Christmas Tree Hunting

On Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting! After a stop at Starbucks where we met our good friends, Kelly, Lance, and Naomi, we all headed north to Arlington and arrived at the Highlead Plantation.

The train ride was one of the big draws to this particular farm. Abby LOVES trains right now -- the train Daddy takes to work, the Polar Express, the train tables at numerous toy stores -- so we thought this would be a treat.

Just before boarding, Lance and Naomi snuggle.

The mamas and kiddos riding the train down to the trees. Kelly is 39 weeks pregnant here!

And the exploration begins!

Running, running through the mini-forest.
Wally looks a bit grumpy here, but I love those lips!

A rare moment when Mama hands the camera over.

We told Abby to pick a good Christmas tree out for us. She chose this little one. I so wished we could have got it, but with all the trees the same price regardless of size, it just didn't make sense. Grandma and Grandpa Peterson said that she could pick a little tree out from their backyard next week, so she'll get her little tree.

My favorite shot of the day. Peeking through the branches.

Naomi was dressed for the drizzly cold day from hood to rainboots. I love the wary expression as she looks at the tree saw.
Lance prepares to cut their chosen one.

The whole family and their Christmas tree. Pretty soon we'll be taking photos of the baby under that tree.

A sweet moment. I remember holding my two year old at 10 months pregnant. Kelly, I hope you got some rest later that day!

Trev and Abby off to get our tree.
Hitching a ride for the tree.

Even rarer than a shot with me in it: our whole family. Thanks, Kelly! Now we have a shot to put on the bulletin board at preschool.

Wally wore his new bear suit and stayed toasty warm. Plus the mittens taste good! (Thanks, Grandma Peterson.) Oh, and this hat is the second thing I EVER knitted!

I couldn't bring my camera out and not get a shot of those blue eyes.
A final shot with the train before going to lunch.

This is such a fun age for outdoor adventures. Wally goes along for the ride in the Ergo, and Abby takes off to explore on her own. I hope that we can make this a yearly event. Yes, I'll get a picture of the tree up and decorated one of these days. And yes, I'll get some four month shots of Wally up here, too. I know I've been rather absent this month. Happy holidays!

One Month

I was Photoshop-less for a WEEK, so things have sort of pile up on me, but I wanted to post this while Wally was still around a month old. Our boy is changing so quickly, porking up and getting LONG. At his four-week check-up, he had gained nearly two pounds and had grown two inches since birth. He's currently the size Abby was at four MONTHS. Wally started smiling at around three weeks (though of course I haven't gotten a good shot of one yet) and loves to hear us make goat noises and fakey high-pitched laughs. Each day I fall more in love with our little guy. Abby calls him her "little bro" and "Mister Wally Man" and can't give him enough hugs and kisses. Trevor went back to work last week and I had to face my biggest anxiety head on: two kids and one me. But life has been pretty good and we are slowly figuring out how to make it out of the house on time. Here are a few shots of our blue-eyed boy at one month old.

Ali (our midwife) says that these blues don't look like the kind that change color like Abby's did.

Sister and brother. We think they have the same mouth and chin. Love the sun rays, lips, and chin. We've got more pics to share, but with work and two kids, they may be slow in coming. They WILL come though. :)

PS. Allison, you can stop bugging Trev now.

Almost Two

Abigail will turn two on July 14th, but I'm expecting to be a little busy/heavy then, so we're bumping up Abby's birthday festivities. On Thursday we went out for some "almost two" birthday pictures. Yes, I'm including a lot, so you'll just have to indulge a proud mama.

We started out at the beach by the Edmonds ferry (a favorite spot of late) and I realized quickly that this shoot was going to be HARD for my nine-months-pregnant body. Here Abby stops to smell a flower.
Grandma French gave Abigail this adorable halter dress.

I've been feeling a little left out of Abigail's documented childhood, so we stopped and let Trevor take some pictures of mama and babycake. I'm really happy with the light in this one and think it's hilarious that we have the same expression on our faces.

Abby, Mama, and Wally!

I took the camera back and Trev gave Abigail a few tosses into the air. WAY into the air! Man, I love that smile!

"Seriously, mama?"
Abby's fabulous lashes.

Wardrobe change. Mid-stride with her shadow close behind.

The cheeks that make people exclaim over how much she looks like Trev. Oh, so kissable.

Trying out the water. It's COLD!

Kisses for Daddy.

After rinsing off our feet we headed to the car for part two of our session. But a train was coming, so Trev and Abby stopped to protect their ears.

Back into her dress, we picked up an ice cream cone (Abby's first whole one to my knowledge!) and sat her down on Main street to enjoy.

I'd say she liked it!
There was no trying to contain the mess. We just intervened a couple of times when it looked like the ice cream was going to plop onto the sidewalk.

With the ice cream gone, she started right in on the cone, eating everything but the very point, which she kindly gave to mama.

As Wally's birth draws near, I've found that my time with Abby has grown increasingly precious. We stay in bed longer nursing/cuddling/reading books. I hug a little more tightly and kiss whenever she comes near. I watch her sleep for an entire ferry ride home. She's such a little PERSON now. When I'm down on the floor or weeding or trying to put on my shoes, she'll come over and put her arm around my neck and press her cheek to mine and just hold me for a minute, like she knows I need a little Abby-love. She's amazing.

Happy almost-Birthday, Babycake! Mama loves you!

Cooling Off

Today felt like summer. We worked on outdoor projects, watched Abby parade around in sunglasses and a diaper (and nothing else), and ate lunch on the deck. I love that summer feeling. And what could be more summer than watching your child run through the sprinkler?


Well, the sprinkler didn't entice her, but drinking from the hose did. Of course with a daddy who loves a laugh and a mama who loves pictures, drinking from the hose turned into a very wet affair. Lucky for us, our kiddo LOVES water, and after a few hugs from warm (formerly dry) mama, I think she has recovered from the shock of Daddy chasing her with the hose. Here are a few of my favorites:

I couldn't decide between the color and black & white. Which one do you like?

Abby's favorite thing at preschool is washing her hands at the sink. The other kids will go to the sensory room or the art room or play with cars, but Abigail parks herself on the sink stool and washes, washes, washes. This made it easy to lure her to the hose.

My wet kiddo. I love this shot.

This is what happened when we told Abby to look at the flower. I laugh every time I see this.

Looking up at Daddy. The feet in the background are what get me here.
Taking another drink.

"Ahhh!" Refreshing?

And here's where Daddy chases Abby around the yard with the water.

Run, Abby, run! She did. Right into my lap.

But that didn't stop her from getting another drink.
It feels so good to have some summer weather. We're going to be making the most of our time as a family of three for the next eight weeks or so. Thanks for stopping by!