The Zoo

When I worked at Saint Martin's before I had Hannah, I established that there were two perks of working for the Catholics, the second of which, is Easter weekend, (the first is Christmas break).  Daniel had Good Friday, and Easter Monday off, and instead of just hanging around the house, I decided we'd enjoy the gorgeous sunshine we were lucky enough to have.  So I planned a family trip to the zoo on Monday.

Hannah loves animals, really loves animals.  Her favorite books are about animals that live in the jungle, or on a farm, or in the ocean, so I knew this would be something she'd enjoy.   She is also an animal sound expert.  When Daniel and I taught sunbeams a few years ago, I thought it was adorable to have the little three year olds do animal sounds.  It turns out it's even more cute when it's your own 17 month old.  For weeks we've been practicing animal sounds, I think Hannah has more animal sounds than words...maybe not the most useful skill, but it's pretty cute.

We headed up to the Point Defiance zoo early Monday morning, because the forecast suggested there could be PM showers, and we didn't want any of that.  The zoo overlooks the Puget Sound and is at such a beautiful location, I would be interested in going back and picnicking at the nearby park. The entire day was beautiful, and after losing our jackets around eleven, I almost wished I'd been wearing shorts.  

It was a good day.  Hannah loved the petting zoo, so I think we'll try and take her to the Cider Mill this weekend, so she can get another taste of farm animals.  She also loved the tiger (pictured below). The Tiger was in up against a glass wall that looked out onto some other exhibits, and across the way there was some sort of yak, that I think he was interested in eating.  The tiger was pacing back and forth, sniffing the air, and really putting on a show trying to stalk the other animal.  Hannah loved it.

I'm a goal person. A lot of people aren't, but I thrive on writing things down, and then working on them. So as a goal this year (different than a resolution), I want to be better about documentation. Whenever I tell my dad something funny Hannah did, he asks if I wrote it on my blog. Sadly, the previous post was from September...so if I don't start writing things down, I may never remember things like that really crappy week where Hannah pooped in the tub one day, then had an explosive diaper all over her crib the next and then Wesley missed the litter box the day after. Or how Hannah gives the sweetest bedtime kisses, but only to me. Or how Hannah is 14 months today. Words she says: uh-oh, up, mama, dada, Hannah, all done, moo (what does the cow say Hannah?), and she knows the sign for more and uses it very convincingly. She does tend to get what she wants when she asks for it so well. She has four molars that have come through over the past month, and I feel like we have both earned those teeth. That teething business is hard work. So Happy New Year. I have a good feeling about 2012, but then I generally prefer even years. Here's to more posts, even if they're short. Also, this year is going to be the year I buy a calendar. I always say it, but so far it hasn't happened.

baby laundry

Isn't baby laundry so cute? All those tiny socks, polka dot burp rags, rainbow leggings, and stuffed elephants...and Hannah of course!  She's such a good helper!

sometimes

Sometimes Hannah takes her binki and naps in her own crib just like the books say she should. Sometimes like today, she won't have anything to do with her binki and starts gagging if I try to encourage her. She'll sleep for 45 minutes or so, and wake up. I wasn't sure she was ready to be awake yet, so we remedied the situation. I've found that sometimes being a mother means dropping everything and just snuggling.

Happy weekend to all!

Saturday

It was a great weekend, even if it was so busy that I've got a dryer full of whites waiting to be folded (they've been there since Thursday night).

I've been thinking however, that one of the best parts of summer is the busyness.  I love having lots to do and enjoy.

We needed an oil change and tire rotation, and I had this idea that if we didn't have our car at the shop right when it opened, wouldn't be able to get anything else done that day.  So I dragged Daniel out of bed at 7:45 to make it to the shop by 8:00 so I could make it to the triathlon by 8:30.  We were the only ones there, but it was nice to get that out of the way.   

Early Saturday morning, I helped with this years triathlon.  Directing biker traffic was so, so much easier than participating.  A couple of people actually asked if I was participating.  I would have thought the 28 week pregnant belly would have been obvious, but perhaps not.  I enjoyed cheering for all those who did participate, because it made me remember all too clearly the emotional aspect of such a race.

My busy day had a quiet interlude where I had a quick lunch and prepared my Relief Society Lesson on the Church during Christ's time.     

