Boston Harbor

Today we went to Boston Harbor, about 30 minutes northwest of our home. Along the way, we stopped for a short walk at the trailhead of the Chehalis Western Trail. The trail is 22 miles and runs north-south through the county we live in. We're looking forward to taking our bikes on this trail when the weather gets warmer (and we get a bike trailer for Amelia).

I forgot how amazing the trees look where there is a lot of rain.

They are absolutely fuzzy,

with ferns growing out of the trees.

Amelia loves being outside and enjoys the walks as much as we do.

When we finally got to the harbor, it was raining lightly. There wasn't much to do there this time of year, except to buy fresh fish. We'll have to try it out again when the weather gets warmer. Another fun adventure - this time even closer to home.

New Life

When something dies . . .

it's always nice to have a reminder of new life.

I finally had to admit that the ficus was dead - frozen on our way to WA. But surprisingly, my Christmas cactus bloomed after loosing half of its self to the cold.

A day at the beach

On Saturday, we drove to Westport, WA to spend the day at the beach.

Amelia liked watching the waves as much as I do.

And then I tried to record Amelia's experience at the beach.

"Waiting"

I'm not great at recording, but this one is good for a laugh.

"The Wave"

Cling ons

My daughter is a cling-on . . . and I think I'm an enabler, but I don't know how it started or how to fix it.

Amelia often plays on her own without me, but lately, in the afternoons, she either has to be in my arms or on my lap or sitting right next to me.

I have to get things done, so I often let her cry and cry and cry and follow me around the kitchen, but I'm hoping this is just a phase.

Any thoughts?

I heart WINCO

Today my friend/ cousin Kat blogged about WINCO. And after reading her blog, I just had to blog about it too because . . .

I LOVE WINCO

I went to WINCO all the time when I lived in Portland, and I missed it when I moved to AZ. But now that I'm back in the great northwest, there is a WINCO less than 5 miles from my house - yeah!

And why do I love WINCO? Let me count the ways:

1. The bulk section. The variety is amazing - candy, spices, grain/ beans, flours, mixes, dried fruit, dog/cat/ bird food. There is something for everyone.

2. You get to bag your own groceries. Some people may hate this, but for OCD people like me, who like things done just so, I love being able to bag my groceries "just so".

3. Did I mention the bulk section? I love looking at my receipt to see that I spent pennies on salt or cinnamon or any other seasoning that you need and don't want to have to buy a huge container that may sit unused on your shelf for years.

4. It's open 24 hours. This comes in very handy for late night munchie cravings and early morning shopping trips before it's crowded.

5. And the bulk section - it's my favorite. Where else can you buy only 10 Smarties? Because that's all you need for your Primary class and don't want extras laying around begging to be eaten.

6. And another favorite area of the store - the bakery. I used to buy their rolls and bagels by the bag full, but now I just slowly walk through the area enjoying the smell and dreaming of a day when wheat isn't so irritating.

Happy Birthday to Me

I have a tendency to over plan. Not just planning more than is necessary for any one event, but I also tend to plan too many activities in one day. I can't help it. I think it's a disease. But I'm trying to be better.

So I was proud of myself when I only planned 2 things in 1 day - go to the temple and go out to dinner with friends for my birthday. Doesn't sound so bad, right?

And it would have been fine, except that we had to drive 2 1/2 hours to get to Portland so that our dear friends, the Bullocks, could babysit Amelia while we were at the temple. And it was pouring rain, and everyone was driving slow on the freeways, and then they were doing construction on the freeway. So we got to the Bullock's house late, and then we had to visit a bit so that Amelia could get acquainted with them, so we missed the original session we had planned on attending. And when we got to the temple, we missed the next session by 5 minutes, so we had to wait for the next one.

So now I'm thinking I planned too much because we were going to be late for dinner with our friends. But it worked out okay and we were only slightly late for dinner, and they didn't mind, and it was great visiting with our friends, who we haven't seen for over a year.

So even though things don't always go as planned, happy birthday to me, who is getting better at planning things as I age :)

The Good & the Bad

The Bad: when you go through the drive through at the bank after banking hours to make a deposit at the ATM and all the envelopes are sealed shut due to the rain.

