Sunshine awaits!



From this . . .

 

To this . . .

 

in 1 weeks time!!

 

We leave for our next big family vacation in just 72 hours.  So fun to be packing swimsuits when the kids are outside building an igloo!

 

Our good friends, Kei & Quinn, are getting married in Oahu and our whole group of friends is making the trip to celebrate. 

 

Going on a tropical vacation in February is a VERY good idea!!

Another busy month

During the crazy holiday season, I always keep up hope that January and February will be less wild!

 

I need to stop doing that.

January's calendar was even more full than December's!!

A trip to Canada, a wedding shower and oh yeah, THE SUPER BOWL!

 

 

Mum and I headed up to Campbell River to visit family last week.  It's been over a year since we'd been up but Ellie still remembered everything about Auntie Nana's house!

I loved watching her play with the same box of Barbie's that I played with when I was little

 

It was so foggy while we were there you could barely see the beach across the street from Auntie Nana's house!! 

But we still bundled up and went down to the beach one day to look for crabs.

 

My beautiful beach, loving girl!

 

 Cousin Thomas and Jude having a chat

 

 Cousins!  The new generation all except for Lucie.

Mila - 3, Bryce - 16 months, Ellie - 6, Nicholas - 3, Jude - 3, Nora Lynn - almost 3

That is A LOT of 3 year olds!

 

 Mila, Ellie and Nora Lynn being silly,

Mila's mom, Melissa, and Nora Lynn's dad, Shea, and I played dress up in the playhouse at the town-site for hours during our childhood.  Now our kids are doing the same.

Love it!

 

 Baby Bryce loves her cousin Brent!!

 

 Love these women!

 

 

Then 2 days after we got back from Canada, I helped throw a shower for our friend Kei.

 Our Mad Men Cocktail Party theme was a total success!

What's not to love - a full bar, a bartender, vintage dress, hats encouraged and games. 

 

 Our friend Kai worked the bar for the first hour of the party.  He did a fabulous job!

 

 Most of these ladies are headed to Hawaii for the wedding in just a few weeks!

 

 

Oh yeah, and then this happened . . .

THE SEAHAWKS WON THE SUPER BOWL!! 

These people make winter tolerable -

weekly get togethers with our fabulous group of friends and a winning football season!

 

Now only 6 months until next season starts!

Go hawks!



The Sum-it-Up Post

Yes, it's obvious my blog duties have been lacking.

Not good timing since we have 2 adorable (and hilarious) kids and just completed a crazy Christmas and Birthday season!

I need to document this life

 

So here's the sum up

Thanksgiving



 This year was a first!  Turkey dinner at our house.  The kids even helped break bread for the stuffing (see that giant yellow bowl - it could barely contain all the stuffing we made!)
mmmmm, stuffing

 The cooks!  Love this photo because mum and I actually look like we could be related!

 Our pretty table

 Mum and I let our crafty juices flow and designed super cute seating cards

 And a banner

 Dinner was delicious (and only 90 minutes late getting on the table - not bad for a first timer)

 And due to the ridiculous American calendar (Thanksgiving in Canada is so much respectable - it's in October), we started Christmas activities 2 days after Thanksgiving!
Most of our holiday traditions remained this year - Tree Day, including breakfast at Maltby Café, Dad took Ellie to the Nutcracker for the 4th year in a row, Grapes the Elf visited our house all December long, our 5th Annual White Elephant party)
But a few traditions got the axe due to sickness.  We were ALL sick for nearly the ENTIRE month of December (Ellie even had pneumonia)

 THIS BOY TURNED THREE!
He looks pretty happy for having an ear infection on his birthday - poor kid

CHRISTMAS!!!

 We are so lucky both sets of parents are close and we all get to spend Christmas Day together.  We sure do miss our siblings, nieces and nephews on this day though

 There is literally nothing that makes me happier than watching the kids enjoy a long-standing family tradition.
Both kids LOVE menudo!!!

 2013 will be remembered as the Christmas of American Girl Doll . . .

 And Jake and the Neverland Pirates!

 PARTIES!

 Whose idea was it to schedule Jude's birth during the Christmas season???
I will never forgive myself.
I have now vowed we will NEVER do a birthday party for him during the holiday season.
From now on we will celebrate his half birthday in June!!
Even though his party was pretty low key it was still A LOT of work right after Christmas.

Jude loved the Buddy the ELF theme

Even with all the sickness it was still a joyous season.

Now . . . 29 more days till Hawaii . . .

A Jude quote to remember . . .

It's been sunny and VERY cold in the PNW this week!

Yesterday, I pulled open the shades in Jude's room and this conversation followed:

Me:  "Wow - the grass is frosty!"

Jude:  "I want to eat it!"

Me: "You want to eat the grass?"

Jude:  "No, mum, I want to eat the frosting!"

