Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

This year we eagerly anticipated Christmas for many reasons. Since we take turns spending Christmas with each others families, this year was our year to be at home with my family. Christmas for my family comes with many traditions; primarily the food and the decorations. My parents are amazing hosts and my Mom makes the most delicious food and always has her home beautifully decorated. This year we were delighted to share all the sights and sounds of Christmas with our son. Christmas through the eyes of a child is the best even if that child is new to the world and won't remember what you did.

Jan 7

Jan 7 New Year's Eve

2014 was a wonderful year, no doubt it had its share of hard days, but overall 2014 showed me who I am and what I am capable of. On New Year's Eve we went over to our friend's house for a low key celebration. They have a killer view of downtown Seattle from their condo, so we knew it would be the perfect spot to see the fireworks off the Space Needle. As we rang in the new year and I watched my husband so lovingly holding our son I am reminded of what a big year 2014 was. 2014 I liked you!

Jan 6

Jan 6 Sun Mountain Lodge

Travel, Weekend

Whenever we are up in the North Cascades we make certain to spend a day at Sun Mountain Lodge. It is a beautiful place with sweeping vistas and regular wildlife sightings. Their lobby is warm and inviting with two massive fireplaces flanking the large vaulted space. Sun Mountain Lodge is the perfect spot to warm up by after being outside for several hours. In the Fall we like to hike around the property and in the Winter we like to snowshoe on one of the many well marked trails. One unique experience they offer during the holidays is a sleigh ride. The last Winter we were up there we took a sleigh ride during the day. This time we decided to mix it up and opt for a nighttime sleigh ride complete with dinner. There was something very magical about riding on a horse drawn sleigh, bundled up with blankets looking at the starry sky above with the sounds of jingle bells.

Jan 3

Jan 3 2014 A Year in Review: Part Two

Here is a look back at some of our favorite memories from 2014

Jan 2

Jan 2 2014 A Year in Review: Part One

Here is a look back at some of our favorite memories from 2014

Dec 29

Dec 29 White Christmas

Travel, Weekend

Living in Seattle it is rare to experience a white Christmas. In the thirty plus years of living here I can remember a couple of white Christmases. So in an effort to make it feel a little more like Christmas we have started to make it a tradition to spend some time up in the North Cascades before Christmas. I know most people like to vacation between Christmas and New Year's but going beforehand allows us to avoid the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas. No crowded malls, frantic list making or late night gift wrapping for us. Instead, we spent a few glorious days in the mountains with nothing but trees, wildlife and each other as our companions. Taking this trip right before Christmas helps remind us of the real meaning of Christmas and how blessed we are to have our health, our faith and each other.

Dec 19

Dec 19 Point Defiance Zoo Lights

I hate to admit it, but we have become THOSE people. You know the people who think their children are adorable, delightful, witty and the most amazing creatures on the entire planet? It doesn't matter if Jasper slept the entire three hours we were at Point Defiance Zoo looking at the Christmas lights, freezing our tail off, drinking hot cocoa and riding the carousel because the mere fact he was there was with us was reason enough for us to rejoice. We have spent many years doing "kid" things without having children of our own to enjoy them with. Now that we have an adorable creature of our own to take around we are not only going to wear our Ergo baby proudly, but thoroughly enjoy each and every "first" we check off the list.

Dec 16

Dec 16 Christmas Ships 2014

Over the past nine years we have made it an annual tradition to go on the Argosy Christmas ships. This was not only the first year for Jasper, but the first year we invited friends along. I will be the first to admit it was a little more challenging having a baby along this year however most of the evening's highlights included him. Some of the highlights of the evening include Jasper meeting Santa for the first time, clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures which made being outside on the deck of the ship quite lovely and Jasper wearing the cutest little Santa hat and down suit looking like he just arrived from the North Pole.

Dec 10

Dec 10 Blessing day

An important day in the life of Jasper was his blessing day. Baby blessings although not considered life saving ordinances, allow the father to give the child a name by which he will be known on the records of the church along with a blessing for their life. On Jasper's blessing day, we were fortunate to have both sets of grandparents present along with some of our friends. For the past month I have agonized over what to dress Jasper in but ultimately I decided to put him in something sentimental and festive for the season. When I was pregnant with Asher, Cameron's parents purchase an adorable outfit for him. For Jasper's blessing day I was able to dress Jasper in both the pants and the shoes they had purchased. Although no one had any idea the sentiment behind the clothing, it was my little way of including and honoring Asher on our family's special day. We are grateful for all the many people who were so supportive during this pregnancy. Jasper is more than we could have ever asked for and we are feeling blessed beyond measure this holiday season.

