:: like perfectly woven fabric ::

Gaga and Papa's trip

2011-09-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Gaga and Papa came into town in July for the annual RAMROD trip. We had such a great time and I so wish they lived closer. It's so hard living away from family, especially when you see them with your children. I want them to know everything about Lucca, I want them to watch him grow, but until then, I'll settle on our trips. Lucca loves having them here!

Seattle Art's Museum. This was one of the coolest installations I've ever seen. An entire uniform made out of dog tags. All dog tags from our current war...something to think about.

OK, really, this is way above my head.

My dad, deep in thought over the covered piano. Art is everywhere if you look hard enough.

Somewhere Lucca got it in his head that Papa was taking him fishing. My dad found this farm in Woodinville, that was cool, but there were so many fish that we had to find distractions so we didn't catch all 5 fish in 5 minutes. Literally, the drive took twice as long as catching the fish. Regardless, Lucca had a blast!

We were going to go to a ballgame, but after breakfast we decided the horse races sounded cheaper and maybe more fun. My dad and I loved the horse races when I lived in PDX. I still love it, although we have a much nicer track than Portland.

Can I count the ways I love my boys...

Watch out haters, we also paint our nails red!!! Why not!

Nothing tops off an incredible weekend like a Brandi Carlile concert with the special guest Dave Matthews...that's right DMB!!!

Happy Birthday my baby boy!

2011-09-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

I surprised Lucca after his playgroup with a life size three balloon. I wish I could have captured the look on his face, it was pure joy. How wouldn't be giddy with a balloon like this? It soon because him constant companion.

It didn't take long for the string to come detached from the balloon. Luckily the kind folks at Red Mill got out a ladder for a little birthday rescue.

Who doesn't wish they could eat a burger with so much enthusiasm...

This is the sugar shaking

Lucca, this year has been a big one for you. There are so many milestones you're hitting, I wish I could slow down this time. There's something so innocent about your language and eagerness to be independent. In addition to starting a new preschool that you adore, you've also learned how to:

Zoom around the lake on your bike
Climb in and out of the bathtub without assistance
Put away your laundry
Say "Shut the front door"
Go potty and wash your hands all by yourself
Feed Lucy
Ask people if you can pet their dog and then greet them with kindness
Order your own Basque Cake and steamed milk
Fetch mama's slippers in the morning
Climb in your crib (hopefully climbing out will be a while)
Be a good friend
Operate a smart phone
Put your banana peel away in the morning
Eat edamame
Charm all those around you

I can't wait to see what this year brings. I'm eternally grateful everyday that I get to be your mama.

Love you Lucca
xx

Random Summer pics

2011-08-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

I told you I was going to catch you up! Here are a random sprinkling of what our summer has looked like so far.

This is brunch with our dear friends Mike, Serena and their new baby Jackson. Lucca is OBSESSED! We pretty much spend the entire time with his talking about where we can touch him next. He especially likes to help feed him. I have to say, I adore him as well and Mike and Serena are really amazing parents! Priceless to have them as our family away from family.

We went to a Tour de France bike rally to watch one of the stages. It was a lot of fun, there was a bike jump, bouncy house and a kids bike parade. Really good fun.

This was our friend Kasia's 3rd birthday party. They have an amazing blow up pool!

Stay tuned...next stop is Grandpa and Gaga's visit!

4th of July

2011-08-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's almost September and I'm just now posting 4th of July pics, but it's been a crazy summer. Since the 4th, Shan's done RAMROD, my folks were in town, we went to Sri Lanka, I've had three photo shoots, started a photography business and tried to maintain day to day living. I can't wait to share my other photos, but in all fairness, should go in order. So, here's our 4th of July. We had some friends over, and as you can see, the kids were sort of into it, but mostly from the laundry room window. The men however, had no problem sword fighting with the sparklers. It was a fun evening with great friends and neighbors!

Catch up...

2011-07-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

We've been b.u.s.y around here. Since May we've been to Belize, Salt Lake, Chicago, Boise and Luumi Island. It's been a whirlwind, but so much fun. Here are some pics of our summer so far.

Millennium Park in Chicago where we saw Brandi Carlile and Ray Lamontagne...best concert!

Zoo trip to visit the dinos

If you look closely to the photo above you'll notice Lucca's tongue...it comes out any time he's concentrating on something.

Note the tongue...

This is what I came into the other day...Lucca on the pot reading the magazine from the Zoo...hilarious!

This was the bed and breakfast we stayed at on Luumi Island. The restaurant here was noted by NY times to be one of the top 10 restaurants to take a plane ride to visit and one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. It didn't disappoint!

On a hike to Discovery Park

At discovery again with Rosa and Xabi.

Checking out the anemomies

Do blondes have more fun?

2011-03-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of cutting my hair and going blonder...what do you think. I'm also hoping I'll come out of the salon looking just like her. A girl can dream.

goodbye baby, hello boy

2011-03-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

It just happened. Lucca has gone three days in his big boy panties (can't help myself). Of course Lucca melts my heart all the time, but I have to say that watching him check out his alligator on his bum in the mirror takes the cake. I can't help from thinking it's the end of an era. No more baby, we are officially in little boy land. The last few weeks I've been taking note of how my baby is growing up. He gets his own grapes out of the fridge, he recycles empty boxes, he sits on regular chairs to eat, he puts his boots on, let's Lucy outside, wisks his own eggs and eats perfectly with a spoon and fork. I really wish I could slow things down. He's growing up so fast and changing so much...but I absolutely love this stage. He's my little pal and helper and although we have our challenges through out the day, we're quite a team!

humor

2011-02-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad Lucca is finally talking. For one, it has relieved a lot of his frustrations to be able to have words for his emotions and thoughts. I love it because everyday something hilarious comes out of his mouth. Here are a few recent stories...
He's everything dinosaurs right now. Thus, his favorite movie is Land Before Time. He could watch it all day. Every day. We were leaving the house the other day and my friend Sara was out jogging. She stopped to chat so I introduced Lucca to her. The entire time we were chatting he had this bewildered look on his face. Once she jogged off he asked "Her a three horn", because he can't pronouce his "r's", I couldn't understand him. Then he asked again, "her a three horn". Finally I understood he was asking me if she was Sara, the triceratops from Land Before Time. I told him they just had the same name. Then he asked "Her jogging to great valley". I had to explain that no, Sara was not a "three horn" jogging to the great valley.
As I said in my last post, Lucca has been sick (read cranky) for about a month. Last weekend we were driving home and Shan had on the GPS. Lucca had been arguing with us for the last hour, and finally when the lady said "Next Right", Lucca yelled "You next wight". Then she said, "next left", "NO!, I will not next left"...and so on. Shan and i were in tears laughing so hard. Why is it so funny when he's arguing with someone else, but not funny at all when it's us.
Lastly, his favorite little trick right now is saying "Guess what mom?", "what?", "I wuv you".
Melts my heart every time.