 

Man this kid cracks me up!

 

Ellie is SIX!

It seems so cliché to say "I can't believe Ellie is 6 years old"

But I really can't believe it!

I can remember some days at home with a crying baby or button-pushing toddler and thinking things would never change. 

 And yet, here she is . . . 2 teeth missing, in elementary school, learning to read, having crushes on boys(!), and sometimes blowing my mind with what a little beauty she has become!

 This birthday will be remembered as the one all about AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS!

Ellie has been wanting one so bad and we decided to make it happen.

I gave her my doll, Kirsten, which was very special but had been boxed up in the attic since I was 12.  Mum and dad gave her a doll wardrobe, refurbished to perfection by MaMop.  Grammie and Grampy added a horse and stable and doll clothes has been arriving from the Aunties

 

 Lunch at the American Girl Doll bistro.  You're not allowed through the doors if you're allergic to the color pink!

 

 Sweet 6

 

We got Kirsten's hair done and her ears pierced (the dolls' not Ellies!)

Seriously, why didn't I think of this business model??!!

 

Completely successful birthday for the best little girl!



Happy Halloween 2013

First of all, let me just pat myself on the back for TWO (count em', TWO) blog posts in one week.  Whooop!

Halloween has wrapped up and Ellie's birthday is less than 72 hours away. 

I, truly, will never forgive myself for having both my kids so close to major holidays.

It makes for VERY busy months.

 

The kids LOVED Halloween this year.  They both had a blast at their classroom parties and it was the 5th year of the tradition of starting with pizza and wine at the Asmann's before Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

 

 Just a cowboy and a pirate having a tea party.

 

 Teacher Betsy and the kids

 

 The cutest pirate and Jasmine ever!

 

 The orange door loves Halloween

 

 Jude and his buddy Thor, I mean Wyatt

 

 The tradition continues

back row:  Sedona the Jellyfish, Olin the ghost, Rowan as Garth and Chloe as a Monster High Girl

front row:  Jude the Pirate, Ellie as Princess Jasmine, Livi the wench, Elle the lady bug and Wyatt as Thor.

 

I think their haul was about 2 pounds each.

A completely successful Halloween!



I know, I know

yes, yes - it's been awhile

Blogging has just moved to the bottom of my to-do list.

One of the reasons is I decided no more lap-top in front of the TV.  I realized evening TV time is one of the only times during the day where Drew and I get to chat uninterrupted so I moved my lap-top to the front room.  PLUS looking at 2 screens at once isn't good for your eyes - or so I've heard.

Anyway, I know my blogging has slacked.

I really do want to keep up with the blog because it's the only way I am keeping track of the memories of Ellie and Jude's childhood.

And there are A LOT of great moments to remember.

Here is my attempt at catch up:

August

 Visit from sis and nephew! 

Seattle Great Wheel - check

 Champagne toasts - check (of course!)

 

 First Family Volkswagon Camping Trip.

We did it!  I actually camped in the bus.  All 4 of us, warm and cozy (good thing since it poured rain and there was a thunder storm) camping in the bus on Whidbey.  We did go out for dinner instead of cook since there was a burn ban in effect so I guess you could call it glamping
 

SEPTEMBER

 Big news - Ellie started kindergarten!  She was SO excited about her first day and has loved every minute of her first year.  Her teacher is exceptional and we love our school.  Feeling very lucky that her school is walking distance AND that we got PM kindergarten - which means we get to enjoy another year of leisurely mornings!

 Can you believe it?!?  We have a kid in Elementary School!!!

 

 And Jude started Preschool too!

He is in LOOOOVE with Teacher Betsy!

 

 Jude and his buddies - yes Wyatt is mid-pick

 

 At the end of September Drew and I got to sneak away to Lake Tahoe for a wedding.  It was an honor to see Brianne get married.  Brianne and her twin sister, Laurel, were my besties from childhood.  We called ourselves - The Triple Twins

 Drewby playing politician as we killed time before our plane ride home in the capitol city of Reno

 

Oh yeah - and my brother and sister-in-law visited!!!

 Don't these 3 look alike!  Ocampo blood runs deep!

 Sometimes I can't believe our luck - how did ALL our siblings end up on the East Coast???  Such a bummer!  But we sure treasure visits like this!

 

OCTOBER

Fall is here and it's crazy town around here with Halloween and Ellie's 6th Birthday next weekend!!  But the BIG news . . .

Ellie lost her first tooth!

Today at school she wiggled it until it came out.  Now tonight she fell asleep in record time waiting for the tooth fairy to come.

Can NOT believe my baby looks like a big girl with missing teeth

(and no that's not her tooth dangling in the photo but the little package the school nurse gave to her to take her tooth home - she named it "toothy" and is very proud)

 

Until next time . . . hopefully sooner than January . . .