Holly's First Bike

After a good couple years on her tricycle Holly has upgraded to a big girl bicycle! She has out grown the other and is ready to learn the new skill of a two wheeler. We have kind of looked around the past few weeks, nothing to serious though. But, after being out and about a few times lately with her trike we realized it is time to make the move. So, off to Toys R Us we headed -- they conveniently had a good sale on some bikes this week!

Last night we let Holly look through them and try a few out. We finally narrowed our choice down to a small Huffy that is ALL girl ~ complete with Disney Princess, glittery streamers, *butterflies*, purple & pink galore. She is in love!

We waited until this evening to have her & Daddy put it together as a team... that was a *very* long wait for a certian three year old! But, she made it and helped as best she could. Together they did a very good job! Check it our for yourself:

Unpacking it and looking over the directions

Building her bike with Daddy

Holly loves all these litte butterfly details!

Cute itty, bitty training wheels!!! Awe...

Here she is... our newest little biker in the family!

Learning with Daddy... this is much harder than she thought!

Orting Trail Adventure

Pretty much every Saturday and Sunday we head out for a very early family walk, often times before 7:30am! It's a nice tradition for us to all enjoy together, get a nice stroll in, check out some nature and visit before we really take on our day. If it is too rainy, we might pass, but for the most part we are out & about. This morning we headed down to the Orting Trail and went for a gander.

Holly was allowed to bring her tricycle for the first time, which she thouroughly enjoyed! She kept up well and peddled almost the whole time - taking small breaks on our urging.

The Orting Trail can be fun because it passes a cow pasture and this time of year there are a lot of little babies. We also some horses being prepped for a walk (the let Holly pet one), some unique bugs & moths, loads of birds, an eagle and a muskrat in an offshoot stream -he was VERY cool to watch and we are sooo glad we brought out binoculars! It was a great morning!

That Went Fast!

I joined Mom's Club when Holly was born. Being a new mom that was staying home and a pretty social person... I needed something to fulfill that. This club was my source. I started out in the Tacoma club when we lived out that way, but their club was not very active or consistent - not my style. When we started talking about moving to Puyallup, I looked into the club out here and heard that they were very active - so, I was thrilled!

I checked the club out and joined. And, in my fashion... jumped in with both feet! I figure in life -- you are going to get out of it what you put in it! So, in I went and I gained a lot! My first year went really well - so well, I decided to become president the second year. That year has flown by, even when it was a bit hard or time consuming - it still flew by! I have had a lot of fun and have learned loads on non-profit organizations, so it was educational in many ways! But mostly, I have made some great friendships!

Becoming a mom and leaving work - is hard! The idea sounds great... but, it is hard! Your entire social circle called 'work' fades fast. You can hang on for a bit, but not long. People change, your interests change, your schedules change... it all changes! So, finding a group of other women who also are leading the same lifestyle really helps the transition.

In my case, I met a great group of women and have made some very good friendships -- for both Holly & I! Of course, doing this kind of 'club' takes work... just like any other side of your life. You have to get out, talk with others, meet up, be consistent, put yourself out there, take a chance and open up - just like your previous life of work - the place you went daily, talked with daily, etc. That is the key! I meet moms who like the idea of the club - but don't really join in. Instead they make the occasional appearance and wonder why it's just not the same for them. For some, it eventually sinks in to join in the fun versus sitting by and wishing they had later on.

I am glad I jumped in with both feet! It's been a very rewarding year! I adore so many gals I have met, Holly has some really great friends, we are in a wonderful playgroup that we both look forward to and I know some of these friendships will be for a long, long time!!!

Tomorrow I get to swear in our new board. Granted I am still on that board, as Vice President this year... but, it will be a different year! I am looking forward to the new challenges and fun that are coming my way and even more so... to the fun relationships that Holly is also building! It is great to see her grow and have friends that she thinks of daily, is giddy to see and misses when it's been to long! How much more can you ask for?