A roller coaster day...

2011-02-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

I had one of those days.
It started out wonderful, with my "mommy" friends coming over with their lovely kids for a play date. We hadn't seen each other for quite a while, and I didn't realize how much I missed them. They are amazing women, wonderful mothers with adorable children. I feel badly we've let it go so long without seeing each other. It was also nice to talk "mom" with ladies I really respect. My friend Jenny and I were the first in our group of girlfriends to have kids and I think we'd both agree it was more than isolating.
The high continued as Lucca napped and I watched trashy TV while riding my trainer. This is a new ritual for me and I.love.it. Nothing says paradise like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and working out. Don't judge. Or do. I don't care.
Then Lucca woke up and the "down" happened. That sounds horrible, I know. But he's had a cold for probably a month and the last couple days have been really bad. This on top of the fact that I had to do laundry, grocery shop, pack and pick up a rocket box all in preparation for our trip. Doing all of this with a toddler offers quite a problem. We were doing fine, until we weren't. Then it was all downhill fast. By the time I got home at 7:45 we were both close to a meltdown. Luckily Shan was there with a gin and tonic and thus back to my high.
Then I talked to one of my best friends Jody. We hadn't talked for a while and I miss her more than I tell her. We're going to her wedding in May in Belize...yes, Belize. A.L.O.N.E. Enough said.
Then I called my dad who said they're coming to visit in April. This was the highest high. I have been SO.HOMESICK! Not sure why, but it's been hard. Maybe I think the weather is better is Salt Lake, but mostly I think I miss my family. I've been struggling with this for some time. Every time we go home, I want to move. I am a family person. I love Sunday dinners, I love my parents, my siblings and now, more than anything, I love watching Lucca with his cousins. It's priceless. I was never super close with my cousins, but I really want Lucca to grow up with his amazing cousins. Right now it's 3 girls and soon to be 2 more boys. It's hard being the one away. Selfishly, I've loved having my sister move because then someone else had to feel the pain of living away. Don't get me wrong, I know I chose our home. And I love Seattle. For more reasons than I can list. But sometimes there's nothing like family. No coffee shop, walk, or zoo can replace the value of family and living near them.
Anyhow, it's been an up and down day but now we're off to Mazama for sun and skiing.

dreaming of warmer weather

2011-02-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

I know everyone is sick of winter and I am no exception. Except we just got blanketed with more snow...just when I'd hit my max, just when I'd started wearing my Toms, just when I saw a little sun, we got snow. Maybe that's why I love these dresses so much, looks like I could drink up the sun in them.

And, of course every fabulous summer dress needs an equally fabulous sandal. These fit the bill for me.

white dress anthropologie, nude dress BHLDN, wedge heels anthro, metallic sandals dolce vita.

My husband is...

2011-02-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

Romantic
Hardworking
A devoted partner
Tidy
An amazing father
Great at surprises
Understanding
Giving
Determined
Stubborn
Incredibly intelligent
A night owl
Caring
A crazy athlete
A gin drinker
Addicted to Thai
Now 46...
Happy Birthday Shan!!!

Valentines perks

2011-02-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful dinner last night at one of our fav local places, Poppy. The Thalis are delicious and use the most unique ingredients. We also had an amazing cocktail and fabulous bottle of wine from Shans favorite place, Red Mountain. It was a great evening made even better by our amazing gifts. Sounds shallow, but this year I think we both totally scored.

I get a piece from this amazing jeweler Ellen Arthur.

I'm thinking either this...

or this...or this...

Aren't those just amazing!

I got Shan one nights stay and dinner at Willows Inn on Lummi Island. NY Times just named it "One of the 10 restaurants in the world worth a place ride" and also one of "The 41 places to go in the world in 2011". I'm really excited to have a night away with my Valentine.

Oh, I almost forgot...I also go showered with love notes. One under my computer, one on the seat of my car and one containing a picture of my gorgeous new necklace.

We haven't had a perfect track record with Valentines Day but this one definitely hit the mark!

i heart my boys

2011-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

I've always loved Valentines Day, I remember my mom wrapping up cute packages for us to open at the dinner table, heart shaped, red food and lots of love. This year we started off the day with red heart pancakes (thanks Gaga and Grandpa) and are delivering cookies to friends later this afternoon. Lucca also had a blast making valentines this year. He was SO into the glitter and I think they turned out quite cute!

Here's how I found my family yesterday afternoon...no wonder the house was so quiet.

Recorder

2011-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

I need to carry a recorder around just to capture all of the funny things coming out of Lucca's mouth lately. These are just a few:

While we were driving home from getting Valentine stuff, I was telling Lucca that he needed to put his listening ears on and we would need to work together to get them done. He followed up with "Okay mom, teamwowk comin' up"

While driving around another time, we blasted the music and danced at a stop light. At the end of the song he said "Good wockin' (rocking') out mom".

And tonight, after I gave him two choices of pj's, he replied "huummmmm...hawd (hard) to say". Really, hard to say?!?

My husband...

2011-01-17T13:49:00.001-08:00

Shan left for NY yesterday early, and when I woke up I found a sweet note on the mirror thanking me for taking care of him while he was sick. The truth is, I really didn't do a very good job. I was bitter he was sick, resentful at having to do so much extra work and doubted the severity of his illness. Clearly why I got it, but I got showered with chicken noodle soup, talking rain sparkling water, a get well soon balloon (from Lucca) and roses. Needless to say, I feel like the worlds worst wife so I thought to make up for, I'd share some of the amazing things I love about my husband.

