Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas 2013

Here are some highlights from our Christmas!

Visiting Santa Claus:
(First year she actually wanted to sit on Santa's lap!)



Visiting Family:
(Her favorite part was helping to pass out the presents)



Presents!
(And a new tree this year!)
 


Kaylee's Favorite Presents This Year:
(A baby doll and a My Little Pony Karaoke Machine)


 
 

Lastly, a present my best friend made me to highlighting our four 5K runs in 2013

 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Christmas Traditions - Reindeer Festival

One thing we like to do at Christmas is to go to the Reindeer Festival at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah.  We didn't make it in 2012, but I thought it would be fun to compare some of the picture from the other years.

2010 (Age 5 months)



 2011 (Age 17 months)



2013 (Age 3.5)




Friday, November 15, 2013

Halloween 2013

Another Halloween has come and gone.  This post is a little late since we're half way into November, but I had so much fun with Kaylee this year that I can't help but post about it.

Pumpkin Patch!

This year Kaylee has been really into My Little Pony.  It is a updated cartoon show from the 80s cartoon show I grew up on.  It is actually pretty cute.  Her favorite character is Rainbow Dash:

Rainbow Dash ID S3E7

 I couldn't find a costume to buy, so I enlisted the help of my best friend, Stefany, to help make it.  I shall be forever in her debt.  I thought the costume turned out really cute and it was easy to get on and off.  And it was warm.  Kaylee thought it was about the neatest thing and liked to "fly fast!"

Getting ready to trick or treat

This was ridiculously cute

We hit up our usual place at Country Village with Kaylee's friend Kaila.  They had so much fun getting candy and holding hands.

Friends!

We ran into another one of Kaylee's friends, Maeve.  Kaylee was beside herself.  LOL.  After Country Village, we decided to go to Alderwood Mall.  It was ultimately a bad decision.  Half the stores weren't giving out candy and half the ones that did were out.  There were long lines to get candy.  Kaylee grew fussy pretty quickly and we decided to leave.  Because we were so close to my mom's house we decided to surprise them.  My mom was pretty shocked!  My mom and I then took her around the neighborhood.  It was actually a lot of fun to trick or treat in my old haunts (pun intended) and hit up the same houses I did as a kid.  Kaylee liked this part the best.  I was kind of surprised because I thought she would be worried about ringing doorbells, but the lure of candy was too strong apparently.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

A Weekend Trip with Friends

Over the Labor Day Weekend, the Naugles and the Clarks converged upon on my family's Lopez Island property: 4 adults, 3 dogs, 2 kids and 1 paddleboard.

The gang


A view of one of our cabins

Kaylee loves her Uncle Doug

Best Friends

Anni surveys the scene

Sunrise


The view from the cabins.  Not too shabby!

Before

After

We take wine tasting seriously

Sorry, Anni, you got another 20.5 years to go.

Another sunrise

Kaylee loves sand.  Especially in her hair.

Happy Hour!



Thursday, August 22, 2013

California Dreamin'

My Brother in Law recently graduated high school and decided he wanted to go on a family trip.  We were originally planning Florida, but California turned out to be much more cost effective.  I admit I was relieved to go only go on a 2.5 hour plane ride. 

California turned out to be one of the most fun but frustrating vacation experiences I have ever had.  Traveling with toddlers is also a gamble, but I am pretty sure my child was possessed by some evil spirit bent on making me question whether I was cut out for motherhood.  This is a slight exaggeration.  Slight.  We had some good days, some bad days, and one day that ending in tears (Kaylee AND me).  This vacation was definitely hard earned.  But it did make me take a step back and really think about the kind of mom I wanted to be and how I wanted to react to Kaylee's....spiritedness.  And it solidify Lance and I as a unified parenting front.  Also, I am so thankful for my in-laws.  They could have easily been frustrated when Kaylee held everyone up, but they were nothing but patient with her.

Here are some vacation highlights:

Kaylee was not too sure about Pluto

The ferris wheel at California Adventure

Kaylee and Auntie Ashley on the ferris wheel

Radiator Springs!

Kaylee's Cars swag

Riding Heimlich's Chew Chew Train with Auntie

Kaylee with two of her favorite people: Uncle Brett and Auntie Ashley

These ears lasting about 15 seconds

Huntington Beach

Kaylee loved the beach

We loved the weather

Santa Monica

Checking out the Santa Monica Pier

Kaylee comparing her hand to Shirley Temple's handprint in Hollywood

Mickey is everywhere!

Dana Point

Checking out the Polar Bear at SeaWorld

Finding the "Nemos"

My little monkey

At the San Diego Safari Park. 

Checking out an antler before our Safari Park tram

Baby giraffe and baby hippo!

Feeding the lorikeets

Baby elephant!