloween Party

Trying to get her to hold still for a picture. Impossible!

3 months of posts in 1

I admit that I am a complete failure at blogging. It's a good thing I'm not trying to make money off this blog!

My only excuse seems to be a bit of writer's block - but that seems like a poor excuse since how could I possibly be at a loss for words when it comes to my fabulous little girl?

As the title of this blog suggests, here is a quick run-down of highlights over the past 3 months:

July

Evelyn and I spent the 4th of July weekend with friends up at their cabin at Snoqualmie Pass. It was the first overnight trip I had taken with Evelyn. Jeremy did join us later in the evening after he got off work, so I wasn't completely on my own.
Things I learned from this trip:

• Evelyn no longer is lulled to sleep in the car. We left right when Evelyn would typically be taking her morning nap. While I suspected that it might take a bit longer for her to go to sleep than usual, I thought surely might sleep at least an hour of the 2 that we were driving. Wrong. Evelyn is quite good at entertaining herself to stay awake in the car.
• Despite not getting her morning nap in the car, taking a nap in a strange place when there are interesting people in the other room is out of the question. I believe I did manage to get her to sleep for about an hour, after at least 30 minutes of trying. A small victory.
• 2 adults + 1 14-month old + a creaky bunk bed = no sleep for anyone. We finally managed to get a few hours of sleep after I brought Evelyn into bed with me.

Lest you think the entire weekend focused around our lack of sleep, we actually did have an enjoyable time with our friends. Evelyn had several other babies to play with and entertain. We even took a walk around the lake during a break in the rain.

Somehow I only managed to get one photo of the weekend. Here are Evelyn and Kyla enjoying a story with Denise (Kyla's mom).


Later in July Evelyn got to enjoy some time with both sets of grandparents. Grandpa and Grandma Shultz, along with Uncle Jon were in town for a family wedding, and Grandpa and Grandma Monfort book-ended their trip to the mid-west with a stop in Seattle. It's always a treat when grandparents visit and we've been fortunate that both Evelyn's grandparents have been able to come so often.

Evelyn, Grandpa Lucky, Uncle Jon, Grammy Cathy, Grandpa Phil

I really like this picture of Evelyn and Grandpa Lucky. The family resemblance is so evident!

August

Summer finally decided to arrive in August, so we spent most of our time outdoors enjoying the slide in our backyard, playing at the park down the street, and of course - the wading pool. Evelyn LOVES water! She would probably spend all day in the bath or pool if we'd let her.

Playing with Tatum

Playing on the slide.

Chasing bubbles at the park during our PEPS group get together.

Conquering the climbing wall - with daddy's help.

Moving up to the bigger slide.

Playing in the wading pool at the park. Evelyn is quite the water baby!

September

We started the month with a labor day camping trip with some of our friends. This was our first camping trip with Evelyn. We had to borrow a bigger tent in order to fit all of our gear - our sleeping bags, the pack and play, and the dog. In the end we ended up not using the pack and play. It was so cold! Our beautiful summer weather ended up with 40 degree temperatures at night. Evelyn ended up sleeping with us because it was just too cold to be by herself. We had a great time despite the cold though. There were other kids and babies along to play with.

Playing ball at the campground.

Kyla & Evelyn each have a ball to play with!



Keeping warm around the campfire.

Evelyn is really becoming quite a grown up girl. She's very busy and always wants to help out, as you can see from the picture below. I was getting dinner ready and Evelyn wanted to get up to see what was going on. So I stood her up on the step stool which was just the right height for her to help put the salad together. Actually helping only held her interest for a little while, she was much more interested in trying to eat the tomatoes and other vegetables going in the salad!




In other news,
I also started a new job in September. I'm working part-time as an office assistant at Brooks Rand Labs, a chemical lab that does trace metals analysis and speciation. It allows the perfect balance of home and professional life. So far I'm enjoying it. It's not the most challenging job, but that's kind of a nice change. Now I can concentrate my energies on more important things!

We also learned that our family is going to be expanding. Baby #2 is due May 3 - just 2 weeks before Evelyn turns 2!

Biker Baby

A while back Jeremy and I bought a bike trailer at a mega yard sale with the thought that we would one day go on family bike rides. It's been sitting in our storage closet while we waited until Evelyn was old enough to ride in it and could get her a helmet. No matter how many people tell me that if an accident occurred that was bad enough to hurt the baby in a bike trailer a helmet wouldn't do any good anyway, I still insist on a helmet. Besides, one of these days she won't be riding in the bike trailer and it's good to have the habit already in place.

Last Thursday Jeremy and I finally got the chance to put the bike trailer to the test. Earlier in the week I had gone to the Cascade Bicycle Club office to get Evelyn a helmet. They sell them for only $10 and fit them. We got the smallest helmet they had, and even with the thickest pads in it was still a little loose. They assured me it was "stable" and that she would grow into it. Compared to most kids her age, Evelyn has a pretty small head. It's about in the 10th percentile which means 90% of children her age have larger heads. I suppose I should actually be grateful for her smaller head. But it does make it a bit challenging to get a proper fit in headgear.