1. This is not the only note he's left, he often leaves me love notes on the mirror.

2. He brings me coffee in bed

3. He plans the best secret dates

4. He always gets the best seats to my favorite bands well before I even know they're coming

5. He relishes being a dad

6. He's so good to my family, he calls my Grandma "Grandma"

7. He lets me be me

8. He understands the importance of my girl time

9. He keeps me active

10. He lets me sleep in both days every weekend while he takes Lucca to the coffee shop

11. He works so hard at a stressful job he doesn't love to provide for us all and enable me to stay home with Lucca

12. He's so fun to cook with

13. He's not perfect, but he continues to try to be a better husband, father and man.

Sorry love I didn't take better care of you and for reminding me of why I love you so much.

We miss you.

Santa Train

2011-01-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Before we left for Salt Lake we took the train to Snoqualmie to go see Santa. The train was rickety and so charming. Lucca loved the train, I think even more than the Santa part. I have to admit, it was a little anti-climactic but still a fun journey. Lucca had fun so we had fun watching him.

This was the entertainment for the trip. This man came through and sang a song to put us in the spirit. My handsome man...

This was after about 1/2 in line, we actually weren't as bored or irritated as we look.

I love this photo for Lucca's face. It's like he's looking at us saying "Seriously, hurry and take the damn shot so I can get my toy and get off Santa's lap already!"

All Aboard!

How adorable are my boys...

Santa, is it you?

2010-12-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

We've seen a lot of Santa in the last couple weeks.

We were taking a bus downtown when Lucca excitedly exlaimed "Mom, Christmas!" I turned to see what he was looking at and I saw a man in a red puffy coat with a long white beard. By the time I processed what he was thinking, he yelled "Mom, Santa!" I quietly turned to him and whispered, "does that look like Santa?" Once again, he yelled "NO! Its IS Santa!" It was so cute.
Then the next day we saw a homeless man with a white beard walking down the street and again, "Mom, Santa". As well as the guy who took my film to process at Moon photo, who was a good sport about it by saying he was Santa's cousin. I wonder how many other times we'll see Santa before Christmas.
We're off this morning to Salt Lake. Merry Christmas everyone! Lucca's been into pony tails lately. He likes them directly on top of his head...this is right after he pulled one out.

Decorating the tree

2010-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

Decorating the tree this year was SO FUN! Lucca is all things Christmas. It's so cute to see his innocence about the whole thing. Christmas trees are the most awesome thing in the world, lights are magical, decorations are fabulous and every time we see a Christmas tree in the window of a neighbor he says "Look mom, it's SO beautiful". He's so precious and he's the best thing about Christmas right now. I wish I could see things in his eyes. This is his first year understanding Santa, his first year decorating a tree, his first year seeing the magic in Christmas lights and right now Christmas is about the feeling it provokes in him and not the presents. He's completely content with everything just being pretty, the idea of Santa is present enough and every time I look at him I get the real feeling of Christmas. How wonderful it must be to wake up one day, and see the world as you know it all dressed up for Christmas. I'm so grateful I can step back and watch the magic happen in his eyes. Thank you Lucca.

On a lighter note, when we told Lucca we couldn't put the decorations on the tree until we put the lights on it, he swiftly grabbed the lights, and "put" them on the tree. Luckily we were able to get a photo before the moment was gone. Behold, the lights on our tree!

Christmas tree

2010-12-09T22:03:00.001-08:00

We cut down our Christmas tree last weekend. That has become such a fun family tradition the last few years. This year Lucca was especially into it. He loved helping Papa with his saw and loved finding his own "Christmas trees" to carry around. It was a great day and Lucca is completed enamoured with our tree.

Lucca was SO excited to take this train ride, but as you can see perhaps the anticipation was better than the actual ride. In his defense, he didn't get a nap because his mama and papa made him stay awake on the drive there so he'd nap on the way home. Of course, we then got terribly lost and ended it ended up taking 1 1/2 hours to get there and 1/2 hour to get home. He must get so frustrated with our scatteredness at times.

Catch Up...Halloween

2010-12-07T20:43:00.001-08:00

I am way behind in the goings on around here. For Halloween, we had some friends over for trick-or-treating and the best stew ever! It was so fun to see the kids get into going from house to house. My favorite moment was when Lucca knocked on the door of a glass door and as the man walked to answer it Lucca jumped up and down screaming "Hi Guy Hi Guy Hi Guy". Then at another house, I asked him what he said to the man, he replied "Open this" as he handed the man his treat to open. I told him that's not what I was talking about and to try again, he replied "Thank you, Open this". Can't blame a guy for trying!
How cute is that Gnome?

One more...

2010-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Last night while eating dinner, I was talking to Lucca about what we were going to do today. Here's how the conversation went:
"What do you want to do tomorrow?"
"Go to zoo, go to park"
"ummm...How 'bout preschool?"
"ummmm....How 'bout no thank you."

Seriously...sarcasm already.

words

2010-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Lucca's vocabulary is through the roof. I wanted to jot down some of the funny things he's been saying lately before this too passes and I forget.
On Halloween I had on a dress with ruffles. He was fluffing the ruffles and said "Is momma a princess?" I don't even know where he learned the word princess as we don't really find an opportunity to use it in our house, but it totally melted my heart.
When he wants to know someones name he says "what's her called momma?"
He can also sing he's ABC's in entirety and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Need to video that one!
He loves to call people on the phone (especially Grandma) and lights up when they talk. He also gets really aggravated if they can't understand what he's telling them.
While trick-or-treating, after receiving his candy I said "Lucca what do you say to the nice man?" he held up the candy and said "Open this!". I said, "No, what do you say for the candy". He said, "Thanks, open this!"
He told me the other day I had a penis.
His favorite words are "Super yummy", "ohhhh, cuuuute", "I yike Papa" and of course "No".

That's all I can think of right now. I know there are so many which is why I need to start writing them down more. This is such a fun stage and I don't want to ever forget his innocence as he learns his words. It's really magical!

Trike

2010-11-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

We took the trike to the lake a couple weeks ago and Lucca had such a great time! He is really zippy on that little thing! We didn't come close to making it around the lake, but it definitely wore him out!

Look how he hunches over. It's hilarious to watch him on this because he totally crouches over the handle bars like the wicked witch. He also learned from somewhere "Outta my way, comin' through". Eventually it was boring so we looked at the ducks instead.

