Our Ocean Getaway

When Gregg got his schedule for the month of May, he mentioned that he had a stretch of days off at the beginning of the month, and one thought immediately came to mind. "Good - let's get out of here. We need a change of scenery." Gregg agreed, as long as it didn't require getting on an airplane, and we decided that both kids had yet to experience the ocean, as Macy hadn't been there since shortly after she turned two.

So, being excited about this adventure, I mistakenly mentioned our plans to both girls, two weeks in advance of our departure. You would think I would know better by now - but I forgot that the concept of time/patience/waiting is completely foreign to a 2-year old. So...for the next two weeks...this is what I heard every single time I laid Morgan down for a nap or bedtime: "When I wake up from my nap...I go OCEAN!!!" Then silly Mommy tries to explain the number of days that we have left until we leave, which was met by whining and screams of "NO!!! We go ocean when I WAKE UP!!" So....I let it go, letting her fall asleep with happy thoughts of the leaving for the ocean. Lesson learned? Next trip will be a complete surprise.

However, when we finally left for the ocean....the entire house was buzzing with excitement....car packed, snacks packed, dogs dropped off, starbucks in hand - we're on our way!!!

When we left our house, the temps were creeping towards 70, and we thought, as always, it would be 5-10 degrees cooler once we got to the coast. But as luck would have it - the temperature reading in our car never dropped a single degree - thank goodness for small miracles! It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We drove right onto the beach when we got there, which was met by squeals and giggling by the girls - they could not believe that we were "driving on the beach!!!" Shoes & coats were quickly discarded, buckets & shovels were retrieved from the back of the car - and they were off! What fun it was to watch their excitement with being able to run endlessly on the sand, dig to their hearts content, splash around in the water, and watch their fairy princess kite take off so quickly in the wind! We all had a blast.





But the fun didn't stop there. Part 2? The hotel POOL. Oh my, we could not WAIT to get there..."Can we swim now? Is it time to check in? Can we go to the pool now? Morgan - get your swimming suit! Is it time yet?? Pleeeeeeease?" Finally....we made it to the pool, and the next morning? We were in the pool by 9am. Thank goodness for a decent latte in the hotel lobby.

Overall...it was a great getaway with beautiful weather...and was exactly what the doctor ordered. (we're choosing not to remember the torrential downpour and screaming tantrum coming from the backseat during the trip home).... :)

Seriously???

On March 15th?? In Western Washington?? With spring just 5 days away??

Really?

The girls are no longer interested in snow. And neither are their parents. Macy just wants to know when she can start wearing sundresses.

Sigh.

Catching up

I know, I know. I've totally neglected the blog and haven't posted pictures in weeks and weeks. I've been on picture taking/blogging hiatus.

Let me see if I can explain. After celebrating Thanksgiving at two places, our trip to Disneyland, Morgan's 2nd birthday, Macy's 5th Birthday, Zoo Lights, 2 attempts to see Santa, multiple snow storms, Macy's Christmas program, Christmas Eve with the Jumps, Christmas Day at the Miller's, and preparation for, and then leaving on, a 10-day trip to Miami and cruise to the Eastern Caribbean??? I was exhausted. And I don't believe I set my camera down for 1.5 months, and took approximately 1000 pictures. So...when we finally got home in mid-January, we unpacked and attempted to settle back into a normal schedule and catch up on things in our lives. Oh yeah, and catch up on work after missing 3 weeks of it during December and January.

It's taken a little while. :)

For the last couple of months, life has pretty much consisted of preschool, gymnastics, indoor soccer, cleaning out closets, and watching the snow fall again & again - this winter has just been crazy weather-wise! When it snowed again a couple of weeks ago - I excitedly pointed out the back door to show Macy when she woke up, and all she did is glance over and say "I want it to be spring now." I know, Macy, I know.