Nonetheless, we got the helmet. Evelyn was a pretty good sport through the whole process of fitting. Once she got used to the idea of having the helmet on her head she wanted to continuously put it on and take it off herself. We finally convince her that it needed to stay on. Then we got her strapped into the bike trailer and off we went.

Deciding on a route was a bit of a challenge. We didn't want to do a lot of riding on streets with a lot of traffic, or a lot of hills which limited our options quite a bit. We ultimately chose to ride along the Burke Gilman Trail from Kenmore to Matthews Beach Park - about 4 miles. That worked out to be just about right for our out-of-shape bodies.

Evelyn seemed to enjoy the ride. She spent most of it sucking her thumb, but every once in a while we'd hear a little giggle from the back. Because the helmet was a little large, the seat would push it forward and it creeped down over her eyes forcing us to stop a few times to re-adjust it. On the ride back, Evelyn actually fell asleep which was quite surprising considering how bumpy the trail was and the fact that she had no real support or anything to lean against, so she was just kind of slumped over with the helmet covering her eyes. All that was visible from under the helmet was her thumb that was stuck in her mouth.

This picture I got at the beginning of the ride, so you can actually see more of her face beneath the helmet!

Baby Steps

Evelyn is officially walking! She's been cruising around for quite a while and a few weeks ago finally took a few tentative steps without holding on to anything. After the initial 3-4 steps she went right back to crawling and cruising, but in the last week she's really started taking off - literally.

The other day I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Evelyn had crawled into the office where Jeremy was. A few minutes later I heard a little giggle behind me. When I turned around I saw Evelyn was walking into the living room. She had made it almost to the couch. My guess is that she stood up in the doorway between the living room and the hall and just started walking. She's quite pleased with her new accomplishment. Every time she stands up by herself and starts walking she gets a huge grin on her face and just starts laughing. It's so fun to watch!

A day at the zoo

This past Wednesday was my birthday. It was also Jeremy's day off and we decided to have a real family outing! We joined up with our friends Joy and Sharla and their little ones for a trip to Woodland Park Zoo. It was also a gorgeous day. Summer has finally decided to arrive in Seattle all at once. Temperatures this past week have been in the 70's and 80's and this weekend it's forecast to hit 90! After months of rain, we definitely wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and get outside!

Jeremy, Evelyn, Caleb, Joy, and Sharla

Evelyn had a great time at the zoo. They have a small petting farm where we went first. She got to pet goats and a miniature pony. And she saw rabbits, chickens, sheep and donkeys. She was really quite fascinated and not at all afraid to go up and pet the animals. There must be farm-girl in her blood!




We also saw the gorillas. There was a new baby gorilla born about 9 months ago, and it has been one of the main attractions. The baby and its momma were out and right up front where it was easy to see them. Mom was pretty protective of the baby, not letting it get too close to the glass and trying to maintain some privacy. I managed to get a few pics, unfortunately they're a bit blurry because the light was low.








The time just flew by and we pushed it as long as we could before we had to get Evelyn home for a nap. We'll definitely be going back! There's so much to see, and with young kids you just can't see it all in one day.

Possible Christmas gift hint: Membership to the zoo!

First Birthday

We celebrated Evelyn's 1st birthday on Sunday. Her birthday is really May 17, but Sunday seemed to be the best day for a party. We had a few friends and family over to help celebrate the occasion.

Evelyn loved every minute of it! Her favorite thing is to be around other people, especially when she is the center of attention. She got lots of it too!

The weather was perfect! We had a few days of sun and warmer temperatures over the weekend. Saturday was a scorching 90 degrees, but Sunday was just right - a bit cooler and nice enough to be outside. Once Evelyn got over the prickly-ness of grass she expanded her borders off the blanket.

She even had a buddy to play with. One of my old co-workers came with her husband and 9-month old baby boy Gabe. Even though he's 3 months younger he about matches Evelyn pound for pound.

First Race

After having a baby I have been trying to get back into some sort of exercise routine. Although I haven't been too successful being consistent, I have managed to get out on a few runs and walks. Back in March my running partner suggested trying a Street Scramble since we could walk and cover a lot of miles.

I agreed, and on a partly-cloudy March day we bundled Evelyn up in the stroller. I packed her bag full of food and toys and we headed out on the Capitol Hill Street Scramble.

A Street Scramble is kind of like a timed scavenger hunt. Participants are given a sheet of paper with different locations to find; each location is worth a certain number of points. There are multiple choice questions to answer about each location to prove that you'd been there - like "what is the name printed on the flagpole plaque?" You have 90 minutes to hit as many locations as you can.

I'm not sure how many miles we covered, but we trekked up and down the hilly streets of Capitol Hill, saw some of the stately old mansions. Our route even took us past the hospital where Evelyn was born. For the most part Evelyn did great. She got a little cranky about half-way through, but eventually calmed down. She even fell asleep for a little while.

