Sawyer's new toy

Last week, our vacuum cleaner was having problems. Okay, it was probably having problems for a few months, but I didn't really start noticing until recently. After a good 8 years of service, it "died". (The service man actually said it was a miracle that it lasted that long - I guess the usual life expectancy of that particular vacuum is about 2-3 years).

Anyway, we got a new vacuum. Not just any vacuum. Pretty much the best vacuum we could afford - an "entry level" Miele. It's absolutely perfect for our 700 sq/ft apartment. This was a major investment for us - you might say we got the Mercedes of vacuum cleaners. And it's supposed to give us at least 15-20 years - so in the end it will be worth it. Who gets excited about spending lots of money on vacuum cleaners? Not us. BUT I must admit, we are all excited about using our new vacuum, it really is a dream - it is even cute, if a vacuum can be cute. Vacuuming has never been so much fun! Sawyer thinks it's just about the coolest thing there is. Who needs toys when you can push around a $500+ vacuum cleaner for fun?

Tom Wales Memorial Run

On Saturday, I ran the Tom Wales Memorial Run, an event dedicated to honoring victims of gun violence. My friend, Sara, also ran - as did her barely 2-year-old son, Jasper (he was probably the youngest kid in the kids' race - what a cutie!). It was a lovely morning at Seward Park, albeit a bit chilly to begin with. Mayor Nickels spoke, as did a couple of amazing young ladies dedicated to reducing gun violence. I really appreciated the words spoken and learning more about the mission of Washington Ceasefire.

For not training very hard - or, to be honest, - not training much at all, I was happy with my finish in the middle of the pack (31 minutes). Most of all, it made my day to see my two biggest fans cheering me to the finish line: Sawyer and Jacob! After the race, we hung out a little bit with Sara and her husband and 2 boys. We chatted, had some Trader Joe Joe's, and let the boys swing at the playground. All in all, it was a wonderful morning. It always feels good to accomplish a goal and to support a cause you believe in.

Flirting with Spring

Well, I'd say Spring is officially here: the flirt that she is. We have enjoyed wonderful, almost summer-like weather this week...off and on. There's always a morning with some mist or a little bit of rain and clouds before the sun breaks on through for a marvelous day. We have fully taken advantage of the nice weather! We walked around Greenlake with our friends and Sawyer & Hannah had a good ol' time at the playground. We even tried out the fruity-smelling bubbles the Easter Bunny brought for us.

I was so happy to break out my capri's - and Sawyer's new shorts. Isn't it cute - and funny - how Sawyer's "shorts" look more like gauchos?

One afternoon, Sawyer and I went for a walk in Discovery Park. He got to sit in a bunch of grass and he discovered Dandelions. I kept thinking of the Ray Bradbury classic, Dandelion Wine. If you haven't read it - I recommend it!

We also ran into a little slithery snake on our outing. It was fun to point out the ssssssnake to Sawyer. I'm not sure if the snake was hurt or just scared, but he wasn't in too much of a hurry so we got a good look before he vanished in the tall grass.

And we made our destination: the white sand. It's so funny to me how Sawyer instinctively knows how to make "boy" noises. He vrooms his little truck around in the sand 'ummmm....ummm.' It is very cute.

The days that teased us this week - well, I am finishing up some projects (I always have WAY too many happening at once!) so when the good weather decides to stay, I will have no reason to stay inside!

We also went for a run around Greenlake - after all, I am doing my first 5k race EVER on Saturday. Funny how I'm more nervous about a 5k than I was about my marathon. Maybe it's because I haven't been a very faithful runner in training for the 5k...or maybe it's because I'm inexperienced at shorter races and afraid I'll probably run the 5k at marathon pace. That's probably it! I seriously considered training for the upcoming Seattle Rock n Roll marathon in June - but ya know what? I have more important things to do with my time for now. Like truly enjoying this fantastic weather and playing with Sawyer (believe me, he keeps me running enough as it is!)

It's been a fantastic week! We even bbq'd one evening...nothing like the smell of some chicken in a good marinade filling the air at dinner time! Today, we snatched Daddy away for his lunch break and had a picnic at the park. We even stopped by Trader Joes and got ice-cream bars as a treat. What a day!

Happy Friday to all!

