Because snow ... duh

2 months off isn't so bad ... right? Don't judge, I'm a busy woman. Juggling the holidays, wedding planning, and a toddler (literally st times) is tiring and I tend to forget the little things. Like blog posts.

I'll add "Do better blogging" to my New Years Resolution list.

I'll start with a current picture post about Eleanor having fun in the snow. She got to experience it for the first time last Wednesday up in the Cascades mountains above Enumclaw. Then today we were suprised with some snow at home. Right now I'm hoping and praying the snow sticks around long enough for Eleanor to wake from her nap and have a little more fun in it.

Eleanor hanging out with Papa Jim after her first snow trip.

Eleanor trying to catch the snow flakes.

Oh, HOT damn ...

The forcast for the news 10-days here in Northern California calls for sun, sun, and more sun. The highs range from 99-104 degrees. 104?! Our Washingtonian bodies are taking their sweet time acclimating to this new, dry, ever increasing California heat. To think, we complained when the thermometer hit the 90's in August. Now I'm thankful for the littlest bit of cloud overhead, or when the weather app on my phone is wrong and it only gets up to 88, or when the pool in empty and Eleanor and I can have it all to ourselves. Its the little things in life really. I've never gone through so much sunscreen.

But we've figured out ways to keep ourselves cool. As I mentioned the pool is always a good one. We're lucky enough to have two provided by our apartment complex, one of which is right by our building. when there aren't too many other kids in the pool we spend an hour or so relaxing and floating to our hearts content. A poolside lunch is always a plus too.

Elenaor's other favorite way to beat the heat is by having Nakie Days. She gets to run around in her diaper or little shorts. Wish this was socially acceptable for me, but alas I dug out all my shorts and tank tops instead. We did enjoy a few movie days in front of a big box fan. Eleanor is becoming a fan of Disney -I think it's all the animals.

We had a nice suprise yesterday actually when Gavin came home a few hours early form work to spend some time with his girls. We enjoyed a family dinner at Smash Burger -a burger joint that I'm hoping will expand to Washington one day. Gavin and I are doing our best to eat healthier, and bun-less burgers are one of our favorite ways to cut a few calories. I didn't think Gavin would like it at first, but there's no bread to soak up all the delicious burger juices so there's a lot more flavor to enjoy. Then we did a little shopping where Gavin and Eleanor had a few good father daughter bonding moments.

Eleanor and Gavin in the cigar room at Total wine. (Above: Gavin found an Eleanor sized wine cup and she loved it.)

We also had a nice visit with Grandpa Pete and Grandma Karen last weekend. They were on a road trip and realized they would be about 20 minutes form us, so they swung by and hung out with me and Eleanor for a few hours in the afternoon. Of course no visitor can leave without breakfast at Mary's Gold Miner Cafe, so the kiddo and I joined them for breakfast the next morning as well. (Unfortunately, Gavin wasn't able to see them due to his work schedule.)

We had an otherwise chill 10 days since the last post. It rained a little yesterday, which felt so good. When it rains here we get these little sidewalk visitors all over. I took a picture as I was walking the dog this morning. Just a little something to enjoy until our next post.

Memorial Day Weekend Festivities

So I totally got in trouble for not posting last weekend (happy Christina ...lol) but everyone needs a vacation and Eleanor and I had gone to Washington. Gavin unfortunately had to stay back in California because there's no rest for a car-guy during a holiday weekend -especially the first one of summer. So off to WA we went to spend a wonderful weekend visiting family, playing at the lakes, and enjoying a peaceful sunny weekend.

Then we got there and I remembered that it's never sunny in Seattle on Memorial Day weekend. 

First on our trip was a day at the family campsite by Lake Stevens. Eleanor had been there before by this time she could walk and play and eat twigs (no joke, she tried a few times). Too bad it was too cold to swim but we enjoyed our time worth Dad, Jen and the kids watching movies and making s'mores. 

The only downside to camping was sharing a bed with Eleanor. That girl wiggles and jiggles and scoots all over the place! It was already uncomfortable on the converted table, but kiddo wouldn't stop until she was right in my spot, pillow and all. Little Dr. Cooper in the making ...

Sunday we spent a day out at Papa and Nana's on Mason Lake. Seriously, I packed all Eleanor's swim paraphernalia but we didn't get to use any of it due to it being too cold. Major bummer. But we had an awesome time hanging out with the family -especially watching all three of the little girls interact with each other. 

Monday and Tuesday we didn't do much. I went and saw Pitch Perfect 2 with Jennie and Michelle. It was a good movie, but nonetheless it was still a sequel and we all know the sequel is rarely as good as the original (Harry Potter, LOTR, and Avengers are amazing exceptions in my book). It was a good girls date that involved waaaaaay too much candy, but a lot of laughs, especially from Michelle who always laughs super loud during movies. Plus, my Dad for some good papa-granddaughter time in. Tuesday was even more chill with a visit to Papa and Grandma Gill's house in Enumclaw. Eleanor entertained them by running around the house for over an hour and playing with Toby the cat. She also got to play the piano and play in a box Grandma got for her. Great day for a 14-month-old. 

Alas, we flew back to Gavin (and sunshine) on Wednesday morning. I have to give a shout out and major kudos to TSA at Seatac Airport this trip. They were incredibly helpful getting me and Eleanor through security, which always the most stressful part beside the flight itself. Props to Alaska Airlines too; they're ALWAYS super helpful and this flight was no exception. 

Cheers! 

Great Trip, Great Grandparents, Great Week

The past 2 weeks have been quite eventful for our family! We flew cross country with Eleanor so she could meet Gavin's family in Nashville, TN. Then Eleanor got to finally meet her great-grandparents, Papa Russ and Nana Tunie (now known as Gigi), for the first time. Our girl handled her crazy week like a champ too.

Our trip to Nashville was a fun surprise for Gavin's family -especially his mom, who had no idea we were coming. It was a hard secret to keep too! Lol. Eleanor was the perfect baby flying to Tennessee -we flew 3.5 hours to Dallas and then hopped over to Nashville form there. Not a single peep out of our girl the entire flight. When we got to the airport in Nashville, Gavin had his mom come meet us at the baggage carousel, but since she didn't know Eleanor and I were coming it took a few seconds for her to notice me standing there with the stroller. When she finally did notice, her reaction was AWESOME! There were joyous shouts and tears and I'm pretty sure we jumped up and down a little. Candy picked up her granddaughter and didn't out her down all weekend. Lol. She said it was the best Mother's Day present she's ever gotten.
 
We spent about four days in Nashville, going to Marlana's High School graduation, meeting a bunch of Gavin's family, and spending some time exploring the city. Eleanor did pretty well meeting everyone, but she sure didn't take to the heat and humidity very well. We all had a rough first day acclimating ourselves to it. Haha! I did come away form the trip with some great memories and an awesome souvenir -my first pair of real cowboy boots! Candy thought they'd be a good memory and she was absolutely right. I tried on about 8 different pairs and settled on a beautiful pair of brown boots with a bright blue embellishment. Unfortunately we had to head back home Tuesday afternoon. Again, Eleanor was a champ on the plane, and didn't make a sound until we landed in Seattle -her ears were popping like crazy when we landed and she made sure the back end of the plane knew she wasn't feeling very good. Our poor girl.

Eleanor's adventurous week didn't stop there. Friday she got to meet her great grandparents, Papa Russ and Grandma Tunie (now known as Gigi -for great grandma). Papa and Nana were completely smitten with Eleanor, their third great granddaughter this year. We spent a few hours at the lake house with them and I got some great pictures and a nap. Successful visit if you ask me. :)