Picking Berries

A few weeks ago we went in search of some yummy blackberries. We were able to pick quite a few, over 10 cups worth. We found this great little spot in the valley near a business park. One of my favorite things about summer is berries. I was sad when our marrionberry bushes didn't produce as many berries as last year, so Micah suggested we go find some free blackberries. I like to have berries in the freezer for when I feel like making some muffins, so now I have a good supply.

37 Weeks

We are now only about 3 weeks away from meeting our little one. We are getting very excited! Everything is ready for his arrival. Both Micah and I have been in "nesting" mode the last week or so. The nursery is ready, all the baby stuff is down out of the attic and cleaned and washed, the grass is mowed, the cars are washed and vacuumed, the clothes are in the dresser, and there are meals in the freezer. Now we are just waiting to see when he decides to make his debut.

Slight change on Blog Comments

Just an FYI, we have changed to a new comment setting. We have been getting more and more spam as comments on our blog entries. So to save us from manually deleting these nuisance messages, we have implemented a delay in the comments so we have to approve of them prior to publishing. We will do it as soon as the comments are received, so you shouldn't notice too much of a delay in seeing your wonderful bits of feedback in print for worldwide consumption. Thanks again for reading and making this such a fun way to share our life.

Andrew's Big Boy Bed

A couple weeks ago we transitioned Andrew to sleep in a toddler bed. It has been quite the experience. When we came home from vacation he started climbing out of his crib, so we decided we better put him in the bed so he doesn't end up hurting himself.
My mom got him the cute comforter set with cars and trucks on it. And we found the matching rug on clearance for $5!
Andrew has been doing better at sleeping in his big boy bed, and is very excited to show it off to those who visit. He still gets up at least once after we put him down for nap or bedtime. We think he just likes to be tucked in more than once. We're hoping this trend does not stay long.

Micah's Birthday

At the beginning of the month it was Micah's birthday. On his birthday Andrew and I came and got him from work to go to a midwife appointment, and then out to lunch. For lunch we went to a Vietnamese restaurant near our house. Micah loves Pho soup, and it's not something I enjoy, so he rarely gets it. We were surprised at how much Andrew ate while we were at the restaurant. He loved the soy bean sprouts, and ate everything we gave him. He especially liked the free ice cream for dessert.
Tomorrow we get to celebrate Micah's birthday some more on our date night. We are going to the Crab Pot in Seattle, and then to Volunteer Park to watch a Shakespeare play.

Reyna and Tex's Wedding

Last week we went to my cousin Reyna's wedding. It was quite the fancy affair at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle. The view was gorgeous! When I first found out that Andrew was also invited to this formal event, I was wondering what he was going to wear. My friend Lyndsay (who has two boys around Andrew's age) happened to have a little suit outfit and black dress shoes that she graciously let me borrow. Andrew looked so adorable, and he didn't mind the outfit too much.
When we first got to the wedding Andrew was really shy and wanted one of us to hold him. Thankfully Nana, Papa and Uncle Justin were also there to take turns holding him.
Andrew did really well during the ceremony, partially because he was scared of all the strangers surrounding him and also because Nana came prepared with Mentos. After the ceremony we enjoyed a cocktail hour of hors d'oeuvres and visiting with family. We kept Andrew entertained by taking him to the windows to see the "Big Guy Hammer Man" aka The Hammering Man in front of the Seattle Art Museum, riding on the elevator, and playing with cars I had brought along.

We ended our evening with the reception and a lovely dinner with a fantastic view. Since Andrew was with us, and Micah had to work early the next morning we weren't able to stick around for cake or dancing. We still had a fun time, and really enjoyed seeing how our family members are doing and celebrating with Reyna and Tex.

30 Weeks

These are only the second belly shots I have taken this pregnancy. I keep forgetting to do it. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I guess it is because I am chasing after a two year old, so I don't have a lot of time to stop and think about being pregnant. Although lately it has been getting harder and harder for me to do things like pick toys up off the ground, or stand up from sitting on the floor. It is hard to believe that our little Josiah will be joining us in just a little over two months! One thing I am looking forward to is seeing if he has red hair like Andrew.

4th of July

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I last updated our blog! Well, to catch up here are some pictures we took on the 4th of July. In the afternoon we headed to Burien to watch the tow trucks in the parade. Andrew LOVED seeing them. We have the Airport/Burien Towing calendar, and he wants to look through all the pictures of the tow trucks almost everyday, so it was a big deal to see them in person.
Then we went to my parents' house for a BBQ. We had fun hanging out with friends and eating lots of yummy food. Once it started getting dark most everyone else left the party, but we stuck around to do a few fireworks. Uncle Justin had a small stash, and he let Andrew pick out which fireworks to set off. Andrew had fun watching the fireworks (from a safe distance of course). He even got to try out a sparkler for the first time.