Our family tradition

2010-10-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

We've been going to pumpkin patch's far before Lucca was born. Remember this post, it makes me laugh looking back now because I so thought I was going to get my perfect pumpkin patch moment and Lucca was ONE month old. Even last year, he wasn't totally steady on his feet and wasn't thrilled about all the mud. But this year, he was totally into it. I finally got my pumpkin patch moment :). It was a tradition we started with some friends and then we would head to Judy and Kirk's for a Harvest Party. It was something I looked forward to every year. Unfortunately, for several reasons, the Harvest Party wasn't a part of the tradition this year, but we still went to the pumpkin patch and had a great time. We've tried a different one every year but this time we found a winner. It's perfect, small, old-school and everywhere you look there's something picture perfect. In addition to a U-pick pumpkin patch, they have a perfect kid friendly corn maze and U-pick apples. We had the best day we've had in a long time. The only thing that made it better was the cider (spiked for us, of course) which is also part of the tradition.

There are SO many photos, so hopefully you don't get bored, but seriously this place is gorgeous! The perfect family outting.
Oh, and for those local people, it's called Gordon's up in Mt. Vernon.

There was serious concentration with the wheel barrel

Putting on his own hat.

Love love love this photo.

Family pic. Shan is no longer allowed to wear all black, it's like our body guard went with us :)

Seriously, look how charming this place is...

I know these photos looks edited, but the lighting was amazing being there late afternoon and the pumpkins were on fire!

Their first successful apple pick! Clearly Shan liked it more than Lucca.

Ring around the rosie...

Love this one too -- thanks for getting such great photos babe.

Shan took these amazing last shots...it was just stunning at dusk.

Greece -- part 1 delayed

2010-10-19T21:41:00.001-07:00

So, I'm just now getting around to posting about our epic trip to Greece. In a way I'm grateful for the time I've had to process it all. The trip was so many things all in one -- amazing, challenging, hot, relaxing, stressful, emotional, fun, beautiful, hot, bonding and again, hot. As I reflect now though, I'm mostly struck with pride. It was a brave adventure our family embarked on and although we weren't always graceful, we stuck together, supported each other and embraced the crazy ride.

It seems silly now to go into all of the details, most of you know them already, but I will note some of the constants of the trip.

Lucca spent a lot of time in his cave either napping or watching a movie with three fans on him.
I never brushed my hair -- not once
We are always "glistening"
We drank A L O T
Lucca always had his bubu (binki)
Lucca LOVES his Mikasuri. It took a bit for him to warm up to Mike, but he was making out with Serena the first night. They had a nightly cuddle ritual.

Stuck in the Madrid airport for 8 hours.

Look at Lucca's poor sweaty hair

So happy to finally meet up with familiar faces in Poros

Isn't she so beautiful

My handsome boys...

Our first family dinner

Sunbathing, napping baby, ocean, rum and coke...aaahhhh

The first of many shots of Lucca in his crib, couch, high chair and game room.

Look how hot and sad my poor baby boy looks. He was such a trooper

Our first beach day, just a short bus ride

Gin and tonics for the adults, binki for the minor.

We took an excursion to climb to the clock tower. It didn't go as planned and you'll soon see. Lucca's pulling his new favorite toy, a dump truck we bought and tied a string to.

This is where shit hit the fan. It may look like we're playing, but we're not. Lucca is screaming like a crazy person and I am almost in tears. But, no one has to know -- yes, we're playing a game of football. Lucca loves it.

Most often this was the only cool place to lay.

Our first trip to the grocery store. Serena and I laughed so hard getting this cart back to the boat. See the diapers on top -- those ended up being adult diapers. You'll see them in all their glory in another post.

Our handsome captain.

Doesn't Shan look hot in this photo!

Beautiful Independence!

Look at that love! Watch out ladies, Lucca's got a tongue and he's not afraid to use it.

This was such a fun night! We laughed so hard and took so many silly pictures.

Shan and Serena's 1020 Christmas Card photo!

Who doesn't make french toast and bacon in 120 degree heat!

Our fabulous private island. This place was off the hook. The water was so crystal blue and until the two yahoo's with the umbrellas showed up, we had it all to ourselves. Pure paradise.

Seriously -- LOOK at those ribs. I about died when I saw this. Trying desperately to get water out of Shan's canteen.

Tired boys. This restaurant became our sactuary. It was directly across from the boat so we could sit there while Lucca was napping. We got to know the son and mother who own it. Every day her entire family would come for lunch and they would have a huge feast together. Pretty neat to watch

The town of Galaxidia (?) is really charming.

Sorry Sylvia

2010-09-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE-jLmhVh84

Ramrod and Papa and Gaga's visit

2010-08-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

So, before we went to Greece my folks were in town for RAMROD. This is the second year we've done it with my dad and this year was definitely better. My dad has been kicking serious butt and it showed. He was by far the strongest out of the three and I was so proud to see all his hard work pay off. It was a great visit and every time I ride with my dad I'm reminded how lucky I am to have a father who will do this stuff with me.
These are a couple pics at the wading pool before RAMROD.

The weather started out drizzly and cold, but by the time we really started the climbing we had perfect views of the mountain. So beautiful.

Shan had a really bad day unfortunately. It looks like he's smiling, but sadly it's more of a grimace. This was the FIRST TIME I've ever beat Shan up a climb. Not that I was gloating.

The dead soldiers at the lunch stop.

Ah, finished!

The next day we did practically nothing to recoup, but Sunday we took a drive to Deception Pass. It was a pretty anti-climactic trip that mostly consisted of driving, a 10 minute stop at the pass, more driving, a 10 minute ferry ride and then more driving.

How beautiful is this.

We did have a pretty competetive rock skipping contest though...

and ice cream and french fries on the ferry home.

Decisions...

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip!

Greece

2010-08-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! After two long flights, a 7 hour unexpected layover in Madrid, another long flight, a sleepless night in Athens with our neighbors knocking on the wall to stop our screaming toddler and a HOT ferry ride to Poros, we made it to Independence with Mike and Serena waiting for us with open arms. It was so nice to have some familiar faces waiting for us after almost 3 solid days of traveling in less than desirable conditions.