However, after being very patient, we got our first glimpses of spring this past week. I FINALLY picked up my camera again, bundled up the girls (still cold - did I mention it snowed AGAIN?), and we headed outside. And it felt so good to get out and have them play - they loved it. Here are a few pictures from this past week:

Our Disney Adventure

Quite some time ago, we decided that it would be fun idea to celebrate Macy’s 5th birthday in Disneyland…and we’ve had this vacation idea in the back of our minds for several years. By the time we realized that we were going to have another child born in the month of December…(meaning two birthdays, within one week of each other – did I mention that this was in the month of DECEMBER??)….the idea of two birthday parties and everything that goes along with that….just seemed a little overwhelming. Therefore, we decided that celebrating both birthdays at Disneyland would be the perfect compromise – and it worked out just as we had hoped. With two birthdays and three first-time visitors (I had never been!) in our party – we had pins galore and all sorts of attention for the girls – “Happy Birthday!” was heard everywhere we went – it was fantastic and every bit as magical as we had dreamed. The entire park was decorated for Christmas – and when I say “decorated” – I mean DECORATED. It was gorgeous – everything was lit up, HUGE Christmas trees everywhere, all of the characters in their holiday outfits – the night-time parade in full holiday swing with Santa Claus at the end – oh my! That was the one thing I learned – Disney does nothing halfway – everything is full out – and that is definitely part of the magic!

Honestly…there was SO much that we did while we were there, I was a little overwhelmed at the prospect of blogging about it….so I thought I would just tell the story through pictures, highlighting some of our favorite memories while we were there…to say that we had fun would be an understatement!

One of the most favorite rides for both girls? The tea cups. They LOVED them. They wanted to go again. And again. And again....until Mommy couldn't take it anymore and decided that the best spot for me was off to the side, taking pictures of Gregg and the girls having fun:

The castle looked so magical at night, all lit up with the holiday lights:

The nighttime parade was wonderful, with the characters all in holiday costumes, and complete with Santa Claus at the end. They must have speakers in the ground there, because the music, singing, and everything about the parade was just magical. Our eager little parade-watchers eventually ended up on our shoulders in order to see everything:

And probably the most magical part for the girls? Meeting the princesses. Oh my. I believe I have dozens of pictures just of them meeting the princesses, including lunch with all of them at Ariel's Grotto. I have to say that I was equally as awestruck as the girls - I felt like we were meeting royalty. :)

The look on Macy's face in this picture really says it all...she loved every minute of it....and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) was one of her favorites:

And while the line was HUGE to meet her in Pixie Hollow, it was worth every single minute for the girls to have their time with Tinkerbell and have their picture taken too.

We weren't sure if she would make it to Ariel's Grotto, but low & behold, she was able to meet Belle (Beauty & the Beast) as well:

And one of our most favorite rides? For all 4 of us? "It's a Small World" - worth the long line for this spectacular 10-minute boat ride around the world! Loved it so much, we rode this one twice:

The entire trip, while exhausting, was absolutely wonderful and we can't wait to do it again (well, in a couple of years :) I believe the girls have looked through the Disneyland pictures approximately 100 time since arriving home...and for myself, I now truly understand what the "Magic of Disney" is all about. For the complete album of picture from this trip, click here.

Winter Wonderland

As anyone in the Northwest knows, snow is rare. Snow is exciting. Snow is an “event”. Snow pretty much shuts down our entire region. So…take some extremely cold temperatures, ice, and snow accumulations….the week before Christmas….not just once, not twice, but three times….this has been an interesting week!

When the snow first fell about a week and a half ago, it was SO exciting. The girls were jumping up and down, Macy was running around screaming “SNOW!!!” and Morgan was following close behind, yelling out like a crazy child, simply because her sister was doing the same thing. Morgan has never seen snow in her lifetime….but that has certainly changed over the past week. I took a few pictures of the girls outside in the yard – frolicking in our one-inch of snow – happy as can be. But, being ill-equipped with snow gear in our household – along with the wind-chill factor, our time outside was brief.

As usually is this case in this region, we expected the temperatures to warm up and for the snow to quickly melt away. However, Mother Nature most certainly had another plan this go-around. By mid-week, the temps stayed low and the snow started falling again….and by this past Saturday afternoon – a winter storm warning was issued. Gregg left on a trip that morning, and the girls and I hunkered down inside this house with our blankets by the fireplace and watched the snow begin once again. It started to snow, and snow, and snow, and they actually cancelled Gregg’s flight back into Seattle. The next day, we thought the snow might be over….but it started snowing again by early afternoon on Sunday. It started snowing heavy…and it just didn’t stop. I started sending Gregg pictures from my cell phone every few hours and he couldn’t believe how much was coming down. Meanwhile, he was stuck down in California, with no planes or flights available to get back home. Wonderful Grandma Miller ventured out shortly the Sunday snow started again, and joined us in our “snowed in” venture. Given the rarity of storms like this in our region – I have to say that I loved it. All of it. That night, after the kids were asleep and everything was quiet….I went outside to try to capture this winter wonderland.

