Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve Breakfast




Amanda invite us over for breakfast last year and it was our first time out with Reese....we were very nervous first time parents! It was a wonderful morning of food and friendship. We were excited to have breakfast again this Christmas Eve and think about how much has changed in one year! Yea for a new tradition! Thanks Amanda! :)

Sunday, December 21, 2008

"This time last year..."



One of my often used phrases is "remember this time last....year, week, month..." I am amazed at all that can happen over time. I have been looking forward to this Christmas for a couple of years now, wanting to share it with my little girl. She was so tiny last year, couldn't even hold her head up and I wasn't taking her anywhere outside this cozy protective home. This year she is sledding and swinging in the snow, walking all around with an opinion all her own and I LOVE it!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Sledding!




Yet another fun use of the plastic baby pool. Best $5 we've ever spent. If you're looking for a good sledding hill, our back yard works great. Feel free to bring your kiddos by!

Sunday, December 14, 2008


Reese's first snow
Originally uploaded by GigHarborUndressed
Reese loved looking at the snow today. At the end of this video she is saying "Please" in hopes to go out and touch the snow.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Learning how to be brave

Well, we thought it was "just another cold". Yet something was not right. Reese was working hard to breathe. Maybe she has been walking around alot more today and the cold tired her out more. But when I tried putting her down for her nap, her breathing never slowed. So we went to the doctor. Turns out Reese has broncolitis and an ear infection. Now she gets to have a breathing treatment every 4 hours.

I have been so impressed with her attitude! She still smiles, laughs and dances. She plays at a slower pace and takes more breaks, but she is playing! Reese just fussed a little when she was strapped with arms up over her head for her chest x-ray today. I am learning how to be brave from my little girl who doesn't know how to do anything but be brave!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Lean on me......

I enjoy mothering Reese and seeing the delight in her eyes as I meet her needs. At the same time I try to remember one of my favorite quotes about mothering.... "A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." (Dorothy Canfield Fisher)

Cute little spiders

Reese loves to be outside now since she can move on her own so much more. And she loves to touch and experience everything! That includes spiders. Reese giggles with delight when she spots one and will watch it crawl around and spin its web. I really dislike spiders!! It has been good "therapy" for me to sit with Reese and watch the spiders as she enjoys them. Of course she wants to touch them too, and so we are trying to teach "just watch" and "okay now say bye bye spider". As far as I know we don't have poisonous spiders in Western WA but regardless we are going to try and keep the love to just looking. (Ahhhh if only this would work for "boys" in the years to come!)

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Chum Festival

This afternoon, once Reese woke up (She slept in until 10:45!!) we headed down to the Harbor for the Chum Festival. They had the Harbor watch fish tubs out and Reese was willing to pet a Sea Sun and a Sea Cucumber! The big salmon was there that you can crawl through. It is beautiful inside! Chum burgers were being cooked up on the grill and Matt enjoyed his, but I am not a fish fan. We got to walk through the beginnings of the new History Museum and see the plans for Donkey Creek. We wanted to watch the start of the kayak races but alas, nap time was calling. It was a fun morning and we are looking forward to the changes downtown!



Checking out the big salmon!

So beautiful inside!


He is really big! I wonder were they store him?

Wondering if she can do the obstacle course....


Looking for fish in Donkey Creek.

Hoorah for Harvest Party!

After treating downtown, we when to BF to enjoy the Harvest Party. Reese went as a ballerina since her dog costume got wet downtown. She had so much fun playing in the toddler rooms and even went down the slide for the first time! She loved it! We had fun too, watching Reese play and enjoying chatting with friends! We are thankful for such a fun night!



Playing with gak!



Yea! A water station is a must!



Sharing!



Climbing with Evie

Ready to slide.....



She loved it! And did it again and again and.....




Checking out the goods in the pumpkin before we head home.

Trick or Treating downtown

We took Reese downtown Gig Harbor to trick or treat at the shops. There were a lot of people and Reese loved it! We let her down to walk a ways from time to time. She would often stop and just watch all the people, taking it all in. She would cheer for costumes that she liked and would boggie as she walk. Matt and I had so much fun watching Reese enjoy herself!

Why do I have to sit? Why can't I dive in?

Are you sure I can take some?


So many people, so much fun!


Almost walking without any help.....right now she tends to pull to the right!



Not too sure why we are walking up to this house.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

If you can't reach 'em then join 'em!





