Friday, December 19, 2014

Here I am again

It's been a bit since I blogged. I've really wanted to since it's a wonderful way to document my life, but time has just gotten away from me. I find that long breaks from my blog are a bit like running into a good friend you haven't seen in years. So many things have happened over those years like job changes, bearing children, moving to a different locations- but somehow when they ask you what you've been up to you just say "oh nothing." Meanwhile you always have something new to say to your sister that you talk to 20 times a day. So I'll do my best to treat this blog post like my sister and not the old friend because it's the small details in life that make it beautiful; the singular woven threads that seem to play such a small part but when you stand back, oh what a beautiful tapestry you've created. 

Motherhood is such a roller coaster. I never feel too much animosity at the downs because oh how they make me cherish the ups. Yesterday was a hard day. Although I hate to complain when I think of the struggles of so many others, still I say to myself what I say to others who have the same comment- just because someone else is going through something really hard doesn't diminish the fact that what you are doing is hard for you. A couple days ago I was up late with Elijah because he would not let me put him down! I went to bed around 2 am. Olive woke up screaming at like 3ish, thankfully Kc went and took care of it, but then she woke up a few hours later screaming again (she normally gets up closer to 8 or 830.) I went and got her and pulled her into bed with us. Apparently being in bed with Mom and Dad is too much fun, so I decided to get up with her and start the day. I was so exhausted and I had a tired two year old. To make it worse little Elijah decided to not sleep all day unless I was holding him. It made for a frustrating morning that required a lot of caffeine (don't worry Elijah got my extra spare milk from downstairs, and not the spiked version.) Days like these are rare but hard none the less. It's difficult when I know the best way for my day to flow well- but I just can't quite get there! Sometimes I just can't get Olive to get dressed, and I can't put the baby down long enough to help her. Sometimes I can't get myself dressed and it's just hard to make it all come together. Often you just have to submit to the demands of life.

The next day however was a good one and put us back in our routine of getting out and about and feeling that we can conquer the world. I love going places with Olive, she makes my life so much more fun and interesting. In the morning we ran some errands and Olive's observations of her surroundings make even things like grocery shopping seem like a trip though the Safari. She is constantly gasping and pointing out things all over the place. Then we went home for some quiet time, and despite the fact that Olive couldn't quite bring herself to take a nap, it was ok because Elijah thought he would pay us back from the day before and sleep for a while so that Olive and I could make cookies together. I love having her in the kitchen with me, it's something I have really looked forward to, and while I can count on half the ingredients ending up on the floor I can't tell you how happy it makes the two of us to be cooking together. Olive gets so giddy and she puts her hands on her face and shakes with excitement when I let her dump things in the bowl. It's the best feeling. 

I've been wanting to jot down my "Olive update" because she changes so much everyday and you think you can't forget those little things they do that are so special, but sadly sometimes you do! Olive has the same general ritual when we go to bed, but everyday there is some new twist to it. Generally after brushing her teeth (sometimes we also brush the teeth of various toys and stuffed animals,) we go in her room to read some books before bed. She gather her books and makes a neat stack by me, then she gathers her prefered animals for the night (most often the kangaroo or giraffe.) I sit on the floor and she lays with her head in my lap and hands me the books. I can NOT pick up the book, if I do she says "no" and grabs it out of my hand, sets it down, then picks it back up again to hand to me. Sometimes she is more into the ritual than the actual books and she gets up several times to rearrange the stack or gather new animals or instruct me on something or other. Recently she demands that I tickle her head or tummy with one hand while I read and she turns the pages for me. After we read Olive dumps a bunch of random things in her crib and we say prayers together. We give each other "kiss-o's" where she grabs my face with her two hands and plants one on my mouth, then she says "hugs" and we give each other a big hug and say "love you." It's a routine and ritual I will miss so much when she is older. 

She has little phrases that she always says like "oh no, what happened" as she shakes her head (even if she caused "what happened.") She often asks me to "hold you (me)" or "help you (me,)" and she does sometimes correctly use me instead of you, but not always. She is always reading a book or playing with her animals in an animated fashion and she likes to make them fly and ride on each other's backs a lot. She likes to say no a lot, but is quite easily talked into whatever it is she said no to. She still has that beautiful hair and bright blue eyes and charms everyone no matter where she goes. 