The next day, Grandma and the girls made a snowman out in the front yard, and when Gregg finally made it home later, they all went out and went sledding down our hill. We invited all the kids in the neighborhood to use our hill for sledding as well, and it was so fun to watch the snow ramps that were built and paths that were made….so much fun.


On Christmas Eve, the temperatures finally started to warm up and we knew the end of the snow was near. So, I ventured out onto the deck to build one last big snowman…in an attempt to keep the snow here as long as possible.

Some more snow fell on Christmas Eve….and the ground was still thoroughly covered by the time we woke up on Christmas morning – it is such a rarity for us to experience a white Christmas – which was just icing on the cake for this wonderful & magical day – Merry Christmas everyone!

Five!

 

Oh sweet Macy....I cannot even believe that you are FIVE. Where has my little baby gone? You're just growing up so fast...and it's such a joy to watch you. To hear your thoughts, watch you form friendships, to see your confidence grow, and begin to watch you venture out on your own - I can't begin to express much I love watching you take these steps. As little as these steps may seem right now, I know that they are truly huge steps for my shy, thoughtful, and sensitiive first born. Something about turning 5 - it has really been a big turning point for you.

You have been waiting for SO LONG for your big day to arrive - and you were literally exhausted tonight from all of the excitement leading up to it. Not to mention that you were still recovering from our week long celebration in Disneyland. It has been a special week for all of us.

Happy Birthday sweet girl - we love you!!

Two!

 

Sweet Morgan turned two today, and I can hardly believe it! Where in the world has two years gone?? It just seems like yesterday that I was stumbling around the house, very pregnant, desperate for Morgan's arrival, and now my little girl is running everywhere, talking up a storm, and doing everything to follow in her big sister's footsteps.

Morgan, you are such a light in our lives - your funny little looks, big belly laughs, desire to dance & twirl, and your developing sense of humor keep us smiling & laughing every day! :)

Happy Birthday sweet girl - we love you!

Happy Pandas!

Last night we gathered with Macy's soccer teammates, as well as their wonderful parents and her awesome coaches, to celebrate an end to a great season. The coaches presented the kids with trophies, and it was just priceless to see their faces light up with excitement! As I anticipated, Macy slept with her trophy last night. :) One of the moms, Heather, took many fantastic pictures throughout the season and put them together into a slideshow to share with us last night, and uploaded it to youtube to to allow us to enjoy it over & over! So I thought I'd share it here as well. If you read this Heather, THANK YOU. I can't tell you how much I appreciate having this season captured through your camera and having it given to us in this way to enjoy again and again. Here are the awesome Pandas in action (Lily, Luke, Ella, Abigail, Lauren and Macy), along with their fantastic coaches (Coach Papa and Coach Gary):



This season was an amazing experience from beginning to end, and I'll share more about what I refer to as the "soccer phenomenon" in our house, in another post. :)

Ariel & the Strawberry

Despite this being my most exhausting Halloween ever, it was definitely a fun-filled day and the kids had SO much fun! I truly expected Morgan to tear off her strawberry "hood" and start yelling "take off!" But, she really surprised me - and LOVED dressing up and running around yelling "I strawberry!" And once she realized that there was candy associated this dressing up tradition? Oh boy...we were SO loving Halloween.

We start our day off at Macy's preschool's Harvest Party, where the kids got to go around to different activities and trick-or-treat for different goodies. Then they got to do a cake walk - which resulted in a very exciting plateful of various forms of sugar. After this party, we quickly drove home to get Morgan down for a nap, then got her back up and dressed again to head downtown for some trick-or-treating with Grandma & Grandpa Jump. It was amazingly warm and dry, compared to years past, so we really enjoyed it. Macy had so much fun and was really practicing her "trick-or-treat" and "thank you!", and Morgan was just dumbfounded at the huge number of kids, costumes, and candy. So much fun!