Dec 5

Dec 5 Lake Union Park

With mild temperatures much of the year, Seattle is the perfect place to live if you enjoy spending time outdoors. The South Lake Union neighborhood has seen rapid growth in the past few years, one of our favorite places being Lake Union Park. The park provides easy access to both green space and the water from the downtown core and celebrates the cultural, maritime, and industrial heritage of the city and region. Included within Lake Union Park is the Center for Wooden Boats,MOHAI, a boat launch, a picnic area, a splash area in the Summer and a pond for sailing miniature wooden boats.

Dec 4

Dec 4 A season of thanksgiving

While this year I have felt particularly blessed there have been times in my life when gratitude and feelings of Thanksgiving have been harder to come by. When life is going well it is easy to feel grateful, but when life throws you a couple curveballs that is when your true test sets in. During a particularly hard time in my life when nothing seemed to be going right I started to feel a bit hopeless. One day I got the idea to document five things which were going right in my life; some were big things like having a healthy body and a strong faith in God, but equally important were the small things. Over the next couple of months I continually read through the list and clung to these things which were going right.

Dec 3

Dec 3 Christmas Tree Shopping

Since Jasper joined our family we have experienced a resurgence in Christmas cheer. As many of you know Asher's due date was Christmas day, so the past couple of Christmases have been downright hard. It has been easy to allow disappointment and sadness to linger throughout the season instead of peace and joy. Now that we have another little one in our family, we thought it was high time to get back into the swing of things. The funny thing with grief is how it bubbles up in the form of sadness, frustration, jealousy or anger especially during the holidays. After taking the past couple of years off this year we had our tree purchased and decorated the day before Thanksgiving. Although I am not one to typically rush Thanksgiving out, it just happened to work best with our schedule.

Dec 2

Dec 2 Giving Tuesday

In elementary school my class went on a field trip to my Dad's office. I cannot ever remember feeling prouder that my Dad was his own boss than the day my class visited him. Most of my friend's parents sat in cubicles, did obscure jobs and most importantly worked for other people. All the while my Dad worked for himself, set his own schedule and made his own rules. As a free spirit and one who disliked being told what to do I found this option for work rather appealing.

Dec 1

Dec 1 Handmade gifts

Since the arrival of Jasper friends and family have continued to shower us with presents galore for him. Some of the sweetest gifts have not been the most expensive or extravagant, but simple handmade gifts like these adorable crocheted baby booties.

What are some of your favorite gifts to give a new little one?

Nov 28

Nov 28 Tis the season

When I placed the order for Jasper's stocking I thought nothing of all the wonderful possibilities of its use as a prop. However, once it arrived in the mail I realized he might just be able to fit inside of it. To my surprise he was a perfect fit and an impromptu photo shoot ensued.

Tis the season to create priceless photos of your child in which you can later use to entertain or embarrass your child.

Nov 24

Nov 24 Leavenworth in the off season

Weekend, Travel

One of my favorite times to visit Leavenworth is after Oktoberfest and before the holidays. During this time, crowds are relatively low and you actually have room to shop around stores like Kris Kringl. A few must sees are on our list include lunch in Cashmere at Country Boy's BBQ, browsing the shops and squeezing in a day hike. Although Jasper was too young for a hike this time we did enjoy strolling around town and stumbling upon Schocolat. Schocolat is a good example of how it doesn't matter how many times you have visited a place there is always something new to explore or find. S chocolat is a handmade chocolate shop tucked in the back of Ganz Klasse, a home furnishing boutique. Aside from the assorted handmade chocolates they sell they also make the most delicious pear caramel sauce. For the holidays I love shopping local and sending items such as this to send to family and friends. Especially for those who have it all, food is always the perfect gift to send.

Nov 21

Nov 21 Life lately

As a family we have been enjoying our days together. At the end of the day we often look at each other in bewilderment wondering where the day went. We seldom seem to make it out of the house before 1pm except on the days we have doctor appointments or concrete plans. Otherwise our days consist of afternoon walks, late lunches out, running errands, and lots of baby cuddles and feeding time.

While our baby sleeps we like to watch him, talk about him or look at pictures of him. We are completely and utterly obsessed and in love with him and we would not have it any other way. Even though Jasper will not remember these first few weeks together as a family, to me they have been a dream come true and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Nov 19

Nov 19 Bella Baby Photography

When you are exhausted after delivering your baby, but love the idea of having professional photos taken of your new little bundle Bella Baby Photography is the perfect alternative. The best thing about Bella Baby is they are a photography service offered through the hospital so there is no need to plan ahead. A photographer will simply stop by your room and offer their services which means the ultimate in flexibility for both you and your baby. For our session the photographer came by just as our baby was hungry, so she happily popped back in once he was done feeding. The other selling point for me is how they are able to capture a handful of great shots in roughly fifteen minutes. No fuss and a few priceless shots of the newest addition to our family makes for one happy mama.

Nov 17

Nov 17 Walking around Greenlake