10 Months Old!

Our little guy turned 10 months on Easter. Sawyer now has 4 teeth and can now add a few more foods to his list. He LOVES Annie's Mac n Cheese! He also likes rice cakes, pirate booty, rice, and broccoli. He is a great eater! He loves to use a spoon and feed himself. He's pretty good at it, too - especially with yogurt. He stands unassisted for about 20-30 seconds at a time, and "cruises" around quite easily - I think once he decides to take a few steps he will be off and RUNNING. Sawyer likes to sing - he hums along to the radio and during the hymns in church sometimes his voice can be heard above the crowd :) He said his first "word" a couple of weeks ago: BABY. He pointed to one of his newborn pictures on the wall, and said "Mama, bebe". Wow! He constantly babbles and has a few "words" that seem to have some meaning: he goes to his room, stands on his toes, knocks down books and says "ba ba". Of course he says Mama & Dada, too. He LOVES books. He loves the vacuum cleaner. He also loves walks, the park, the beach - anything outside. Today, in the sandbox, he started pushing his little truck around saying "ummm ummm" you know, like boys do. I never say that. It must be in boy genes? He is a delight, a ball of energy, and a sweetheart. We love our boy to pieces and can't believe how big he's getting!!!

Especially for Megan

Well, I did #2 of my "Especially For You" gifts this past Saturday. This one is for my friend, Megan. I think Megan and I first met at the Institute of Religion Building across from the UW campus, where we both attend church. Both of our husbands are counselors in the Bishopric (lay clergy) of the Young Single Adult congregations here (there are 3 "student wards"). There, we would commiserate about pregnancy, as we both counted down the days until we each had our first baby (Sawyer and Hannah are 6 weeks apart). She understands what it's like to be sitting alone amidst a crowd of singles (because your husband is on the stand conducting the meeting), hugely pregnant, not wearing your wedding ring because your fingers are a little swollen, and have the visiting parents of a college student look at you like "oh, that must be the unlucky, unwed, about-to-be single mother in this group". Mmhmm. I won't say more other than: she understands. And I have been so grateful to have found a friend in her.

Well, Megan and her cute family are headed out on a new adventure - Chicago, here they come! SO...for Megan's gift...I wanted to take some pictures of her and her family so they could look back on this time in their lives with fondness - and show their little daughter that she was born in a beautiful place. Thus, family photos (and some awfully adorable almost-1-year photos of Hannah) to take with them on their new adventure. To see a few more, go here.

We'll miss you, Megan & family! I sure hope you like your photos, Especially For You: to remember.

What we did for FHE last night...

Every Monday night, we have a "Family Home Evening". It is a time set aside where we sing songs with Sawyer, read a little scripture or discuss an article that will help our family learn and grow together - really, it is a fun time to be creative and have fun together, and we try to include these ingredients: prayer, spiritual teaching, and a fun activity together. With a baby, sometimes we have to scale back. So, last night, for our activity, we watched this youtube video. The band Cake also has a rendition we enjoy - but Sawyer sure smiles when he sees those funny Muppets! So does Jacob :) So do I!

Maybe it'll get you a-smilin' too?

Happy Easter!

We hope you all have a wonderful day reflecting on our Savior and all that he overcame for us...all because he loves each and every one of us. Sawyer is 10 months old today, as well. When we look at our little son, we can't help but feel the Savior's love for our little family, and feel a determination to do whatever is required that we might take advantage of our Savior's loving gift, so that our family will continue our association throughout all of time and eternity. May we all commit to try to be just a little bit more like Him as we go about our busy lives. Happy Easter!

Getting Ready for Easter

We're having fun getting ready for Easter, how 'bout you?

A perfect day

Last weekend the sun came out! It seemed like Spring arrived overnight. Shorts and flip flops came out of hiding. People flocked to green spaces to enjoy the blue skies, cherry blossoms, and sunshine. We took our little family to the beach at Discovery Park, and picnicked.

We were all in our element - warm weather, hiking, playing on the beach. Daddy even showed our little son how to skip rocks across the water. Sawyer absolutely loved playing with (and trying to eat) the sand, rocks, driftwood, and seashells. It is so fun seeing Sawyer explore the natural world with all of his senses.

We seriously could have stayed forever. It was one of the best days of my life: being with my two favorite guys on such a perfect day, enjoying nature's bounty and beauty, with a bit of sea breeze in my hair.

So, the last day or two when I was sifting through the photographs I took that day, I was inspired by the change of the season and felt like it was time for a little face lift to our blog. The many colorful sailboats we watched on the Puget Sound that perfect day were my inspiration. Welcome, Spring!

I just want to let Mother Nature know that sunshine is always welcome here!

p.s. - I'm quite proud of myself for tampering with all of the html code in our blog template - but please forgive me while I'm playing around to get it to where I'd like it to be :) thanx!

The reason for my sleepless nights...

Much to my delight, our son has given us a gummy grin for his first 9.5 months. BUT. That is changing, and quickly! Sawyer has had 4 teeth "erupt" (can you tell I have many a dentist friend?) in the past week. Looks like another 4 are coming soon! He has been pretty good - but at night he kind of whines and wakes up a lot. Can you blame him? I still can't picture him with teeth - even though I did get a picture of the new soon-to-be-full-out pearly whites. He's getting so big! I don't think there's any stopping it now!