Maddie got her first haircut. You read that right. She’s 5 and she just got her first haircut. I wasn’t ready to cut her hair. But then it’s been so hard to manage lately and it made her so upset to brush her hair, I knew it was time. So we took her in to get a haircut. Here are before and after pictures. When I first looked at the pictures it didn’t look like she had very much cut... Read More Read More ...

I finally finished reading all of the books by Liane Moriarty. This one was the last one I needed to read. Here’s a bit about this one: Ellen O’Farrell is a professional hypnotherapist who works out of the eccentric beachfront home she inherited from her grandparents. It’s a nice life, except for her tumultuous relationship history. She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen wouldn’t mind a lasting one. When she meets Patrick, she’s optimistic. He’s attractive, single, employed,... Read More Read More ...

This is an older Liane Moriarty book that I finished a few months ago.  I had read most of her other books and this one came available at the library. Here’s a bit about the book: Sophie Honeywell always wondered if Thomas Gordon was the one who got away. He was the perfect boyfriend, but on the day he was going to propose, she broke his heart. A year later he married his travel agent, while Sophie has been mortifyingly... Read More Read More ...

This book was my book club’s December/January book. Another author had recommended it. It was different than anything we had read. And for good reason. It was weird. Here’s a little about the book: In the beginning, it was easy to imagine their future. They were young and giddy, sure of themselves and of their love for each other. “Dept. of Speculation” was their code name for all the thrilling uncertainties that lay ahead. Then they got married, had a... Read More Read More ...

I have been in a life rut for quite some time. Moving back home was supposed to make everything better with this rut. Unfortunately, that hasn’t exactly been the case for me. I have been struggling with the prospect of going back to work for quite some time (for example, what I want to do, what I’m capable of doing, and not being scared to try). I touched on this a bit in a previous post I wrote. Well, today... Read More Read More ...

I know I say this every month, but time has flown by and I can’t believe our baby is one already. This past year has been a whirlwind and in what feels like a blink of my eye, my baby is no longer a baby. But I can say with all confidence that even though I am sad he’s not a baby, I am SO excited for all the things that come with him being older and not having babies... Read More Read More ...

Our baby girl is three (3) today! It's so hard to believe she is that old. This past year has been such a whirlwind and Dannie has changed so much. She is growing up so quickly and isn't my squishy little baby anymore! This girl is full of personality. There is not a dull moment at all with her around. She is sweet, caring, loud, funny, silly, dances her heart out, sings like it's going out of style, hugs you... Read More Read More ...

A friend of mine recommended this book to me (which was written by her best friend) when I told her I was moving to Seattle. The author also lives in the Seattle area.  I wasn’t able to finish it when she gave it to me because I had too much going on at the time. But we ended up reading it for book club last month and I am so glad I finally got to finish reading it. This book... Read More Read More ...

We went to my friend Mallory's house to hang out last week. We hang out there quite a bit. At least once a week. I actually took a few pictures this time. Our kids all pay so nicely together! The second picture is from a different day, but it was just so cute. We also made these Berry Bars while I was there. The kids had fun helping and eating them. Just before it was time to leave, we took... Read More Read More ...

This recipe for Berry Bars popped up in my Facebook feed the other day. I happened to be going to a friend’s house that morning and I told her about it. Her reply was “that looks easy and delicious. Let’s make them. I have all the stuff!” So we did. We whipped them together and had the kids “help”. They were a huge hit and I will definitely be making them again and keeping them around for breakfast and/or snacks.... Read More Read More ...

Last week we went to a friend's house to make a little Halloween treat. She found the idea here on Pinterest. These were really easy to make and the kids had a lot of fun. We decided to make them with Fruity Pebbles because her daughter doesn't like Rice Crispies. This was a delicious substitution! You just make crispie bars, melt some chocolate, then decorate. Easy easy easy. Goofy faces and thumbs up were had by all. After the treats,... Read More Read More ...

We have made a visit to the zoo here in Seattle many times. But on this visit, the kids were happy, the sun was shining and I just happened to take a bunch of pictures. So here are some pictures from a recent visit to the zoo this Fall. We played at the park just outside the zoo for a little while before it opened. The zoo opens at 9:30, so when the kids are up before 7, it’s pretty... Read More Read More ...

So this may seem like a very weird post, but I can’t help myself. We go to the zoo fairly often and I made a bathroom stop one time and I was surprised to see all the doors to the bathrooms painted. I thought it was so cute. They had a female lion painted on the women’s restroom door and a male lion was painted on the men’s restroom door. And there was a lion family painted on the family... Read More Read More ...

Alex is 11 months old! I am sure you are happy to hear there’s only one more of these posts after this one! I will keep doing yearly posts, but these monthly ones are coming to an end! Alex is one silly, happy little boy. He has started making silly faces and sometimes I can get him to dance for me. He has the best laugh when you tickle him, too! The biggest news this month is that Alex finally... Read More Read More ...

We had some time one weekend and thought we would take a drive over to see the Fremont Troll. I had heard of it, but it was quite fun to see in person. It’s a huge sculpture under a bridge and the troll has a real VW beetle under his hand. It’s so whimsical and strange. I am glad we went to visit it. If you look closely in the next photo, you’ll see a chuck and Maddie up on... Read More Read More ...

We have been to the aquarium many times, but our most recent trip was a lot of fun. We colored. We pet animals. We had our faces painted. We stuck our heads in painted plywood. We looked at the jellyfish. (This is the cutest picture ever, by the way!) We looked at tropical fish. Then we headed out. We weren’t there very long and only saw a small part of the aquarium. But sometimes a short trip is perfect! ...

Lately I have felt off. Not just kind of off. Really off. I would describe it as a fleeting feeling. Some days it’s there in full force while other days it’s just in the background. I am starting to wonder if something more than just having three kids and general life stresses are the problem. I worry. A lot. But only to myself. I am not worrying about things that make me helicopter parent my kids, but I have dreams... Read More Read More ...

I was looking for a good potatoes and veggies meal and I came across this recipe from The Pioneer Woman for the “Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever”. And they don’t disappoint. I would be surprised if any of the food she made wasn’t delicious. I have made this a number of times and I love it more every time. It’s really simple and you can add/eliminate anything you want. I’ll admit I add WAY too much food, but who cares if... Read More Read More ...

Our September Book Club book was Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong. If I haven’t mentioned it, the way we are picking books this year is from a long list of random book topics, subjects and general fun book stuff. I randomly pick three from the list below each month and we try to fill 1-3 of the topics to pick a book (this month it was 1, 2, and 10). This book happened to fill 2 of them. A friend... Read More Read More ...

It has been ages since I have blogged about something other than books or Alex’s monthly updates. Last week/weekend, my friend Trisha came out here with her daughter, Chelsea. They arrived on Thursday and left Sunday morning. We had a fun-filled weekend! -THURSDAY- After they arrived on Thursday, we headed to Starbucks and then I drove them by a few things before heading back to our house to hang out and get them settled in. Trisha brought gifts! She brought... Read More Read More ...