And a little video of them downtown...

After the downtown venture, we quickly headed back home to prepare for the trick-or-treaters to start swarming our neighborhood (we seriously have vans pull up out front of the neighborhood with loads of kids). And truly, this was the highlight of Macy's night. She LOVED handing out candy. LOVED IT. In fact, while Gregg took the girls out to trick or treat, she would see people heading towards our house and get anxious because she thought they might be heading to our house, and she might miss out. Before she left, she gave me instructions to let her friends & neighbors know that "Macy will be back soon." It was so cute, and Morgan quickly picked up on the excitement. Here is a little video of them in action...



After here they are at the end of a VERY exciting day...and the little strawberry looks like she's ready to call it a night. :)


And for even more Halloween pictures, you can click here.

Pumpkins!!

We have a pumpkin obsession going on in our house right now. It just so happens that, every time we go just about anywhere in this little city of ours, we happen to pass by a local market, which turns into a pumpkin patch this time of year. So, every time we drive by, the car is quickly filled with squeals of “PUMPKINS!! PUMPKINS!! PUMPKINS!” And then sometimes, when Morgan isn’t quite satisfied with the speed at which I drove past the pumpkins, she will scream for “MORE pumpkins! MORE pumpkins!!”, until thankfully, I pass by another grocery store that has been gracious enough to put some large pumpkins on display for us. Thank goodness.

So, earlier this week, we decided to have a little family night out, complete with dinner and pumpkins. The girls could not have been happier. They both picked out their own little pumpkins, perfect size for each of their little hands, and each held their precious pumpkin possession on their laps the entire way to dinner, and later on the way home. With smiles on their little faces, I might add. :) With the exception of a difficult 30 seconds when Morgan realized that her pumpkin could not accompany her into the restaurant – it was a very fun night!


And little do they know that the BIG pumpkin patch trip is yet to come…next week we all get to go with Macy’s preschool to the pumpkin PALACE, complete with animals, a huge corn maze, and a gazillion pumpkins. I cannot wait to see Morgan’s face when we pull up to that place!

p.s. Doesn't everyone insist on going to the pumpkin patch with a skirt on and sparkly Hello Kitty shoes??

Morgan’s First Day of “School”

Mornings have been kind of hard for Morgan over this past month...every morning at about 8:10 am, she begins to witness of flurry of activity, that involves both Macy and I getting dressed, teeth brushed, breakfast eaten, backpack packed, lunch/snack made, papers together, shoes on, search for keys….etc, etc. And when this begins to happen, little Morgan thinks “HEY! They are leaving. I am not.” And I begin to hear the “mommy WAIT mommy mommy mommy WAIT!” And then come the tears, and Daddy swoops in to distract her and make it all better.

So…I decided that Morgan needed something of her own. I found a Mommy/Toddler class that I had done with Macy at the same age, and decided to sign her up at the last minute. So, when that first day came around this past week….we all made a BIG deal out of Morgan’s “first day of school!” She could not have been happier. Seriously. She raced into the closet to get her backpack, grabbed a couple of her own little books to throw in, and ran out on to the front porch to take the standard “pose for mom before we leave” pictures. The girl catches on fast. :)

When we pulled into the parking lot for the class, she immediately wanted to put her backpack on for the walk through the parking lot and into the building, and then shyness set in for about 10 minutes. But after she was comfortable, the girl was everywhere. Airplanes! Blocks! Babies! Puzzles! Playdoh! Singing! Bells! All in one place! Hooray! And you mean, they give me a snack too?? Holy cow….after the class ended, the next challenge was to get her out of the building, and thankfully, the ritual of “putting on the backpack” was exciting enough to get her back out into the car. And the cutest thing, when we got back home, and Macy & Daddy arrived back home after preschool pick-up, Macy ran in and said “Morgan! How was your first day of school sweetie? Tell me all about it!” And apparently Macy let her friends at school now that her little sister had her "first day of school today!" Very sweet.

So, needless to say, I’m sure Morgan will be even more excited next week. Here are a couple of pictures….I don’t think it gets any cuter than those “little chairs" during snack time...