Andrew's 2nd Birthday Party

This year for Andrew's birthday we had his party early since we will be on vacation during his actual birthday. And I decided to have a much smaller guest list than last year. We did a backyard beach party, and thankfully the weather cooperated, thanks to God for answering our prayers! The kids had fun playing in the little pool and sandbox. My mom made two really cute cakes, one was a fish, and the other was an aquarium. The kids loved that they were covered in candy!



And I made some little sorbet fishies. Our friends John and Tricia were wonderful, and provided the yummy sorbet for us.
Andrew was so cute when he opened the presents. He wanted to play with each one as he opened it, and who can blame him he got some fun things!
For the last few months I have been working on a playhouse for Andrew, and I was able to get it done in time for his birthday. Micah was a big help and did all the final seams for me since I was a little daunted by that task. So far Andrew has enjoyed playing with it. He especially likes to put the flowers in the mailbox.

This Boy LOVES Tractors

Anytime Andrew sees a tractor he gets really excited. He calls them "gokey tracktey" or something like that. I think he is trying to say vroom vroom tractor, but I'm not sure.

23 Weeks

I finally got around to taking a picture of my tummy. I don't know why, but I keep forgetting to take pictures. I am still pretty small, and not showing a whole lot. I am actually enjoying not being too big right now. I know that in a month or two it will be harder to sleep and get around, so I am not sad that I'm not showing that much.

Seattle International Film Festival

A few weeks back Micah got an email at work saying that they would be giving away some tickets to the Seattle International Film Festival. All you had to do was tell them which movies you were interested in seeing, and they would do a drawing to see who would win the tickets. Our first choice was A Little Help starring Jenna Fischer from The Office. And we ended up getting tickets to it! We didn't expect much, but when we got to the theater we saw that the cast was there. It ended up being the world premiere of the movie, so they were there to promote it. Before the movie started the director, Rob Schiller (who also directed King of Queens and Family Ties), introduced the movie.
At the end of the movie the director and cast got up to answer some questions. It was interesting to hear how an independent movie is made differently than a big studio movie.

Fun in the Sun

Last week it felt like summer, and so we tried to take advantage of the good weather. One of the days we went to Seahurst Park in Burien with some friends to spend some time in the sunshine. Andrew had lots of fun playing in the sand and playing with his friends (or at least he had fun playing with their toys). He still doesn't really play "with" other kids. Hopefully that will happen soon. He does enjoy being around other kids his age, he just doesn't interact with them a whole lot. But we had a great morning at the beach chatting with friends and soaking up some sun.

Andrew posing by Jack.
The three boys: Owen, Jack and Andrew.

Pt. Defiance Zoo

Last week we went to the zoo with Nana. My mom and I went in together to get an annual pass. It ends up being a fabulous deal because each time we go we can get 3 people in for FREE. I hope to make many trips to the zoo over the summer.
It was so much fun watching Andrew and his reactions. We would tell him what animal we were seeing, and he would repeat the name, and then tell every other kid that came up what it was. It was adorable.

We even fed the goats. Andrew was a little nervous around them since they kept trying to climb the fence to get the food.
To end our time at the zoo I took Andrew on the carousel. It was a fun day, and it was beautiful outside, so it was nice to be outside enjoying the sunshine.

Reading

We always read to Andrew before we put him down for a nap, or at bedtime. The other night we told him it was time to get ready for bed. He headed right to his room, picked out a book, and climbed into the rocking chair where we read to him. It was so cute, and great to see that he likes our routine of reading stories for bed.

Andrew's Birthday Present

For the last month I have been working on a big project for Andrew's birthday present. I am making him a felt playhouse that will slip over our folding card table. I got the idea from my favorite craft blog: www.homemadebyjill.blogspot.com I saw her playhouse, and just knew Andrew would love one of his own. I still have lots of work to do, but I have a little less than two months, so hopefully it all comes together. Right now my sewing machine is broken, so I have been cutting all the pieces. Hopefully Micah will be able to get it back up and running soon.

This will be the front. I still need to make the front door and put in a window.
Andrew likes to help Daddy wash the car, so on this side he will practice washing his own car. I still want to make a hose that he can "spray" the car with.
This is the garden. Andrew will be able to pick his own lettuce and carrots. I still want to add one more veggie, I haven't decided if it should be corn or pumpkins.
Andrew loves tractors, so I decided to add a tractor to his playhouse. On this side he can pick the apples off the tree. I will add a cart behind the tractor with a basket to put the picked apples.
Here are all four sides. Nothing is sewn on yet. I just put everything down to see how it looks.