Elijah will start to get updates soon but for now he is a good baby most of the time. He likes to be held (like all babies) and is very contented when we pick him up. He sleeps pretty well through the nights with his feedings every 3 or 4 hours. I really try to get out with them in the morning if I can because he sleep so well on the go in the car or in the stroller, and when I bring him back home he tends to stay asleep in the car seat when he otherwise would want for me to hold him. He makes our lives complete and we are so happy to have him. 

I pray that everyone is doing well this Christmas Season. Here is our Christmas card this year.  We wish we could send it to everyone we know, but if you didn't get it know that we are thinking of you all. 

Merry Christmas.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

A Mother of Two.

It's Saturday, it's raining outside, both the babes are asleep, the dishes are done (not that I really ever care about my dishes,) and I've got a piping hot cup of almond steamed milk in my hand- so it seems like the perfect time to catch up on my blogging. 

Elijah is three weeks old and while that is really like nothing it's also like WHAT he is already 3 weeks old! Life is so crazy when you step back to look at it once in a while, and here is what I think so far about life with two kids... it's not been that hard! (but check back with me when he is a crawling toddler eating everything in sight and stealing Olive's toys.) Nature is so wonderful because things happen in stages so that we can adapt and be ready for the next stage when it comes, and I think the reason is has not been so hard is because I really prepared for the worst and expected it to be REALLY hard and so now I'm like hmmm not so bad. I mean the whole sleep depravation thing, I got that down! My body has had to go through so many sleep adjustments in the past 5 years that at this point it's just like whatever- I'll take what I can get! Elijah sleeps through the night (besides those feedings every few hours,) and he isn't super fussy, and when he is I just pick him up and he immediately calms down. I had thought this would be hard with Olive, but I find it relatively easy to hold the baby in one hand and play make pretend or read a book with the other. 

Miss Olive is about on the same terms with Elijah since he was born. She doesn't seem to mind him at all, but she doesn't want to cozy up with the kid either. I love to watch her personality and see how she deals with things. Honestly though I've been really impressed with the patience she has shown when I tell her she has to wait a minute or two while I feed or change the baby. I always try to involve her as much possible, she loves to tell me when he is crying and grab his binky or a diaper for me (I'm sure she is probably thinking "the faster we deal with this situation the faster my mom can get to playing with me.") I'm really careful to follow through with everything that I tell her because she is good to wait when I tell her I will just be a few minutes. She is a good big sister. 

As far as everything goes for me I feel like this change of pace has given me a lot of time to reflect on so many things. Being pregnant, working, and taking care of Olive I didn't really have any spare time to collect my thoughts. I've always been a person who likes to have a lot of things going on with very little down time and I think I've realized that even more since having this baby. I realized that while working the hours that I do is really hard because it gives me little time for anything else during the day and often leaves me quite exhausted, it's something that I really enjoy and I would love to continue to do for as long as I can. It also reaffirmed what I already knew which is that I don't like to be indoors very much. I like to live outside my house as much as possible otherwise I start to go a little crazy! Hand in hand with that I had always thought my house would be more tidy if I just had the time, I'm realizing this is not exactly true. I admire and am slightly jealous of those people that have houses that are always in order, but I've just accepted I will never be one of them (don't worry I am not like a borderline hoarder or anything, I just don't have an immaculate house.) There are so many other things I would rather be doing that bring me so much more joy, and while I really do try to keep my house as clean as I possibly can, I just know it will never be a priority to me and I'm slowly starting to be ok with that. Lastly, I don't really know that my heart has ever been so full (hormones can sometimes be a good thing.) Kc has been so kind, and we are all just so happy to be a family of four. I've had some hard moments (just like everyone does,) but all in all, I'd say the world feels pretty great right now.










Also I finished the last Christmas Stocking for baby Elijah just in time for Christmas! So much focus on my fireplace makes me REALLY want to fix it up... oh well, add that to the list! All in due time. 






Monday, November 3, 2014

Elijah Chick Atkinson.

I started this blog with the purpose of keeping personal journal. I left it public in hopes that my friends and family would enjoy reading about our life experiences, some of my thoughts, or maybe even some of my current projects. The reason I say this is because what I am about to share is my personal birth story, and since I really have no way of knowing who reads this blog I thought I would give you a warning that is may not be something that everyone will want to read. I also don't want to give the impression that the manner in which someone chooses to give birth is something I have a strong opinion about, I simply record it here for my remembrance. 
(Skip to the bottom for a brief "post birth" synopsis and some pictures.)

Elijah's Birth Story.