Sweet Cheeks

We just got our proofs back from a photo shoot with Laura Kemp of Sweet Cheeks Photography - I've been in love with her work for a couple of years now, so it was fun to see what she would capture! I really wanted to capture the girls at this age, with their sweet personalities, funny giggles & laughs, desire to jump & twirl, and little smiles & looks that make them who they are. And I really think she did just that. :)

If you're interested in viewing the slideshow, go ahead and click here:

Sweet Cheeks Photography

Once you enter her site, go to the bottom right corner, and click on "proofing".

Then type in "Macy" (case sensitive) and click on "submit".

Oh, and make sure that you have your speakers on, the music is key for me. :)

I believe the slideshow will be up for another 5 days or so.

Enjoy! :)

Our Little Morgan

With all of the "firsts" going on for Macy over the past few weeks, I thought Morgan deserved a little update of her own. Morgan is now 21-months, growing faster than we can believe, and is just emerging from a very challenging 4-6 week teething phase, consisting of a lot of screaming, frustration, and hitting. But, just this past week, our sweet, funny, happy little girl has returned....thank GOODNESS.

Here are a few things that come to mind about our little Mo-Mo (her nickname):
-She is so funny...one of her favorite games still involves hiding and playing peek-a-boo, and running around with a blanket or towel over her head.
-She is all about accessories...no day is complete with a few hats, clothing changes, variety of shoes, necklaces, headbands, a variety of hair pretties, and usually a ballet tutu of some sort.
-She is all about baby dolls right now...holding, rocking, feeding, loving, pushing...but, if she becomes frustrated about something, the once-loved baby doll may be flung against the wall. Watch out.
-On that note, Morgan is a pretty strong-willed little girl, often demanding to be heard above Macy's frequent chatter and trying to stand her ground. Interesting differences between our timid first-born, and it will be very interesting to watch her personality develop over the next few years. Birth order is oh so interesting to me...
-She is busy, busy, busy. If we're not holding her, she is on the go - walking, running, climbing, or jumping - and definitely keeps us on our toes. Well, quite frankly, she exhausts us most of the time... :)
-Because she is so busy, I really cherish the times when she slows down and lays her head down on my shoulder for a cuddle. This afternoon, she was particulary exhausted and finally just said "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!.....Hug." and layed her head on my shoulder and collapsed. Love that.
-She is saying new words faster than I can keep up or share right now...some of our current favorites: Starbucks, I stuck, Macy, Mel-Mel, I stinky, soccer, there it is!, airplane and several more that escape me at the moment. Recently, she will pretty much repeat anything we say, pretty much like a little parrot, which definitely keeps one on their toes regarding their vocabulary, as many of you already know. :)

Here is a little video that I took of her earlier this week. Definitely not the best quality, with Morgan wanting to always "see? see?" what is showing on the screen on the camera, which reminds me why I can rarely crouch down to take video. I was trying to capture a few of her recent words, and she was able to share that she is "one....see?" :)

What a difference a year makes!

Today was Macy's first day of her pre-K preschool class. This time, last year, Macy walked through the door to her 3's preschool class with tears in her eyes, and was desperately clinging to my leg. This year? She announced the following: "Now Mom, I don't want you to stay too long this morning, okay?" and sat down to paint with her dear friend Audrey, gave me a hug, waved good-bye, and we left. No tears, no drama....just total delight in the fact that she got to go to a new classroom, with a new teacher, and happily squealed after realizing that tonight that "Wait, so you mean I get to go EVERY day??"

Seriously, could I ask for anything more?? I was thrilled. I realized that this is the only "first day" of anything that Macy has done in her young life, that hasn't involved fear and tears. My little girl is gaining confidence and growing up! Morgan was the only one shedding tears this morning, as she desperately wanted to stay at school to play with Macy and her friends. Here is Morgan hoping that, if she held on tight enough to the backpack, that she would get to go with her big sister!

The Wedding!