After lunch Daniel and I did our grocery shopping (got some great produce at Fred Meyers), picked up our car from the shop, and then retreated to my parents pool.  There's nothing better than swimming on a hot summer afternoon.  The rest of the evening we spent enjoying the pool and their air conditioning.

We ended the trip with a second trip to Fred Meyer after a helpful tip-off from my mom that they had men's shorts on clearance for $7.00.  Daniel was down to one pair, so this wasn't something to pass up.  He's now got a couple more pairs and should be good for the rest of the summer. 

It was 10:30 when we finally got home, and I decided a root beer float was necessary for putting the finishing touches on my lesson.  It was an easy decision really.  I'd been having a couple days of near constant hunger(which leads me to think this little baby is starting a growth spurt!), and who knows the next time I'll be able to justify carrot cake after dinner, and a root beer float before bed! (Thank goodness I passed my gestational diabetes test!)

my plan of attack

For the first time all summer, it has been hot! I love summer, and I don't want to complain about the sunshine or heat.  So I've been creating a plan of attack for surviving the long hours stuck at my desk

For those who don't remember, I work in an old brick building and when the sun comes out, it's a lot like an oven.  On these warm summer days, it's hard to stay cool at work.  Yesterday I tried my luck with an icee from Target. It was good, but melted really quickly, and wasn't quite what I was looking for.  Today on my lunch break, I had to get gas, and since the Costco closest to my work, is conveniently close to Jamba Juice, and I had a $1 off coupon, and a gift card I couldn't resist.  I didn't even mind waiting in line for Gas at Costco, as I got to enjoy the air conditioning a little longer.  I'm also looking forward to a meeting in an air conditioned building in an hour.

More than any of that however, I'm looking forward to 5:00, when I can get off work and go swim at my parents pool.  I went last night for an hour and a half and it was quite refreshing.

Here's to hoping the sunshine sticks around for the weekend for more swimming!

On trying to convince myself that I'm awesome

I've been feeling frumpy the last few days.  I'm not sure if I need a hair cut, or if I'm still in the 'is she fat or pregnant' phase or what's going on, but it all boils down to me feeling frumpy.  So I decided to throw out my usual routine and get up earlier to spend a little more time getting ready.  See if it makes a difference.  I know 6:30 isn't that early, and it's not like I get dressed in the dark.  It gets light outside at what seems like 4:30 in the morning.  But today I had a surprised awakening of sorts.  It's currently 10:51 AM. It has been a very normal morning so far.  In the middle of a phone call with a rep. at one of the collection agencies we work with I looked down and noticed that in fact, I'm wearing two different shoes. I'm starting to think that this whole getting up earlier thing is doing more harm than good.  If it's not the solution to my frumpyness I'm at a loss as to what is.


For now though, I'm rocking mis-matched shoes...I did have a good laugh about it with my coworkers, and plan on going about the rest of my day like normal.  If people notice, maybe they'll think it's as funny as I do.  I'm going to chalk this up to doing my part to make somebody else laugh today.

Trust me, if  I had my camera at work, there would be a picture!

Someday my life won't be like this.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I had a realization that someday, as far off and impossible as it seems, I will have a very different life. Whether it includes staying home with children, going back to school, or anything else, it won't be the same as it is right now. Right now, I have a pretty good routine going and I want to document it for the record, so someday, when my life is different, I'll be able to look back and remember the days when I got up at 7:00 and was at work less than an hour later. So for those that care (and I can't imagine that there are many of you), here is my daily routine (maybe with too many details):

