Scenes from the hospital

In the short life that is Waverly's, it seems like so much has happened over the last 11 days. Being in the hospital seems like forever ago but really not even two weeks!
Friends and family made their way to greet Waverly in her early hours. Rob and I also got some quality time alone and with her, which was oh so wonderful.

Another farm visit

Our good friends the Martins are also soon welcoming a little girl. We went to their shower over Memorial Day weekend, which was out at Deanna's parents place. Macadam loved it. Not only could he and Natalia play and run around but there were also horses and a tractor.

Tons of photos but here are some faves.

Shower for the little lady

Last month our dear friends threw us a lovely co-ed shower down in Portland. It was so much fun to see friends and their kids as well as have Macadam and baby girl Faw's grandparents to share in the special event. Mac had a blast running around with all the kids and the adults, well we just let them run around:). We had a great time spending a night downtown and celebrating with friends from Seattle for a delightful Mother's Day too!

Here are some pics, the first few being from Macadam's morning time at Friendship Farms. Can't say no to a tractor!

You're hilarious! No, you are!

While there are a ton of fun pictures from our outings over the weekend, I had to post this series of Macadam and Henry. Henry's parents and I went to U of O together and live in Redmond but we definitely do not see each other enough. Henry and Mac are just two weeks apart in age and Henry recently welcomed a baby sister, Reese, in March. Needless to say, they have a lot in common. We met over at the Microsoft campus since they have a pretty sweet venue for rainy weekends and kids. The boys warmed up to each other and then spent the next two hours playing soccer, biking, scooting, running, jumping, crashing, you name it, while we adults chatted and admired the sweet cuddle bug that is Reese.

One of my favorite moments was the below - Macadam and Henry went back and forth pretend laughing and then laughing for real. Hilarity really did ensue. I think there was even some knee slapping for effect. Thank goodness for the free bevs on campus since these kids worked up a sweat with all the playing! And of course, one at the end of Reese - she's so cute and it was great to see into a window of life with a boy and baby girl!

Fun eastward

We recently returned from a very fun trip to Michigan. I've never gone somewhere where so many people leading up to the trip ask, "Why would you want to go there?!" Well, we just happen to have lovely cousins and friends who live there and thankfully, only an hour apart from each other. While it was chilly chilly, it was very sunny, which made outings and packing much easier.
Macadam had an absolute blast and so did Rob and I. Getting to see John, Tracy, Miles and the newly minted Benjamin was such a treat. We had plenty of laughs, late nights and good times watching the toddlers play and getting drunk off the new baby smell of Ben:). We learned that the best way to get away from people is to go to the Detroit Zoo on a 30 degree day. Not only did we have the whole place to ourselves, they let us close it down an hour late. Miles and Mac had fun checking out all the animals and while the photos below would say otherwise, no, the guys and boys were not going for a bloods and crips theme in outdoor attire:).

After Rochester Hills, we headed to Ann Arbor to visit Shannon and Bobby who are living there while Bobby, or Silly Guy as Macadam called him, is in his PhD program at Univ. of Michigan. For several years I have wanted to go to a deli and store there called Zingerman's. When we found out the Yuens were moving there, I was excited that a future visit would mean getting to try it. I can say now that it was worth every minute of Rob and Bobby standing in line for an hour:). Seriously though, best sandwich and cold brew coffee ever! The food and fun didn't stop or begin there though. Macadam's still asking about where his cousins and Shannon and Bobby live, which we point to at night on his globe.

Shannon and Bobby also gave us a mini urban ruins tour of Detroit. It is one of the most haunting cities I've ever seen. The mass exodus has definitely left its mark and while part of you wants to go buy a building for dirt cheap, it also makes a strong case for how lucky you are to live in a place where people want to be and, for the most part, thrive. However, there are definitely some areas where renewal is around the corner.

Mostly, the trip was a wonderful reminder about how distance definitely makes it hard to see each other but the bonds of family and friends surpass it all. We came back relaxed, refreshed and thankful!

Of course we took a bunch of pictures so it's a slideshow. Definitely some keepers!
If you can't see the slideshow in the box, click here.

Snowy getaway

It's taken me way too long to get this post together but at least I am caught up with photos on Flickr. Last month, we went on a trip to Whistler with friends and although the snow was wetter than we'd like, it was a very fun-filled weekend with three pregnant women, their men, two little ones and four dogs. Can you say full house? Luckily, the place was spacious and the kids and the adults got out to play in the snow. Macadam was way more into building a snow fort and snowmen than sledding. Now that we're back home, he just wants to make frosty snowmen with barkdust since we don't have snow. The cold weather tour continues this month with a trip to Michigan and then Denver for me and college friends. I think warmer latitudes will be in order very soon!

Meet the gang

In the last couple of months Macadam has grown in his love and knack for naming things. Mostly his toys. Some of them are quite obvious choices and others, well they're pretty fantastic and comical. The most recent collection of names includes these mugs.

Clockwise from left - the dogs; two of the more creative animal friendlies named; and the best - a bounty hunter/safari man and Mac's younger sibling!

Weekend away

We recently had our first weekend sans our little man (little men if you count Buster). It was fun, relaxing and very strange to not have him with us for two days. We're still not sure why it took us two plus years, but timing was finally right. We stayed at one of our favorite (okay mine) hotels, shopped, went out to dinner, and saw wonderful friends of which we don't get to see nearly enough. Our camera battery was on the fritz so photos are few.