I had decided for this birth I wanted to go "natural" as they call it, or in other words without an epidural. There are a lot of reasons for this, but really I just wanted to experience child labor (crazy as that sounds.) I really didn't do too much to prepare, I felt that my yoga practice would really loan itself to the relaxation and breathing techniques that are needed during labor, and I read some highlights out of  a birthing book in order to be aware of what my overall expectations should be. I also asked my yoga instructor to be my "doula" of sorts to help coach me through labor. 

My due date was on the 27th of October, and I had anticipated that the baby would come early. My mother drove down from Washington on friday morning to stay with me and help take care of Olive and any of our needs when the baby came. The 27th came and went, and my mother had only planned to stay for a week. To be honest I really felt ok, I didn't feel this urge to get the baby out or anything but at this point the anticipation was killing me (especially since I had thought he would come early) and my mom was here to help me and so I really felt pressure to get the baby out while I had her help. At my appt on the 29th my midwife asked me if I wanted my membranes stripped. I wasn't really sure if this was something that I wanted but she made me feel really comfortable about it and said most people have their babies within 24 hours so I said go ahead. True to her word I started to have consistent contractions within the hour. 

Things didn't get "painful" until maybe about 7 or 8 in the evening. Kc put Olive to bed and I laid in our bed for a bit letting the contractions come. Later on I decided to get in the bathtub. I put a bunch of oils in there and KC helped me get comfortable and put on a movie for me. After a bit the contractions seemed to be more painful and closer together so I decided to get out and time them. I had mentally decided that I wouldn't allow myself to feel that the contractions were very painful because I knew it was going to get worse and I wanted to feel like I could handle it when it did. I really felt like I was doing ok. Kc and I timed the contractions and they were about 2 to 3 minutes apart so we decided we better go into the hospital. I text my friend Brittany to come meet us at the hospital and we headed over. I told the nurse I was going to try to deliver without medication, and she checked to see how dilated I was- she said I was about a 5 plus and I can't remember how effaced, maybe 60 percent? I could tell my friend Brittany felt a little unsure of what to do when she arrived as she had never done anything like this before, but she quickly found her groove and started to apply oils, ask me what my needs were, and apply pressure or comfort where needed. When I reached about a 7 they asked me if I wanted my water to be broken. It retrospect I think possibly I should not have had it broken, but I thought it would speed up the labor and I also thought it was a pretty standard thing to do. I said I would get in the bath tub and when the midwife got there she would break it. I got in the tub and it was so comfortable. I was in there with just my husband. Both he and I were falling asleep in between contractions, until one of them woke me up and I woke him up by putting a death grip on his hand. This tub was a lot better than ours at home and it helped relieve my violent shakes and soothed the urge to vomit (since I had already done enough of that at home.)

The midwife came in and asked if I was ready, but I told her that I really needed more time in there. She said she would give me about 10 more minutes. I think they were concerned that I was getting close. When I got out I think I was at about an 8, and then they broke my water. After that I got to a 9 pretty quickly and the baby started to move into transition, and that's when things hit the fan and I pretty much turned into a crazed lunatic. The pain hadn't really seemed to exist before this, and I started to panic and lose all of the control I had had during the whole labor. In my mind I felt that I could still do it because I thought it wouldn't be too much longer because I know when the pain gets this bad you are getting close. Despite the fact that I started shouting "I can't do this, I can't do this!" I still thought that I could do it because my midwife had said she thought the baby would be out in 20 minutes and that I should tell her when I felt the urge to push, but the urge to push wasn't coming! I had small moments of courage, like when they said "it's the last leg of your marathon!" I thought ok I've run a marathon, I can do this. And when I screamed out "I can't do this!" Brittany looked me in the eye and said "but you are, you are doing this." In those moments I felt that I could hold on a little longer, but I felt myself fading fast. After an hour I was still at a 9! I could tell my midwife felt awful because she had told me that the baby would be here already and he wasn't, I thought I could do it when I thought he was coming soon but at this point I had no idea how much longer I would be in this kind of pain! It was already a lot longer than I had anticipated. I was trying to do what they told me to do, I was trying to relax, but the contractions were so painful and they were right on top of each other. There were 4 or 5 women surrounding me and doing everything they could to help me and root for me. I didn't want to disappoint myself or any of them but the experience didn't seem worth it at this point. I asked if it was possible to get an epidural. They were not really sure if I would be able to get one, and they said that even if I did it might take 20 minutes to work and the baby might be here by then. I didn't care. Kc was worried I wouldn't be able to hold still since I was in so much pain. The anesthesiologist approved the epidural and they put me in position. The women were trying to hold me into place and the doctor was doing his best to swiftly administer the medication. Relief slowing came, and I was able to relax for a bit before it was time to push. 