I'm far too tired to form complete sentences this afternoon, but wanted to share the one and only photo that I have of the girls together in their flower girls dresses. (and no, those shoes were not worn during the ceremony :)
A quick synopsis:
-Survived drive over to Orondo on Friday
-Macy made it through rehearsal while Morgan only went 1 for 3
-Morgan started to get sick on Friday, by Saturday she was a wreck
-Macy got to go the salon with the "big girls" to get her nails/toenails done on Saturday morning- and was beyond excited about this.
-Last minute decision to pull the above-mentioned "wreck" from the wedding party, in order for the vows to be heard without screaming. Good call.
-Macy made it down the aisle by herself, with a little hesitation, and stood in front of the bridesmaids for the entire ceremony.
-It was a beautiful ceremony at a beautiful location with the most perfect lighting!
-The new couple was gorgeous...and a fun time was had by all at the reception!
-Macy was first in the line for cake, and got the very first piece. I got the second. :)
-Both girls were full blown sick by midnight, and Morgan slept on my chest for part of the night so she could breathe.
-We're all exhausted.
-We drove 3 hours home, and nobody slept. How does that happen??

That's all I have for now. FYI that I added a link in the upper right hand corner to our Picasa Web Albums, which has all of the pics from the wedding, as well as others that I'll be adding and updating over time. Enjoy!

Camping!

There was so much excitement in our household leading up to our recent camping trip. I think Macy had been counting down for two weeks straight, and during those last few days, asked me “when are we leaving to go camping?” just about every hour. She could seriously hardly contain herself during that last 24 hours, and wanted me to tell everyone we saw that morning that we were leaving to go camping…her swim instructor, her friends in her class, and even our favorite barista knew that “we are going camping!”

Aaah….the joys of being a child….excitement over the change in routine, the adventure of the open road, and the anticipation of all of the fun to be had once we got there! But as a parent, it’s somehow no longer quite that simple. Sure, you’re definitely ready for a “getaway” and excited to spend time as a family, but the thoughts that go through your mind as a parent are a tad different…..all you’re thinking is – “Did I get all the groceries?... Do I have enough diapers?... Do I have enough wipes?... Do I have enough caffeine packed in the cooler?... Do I have enough snack packs to throw into the backseat over a 2.5 hour period?... Did we really just spend $200 on gas???”

But, once we finally hit the road….and left the rain behind (for awhile anyways)….the excitement set in for mom and dad too. We were all excited that Aunt Tina was joining us too, and the girls were so excited to have her in the car with us. When we got there, it was a wonderful 91 degrees – and we all jumped out and quickly set up camp and made plans to head down to the beach ASAP! But after about 2 hours of playing & getting all settled in, we started to notice the dark skies to the southwest….and before we knew it, it was a torrential downpour, and we were all diving into the tent for cover! But with snacks and drinks in hand, we actually had a very fun picnic inside the tent, and listened to the storm all around us. Listening to the rain, and knowing that you’re dry & warm, is a fun adventure in itself!

And that was definitely the theme of our trip – crazy weather. It was 91 degrees, then the wind was blowing like crazy, then no wind and calm, then crazy wind & rain, then calm again. It was all over the place! But we managed to have fun no matter what – playing baseball, soccer, riding bikes/scooters around the loop, floating in the raft and with the inflatable duck – and Morgan’s favorite – jumping on the inflatable mattress in the tent! The only thing that finally stopped her was a face plant onto the tent floor. Poor pumpkin. But as you can guess, she made a quick recovery and quickly made her way out of the tent to find something else to play with.


We finally put the boat in the second day, after we spotted some smooth water to the north. Gregg, Tina and I were all able to wakeboard, despite a little rough water, but as Tina was boarding, we started to notice some very ominous looking clouds behind her. Once she was done, we quickly loaded things in the boat and decided that we’d better start heading back to the launch area, and the water became increasingly rough. A VERY large patch of dark clouds was heading over us, and once you start seeing white caps on the river, it’s definitely time to head in. This was a picture I took of the sky, which really doesn't do it justice:

It got SO rough at one point, that Macy actually broke into tears and no longer wanted to help Daddy drive the boat – it was “way too rough!” But she made a quick recovery, and a few prayers were said as we attempted to get the boat back on to the trailer in near hurricane conditions. However, we made it back to the campsite safe and sound, and wouldn't you know it - this is what it looked like an hour later:

But all said & done, we had a great time. The girls had so much running around the campsite, making 100+ trips to the bathrooms, walking up & down the path in the sand and playing on the beach - and we all enjoyed breaking up the daily routine & getting away on a little adventure! Thank you for going with us Aunt Tina - we had so much fun!