I'll give a full blow by blow once home and decompressed, and also load up the pics I have. Unfortunately on the first full day in Poros the SLR broke and we haven't been able to fix it. Seriously!?!? I will say this though -- there have been high high's and low low's. Lucca has been a serious champ. It's often 95 degrees in the cabin at night and between that and all the new experiences I've been so proud of him. He has loved having family time, loves swimming with his raft and running in the squares with the local kids. I've never heard him giggle like he does when he's proud of himself for walking alone in the water. He also has fallen madly in love with "mikasuri" which is Serena. They have a snuggle puddle every day and he wants to do everything with her. Shan also has been a champ. Between having a hot tired toddler, he has also had a hot tired and stressed wife. I've been a bit emotional and this has turned out to be more challenging than I'd anticipated. He's been amazing at picking us all up. We've stayed at some amazing places and even had our own island one night. We're eating like champs -- life isn't too bad when you can have a cold beer, salami and cheese sandwich and watch the sunset. Lucca hasn't quite taken to the local cuisine and the poor kid has had nothing but pb&j's and grilled cheese sandwiches the entire trip. Oh, plus the occasional ice cream, sucker or pastry. Totally well balanced diet!

Mike and Serena have done such a great job with the boat -- it's perfect! Despite the heat, the boat is super comfy and we all have our respective nook's to make our own. I never saw the boat before, but I can tell they have put much sweat and tears into it. I really admire their tenacity -- it's not just the grand fairy tale adventure I thought. It's a lot of work and there's a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and they handle it all with such ease and grace.

We joked on the first night that this would bond us for life -- either good or bad :). It definitely has and I'm so grateful and happy that we got to come get a glimpse into their grand adventure.

We miss everyone back home and although we'll be sad to return to reality, I can't wait to return to 80 degree days, our bed and our new backyard.

Love you all.
Heather, Shan, Lucca.

ps
Yesterday I asked Shan if this is what Sri Lanka feels like in the hot months -- he said he's never felt heat like this in either Sri Lanka or Tennessee in the middle of the summer. I knew it wasn't just me -- it's seriously hot.

The long road to Paradise

2010-07-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

RAMROD [Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day] is billed as the Pacific Northwest's premiere one-day ultra-marathon cycling event. It combines the incomparable scenery of Mount Rainier National Park with a challenging course featuring 10,000 feet of climbing over 154 miles. Mt. Rainier (“Tahoma”) contains 36 miles of glaciers, the largest in the lower 48 states. From a geologic perspective, this makes it the largest remnant of the Ice Age to be found on one mountain on earth. And 800 lucky folks (nearly 2x that number enter the annual lottery) will attempt to ride a bicycle around it!

In a few hours (starting at 5am), Heather, Antone and I will be riding RAMROD again this year with a couple of notable exceptions. Unlike last year when excessive winter snowfall prompted a complete road diversion, we’ll be back on the traditional Paradise/Backbone Ridge/Cayuse Pass route. It will run right through the National Park, and is substantially more scenic with close-up views of immense glaciated slopes and crevasses. Our trio will unfortunately be without our team-mate from 2009 - Heather Andrus. Oh and last year, we had blistering hot condition on the ride. The day prior, Seattle had just smashed the record for it's highest ever temperature (103 degrees).

It prompted some to rename this HOT–ROD instead. The 2009 edition instantly became a classic that will be talked about for decades to come.

I pulled out an old Randonneuring trick and got everyone knee high tube socks. When the mercury inched up, we filled them with ice and draped around our necks. This worked marvelously to keep our core temperatures down. You can bet we were the envy of our fellow roadie denizens, most of whom were suffering miserably.

Heather, riding her second RAMROD, turned in an absolutely remarkable performance. Since it had only been 10 months since Lucca’s birth, we had to pre-arrange logistics to take care of maternal matters. Not only that, I recently calculated she attempted 150+mile RAMROD with less than 500 miles of training. And then there was the searing heat – which no one ever anticipated. While initially opting to skip the final pitch up to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, I talked her into “going as far as you can” – which powered her all the way to the tippy top. Yup, that’s my determined wife! I couldn’t have been more proud of her that day.

With cycling taking a back seat to parenting this year, Heather and I targeted RAMROD as our “big” event for 2010. Thanks to the graciousness of friends /babysitters, we’ve been tremendously fortunate to log some base miles together. Our soggy “Flying Wheels” century at the end of June wasn’t all that fun. We’ve also ridden on familiar roads on Mt. Rainier several times this summer. A spectacular 60+ mile loop up to Paradise from Ohanapakosh (on a perfect 80 degree blue-sky day) was followed a week later with a 50+ mile Cayuse Pass - Chinook Pass - Sunrise ascent with temperatures just above freezing. Brrrrrrrr!!!! Such a wide swing is not unusual for mountain weather around here.

While all this was going on, Antone has been spotted training intensely with Lance Armstrong at an undisclosed location. He arrived in Seattle on Tuesday looking sharp and fit as ever.

So tomorrow we shall ride together once more. Can't wait!

Riding the elephant

2010-07-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is where we'll be...

2010-07-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

in one month. Yes, we're going sailing in Greece in one month with our dear friends Mike and Serena. OMG -- I can't wait. It has been a bumpy road and just yesterday I thought it was canceled but was so happy to get an email from Mike and Serena saying we're on (for now :)). I looked up photos today so I could start getting excited and it did the job. Greece, here we come.

Backyard

2010-07-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are in the midst of landscaping our backyard. As you can see from the photo below -- it was a concrete slab used to park on with a row of HUGE trees that took up almost half the yard. We are so excited about our new space. It became apparent this year that we needed an outdoor space for our tree hugging son. He loves being outside and with no fence and only a concrete slab, it didn't make for a good time. It also lead to many arguments over having to come in so I could cook dinner, go to the bathroom or just have some down time inside. When we're finished, the yard will be fully fenced and Lucca will have tons of roaming room all to himself.

Day 1 of demo.

Day 5 of demo. Look at how much larger it looks without all those trees. AMAZING. We feel like we're living out in the burbs now with all this land :).

We spray painted the plans today which was so exciting. This is the patio -- you can see the table in the middle.

This is Lucca's grassy knoll.

Here he is running wild already.

I swear we could fence in this dirt and he would be a happy clam. He loves playing in the dirt, throwing rocks, finding sticks...it's a dream come true.

Seriously...

Aerial view...along the left will be bamboo. On the right there will be a retaining wall with a natural wood slab bench and small flower bed.

Mom -- in the upper left corner of the yard is where the water feature will be. Bottom left is where they're making Lucca's planting garden.