Wordless Wednesday

Dress Up Fun

Holly and her cousins had a blast playing dress up last night!!! We had everything from bugs & butterflies, ferries, ballerinas and Tigger & Pooh! Here are some cute photos of them playing around:

Wordless Wednesday

Family In Town

This past weekend we have family that came into town: my mom & dad and niece & nephew. It's been really great to see them... it has really been all too long! Living in seperate states is hard - I pressure them to come back home, but - I think California is now home for them. Bummer! Anyhow, the best part I think is for Holly to see them and her cousins. She doesn't get that opportunity often enough. She is old enough now that she understands who is here visiting and really enjoying herself! I do have some photos - I'll try to post them soon!

Longing for some *SUN*

Just a little!! That is really all we are asking for, just a little sunshine! We got a great teaser a few weekends ago and then bam - rain... rain... and yet, more rain! Even I, the one born & raised in Washington, am longing for sun! If the opportunity presented itself to move to sun... I think we would be all over it! (No need to worry!) But, I will admit Arizona sounds incredibly tempting!

Today after a morning cancelled due to rain, a mom who was just tired of being wet & cold (yesterday was a day in the rain) and a day of errands in the rain Holly announced that we need to go to the sun. She was serious, "Mom, can we go to the sun? I think I am tire of the rain now." When even your three year old is noticing the rain then you have to wonder if it's been too much!

Now don't get me wrong, we are not cooped up in the house when it rains - in fact we often make a nice muddy mess outside in the rain, take family walks in the rain and play in the grass in the rain -- you have to OR you'd never be outside!

Here are some fun photos of our smidge of sun that taunted us a few weeks ago - some classic fun in the sun!

A Little Funny Moment

Holly & I were driving through Fife yesterday on our way to pick up Daddy from work. She was very aware this was not our normal route, we had errands that put us on a different schedule. As we are driving through she is asking all kinds of questions on the names of parks, the houses, the buildings, the parks, etc... Very inquisitive. This part was kind of cute though --

Holly: Mommy, where are we?
Me: We are in Fife, a city.
Holly: What is Fife?
Me: A city like Puyallup.
Holly: I don't think this is Fife.
Me: No? Why is that?
Holly: I think this is Goose Bumps
Me: Goose Bumps? Why is this Goose Bumps and not Fife?
Holly: Becuase this road is really, really bumpy. So, it's Goose Bumps.
Me: > telling myself to NOT laugh <

So, if you are ever taking a short cut through the valley -- be sure to visit Goose Bumps :)

Jammy Day

Monday Holly & I spent entire day in our Jammies... yep, Jammies! Sometimes we get going with stuff- errands, activities, entertaining, shopping, company - that I find it rare we get a free full day on the calendar that I can preserve for just a nothing day. Don't get me wrong, we are not over doing it -- but how often do you really have a full day of nothing? Not often. So, we took advantage of it, stayed in our jammies all day and played board games in the living room, watched a Winnie The Pooh movie, did lunch as a picnic in the living room and colored. It was fun!

Bryan came home and instantly commented that we were still in our jammies... Hmmm? Something needed to be done! We invited him instantly to join us & he did! After daddy was jammied up we continued with a fun, uninterrupted night of games, science experiments and fun... and some ice cream to boot!

What a fun day!

Mini Musician

For Christmas two holidays ago Holly got a small hot pink guitar! It's a fun little guitar that helps to round out our ever growing arsenal of instruments - one she can be a bit rough with and still learn a few basic rules of handling a real guitar someday. I know Bryan cannot wait until she is of an old enough age & big enough to get her a real, small guitar. In the mean time she loves to bring out her guitar when Daddy has his out and they play together. Here are a couple of cute shots I just got of her playing with Bryan. Enjoy!

Scrappping & Bag Books

So, this past weekend I was treated to a scrap night out, Thanks Annette, and really enjoyed it! With scrapping I always love doing it, but sometimes I do not want to work on just traditional layouts the whole time. Saturday was one of those times. I worked on a bagbook of our vacation in Leavenworth last winter. These are fun, shorter time frames and just a cool little project. Here are some photos of the one I made this weekend -- I actually started a second one that I think I will donate for a fundraiser our Moms Club is holding in a couple weeks. Anhyhow, here are the photos:

Bryan's Pride & Joy...

Hops!!! We have to include a small tribute to his hop garden, his new large trellis and the potential they have! When he read an earlier post then pointed out to me they they are 13ft tall, not 11ft - so, I stand corrected! LOL :) Here are some great shots of his hop garden!