The Good: when your husband says he threw away some insurance paperwork you needed, but you found them in the recycling bin.

The Bad: when the insurance papers you needed weren't the "revised" edition, so you still have to pay the medical bill you were hoping was going to get paid by the insurance.

The Good: having a current temple recommend and getting to use it tomorrow at my favorite temple (Portland).

The Bad: all the pine needles that somehow make their way throughout the house despite our "shoes off at the door" policy.

The Good: Today is my last day with ABRiO. I just couldn't be a full-time Mom and a part-time career woman. Thanks Rick for a great job and the opportunity to try working from home.

Movin' on up

Due to the move and our insurance shuffle, Amelia missed her 9-mon. well-baby check, so I took her in at 10-months. She is now up to a hefty 16 lbs. 12 oz. Movin' on up into the 10% for weight - yeah!

Other than a cold, Amelia is doing well. The Dr. made a funny comment though when she first walked into the room and saw Amelia: "she really likes squash, huh?". I'm thinking I hadn't cleaned her face very well, since she had recently consumed an entire jar of sweet potatoes. But no - it turns out that Amelia's skin has a orange tint to it - the tell tale signs of eating and LOVING squash and sweet potatoes.


She has also learned to pull herself up to standing. Movin' on up and loving it.

Obsessive Compulsive

I'm not sure whether it's obsessive compulsive or neurotic or what, but I have issues when I eat - different food on the plate cannot touch each other - unless I specifically put them together. (I'm not completely crazy though - I will eat it if it touches, I just think it's really gross.)

As I've been feeding Amelia, I notice that I either have to clean her spoon or use multiple spoons when feeding her from mult. jars of baby food at the same time. Do you think she cares if her fruit mixes with her vegetable? Probably not, but the thought of it makes me do everything possible to avoid it.

The last few days while we've been eating, Amelia insists (in her 10-month old way) that she must be able to see the picture on the front of the jar while eating. If she can't see the picture, she won't eat. As soon as I turn the jar so that she can she the picture, she opens her mouth and happily eats.

Oh boy, can't wait to see what other "great" traits she inherited from her mother. First, the double chin, then the quick gag reflex, and now this.

The Blank Marriage Certificate

Our new insurance requires that Ken show proof that he is married and has a child. I think it's a bit over the top, but apparently there are people out there who pretend to have dependents to get a better deal on their insurance. Providence actually pays for most of our insurance, and if you choose the right plan, with the right amount of dependents, you actually get money back. Hence the need to prove spouse and child(ren).

It's simple - all we have to do is send them a copy of Amelia's birth certificate and our marriage certificate.

Last night we were looking for our marriage certificate - and couldn't find it!

Then, when we finally found it, it was blank. The certificate number was on it . . . and the county signature at the bottom . . . but nothing else.

I'm usually pretty on top of things. I make lists, I cross things off the list. I'm wondering how "fill out marriage certificate" never made it to the list. What was I so busy doing that I didn't think that was important?

So, we have our marriage license/application, signed by all the proper people, and notarized by the county, so it's all legal. But the "pretty" version of our marriage certificate is blank - no signatures, no witnesses, no dates.

And the end result - it's still not on my list of things to do. I just put it back in the file where we found it. I figure, at this point, if I didn't want it signed and framed when I got married, then it might as well just stay blank.

Sunday Night Randomness

* I'm back in Primary - yeah! Anyone got suggestions for teaching 10-year olds? Or getting them to stop talking?

* Even though it's only January and freezing outside, Ken and I are already planning our garden. I can just taste the homegrown tomatoes.

* I used to dislike the 1pm church block, but now I think it's my favorite.

* What do you do with stuff you collected but no longer want or know what to do with? I have a collection of shot glasses (and no, they were never used for alcohol) and don't know what to do with them. Take a picture of them and give them to Goodwill?

* Today I tried to put a curler in Amelia's hair - but I just couldn't get it to work. I am not a hair girl. The poor girl is going to look like a boy until her hair grows longer and I can pull it into a pony tail or something.

* I also dressed Amelia in a dress I wore at approx. this same age. I've been waiting years for my daughter to wear it.

This is me:

This is Amelia:

The only similarity? The dress. Still cute though.