The shaded blocks towards the house is where the green paved stone with go. It's the same stone as on the patio but will have 4" of green mossy stuff in between. Yes, that's a plant...green mossy stuff.

Before I forget

2010-06-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Things are going by so fast around here. Although I try to stay present and drink in all the moments, there are some I must write down before I forget. Here's a little of what's been going on at Casa Perera

Words are multiplying by the dozen, as are phrases. He copies things I didn't realize I say often, like: Oooh ya, O-kay, sit down, get up, bless you and luckily thank you. He also says NO! a lot.

Shan realized a while ago that he has most of his books memorized. If you stop mid book, he will recite the next word. There are a couple books that are read often enough he can recite entire sentences. We're baffled by this as we couldn't even recite the sentence.

He has associated the word "Boo" with fear. It's because we like to hide around the house and scare each other by saying "boo". So, there's a lot of "Boo bee", "Boo truck", "Boo dog", "Boo pig" etc. I can't decide if he's truly scared of all these things or just like being about to express his feelings. Hopefully the latter.

He is hopelessly trying to stake his independence. He wants so badly to walk down the stairs by himself, eat by himself, change his diaper by himself. A couple days ago we were walking down a flight of stairs and they were a little too steep for him to walk without holding my hand. I kept asking him "Do you want to hold my hand". "NO!". So he's start down the stair and at some point sheepishly grab my hand. When we'd get to the next step, he's throw my hand and say "NO!". Like I grabbed his hand. He played this game of grabbing my hand for reassurance, and then tossing it aside in disgust the whole way down the stairs.

He is so into music. We recently bought him a bright red ukulele. He loves it and plays it all day. He also just learned how to carry the drum around his neck which he thinks is pretty cool.

Lucca has become a wonderful sous chef. He mixes the eggs, peels onions and garlic, puts salt and pepper on the food, get out the coffee, and samples most things I'm chopping. It's a new moment I'm relishing.

Today he put on his boots all by himself.

Two days ago he asked to go pee in the toilet. It took forever to figure out what he was saying because he's never peed in the toilet. He doesn't even have his own yet...getting one today. Of course mom messed up by not pointing the shooter into the toilet but we learned.

His Tia Lulu taught him how to "fly" and now it's a pre-bath ritual.

He knows blue, pink, brown, and green.

He can sing most of the ABC's. He especially likes singing them while either strumming his ukulele or pounding his drums.

Watching Lucca's personality blossom is the most magical gift. I think daily how lucky I am to be witnessing this, that he let's me into his world. He's an adventurous, loving, wild, sensitive, stubborn, creative little boy and we're constantly amazed by him.

My boyz...

2010-05-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am so filled with bliss right now watching Shan and Luccas relationship go to a new level. Obviously, they've always adored each other, but lately they are truly in love with each other, madly. It may have something to do with the fact that Lucca has SO many words that it's fun to communicate with him. He can piece together stories, regurgitate anything you say and respond to all our questions. Tonight while Shan was giving him a bath I heard him teaching Lucca how to say "whaa's up mama". I also walked in on Shan brushing Lucca's teeth. He had taught him how to do "a.e.i.o.u" so Shan could get to all of his teeth. Genius! These moments touch my heart and I want to bottle them up for later a dose.

We've been taking full advantage of the weather here and have had several dinners at the park, bike rides, walks and lots of rock collecting. Here are some pics from Mother's Day. We took a bike ride to Discovery. Lucca loves the adventures of the outdoors. He had so much fun kicking dust, picking flowers, balancing on logs and just running free. Who knew this would be SO MUCH FUN!

Here are some pics from our trip with Alki with Tia Zizi!

Mothers Day

2010-05-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love that there's a day where we take pause to think about all of the wonderful Mother's in our lives. I'm so grateful to have learned from such amazing women.

My mom is patient, loves unconditionally, sensitive, sickly creative, generous, devoted, beautiful, kind and my best friend.

My Grandma is funny, even more sensitive than my mom, spunky, strong willed, loving and has the strongest devotion to her family.

My Mother in law is kind, soft spoken, strong willed, brave, warm, gentle, hard working, smart and always puts her family first.

And to the little man who blessed me by letting me join this group of amazing women. It is a true honor to be his mom. I'm humbled everyday by his crazy love.

My hero...

2010-05-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

Jody Jones, you are an Ironwoman!

I have been amazed by Jody Jones many times. First by her contagious energy, then by her enduring love, then by her determination, then by her humility, then by her ability to grow. This weekend was no different when I watched her cross the finish line and heard the words "Jody Jones, you are an Ironwoman"! I am more proud of her than words can express. She has trained for hours, and I mean hours every day for over a year. She has balanced training, connecting with a partner, friends, family and her own business all with the most positive attitude. She was an inspiration to all that know her far before this weekend, but this just manifested everything Jody Jones. I'm humbled to be her friend and be one of the lucky individuals who receive her endless, unconditional love. She has changed my life just be being in it. Here's to you Jodes -- you deserve this moment and all the bliss that accompanies it.

To top off this weekend, Jody also asked her partner Danielle to be her wife. They have a adoration for one another many strive for. It's been magical to watch their love grow and evolve. There is no one better for Jody than Danielle and I think the same is true for Danielle. They bring out the best in one another and encourage each other to be their best, most authentic self.
That is going to be one good party!

All our love Jody and Danielle!
Heather, Shan and Lucca
xoxoxo

Jody's most adorable niece Scarlett

On our way back home...Lucca loved the flight. He gigled at the turbulence.

Notice his new "purse" that Gaga and Papa gave him for Easter. He carries it everywhere now.

Meet Baby Henry

2010-05-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

Introducing Baby Henry, Ang and Tim's new precious boy. I got to meet him on my last trip and he is a dream baby. I was honored when Ang asked me to take some of his photos. We tried to get a pic of Henry on this piano bench, but he had a different idea. I still think we got some fabulous ones of him and a few of the adorable Olivia. Tim and Ang sure know how to make some beautiful babies!

Home sweet home...