5:30-5:50 wake up naturally and take thyroid pill without getting out of bed (must be taken on an empty stomach 1 hour before eating=lame). go back to sleep
6:50 alarm goes off, press snooze for 9 minutes
6:59 get up slowly, go to the bathroom to get started with morning hygiene
7:00-7:10 bathroom routine including: morning nasal rinse, straighten my hair, find clothes to wear.
7:10-7:20 finish hair, put on makeup, wake up Daniel
7:20-7:30 have a small bowl of cereal or piece of toast. Make smoothie in "to go blender" for morning snack at work.
7:30-7:40 make lunch/snacks for work, get everything together and run out the door.
7:40 Daniel drives me to work (we only have one car, so he drops me off at work, comes back home and gets ready for work himself)
7:55 get to my desk, log on to computer, start the work day
8:00-12:30 Work...lots of different stuff happens. phone calls, loan adjustments, students with questions, it's always a variety.
12:30 LUNCH! Lately on my lunch break I've been going on a half hour walk around campus, to get out and enjoy fresh air. Then I'll come back and eat my lunch in the cafeteria and listen to a book on my mp3 player. The cafeteria has a sun room, and there's a certain table I like to sit at, where the mid day sun warms me up perfectly and I could stay all day.
1:30-5:00 More work. Blah.
5:00-5:17ish Daniel picks me up and we go home :)
5:20-6:45 usually I ho-hum about what to eat for dinner. I go through phases of menu planning, but lately it has been less planned and more sporadic. Last night we had salad which took all of 10 minutes to make. It still took about an hour to gear up to do it though. Dinner making is not one of my strong points lately.
6:45-9:30 This isn't really scheduled time. If we have errands to run, we get them out of the way, sometimes we visit my parents, lately we've been watching and LOVING episodes of Modern Family. Last night I worked on my lesson for Relief Society on Sunday.
9:30-10:00 Shower. This is the most important part of my day. This is what allows me to wake up at 7:00. Without showering at night, I would be a grumpy person in the morning.
10:00-10:30 I'm usually doing my going to bed routine (which Daniel says takes forever) It usually involves brushing, flossing, lotion, chap stick, scriptures and prayers. That doesn't look like such a long list, but somehow it does take a while.

So I'm sure this was super boring, and my blog is kind of crummy lately anyway, but I wanted to document this so that years from now, when I wonder what my days were like when I was young married without any children, I'll be able to look back and remember.

March

Isn't it weird, how many of the little details of each day are so easily forgotten with passing time. I look back on the last month (longest blogging break yet) and can't remember what filled those days. I know I've been busy, but it's almost like I can't account for where I was, or what I was doing for an entire month of my life. So here's an attempt to remember a few of the happenings.

In the beginning of March I helped with the Relief Society Birthday Dinner. (this is one of my 3 1/2 callings).

Daniel and I had a couple more social weekends, playing games and having dinner with friends.

I survived another month of office construction. There is plywood, dust, paint residue and chaos all over my office. This has been going on for three months now, and was supposed to have been completed a couple weeks ago. I'm still surrounded by this clutter, and the only benefit I've seen has been a few extra casual days. I've gotten to enjoy my jeans more than in the past but I'm just not sure it's worth it.

I ate a lot of baked potatoes.

I made my first pork chop (notice it is pork chop, not chops, because Daniel did not partake), and did not get trichinosis. I was a little concerned about this, but I trusted my meat thermometer and it all worked out deliciously. Thanks to my parents for the George Foreman for Christmas. It has been convenient, to say the least.

Also in March, I enjoyed some sunshine. I found a good half an hour walk that I take on my lunch break. Getting out of the office for some uninterrupted fresh air is a beautiful thing. Of course now that it's April, my favorite month, the rain is back making up for all those days of stolen sunshine.

We did not follow our hypothetical budget very well, and have implemented immediate changes. Sometimes it's hard trying to save money!

I spent A LOT of time working on a cute sewing project. I'll have to post a picture of my creation, because it took so much time, but turned out darling.

I watched the Prince of Egypt twice. I've also been reading the story in Exodus. I'm loving learning about the Old Testament in Sunday school this year. It makes me want to re-read Orson Scott Card's Women of Genesis series.

That's all I can think of for March. It was a long one, but I enjoyed it well enough.

So far, I'm loving April, even with the rain and wind. My birthday is in a little over a week, and in a couple weeks I'm taking a fabulous vacation that I'm really looking forward to. It involves a week on a boat in the Pacific Ocean and lots of Delicious food!

Stay tuned for more regular updates (hopefully) and pictures (maybe)!

our walk

On Saturday we put on our walking shoes, headed out on our usual route through the neighborhoods close by. It was a gorgeous day, with blue sky and puffy white clouds. We usually go on a walk in the evening, so this mid day walk was a good change. Instead of keeping to our normal route, we decided to head down town. We live pretty close, so it wasn't to far to go, and soon there were people everywhere. It was like the world had awoke from its hibernation. The hustle and bustle of the streets was therapeutic. We wandered in and out of quaint little shops, looking and touching neat little trinkets, and the smell of a little BBQ restaurant on one corner made me regret my empty pockets.