Elijah came out quickly and the midwife said "he has red hair!" Kc and I were like, are you kidding me? haha He actually doesn't really have red hair, but if you shine the light directly on his head (like the light was when he came out) you can see a hint of red. We'll see if that comes out when his hair grows longer, or if it fades away. She put him on my lap, and all was well with the world. 


It retrospect I had thought I would be really disappointed in myself for getting so close and not making it quite to the end, but surprisingly I wasn't. It stopped being a good experience for me, and I felt like I had lost control. Also, in way I feel like I did do it even though I didn't quite get to push him out. I made it to the most painful part of the delivery and stayed there for quite a bit, I just think my body was too tense at that point to allow the rest of the delivery to continue to flow easily. I got what I needed right when  needed it and from start to finish it was a good birthing experience. I appreciated my husband and his efforts to help me through the birthing process at home. It was wonderful to see and feel his love in those moments where I really needed him. It was something that he didn't really understand my desire to do, and I know he feels like women really put way too much pressure on one another to birth a certain way- but he supported my decision anyways. I am such an independent women, and I really feel like I should ask for help more often than I do- so it was a beautiful experience for me to let go of everything and ask Kc for anything I needed, instead of trying to do it myself. I feel like it has been these types of moments in our marriage, moments where one of us has shown our deepest vulnerabilities that we are able to rely solely on the other and it brings deep meaning and understanding for one another and it strengthens the deepest roots of our marriage. 

I also think in birth it's good to stay in control of your body for as long as you can, however long that is. Allowing myself to feel the process and work with it was something really good for me, and when the time came that it was working against me I found another alternative. Afterwards talking to kc  about his thoughts on the experience he told me that he thought "wow, she went through all that pain and then she got the epidural, she could have had it all along!" I see why he feels this way, but I disagree. I felt like if I was going to get it, I did it at the perfect time. I was able to experience everything until the end, which is what I wanted to experience, childbirth! The epidural was late enough to just take away the harshest of pain without completely taking away my ability to feel or push; things that can sometimes hinder the speed of the delivery. 

From start to finish it was a wonderful experience and I achieved the things that were most important to me in a natural birth. I'm hoping to try again with my next baby, but life has a way of throwing you curve balls so I won't put any pressure or expectations on myself to have things go a certain way. That doesn't help anybody. I just know this experience was a thousand times better than the one I had with Olive, and for that I am truly grateful. And, I would definitely recommend Orem Community to anyone, it was a great hospital! 

P.S. ( In case you are wondering, Bon Iver is the best music to listen to during labor.)

Post Birth.

When Olive was born they took her away almost immediately and told me they would bring her back in an hour, but then they never brought her back. My midwife knew about the previous birth experience and was very aware and sensitive to my feelings. I was very appreciative of that. She made sure the baby stayed with me for as long as I wanted with little interference. It was so weird to get to have Elijah stay with me after birth since it was so different than before, but oh it so wonderful. 

Kc and I have just been overjoyed to have this new little person home with us. We love him so so much, and just can't stop kissing him. At the hospital Olive seemed to have little interest in this new little person. She wasn't mad, she just didn't really care. We would say, "would you like to hold him?" and she said "ummm no." Since being home Olive has taken a little more interest in him. I have her help me change his diaper, which of course he hates, and so she offers him some of her toys when he cries and she will try to put the binky in his mouth. Those have been our sweetest tender moments. She doesn't seem to get jealous of him, but he doesn't really take too much attention from her for the time being- he just sleeps and eats. It's only been a couple days, but so far life as a family of four has been pretty seamless. Just trying to figure out our new rhythms... and get my body back to normal :) We are all feeling very happy, and very blessed. Thanks to all the wonderful family who have visited us and shown your love and support. 







Proud Mom and Dad.


Some of our favorite visitors. 




I had to leave the hospital early because I really wanted to take the cutest little kitty in the whole world trick or treating. I had no regrets about this decision. 




And then there were four.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

My Day with Olive.

I just wanted to do a short blog post about my day with Olive today, even though it wasn't anything extra special or out of the ordinary, I know these are the types of days I am going to miss the most when she grows up, so here's a little post to remember these fleeting moments.