At the end of the race we turned in our sheet and waited for the results to be calculated. We came in 2nd in the "stroller" division. Not bad for the first race!

Swimming Lessons

Back in March we signed Evelyn up for swimming lessons at the community pool. They had a parent/tot program that was 4 Saturdays. Evelyn had really been enjoying her bath-time so we thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce her to the water.

For the most part she really seemed to enjoy playing in the water. We practiced splashing and kicking, blowing bubbles. They even had us try having the babies go underwater - which Evelyn did not care for at all!

Unfortunately, even though we were in the kiddie pool, it wasn't any warmer than the regular pool. Poor Evelyn usually came out after 30 minutes with blue toes and lips despite dressing her in extra layers.

When my parents visited Easter weekend I got them to take some pictures of us in the pool. Evelyn is in the pink shirt and shorts.

Easter 2008

Once again I find myself lagging behind in keeping my blog up to date. I honestly don't know how people find the time to do this on a daily - or even weekly basis!

Following are some pictures from Evelyn's first Easter. She had lots of fun with her Grandpa and Grandma Monfort who made the drive over for the weekend. On Easter Sunday we all went to church and then had dinner with our friends the Ericksons, there was even an Easter egg hunt!

Hello!

Evelyn's personality has really developed over the past month. She's a complete clown and loves making silly noises and goofy faces. She'll do anything for a laugh and it's so much fun to get her laughing!


Going for a ride in the laundry basket.


Goofing around with daddy.


An evening walk along the beach.


This is actually a happy face!







She's now 9 months old and on the go!

She's a pro at crawling and will follow us around from room to room like a little puppy dog. She's really fast too! And she's discovered a whole new world to explore. We have to stay on our toes to keep her out of the dog's dishes and other things she shouldn't be playing with.

Yesterday, she pulled herself into a standing position! How can this be?!? The time has passed so quickly. The thought that her first birthday is just around the corner is a little scary!

A special message from Evelyn:



Jeremy has a small RC helicopter that Evelyn is fascinated by!

Beet Red

The other day I received a bunch of beets in our produce delivery (we've been getting organic produce delivered through Pioneer Organics for over a year and love it!). Beets were never something I remember caring for as a kid, and I hadn't eaten them at all as an adult until I had dinner over at a friend's house a few months back. Not wanting to be rude, I tried some of the beets she had prepared as a side dish, and was surprised to find that they were actually really good! So, now I'm excited about beets and when they showed up in our weekly order along with a recipe for a beet salad, I set out to convince Jeremy that they were really good. Needless to say, he was not as enthusiastic as I was. I did save a few plain beets back from the recipe and pureed them for Evelyn, who LOVED them!

One of the great things about beets is their color. They are so brilliantly red, and turn even more so when you cook them. There are also golden beets which are just as brilliantly yellow as the red ones are red (and perhaps a bit sweeter). So when I pureed the beets for Evelyn I had this lovely deep red mush, that when she ate it transfered all over her face. It was so intense I just had to take a picture of her enjoying the beets.

Important note: What goes in must come out, and sometimes what comes out looks remarkably similar to what went in. I wasn't there when Jeremy changed her diaper, but he tells me that if he didn't know what she had eaten earlier in the day, he would have been quite concerned by the color of the poo.

If you care to give beets a try yourself, I've included the recipe for the salad.

Vinegar Beets Nested in Their Greens

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. This dish makes clever use of the entire beet.

Servings: 3-4 as a side dish Time: 45 minutes

1 bunch red or golden beets with their greens 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon balsamic or sherry vinegar ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (optional

Separate the beets from their greens, reserving both. Scrub the beets and steam them until tender, about 15 to 30 minutes. Cool and peel. Cut into quarters. Wash greens and cut into ½-inch ribbons. Steam the greens until tender, about 5 minutes. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a nest on a plate. In a sauté pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add beets, vinegar and thyme and shake the pan until vinegar evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into the center of the nested greens and serve. Note Beets also pair well with cheese and yogurt.

New Milestones

Evelyn hit a new milestone today - she is now sitting up by herself. She's been trying for a while starting with some pilates style crunches, then side crunches. This morning I went into her room to get her up and she just sat right up!

Crawling is just around the corner! She's been army-crawling for a few weeks now and is really getting that down. Now she's started pushing herself up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. I see baby-proofing the house will need to be our next order of business!

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve Jeremy and I got to enjoy some "adult time". My mom came over from Waitsburg and got to spend some quality time with Evelyn while Jeremy and I enjoyed an evening out. We went to Denise and Dwayne Need's annual Wine & Chocolate party. We had an excellent time and enjoyed ringing in the New Year with friends. Amazingly, we made it all the way to midnight! Not bad for a couple of new parents!
Jeremy really got into the party mode - no lamp shade's though!



Evelyn with Grandma J on New Year's Day.