The thing I loved the most about this walk was that it wasn't planned. It resulted out of a distraction. Daniel has a sixth sense to tell when I'm getting irritated or upset, and he was able to quickly suggest the perfect remedy of fresh air and hand holding. We didn't have a destination, or a course in mind. If we got to a corner, one of us would choose left or right and we'd head that way. Daniel and I are usually the kind of people who plan things, and try to stick with them. But on Saturday we were spontaneous, and I was happier than I'd been in a while.

I'm trying to become more of a spontaneous person. Lately none of the plans I've made have worked out. In fact, almost every aspect of my planning has fallen through, and I've decided to step back and let Daniel take over. He is now in charge, and if spontaneity is what happens, I think I'll embrace it.

Winter

I NEVER thought I'd say this. Not in a million years...but I am loving winter this year. This weather we've been having is awesome. I am definitely a spring/summer person, but when January is sunny and 60 degrees, there's really nothing to complain about.

Yesterday during my lunch break I went to exercise at the brand new fitness center that Saint Martin's built. I was wearing a 3/4 sleeve shirt and I didn't need a jacket outside. I could get used to this.

I plan on getting back into my fitness routine. I liked the exercise program I was on while training for the triathlon during the summer. The ladies I trained with are doing another on in May. I haven't committed, but I like the training incentive for it...so we'll see.

I set a goal to floss my teeth every day this year. So far so good.

I did my taxes this morning. Now I'm just waiting for the refund to get here.

I'm on the prowl for cheap plane tickets to Los Angeles in April. I missed the best deal ever and now I'm kicking myself for it. Hoping for a sale soon!

I Am.

I am...

Reading the Poisonwood Bible. I'm loving it. It is the book I have enjoyed the most for the book club that I'm in.

On a bit of a vegetable kick. I can't get enough peas.

Hopeful.

Trying to find things I love about fall.

Ready for 5:20.

Missing the long summer evenings when I could exercise outside.

Glad I spent most of the weekend outdoors.

So grateful for the sunshine.

Working on a couple very easy sewing projects.

Implementing daily scripture study.

Hoping to go see Wicked while it is in Seattle.

Listening to various soundtracks at my desk on my Zune.

Wearing my favorite work pants.

Using my autumn purse that matches my favorite red shoes.

Contemplating dinner...chicken pot pie, perhaps?

A Cozy Saturday Afternoon

A very relaxing, rainy Saturday afternoon was spent with
our newest favorite homemade pizza.

BBQ chicken, olives, pineapple and bacon tid-bits.

Warm and fresh from the oven with a SanPellegrino
Limonata.

and Wesley keeping an eye on me.

Next time you're all welcome to join us!

a snippet about breakfast on the Balcony

This morning as I was getting ready, the apartment felt hot and stuffy. We only have windows on one side of our place which makes it difficult to get a cross breeze going, so the air has a tendency to get a little stale after a while. I kept the bedroom window open last night, the falling rain serenading my sleep. Come morning however, with the use of a hot blow dryer and flat iron, I was already feeling sticky before leaving the house.

I don't like feeling sticky in the morning, so I decided there was nothing left to do, but breakfast on the balcony. I pulled one of my kitchen chairs out, grabbed my bowl of cereal, invited my two gentlemen felines out with me, and enjoyed the cool, fresh morning air while I munched on my cereal. It wasn't really raining at that point, but it felt great to enjoy the mist, and air myself out before surrendering myself to the office all day.

My breakfast was so nice this morning, that I may make this a regular occurance until the winter weather comes.

a snippet about the pickle bush

Daniel and I went for a walk last night, around dusk. It was a rainy day, so the sky was already most of the way dark with heavy clouds, but we managed to take advantage of a little dry spell. On our walk, I was on the inside of the sidewalk, against some bushes laced with water. One bush in particular was kind of pokey, and I felt the need to comment.

Our conversation went like this:

Alicia: Ooohhh look Daniel, a prickle bush...

Daniel: First off Alicia, they're cucumbers, second they don't grow on bushes.

We both laughed at our miscommunication, and enjoyed the rest of our walk hand in hand.