I came home from work and she had pooped, which is less common these days for her to do in the morning so I thought I would take a shower with her. We've been doing that lately. She sits in the back of the tub and plays with her toys. She's so animated and she loves her ducks and for me to grab the "mommy" one and talk to her with it. Then we got out and put on our robes and thought we'd watch a little of tangled before breakfast. Sometimes that's a good idea, ya know? Then I asked her if she wanted eggs, and she said, k. She has this thing lately where she says what she wants and I repeat back to her what she said (or what I think she said) and she responds to me, k, in her little voice. Which is her way of saying, yes. I love it so much. Then we got dressed and went to buy her some shoes for the fall/winter since we only really have sandals right now and rain boots that she is slowing growing out of (NOOO!) I took her to the store and she was just so good and sweet and loved trying on the shoes and was being such a good listener. Oh man, that girl! Then we went to Costco and got a couple things. We chatted the whole time and stayed long enough to get lots of yummy samples for lunch time. Then we went to Starbucks because my vice this pregnancy has been their double chocolate chip frappacino (you have to try it!) Olive got a vanilla milk and we sat at the table and enjoyed our drinks and talking with the barista. Then we got in the car and came home. It was close to nap time but I let Olive play a little outside. I asked her to do something and she lost it, so I knew I had pushed it too long! I went into her room and saw the cat in her crib. I said Olive look how silly it is that the cat is in your bed! She immediately stopped crying and started to laugh and ran in her room. We got her blankets, read one book, and then we both crawled into her crib. I tickled her back and tummy and her head, and within minutes she was asleep. 

After her nap we just played and played. We like to play this game where she heats up her play food in the microwave in her little kitchen and then she hands it to me and I bounce it like a hot potato and say "oh no! That's so hot!" She just laughs and laughs at that. Then we went on a little bike ride and feed the horses across the street some grass. Then Daddy came home and you know the rest of the night was just inside eating, talking, and being silly. Olive likes to do this thing with her Daddy where she sticks out her fingers like frankenstein and says "I'm going to get you" and she runs up to Dad and just hits him (her simulation of tickling.) She always makes me join in (and sometimes I take the chance to give Dad some real tickles.) She will do this for hours if you let her. She gets so silly when Dad's around right before her bed time.

I think I have been reflecting on this day not only because it was a good day, but because I know I don't have many more where it's just Olive and I. I think it's going to be tough on both of us to divide my attention, and while I am so excited to welcome a new baby into our home I am also really savoring this last little time of just the two of us. I love that little girl, I just love her so much. 










(The faces Olive makes when she can see herself in the camera.)

Thursday, October 2, 2014

New Blanket for Baby Boy



Well, I did it again. Knitted something that I'm not 100% in love with- typical. I always end up feeling like I didn't nail the colors like I wanted to. I really need to get a color specialist or something. Someone I trust will pick the right colors for me so I can knit it without stressing about how it will all look in the end. Stephanie Cirac? Anyways here it is! My knitted blanket for baby boy. I didn't think it would take so long but I took breaks from it and I ALWAYS forget how long it takes to stitch things together (when you do a project that requires it.) I always swear every time after I do a project that requires a lot of stitching that I will never do it again... but then I always do. It's a knitters life for me. 









Olive decided when I was photographing the blanket that it looked just too inviting not to sit on. That's the point right? :)




Here is my brief tutorial on this blanket. I used this pattern from Martha Stewart as a guideline. I used measurements based on some of the baby knit blankets on purlbee, the end blanket seems to be about 28" by 30". I cast on 130 stitches total (based on the purlbee blankets) and I knew that I wanted the length to be about 30" so I mapped out what I wanted the width of each piece to be. (I roughly copied the width and length of each individual piece based on portions similar to the Martha pattern, but you can do whatever you want!) I drew out a little map of the lengths, widths, and color combinations and then I just followed my little map! Then after I had knitted all the pieces I stitched them together with basically a loose mattress stitch to show contrast, weaved in my ends, and I was done! Whew. Unless you are stressed about stitching together at the end, I would recommend this to anyone, even beginner knitters! You feel accomplished when you make each piece (which doesn't take too long) and then you get to see it all come together in the end! 

So there you have it! Happy knitting! 
(Or whatever you fancy.)

Side note: Weaving in and using a contrast yarn can be hard because there is no where to hide loose yarn, but what is nice about this blanket is that haphazard loose stitch looks really good so don't try to worry about making it look too perfect- it will give you lots of allowance later on, trust me.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Hello Seattle.

