First Comes Love...

Having fun with an old friend of her Mom's! (this was actually Victor's; given to him when he was born, but I'll let it slide)  ;)

Kicked. My. Butt. Yesterday we headed up 90 for a day hike.  We were going to hike Rachel Lake (off Lake Kachess), but decided after a friend's recommendation to check out Lake Annette . It was Abigail's first real hike, and she loved it! ....until we made a pit stop for snack time and she decided it was time to ride on Mommy...and only Mommy. I hadn't planned on packing out the extra weight, but it sure gave me a good workout! Lots of pictures below from the hike up. We made decent time (about an hour and 50 minutes) which included lots of "oh-my-gawd-I'm-about-to-die" moments from yours truly, but the lake at the top was worth every step. We found an inlet and set our blanket out for a picnic lunch while Abigail slept in the shade, and the water was a perfect temperature which allowed us to wade around for a bit as well. As luck would have it, Abigail slept soundly through our time at the lake, s...

Since Abigail is a Mama's girl, Kevin makes it his mission to be the funny one. He's always finding ways to make her laugh  (but how this didn't scare her is beyond me!)

Remember this girl ? I sure do.  I spent the day consumed with thoughts of L&D, and the evening at the Greenwood Seafair Parade , wondering if I'd ever have this baby... hoping she'd come soon, and so very anxious to meet her. Well, as we all know, we were left with no "big news" for the day, but fast forward exactly one year later, and Abigail had some big news to share with us today... Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege and honor to finally, finally, finally announce: we have a crawler!! She's been scooting around for a few months now, but she's finally off her tummy and in full-crawling-mode. Yes, she waited until she was 11.99999 months old, but hey, why the rush when you can get carried everywhere? Nice work Bitsy Girl! Before I know, I'll be cursing the day you started crawling  ;)

This time last year, I was packing my hospital bag in anticipation of Abigail's arrival. Little did I know she would go 10 days past her due date and continue this trend as a laid back, super chill, sleep loving baby (arguably the most laid back baby of all time!) Her most recent pattern has been to stay awake until 10:00 pm and sleeping until 8:00 am. It's great to get a full nights sleep (there I go jinxing myself!), but it's also thrown off any schedule I thought we had. As a result, we've had situations like this: A 7pm (hour long!) nap at dinner... Waiting to fall asleep with the "big kids" at 10pm... And a quick snooze while reading the Bible?  Why not! So for all you first birthday party goers, if she falls asleep face down in her cake, don't be surprised!...

We've got our first word! As far as we can tell "A-Ca!"= Minnie, whereas "Ca!" (the single syllable version) refers to any other cat, and also to dogs  ;) Minnie's not really a fan of her name (...she doesn't like being yelled at every time she walks in the room), but Abigail's sure crazy in love with her Minnie! The expressions on their faces sum it up  :) Maybe next we can work on "Mama"?  :)

Today Kevin and I celebrate our second wedding anniversary! Last year we headed to Alderbrook for the night, but this year (especially since it falls on a Tuesday), we're celebrating with a relaxed, low key evening: dinner at Ray's Boathouse, then back home to watch our wedding video.... all the way through...  Do you find it a little awkward watching yourself on video?  I know I do! *** Kevin,  Today we celebrate us!   The last two years have been a whirlwind, to say the least!  I feel so fortunate to call you my husband, best friend, father to our children, and life partner.  Life isn't always easy (this whole "compromise" thing is interesting.. ;) but there is no one I'd rather share this journey with than you. You make me laugh when I'm taking life too seriously, help me relax and see things more simply, and despite my shortcomings, you love me deeply and with all your heart.   You are my rock, my shelter, and my light. ...

Kevin's company invited employees and their families to the Sounder v. Chelsea match on Wednesday night, so Abigail and I decided to come along. To add more excitement to our little adventure, we rode the bus into town.  It was her first time on a bus and she loved it! (putting us in the socially awkward position of making friends with every semi-homeless person who passed by...) Abigail entertained Kevin's co-workers and made some new friends at pre-game happy hour, then it was off to her first match! I think she had fun... ( I'm dying take her to a Hawk's game this Fall! )  There was quite a lot of stimulation between all the cheering, fireworks, and flags flying but she had her cookies to keep her safe... Then there was the clapping. She really felt a part of the crowd when we would cheer!   She was like:  "oh, we're clapping!  I know this one!" Uncle Victor, you would have been proud! The ...

Watch Me Grow : take 67 , 245 , 342. Our weekly pictures have become a challenge since Abigail finds it increasingly necessary to flip over, crawl away, or generally wreak havoc on "set"  ;) I just finished week 49, which proved the most challenging to date...! Seriously?.... I think she's lost her passion for the arts.   We'll see how the last 3 weeks turn out....

Maybe it was inspired by the burlesque show this weekend, but today Abigail and I decided to add a little   fabulous  to our Tuesday... "Bitz, would Mama look good in a tutu?" I'll take that as a no  ;) *** Happy Tuesday, Y'all.  Hope it was fabulous!

and enough Burlesque to make the bride blush! But I'm getting ahead of myself.... Let's start at the beginning. Annie and Mark are getting married in Redondo Beach this September! While most celebrations  are taking place in LA, I wanted to have a few celebrations for her at home.  So this weekend I hosted a bridal shower and mini-bachlorette party.  Both were a blast! Kevin and Abigail headed for the zoo before the shower started- Kevin dressed her  :) Proud Mama in her new shoes from Gwen! And while they enjoyed the chimp caves, penguins, and giraffes, we sipped champagne, played games, and opened gifts. Annie and her sister, Julie Cheater's corner! Trouble makers We got so wrapped up in the "who knows the bride best" game, that we almost forgot about "pin a kiss on the groom" Pucker up! Classic Kristin! After a quick redirection, she made it Annie practicing for the big day S...