Macadam had a fantastic time playing inside and out while at the farm. He may have missed us at some point, we still can't be sure.

Happy New Year!

We had a lovely evening ringing in the new year with our good friends and it continued this morning with a walk on one of the most beautiful of cold, winter mornings. Macadam loved having the Mastans sleep over. His first words this morning (after he pretended to be sleeping by fake snores) was, "Where Ali go?" He was delighted when I said they were downstairs.
We think 2011 is going to be a good one, and wish the same to all of our wonderful friends and family.

O, Christmas Tree

A best laid plan. We'd originally been scheduled to head out into the wintery wonderland of wilderness with some good friends and chop down a tree with a permit, followed by sledding and roasting things over a fire. The weather and our immune systems had other plans. Instead, we made the most of a record rainfall and had our friends over for a delicious brunch and then headed to Swanson's for reindeer, a camel, miniature donkey and koi. Those are the four animals you think of for Christmas, right:)? Macadam and Natalia loved it. Afterwards we made a game of looking for pinecones in a local park and then headed to support our local boy scout troop by buying our tree from them.

It turned out to be such a fun day and we stayed relatively dry and were close to home. By the evening the tree was dry and we started the trimming. Mac helped this year with hanging ornaments and so far does more to keep them on there than take them off.

Here are some fun shots from the day!

Backtracking

While I was getting caught up on our Flickr photos I realized I never posted photos from our trip to San Francisco back in October. One of my dearest friends from college, Kathleen, married her fantastic man Chris and we were there to celebrate the beautiful occasion. One top of that, we had an extra day or two in one of our favorite cities, saw Pat and Megan as well as more time with college folks.

Macadam had a blast chasing the birds at the Ferry building and waterfront, sampling our favorite bakery Tartine, as well as exploring Golden Gate park and hanging out with his new friend, Anna Badger who was just three months old when we were there. Since there are a ton, but many great, of photos, I've put the link to the slide show below.

More festivities

After celebrating Mac's birthday with his friends, we entered a weekend of non-stop family and friends. In addition to getting to see all his grandparents, Macadam also got to see his cousins, Aunt, Uncle, Olivia and Ryan as well as have an extra play date with his buddy Jack. He had so much fun, and was spoiled to the nines. It was so nice to have so many of those close to us celebrate him!

It's still slideshows galore as we get caught up, but there's some very cute moments caught on film.

Really, he's two?

 We are almost in a constant state of disbelief around here that Macadam is two now. Every age and stage has been a favorite for me but this new age of super chatty, super active and super opinionated is easily vying for one of the best yet. Macadam constantly has us in stitches with his humor, conversational skills and undying desire to do things "by me" which is Macadamese for let me do it on my own. The independence days have arrived as you can get him to do practically anything if the alternative is you carrying him:).
September 3rd marked his second birthday and it wasn't but within a week where it seemed he was saying new things, more things, and just all around blossoming. He loved getting to celebrate with a few of his small friends and then individual time with grandparents (will post those photos soon).

Some of Mac's favorite things at the ripe old age of two:
Trucks - mainly garbage (garbee) but not terribly discrimantory
Horses - everything can be turned into a stick horse
Music - guitars, his new keyboard, castanets, you name it, such as a parent's head, is a musical instrument
Feed the Frog - his favorite band, which plays at the Ballard Farmers Market
Sports - football, soccer, basketball, all sports. He dragged me six blocks the other week just to go to his favorite sports bar (slightly frightening) aka our favorite family friendly happy hour spot which plays sports
Hugs and kisses
1,2,3 - Go! - A fun game which consists of him running back and forth between the kitchen and living room or any space really
Tuck tuck - being tucked in
Please and thank you - seriously crowning achievement on the parental list for us right now
Little Bear - recently edged out Elmo for favorite weekly tv time
Shoes - I think it's hazard of Rob's job but this kid knows shoes and loves wearing them:)
Stalling tactics - he knows what's coming and works out ways to delay such things as bedtime, diaper changes and leaving fun places
I'll post more pics from the weekend soon!

Seventy-five days

That's how long it's taken me to get photos uploaded from our very fun trip to Ocean Shores back in February. Our friends, the Martins, were nice enough to invite us for a weekend in a perfect place for six adults, three toddlers and three dogs. It was a weekend full of happy and small feet going pitter patter, good food, the beach and quality time with friends. The weather was equal parts stormy and sunny. Still not sold on the Washington coast over the Oregon coast but maybe it just depends on the company you keep...
The slideshow is long but there are some wonderful moments between Mac, Lila and Natalia. Watching three toddlers interact is something else.

Snowy getaway

A few weeks ago we went to the Methow Valley in Washington and man, was it beautiful. We had a wonderful time with good friends and a cozy setting. Maris, Mac and I went snowshoeing while the boys stayed back with the dogs. Macadam had a blast, as did Buster. We can't wait to return when we're all feeling super healthy.

Backtrack part 1: Thanksgiving

Living where we live, being healthy and having wonderful people in our lives has long been reason enough to be thankful. Yet when you add an adorable, sweet, charming and rambunctious son into the equation, there are hardly words for how lucky we truly are. Like most Thanksgivings, we stuck close to home and enjoyed a day of good food, drink and movies. We had good friends over to share the day and it was a fantastic way to enter the holiday season.

Here he comes

Just a few shots from our 2nd annual Christmas tree venture (more photos soon). Couldn't help myself - if this doesn't make your Monday a little easier, it's hard to know what will:).