Every summer I head back to the place I will always call "home." I grew up in the greater Seattle area, just north of the city. I look forward to it every year for a million reasons, but mostly because I love to be at my parents home and you just can't beat summers in Seattle. You just can't. They live on five acres with lots of trees, horses, chickens, a bountiful garden, and a huge yard with a trampoline and play space. It's basically paradise for a two-year-old. They also live on something called the pipeline where pipes run underground. It's a dirt road that can't be driven on and it stretches as far as Seattle in one direction and just as far in the other direction. It is the perfect place for blackberry picking, finding secret trails, and meeting beautiful dogs and horses (also paradise for a two-year-old.) Within an hour of being home Olive had fed the horse about 50 apples, threw old raspberries to chickens (they go crazy for this,) gathered eggs, picked fresh tomatoes, beans, and berries from the garden, jumped on the trampoline, and ran up and down the whole length of my parents long and beautiful driveway. And then it was time for bed. She was in heaven (and as you can imagine bedtime did not go down so well.)

I think I only took Olive from the house a couple times in the whole 8 days I was there! There was really no reason to leave the house, especially when she was so happy there. Everyday was a new adventure. Olive finally got to drive a riding lawn mower (she has been pretending to drive one for 30 minutes every time we go to Home Depot or Lowes,) my mom took us for a ride in the dump part of the tractor, she rode horse with me, grandma, and by herself and got to stay on for as long as she wanted (I kept asking her if she wanted to get off just to hear her say Uh-uh,) and we took long walks on the pipeline so we could talk to all the dogs and horses, pick berries, and just enjoy being together and watching the hot air balloons pass by every night. Olive and I did one day out at Mukulteo Lighthouse Beach with my sister where we went out on the dock and watched fisherman come in, practiced our balancing on driftwood, took a short ferry ride, chased lots of seagulls and pigeons, and ate fresh fish and chips from Iver's near the pier. Next time I'll be better to go at low tide so we can also catch all the beautiful starfish and marine life in the ocean. 

As for me it was just what I needed at 34 weeks pregnant. Rest, relaxation, and my Mom. I slept 8 hours straight, which I don't think I have done since before Olive was born, and I spent lots of time talking to both my parents about life. It was a good change of pace. My sister and I normally head up to Seattle in July when her kids get out of school, but this year there were lots of conflicts at that time and besides it was my TEN YEAR REUNION this week so I came home in September instead. I think I need to start coming back around this time every year because it's the best time to be in Seattle. My ten year reunion was a blast, loved seeing and talking to everyone there. Kc flew in for the weekend to come with me which I loved. We got to take Olive to Gasworks park during the day and watch all the hydroplanes take off from the ocean, and it was fun to have him get a glimpse of my high school days and meet everyone and have him by my side the whole night. I also started my last year of my 20's while I was there! A little surreal, but not really feeling any different today than I did a week ago at 28. :) 

All in all my trip was oh so lovely. I will be reminiscing on it for a bit, especially since it was my last trip before baby comes and we all have to adjust and learn how to have an extra person in the home. So scared/excited for that transition! As always you can't have a blog post without some pictures! Here is what I caught on my phone while I was home. One day I am going to hire a photographer to follow me around my house to capture all the beautiful things I can't capture myself. 
One day. 









All in a day's work.









 Olive rode the horse by herself, with mom, and grandma. Is she the luckiest kid ever?


My mom hand in hand with Olive makes my heart happy.




 Around this house the tractor rides come from the grandma (I mean this grandma's been riding a tractor since she was 5, so she's pretty legit.)


Is it ok to wake surf at 8 months prego? Welp... did it anyways! (Don't worry I was fine.)


Miss bossy pants checking to make sure I am following her lead.




At Gas Works Park. These ducks quickly left after they realized Olive was throwing rocks, not food at them.



Our friend Tomiko let Olive have control of her dog, which made Olive think she was the Queen of the world. You can't quite make it out but the above picture is her taking the dog to the swing set where she eventually gave up control of the dog when she realized he could not climb up the stairs to go down the slide with her.
 






This sweet old man was feeding pigeons out of his hand, it seemed to be something out of a story book. It made me think about how every one brings some small good into this world in their own way. 



What Olive did when I told her we were leaving the beach.


Guess you are a true Seattle native when you pass up the fish and chips on the wharf for some delicious oysters and chips mmmmm mmmmmm.


And that about sums it up.