2010-05-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a long trip back home. Lucca and I flew in a week earlier than Shan so we could spend time with Chels and Tate before they headed back home to Dominica. Lucca also wanted plenty of time to love up his other cousins and I couldn't wait to meet baby Henry (lots of pics of him coming next). The trip was amazing, although it seems everyone was sick at the same time. I didn't get to spend very much time with most people because of illnesses. I have to admit, I did find myself having a few pity parties after the third person canceled, but I learned a good lesson. One night after having a pity party, I watched my mom and Lucca cook together. I realized that we were exactly where we needed to be. At home so Lucca could bond with his grandparents and so my mom and dad could see what a remarkable, crazy, fun, stubborn, quirky, excitable and loving little man Lucca has become. I'm also so saddened that he doesn't get to see them more regularly because I worry he won't have a bond with them. Those worries were put to ease when I saw how easily he adored them. All in all, the trip was a success and Lucca came home loving his cousins and grandparents.

The first day we spent at Wheeler farm with Chels and Tate.

Sat. night everyone came over for dinner. Lucca had so much fun playing with his cousins. It was so funny watching all of them try to boss him around. Lucca is one stubborn boy, he can't be coaxed to do anything. Poor Tate found this so frustrating as she especially took a maternal role. It was hilarious to watch them.

Lucca didn't just love the people back home though. He also can't stop asking to go into our garage, which he earned a huge fascination for while there. When he learns we don't have a garage, he wants to go see the horsies, which we also don't have. Then he turns to Yucy (Lucy) the cat who was his companion while there. When he learned yesterday we didn't' have a Yucy he was quite sad. Looks like we'll have to back to Grandma and Grandpa's soon.

Love you all. xoxoxo

Wonderful weekend

2010-04-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend jam packed with lots of fun activities.

Friday night we went to dinner at some friends house and Lucca got to play with four of his buddies. They have a great yard and the kids had so much fun running around.

Sat. we went to the Mt. Vernon street fair. The fair itself could be missed, but we were lucky enough to have caught the "Prozac Mountain" band. I've never seen Lucca have so much fun. He got to strum the guitar and just stared up at the musicians, clapped at the crowd and danced for an hour. It was pure bliss to watch.

Here he is dancing to the music.

Lucca fell in love with this woman. We didn't know her, but he kept running over to her and giving her a big bear hug. Then he just climbed up on her lap and they watched the show together.

Sunday I had brunch with most of the bookclub gals. These ladies are my Seattle family. I love them all and we always have such a great time together. I'm so blessed to be a part of such an amazing community of women.

Ging

Christa

Hilda -- or Zizi to Lucca

Jenny

Steph

Erin

Deirdre

Heidi

Needless to say, I'm wiped today. Lucca and I are on the couch, watching cartoons, eating leftover pizza for breakfast because I was too busy playing to go to the grocery store.

Happy Monday.

Camera Bag

2010-04-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

I've had my eye on some camera bags lately. I really want a bag that can hold my camera, lens and Lucca stuff all in one bag. Right now I'm lugging around both a diaper and a camera bag which is a lot of stuff.

Here are my fav's -- let me know which one is your fav.

The first one is Epiphanie.

Second is Kelly Moore

Third is an Etsy find.

Oh sunny days...

2010-04-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day! I was amazed how invigorated I felt first thing in the am. Apparently there really is something to that Seasonal Affective disorder! Lucca and I had a great day going to preschool, a long walk and then the perfect picnic with Papa. We took fish tacos and a bottle of wine and headed down to the water for some fun in the sun. I think it's our new way to dine. So much more relaxing to let Lucca run around and throw rocks in the water while Shan and I actually had a conversation. It was the perfect night and made me so excited for summer. Bring it on.

Let's go fly a kite

2010-04-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Shan got a kite for Father's day last year and we hadn't taken it out yet for a test run. Last weekend was our chance - we had blue skies, sun, wind and most importantly...motivation. You'll have to look close in that first picture because we got the kite out 500 feet over the ocean. Pretty cool.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! These pics make me so happy. Lucca looked SO cute in his little man outfit. I couldn't get over it. The easter bunny came to our house this afternoon and Lucca loved finding all of his treasures. He also left a cute basket with a piggy bank and some coin filled eggs. Despite Papa having the flu, and mama having too many margaritas the night before we managed buck up for Lucca and had a great day.

Retail Therapy

2010-03-30T14:53:00.001-07:00

The weather has been yucky and I've been a little down so I'm giving my go at virtual retail therapy. Let's see if it will do the trick...

Oh, sunny days...

2010-03-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

We've been blessed with blue skies lately and we have taken advantage. Lucca loves to be outside and exploring.

It's official -- Lucca is a hoarder. I remember my sister telling me a story of Tate collecting rocks on the seat of her tricycle and every time she would try to sit they would all fall off. Tate would just get off and try again. We collect rocks in cups and often when Lucca bends over to pick up a new rock the ones he's already collected fall out. He meticulously picks them up and we start over.

I think Lucca looks like he's going to pick up the little girls in the background.

Shan did a 200K last weekend so Zizi (that's Tia Lulu's new name that Lucca gave her), Lucca and I went to Vashon Island for a little adventure. An adventure it was -- there were high points and low points, but we were outside, on a ferry and had a picnic so who can complain. Well, I did. The ferry was an hour late in both directions -- enough said.

Cheese anyone?!?

That last photo I LOVE!!! Doesn't that say it all. Those lashes are OUT-OF-CONTROL.

I love my boys!

2010-03-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is what I see every night when I head upstairs to fetch my husband...

I realize it's not the best habit to rock him to sleep every night, but really?!? How could we resist. We both realize he won't be 13 and still want to rock to sleep, so we'll take it as long as he'll let us.

This is for you Grandma and Grandpa

2010-03-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

We bailed on Grandma and Grandpa this weekend for skyping, so this is to make up for being flakes. Sorry, Shan got home that day from NYC and went straight to bed (at 4:00). Guess a week of working hard will do that to you.

Here's Lucca on one of our many walks we went on while Papa was gone. Again, he refused to wear anything but his boots. He loves to be outside, so it's a good thing we've had such awesome weather.

Shan and Lucca had quite the reunion. We had a lot of fun playing at the park.

Learning how to skip rocks.

My not so little boy

2010-03-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

The last few days I've been hit with the realization that my little man is getting much bigger. It's such an awesome thing to watch him discover and communicate with this world around us. In an effort to preserve this moment, I want to share some of his latest antics.

