Seattle Vacation... last and final post

Well Emery and I are back home... safe and sound.  The last few days of our trip were great and relaxing.  I already forgot what we did Saturday night... I think we just made dinner after eating some sushi for a late afternoon snack. :)  As the girls hung out, the guys watched a guy movie, Act of Valor, up in the media room.  I had found this recipe on Pinterest for Cake Batter Martinis.  And although I'm not a huge martini fan (not a huge fan of vodka) I couldn't resist these because they had a sprinkles rim!  And if you know me at all, I have a huge infatuation for sprinkles!!!  Well, I honestly would probably have never made these because I'm cheap and would not spend the money on the liquor.  But Mary came home with the ingredients and put me to work!  We made a few changes to keep down the cost, and also use what she already had (whipped cream vodka vs cake vodka).  They were sooooo YUM!!!!  We dipped the rim of the glass into this whipped frosting Mary had made for a cake and then hand sprinkled the sprinkles to make the perfect rim!  Mary, Leigh and I all had one.  I had to show Sean my creation but he refused to try it because it would ultimately ruin his 'Man' movie!  lol  It was a fun night with the girls!

The girls!!!!   sorry for the blurry pic again :(

My grown up niece, Leigh

Sunday was a relaxing but kind of long day.  The family headed up to Bellingham for Mary's brother's 60th birthday party.  Sean and I really wanted to hang out with Chris and Alissa one last time and they really wanted to meet and spend time with Emery.  So we stayed back.  We went to church with them at Mars Hill downtown Seattle.  It was a great message!  Very different feel as it is very urban.  They actually took over what used to be a very hot spot club in the area!  Praise God!  They are doing awesome things down there!  After church we walked down to Pike Place and got grilled cheese sandwiches and soup at Beechers Cheese and then walked to a park on the water.  I suggested we sit on the grass but Chris quickly warned me that it was wet and NOT from rain!  I did smell a slight stench of pee.  hmmmmm.....  So with a leery mind, we ate at a table, not letting Emery touch anything.  But the place was full with unsuspecting tourists, I suppose. lol   It was a wonderful time with them, except having lunch with Emery is anything but relaxing these days.  It was a very distracting and somewhat unrestful lunch.  But they were very understanding and loved on her so much!  What a blessing!  They are getting married Sept 28 and I'm praying we can make it out there.  If not both, then definitely Sean!

Mars Hill Church downtown Seattle

Our view from our lunch spot on the water

Alissa played with Em!

We got back home around 2pm and Emery was out!  We just chilled around the house but we were a little antsy as we anticipated getting on with our week... me back home and him at his REI event.  The fam got home at 8pm and the girls and Daniel headed off to watch a movie together and eat ice cream.  It was a great, fun end to a long day!!!!

 These were Daniel's photo session with Emery!!  He had so much fun with her!

Here's my funny story of the week!  Sunday evening we decided to get pizza.  I offered to go pick it up because driving around in unknown cities is one of my favorite things to do!  So I took off on my 7 min drive.  However.....  at the bottom of their hill, I turned right instead of left.  And by the time I realized I was completely wrong, I was in Federal Way, about 15 min out of the way!!!  I started driving back but accidently veered to the right unknowningly.  Then I was really lost.  With the help of my Maps App on my phone (which was near dead), I was able to cut across to the road I needed to be on, through hilly neigborhoods.  I finally got back to the bottom of their hill after about 30 min and began my way (the right way... or left, actually, lol) to Trackside pizza in downtown Puyallup!  I think I was gone about 45 min.  I have to laugh because this will be my daily story for awhile in about 5 weeks, I'm sure of it!  lol  But I'm glad that I enjoy the adventure of strange and new places.  yikes!!

Monday morning, Emery had us up at 4am!  She was wide awake, playing, laughing hysterically, and talking very loudly when we tried to ignore her, hoping she would go back to sleep.  We finally gave in and got up at 5am.  I went downstairs, poured myself a cup of coffee and watched the news with my brother.  It was a blessing, after all, since he is up and off to work way before we wake up.  So I got to see him one last time to say goodbye.

On our way to the airport, I experienced a reaction in my body to the impending next few hours and days.  I, all of the sudden, felt nauseous and anxious in my chest.  I have not felt that before and I knew, partly, it was my flight home with Emery.  As confident as I felt flying home alone with her, I now felt very nervous.  But more than that, it was the beginning of an insane month of July.  So much to do, so many people to talk to.  Two families I am most nervous about.  But I know God will take care of these.  I'm sure you are lost right now.... but I will explain in my next post.

My best friend picked us up from the airport and kidnapped us to her house to have dinner with her family.  Again, I am more than blessed in my life!  We had a wonderful time catching up, hanging out, sharing stories from our vacations (they just went to Kauai).  I love her more than words can say.  And that really goes for the entire family!  I love love LOVE them!!!!

And now.... home at last.... but not for long.... for a new home awaits!