After pulling out all the toys she could reach, Reese decided to do a head dive into the toy box to play with the rest of the toys!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Walks in the Harbor

I am looking forward to taking walks through the Harbor with my little girl. This was our first one and it lasted about five mintues. A good start! :)

Sunday, October 19, 2008

From baby to "toppler"

Reese has started walking! She topples over more than she walks but she gets right back up, most of the time. She gets such a kick out of walking and is so proud of herself. Reese is a much happier kid now that she can move on her own.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Favorite Fall Photos






















Her first cross country meet

This morning we were able to watch the cross country meet at Wright Park in Tacoma. Reese really seemed to enjoy all the action. She would clap and cheer as the runners would go by. Mommy and Daddy were dreaming of the day when we can yell "Go Reese Go!"

Swinging

Reese loves the swings! She never is done, we always end the time for her. She enjoys watching the other kids play while she swings back and forth. We take a family walk from the city park so that at the end Reese can enjoy some swing time. Don't you just love her pumpkin gloves? I was having a hard time getting her to keep gloves on but I have found that if I put on two pairs, then she can't get them off! Yea for warm fingers!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

How I plan to childproof my kitchen

My dad sent this video to me... it's pretty funny and would be great if it worked!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Little Momma

Reese has become all the more interested in her babies. She loves baby dolly and gives her a kiss when she wakes up from her nap. She will spend 20 mintues just sitting and playing with her baby, even trying to give them binkies! It is so cute to watch this natural mothering instinct!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Friendship

Reese can now "toss" the ball for Seb...which leads to mintues of entertainment for both of my "kids".

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Movin'

Yep, she got caught....with her hand in the water bowl. This kid loves all things water! She is moving more and more...time to reorganize the house! :)

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Beach Baby

Matt's "office" had their end of the summer party yesterday at SeaCliff beach. It was sunny, but not super warm. Reese did not care....she wanted to go in the water anyway. She has so much fun digging in the sand, walking barefoot through the water and jumping in the waves. You hope that your kids will have some of the same interests as you......boy does she! Reese loves water everything! It is so much fun for me to see her enjoy it like this! Reese loves her bath, the Y pool, water bottles, waiters pouring water, fountains, streams, the ocean.....okay you get the idea. While watching the summer Olympics Matt and I were dreaming of cheering on swimmer Reese someday. Yesterday I was dream of living on the water....what a blast Reese would have! Okay I would enjoy it a bit too! :)

Any interests that you hoped your kid would have that you seen them begin to develop?

Monday, September 1, 2008

Happy Labor Day!


It's already been a great day! I forgot it was a holiday and that we would have Daddy all day today...that is always a nice surprise! We went for a family walk through the Harbor. Then Reese swang in the baby swing at the City Park to practice for mom's group which is meeting there tomorrow morning at 10am. Okay, we weren't really practicing.....that was just a plug to invite other moms to come to the park tomorrow! :) Then we stopped by the Dahlia farm to clip some flowers. Dahlias are my favorite flower! And sometime during all this activity, Reese cut two new teeth! Quite a day! I think I am ready for an afternoon nap too. :)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Gettin' it done...around the house

This is my "trick" for getting clothes clean and keeping Reese happy at the same time. (Can't you tell how happy she is?!) To get a shower in now, I put her in the jumper that hangs in the door frame of the bathroom and she entertains herself by trying to touch the water drops on the shower door. To get dinner made, Reese goes in her exersaucer with Cheerios all along the sides. She then bounces up and down, tossing the Cheerios all over the floor for Seb to eat....Both kids kept happy at the same time!

So what are your mommy tricks for getting work done around the house while keeping your kiddo or kiddos happy? What tricks do you use once they can move on their own?

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tough truck

Matt having fun with his camera and daughter at the same time! :)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

When left to fend for herself.....

I gave Reese a few cheerios and went to put the dishes back in the kitchen, just around the corner. Apparently she was not done eating her oatmeal. She was able to reach the bowl and spoon and began feeding herself. She decided the spoon was too much work. Fingers are best. When I returned and tried to help feed her again she said "No way! I do it myself now!" I guess we will be needing the bib again...and a towel.....and a hose down afterwards.... :)

Monday, August 18, 2008

A picture is worth.....

Nobody likes to be sick, Reese included. I know she will get her fair share of colds throughout her life and this will help build her immune system. Still, we try to avoid as many germs as possible. Reese was in the nursery Sunday morning and came down with her cold Sunday afternoon. There is plenty of unknowing sick germ sharing going on, I would not want to share germs on purpose. Yet we still find kids in the nursery when they are sick, bummer! So now we wait out this cold, warn others we are sicko, and try the nursery again when Reese is well.

IF you have been through this same germ sharing fun how do you handle it? How do you decide when to put your kid back into the nursery? And how do you find fellowship with others when your kid has been sick for a long time?

I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

Thursday, August 7, 2008

My new training partner


She loves to be in the jogger if I am running. When we take her for a walk she starts fussing part way through and doesn't stop til we are done. So it's back to running, which is a good thing. It's nice to have a training partner again. :)