First I'll start with what hasn't changed because there's not much:

1. He still wakes up and asks for bananas and vitamins first thing

2. He still snuggles with his mama every morning. I hope this never ends, it's one of my favorite moments with him. Now, he puts his head on my lips so I can kiss his forehead. Then he does this thing which really is like making out without the tongue. He puts his mouth on mine and just lays there. For like 2 minutes we just lay there mouth to mouth. Which if it weren't so cute could be weird, but I eat it up. He is SUCH lover and I'll give him a million kisses as long as he'll let me.

3. He still asks Papa for chocolate as soon as he gets home from work. Most nights he stands on the porch jumping up and down as Shan pulls in yelling "chocolate, chocolate".

4. He still eats a lot.

5. His favorite food is Thai, 3 stars -- "noo noo" which is noodles.

Now some of the new:

7. He's OBSESSED with cats. Every night we have to go on a walk to look for cats.

8. He talks a ton and just recently started putting two words together. He now says "Me too", "oh, good", "bummer", "pasta", "zizi" (that's Tia Lulu) and knows everyone in our extended family. He loves to go through the pictures and name everyone. I'm always amazed at his memory. He also says "Michael" just like an adult. Totally random but it's perfect.

9. He is already so independent and stubborn. Today he wanted to wear his snow boots (it was almost 60 and sunny) and threw a fit when I suggested wearing something else. So, we went to the park in the snow boots.

10. It was a big deal when Lucca went down the slide without wanting to hold my hand. Since then he has watched with longing eyes at the kids climbing up the slide. He's been working on it but hasn't gotten very far before sliding down. Today (maybe it was the lucky boots), he climbed all the way to the top. He was SO proud and I was both proud and sad. My baby boy can climb up a slide.

11. When he gets a burst of emotion, he holds my face in both of his hands, looks me in the eye and plants one on me. It's seriously the best little surprise.

12. I feel like we're already in the terrible two's. He does full on tantrums which I don't really know what to do with.

13. When Lucca is done eating there is about 10 seconds to get him out of his chair before he starts his antics. First, he starts the food dumping, then he starts playing with his hair (which wouldn't be so bad except his hands are always filthy and he has a lot of hair). He realized he gets a rise with the hair, so if playing with it doesn't work, he stacks food on his head. He got a fistful of pasta balanced on his head the other day before I could get over there. I was so mad but seriously how can you not laugh. Needless to say his hair is always so dirty, greasy, sticky and ghetto by the end of the day. Again, I don't know what to do with that?

14. Like his cousin Tate, Lucca loves to collect rocks. We collect them on rocks and then go home and he gets a cup to house them.

15. He loves to read and has memorized parts of "Llama Mama", "Skippy Jon Jones" and "He came with the couch".

How's that for an update. How lucky are we?

Zoo trip

2010-02-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo with Josh, Amy, Boaz abd Ezra...here are some of my fav. pics...

2010-02-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

I know it's Feb. but I'm now just getting caught up on editing my photos. I just got a new program and have been taking classes to get to know it better. The first photos I went through were Christmas this year. There are some really good ones and I'm completely addicted...so here's what I've been working on.

Snow day with Jo Jo.

Every Christmas Eve my family gets together to bowl. But not only bowl, but bowl with hats. If you don't wear a hat when it's your turn you have to take your next turn backwards...plus there's some random trivia. Makes for a good time...as you can see Tim loves it.

I love this one...

Seriously...this was the funniest thing ever! Ella has a true lizard tongue which she's very proud of. Clearly Lucca likes it also :).

D and Tim did such a good job making it look so festive and warm. Not to mention the out of this world roast and the best mashed potatoes I've ever had!

This year we started a tradition that I definitely think should stay. D asked everyone who knew another language to say a toast in that language. It was so special and I was really proud that we were so represented.

Seriously Boo....could you look any more GORGEOUS! For some reason I'm obsessed with this photo. I think because it looks totally staged since you're the only one in focus and looking at the camera. Very fantasy like..

Look at my hipster cousins...for real.

Christmas Morning...

First Santa Visit

2009-12-19T21:56:00.001-08:00

We are in Salt Lake visiting friends and family and it's already been a jam packed trip. We had dinner with friends, Lucca has gotten lots of puppy and kitten love, lunch with Gigi and Papa Jim and tonight we went with Gaga, Papa and Boo to see Santa. We weren't quite sure how he'd react, but it was like the most normal thing to do on a Sat. night. Why not go sit on a bearded mans nap, get a candy cane, smile and then go eat dinner. Here are some of the best shots...

Roar

2009-11-04T19:40:00.001-08:00

More pics of our little lion learning to walk...

I thought this was one of the cutest costumes we saw all day. Seriously, isn't she to die for.

Patiently waiting for me to open his first piece of candy.

This Lucca's little friend Parker. She is SO cute. He's been friends with her since he's been about 6 weeks old. She's such a little firecracker -- the first to do just about everything. And a little dare devil! She looked so cute in her little kangaroo costume.

My Dear Lucca is walking...

2009-10-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Lucca,

Today is Halloween and you started walking. You had taken a few steps here and there but today all the pieces of the puzzle came together. I wish I could bottle up your excitement for later. The glee in your face shows how proud you are of your new accomplishment but no one is more proud than Papa and me. Watching you grow and discover new adventures is the best part of being your Mom and today you made our Halloween so very special.

Congratulations on your new found discovery. Now you can see the world a foot taller. Have fun!

Love you to the moon and back.

Mama and Papa

Roar like a Lion

2009-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

We went to preschool today and Lucca was a little lion. To my surprise, he actually likes his costume. Here are a few photos of Lucca and his other little friends. So many cute little babes.

Harvest Tradition

2009-10-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Long before Lucca we've had a tradition of going to pick pumpkins at the farm and do the corn maze. I LOVE it and have been so excited to take Lucca along. As some of you remember we tried this last year (Lucca was 1 month) and it wasn't quite as I expected. This year was much better although I wouldn't say Lucca LOVED it. Whatever...he'll get it next year. Once he realized getting muddy, wet and cold was fun he had a good time. :)

Ode to hair

2009-09-19T21:26:00.001-07:00

Shan gave Lucca a haircut the day before his birthday party and it was quite a surprise. It's very short and aged him by years. I am not ready to have such a big boy so I'm really looking forward to it growing out again. He's not getting another haircut until he's 10.