It's Official . . .

Ellie is a walker! Friday, October 17th is officially the day she started walking. She's been "wobbling" her way between furniture but hadn't taken off by herself until Friday. It seems as though, all of a sudden she realized she has been walking and she seems to have gained balance overnight!

As you can see, we had a very busy weekend!

Happy Birthday Mini-Break!

Saturday was Drew's birthday and I surprised him with a trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We dropped Ellie off at Ma-Pops and Ba-Pops early Saturday morning and headed to the island. We spent the day exploring, wine tasting and visiting the resident camel (yes, I said camel) named Mona.

Drew was especially drawn to a little town on the island called Roche Harbor. It's an old lime mining town owned by the McMillin family. They were so rich they built a mausoleum to preserve their families ashes. I can't believe Drew actually got me to walk a half mile through the woods, through a graveyard, to see it! It was pretty creepy.

After missing a ferry on Sunday morning, we didn't arrive home to pick up Ellie until nearly 6pm. But since she had such a good time without us all weekend, we decided next time we take a mini-break, we'll stay for 2 nights!

Tiny Twinkle Toes

Ellie and I started a baby "dance" class a few weeks ago. It's more like a movement/music class, since she first needs to take her first real steps before we can progress to actual dancing.

But it's fun, nonetheless.

What a difference a skill makes!

The last while Ellie has seemed frustrated! She seems to want more independence but hasn't fiqured out how to get it yet.

Until, now . . . she has just blossomed with new and refined skills this last week.

Climbing . . .

I think we have my Auntie Dena to blame for this one. While we were up in Canada, Auntie Dena showed Ellie how to climb up a foot stool and ever since she can't get enough of climbing. Even one step is a big accomplishment. But the stairs at Ma-Pops and Ba-Pops are endless fun for Ellie and exhaustion for us who have to catch her when she undoubtedly falls.

Chillin' . . .

This is just such a toddler moment. Standing in her crib, post-nap, waiting to play.

Walking . . .

She walks between furniture and has even discovered how to "crab" crawl around the room. Babyproofing is the priority of the week. Good-bye cute home decor . . . hello plastic baby gates.

Eating . . .

With a new suction cup plate, Ellie is able to feed herself her entire snack!

Everyday, our 11 month old girl seems to move further and further from being a helpless baby and closer to being an independent toddler!

Future Bunka?

Many members of my family may remember my infamous Bunka. My little pink bunny/blanket, with soft silk edges, rarely left my side (and was frequently up my nose). Family lore even goes, that one time I left it on a park bench in Las Vegas but didn't realize it until we were half way home to LA. My dad turned the car around and drove back to find Bunka!

I have been eagerly awaiting Ellie's choice for her own personal lovey. It seems we may have a winner!

Guest for dinner and parents day out

Ellie has invited a guest for dinner lately . . .

. . . HER FOOT! About half-way though the meal, she finds her foot in her seat and brings it up onto the table. She has a look on her face like . . . "Hey mum, I brought a friend to dinner!"

Drew and I went on a date day a few weeks ago. We dropped Ellie off with Jon and Laura and headed to Seattle to pretend we were tourists. And we did the classic tourist blunder of paying $15 to go up to the observation deck of the Smith Tower. It's always been my favorite builiding Seattle but $15 bucks was pretty steep for a quick photo op! I love this city! Especially on sunny days!

Cold, Wet and Miserable

Since Donnianne and Ellie were in Canada last weekend, I went on a hiking trip. How did it go?? Well, the title of this post are the only words to describe the hiking trip that my friend TJ and I embarked on last weekend. After 5 miles (2 of which climbed 2500 ft in elevation) we finally reached the Rampart Lakes. Our body temperatures dropped suddenly as wind gusts and sideways rain joined our party. We quickly set up our tents and climbed into our sleeping bags to stay warm. Two hours later we realized that our chosen camping spot was too exposed - our tents were being blown over onto us!

After a scouting mission, we moved camp to a cluster of trees to get some shelter. Soaked to the bone, we made a fire and cooked some hot food. The rain storm raged through the night and by 7 am we decided we'd had enough. Still wet from the day before, we packed up camp and hiked the 5 mile trail back to the Subaru. It was a "Sight for sore thighs" as TJ put it!

"Why do we do this to ourselves?" we asked our selves repeatedly on the way down. I think it is really good for humans to take time away from the comforts of every day life in order to truly appreciate what we have. Besides the amazing views and the beauty of all alpine lakes, we put ourselves in these situations to be reminded of what we're capable of accomplishing. And next year when we are high on a mountain side, soaking wet and sore from hiking I'll try and remember this post.