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  1. Picnics & Ferries

    May 20, 2013 by Katie

    While I would LOVE to live much closer to family (can’t tell ya how jealous I am of you if you can call the grandparents over for babysitting or dinner on a moments’ notice), there’s something special about having an entire long weekend together where they get to see how Elise eats, sleeps & plays.

    And let’s be honest—the sleeping in, being alone in the bathroom, and not having to make breakfast or change some diapers for several days is a nice perk too.

    This month, we had two separate weekends of such wonderfulness. Nana & Papa Idaho visited a couple weekends ago and then Nana & Papa Kansas were here last weekend. We got a picnic lunch, picked them up from the bus station, and went right to nearby Kelsey Creek Park to soak up the nice weather.

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    They have a farm too! Probably not exciting for Nana & Papa, but it was for Elise.

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    Friday evening was the first night of the Juanita summer markets, so we all braved the crowd and enjoyed the food & playground.

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    {if Elise shares her berries with you, then you know she really likes you.} 

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    Apparently we were in the market mood, because Saturday we went to another farmer’s market and enjoyed seeing all the local vendors and eating some shave ice.

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    …and then about 2 seconds later I learned my lesson in wearing a white shirt around a toddler with bright red food coloring.

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    Todd and I had other plans/parties to attend in the afternoon, so it was nice to be able to leave Elise at home for her afternoon nap and then head out to the nearby beach for an evening splash-around  (when I say ‘beach’, it’s on a giant lake, not the ocean).

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    I don’t even remember the last time I actually got to spend Mother’s Day with my mom (probably was back in 2007 before I moved out here), so that was a really special treat to get to hug my mom and tell her Happy Mother’s Day in person. And of course, share the day with the little girl who made me a mommy.

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    Ha, what a perfect picture! I love that sassy little girl….the attitude is what’s quite a bit more difficult to love.

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    We finished out their stay with my dad’s (and probably Elise’s too) favorite thing to do out here—a bus ride downtown and a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island and back.

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    If only airline travel was as easy and fun as ferry travel, we’d see the Nanas & Papas a lot more.

    In the meantime, we’ll just keep enjoying their visits until ferries can fly. Looks like our house is visitor-free until July, so if you’re looking for a wonderful vacation spot this summer, let me know. Elise likes to entertain. :)


  2. Too Cute Thursday

    May 16, 2013 by Katie

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    {sunny cutie with Nana & Poppy.}


  3. Too Cute Thursday

    May 9, 2013 by Katie

    IMG_0835_2{intensity.}


  4. Stampeding Elephants

    May 8, 2013 by Katie

    I realized that other than posting pictures of Elise (usually just on Thursdays), I haven’t given an update on her in awhile. In fact, I haven’t done one since January and then I guess I stopped doing her monthly updates. Whoops. Not that you probably care, but I like to have them to look back on wistfully someday.

    Well, Elise Arosa is an entirely different monster (I say that in a completely loving way) since she was 18 months old. If you’re not fortunate to experience being around her on a regular basis, I’d like to let you in on life with little miss sassypants.

    She is smart, adventurous, curious, and determined. Pretty much the only time she stops moving is when she’s asleep. And then it’s full speed ahead again once her head pops up in the morning, saying “MOMMYMOMMYMOOOOMMY”.

    She is a wrecking ball full of adorable energy. If we had to describe her in a single word it would be…..spirited.

    When she laughs, it’s with her entire body. When she is upset, people in Canada can hear her. When she runs through the house it sounds like a herd of stampeding elephants. 

    She’s not as proficient with her words as other kids her age, but she’s catching up and her vocabulary increases every day. My current favorite is when she says “Eese” for Elise. Her current favorite is “no“. We’ve tried not to use that word around our house when communicating with her, but she picked it up from another girl at toddler group yesterday, and now she thinks its fun to say in a sassy way. Guess we had it coming.

    First sentence was “bye-bye, Gahgu!” (aka, Guster—our cat).

    Comprehension is way beyond what I thought a little person her age could fathom. She knows her colors of the rainbow and several letters in the alphabet (‘E’ was the obvious first). She climbs into her highchair and buckles up by herself. Unbuckling is not a skill we’re hoping she learns anytime soon.

    Elise’s favorite things at 22 months include:

    Bees (cartoony ones), balls, stickers, dancing…. 

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    Playing with the neighbor boys and hanging out with her BFF Daelyn….

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    Coloring at her drawing table (the rare time she somewhat slows down). And sadly for me, she doesn’t appear to have inherited my left-handedness….

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    Swinging and general playground shenanigans. She has very little fear and I frequently have to pry her away from climbing up trees and ladders where the big kids go. Slides are never too tall for her, which causes anxiety in her dad…..

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    She loves being outdoors (what toddler doesn’t?), wearing hats, and driving with her ‘steering wheels’….

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    She’s still daddy’s little girl in a big way. We have weekly lunch dates with him every Tuesday after toddler group, and they still do Thursday morning coffee dates each week.

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    She loves going to Kids’ Club at the gym with me and it seems like all separation anxiety has pretty much been replaced with excitement to interact with other kids.

    Dislikes are: veggies veggies veggies, waking up from naps, sharing toys, having her hair washed/combed, not being able to communicate her wants, and especially mommy telling her she’s too little to do something.

    The big two is quickly approaching, hard to believe. This age is SO much fun, but extremely exhausting—both mentally and physically. I think we’re all excited for when we can hold a real conversation with her and find out what is going on in that big brain of hers (it probably involves cars, kitty cats, and bees).


  5. Too Cute Thursday

    May 2, 2013 by Katie

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    {daddy + daughter cuteness.}