Seattle Vacation Part 3 :)

It's Saturday now.... so I have some catching up to do!  So Tuesday night I left Emery in the arms of her Auntie and drove 45 min into Seattle to meet up with Sean, Chris and Alissa.  We had a great time!  I instantly loved her!  We had talked a little on FB so I felt I already knew her.  We went to Paddy Coyne's, an Irish Pub on the waterfront.  It was a beautiful night to have dinner on the patio, eat some beef stew (or the most amazing fish n' chips) and enjoy a beer (yes, I had a beer... lol).  Afterward we walked along the water to a park and hung out a little while then drove to BlueBird Microcreamery for some of the best homemade ice cream!  Soooooo good!  We had a wonderful evening!  I am truly so excited for Chris and Alissa.... for the plans that God has for them!  Alissa made a comment at one point about how could I know I liked her before I met her.  I said that was easy because I just knew she was the one when Chris met her because I knew God would bless Chris with an amazing woman after committing himself to the Lord and be obedient to what God was calling him to do.  As I saw Chris' life changing, I knew God's blessing would be all over him!  (just to note.... God does not require us to obey and change before He blesses us.  But you can be sure that blessing will always follow when we do!  Just wanted to make that clear :))

the soon-to-be Chris and Alissa Rickert ;)

And the long-been Sean and Amy Noble!  (still proud of that)

Wednesday was pretty low key.  It had to be because I was exhausted for some reason.  I woke up and decided I had no energy to make it back to bootcamp. :(  Instead I laid back down in bed after Emery fell asleep for her a.m. nap.  One hour later, she woke up but my body could not.  She whined for probably ten min until her cousin Mitchell came and rescued her (and me!) from the room.  I slept for another 2 1/2 hours!!!!!!  I guess I needed it!  Didn't do much the rest of the day.  But that evening I jumped in the car with Leigh, Annie and Mitchell (who was driving! yikes! these kids grow up too fast!) and we drove back into Seattle again, picked up Sean and headed to the Sounders game, Seattle's Pro Soccer team.  We had a great time!  That is.... after we finally made it to our seats.  It was a long walk to the stadium, then up 10 ramps just to get to the bottom of our section and then 128 steps to the top of the nose bleed seats!  We were 2nd row from the top!  Yikes!  It was quite a workout!  And we were looney enough to journey the steps again for food!  I definitely got my workout!  But we had a great time with out nieces and nephew.  Mitchell and Sean picked up Gary and drove home with him.  And us girls headed for Capitol Hill to Molly Moons Ice Cream (another GREAT ice cream place!).  We had a fun time together.  Just the girls partying in the city!  (well.... not quite... but our own kind of party).

 A blurry picture of us before the Sounders game

Nothing much to write for Thursday. lol  But we did have more of a family bbq together that night.  It was the first day my brother and I finally sat long enough to chat a bit.  :)

Yesterday, Mary and I did another 4 1/2 hilly miles while Emery took her a.m. nap.  Then after lunch we took Mitchell and Sean to the Le May Car exhibit.  Looked really cool.  We left them there for a couple hours.  Mary, Annie and I drove around for a bit, finally found some pulled pork sandwiches on the side of the rode at this small meat market in Tacoma (so yum!) and then Annie and I got manicures while Mary took Emery shopping.  It was good girl time!  It was a quiet afternoon back at the house and then we had a double date night!!! I left Emery home with the kids, who by the way are amazing!  Let me just take a minute to say how fun it has been for them to be able to hang out with, and get to know, Emery.  They are so natural and initiating with them.  I would even say the boys initiated more with her than the girls.  It was hilarious!  Mitchell and Emery just love each other!!!  He has really taken to her.  He really takes charge.  And Leigh is such a natural, being that she worked in a daycare since she was 14 and is a nanny to a few families.  She's a professional!  Daniel had no problem taking her straight out of my arms and into the other room to play.  And Annie played with her more as the week went on.  So I had no qualms about leaving my little Love with them.  We headed out with Gary and Mary to their country club for dinner.  It was a nice evening of good food, good wine and the dreaded (by Gary) deep conversation.  lol  But I know he liked it.... deep down he did.... :)

Emery and Leigh bonding! So sweet!

Mitchell taking a break by the fire with Emery.  She especially took to him and he to her!

I've been up since 6am this morning thanks to Emery who would not go back to sleep! ugh.  We haven't slept in once this vacation!  That's the bad thing about having her in the same room.  But how irresistible is she when literally wakes us up, looking over the top of the pack n' play at the foot of our bed saying "hi. hi. hi."   Who wouldn't love that?!!!!  Every morning we pull her into bed with us for about 30 min before heading downstairs.  She is the sweetest!!!!

No plans as of yet today.  Its a chill morning so far.  Getting anxious though to get home. I have a quickly growing list of things to do when I get home.  Its going to be a whirlwind!!!!  I guess I just need to soak up the relaxation these next 2 days!

Seattle Vacation Part 2

So I left off on Sunday afternoon.  I already can't remember what we did the rest of the day. lol  (It's Tuesday now).  But I think Sean and I stayed home all day.  In fact, I think once the whole family came home from their friend's grad party, we all chilled the rest of the day.  We had some kind of dinner.  Lots has been happening with me and Sean regarding our future plans so we've spent some time both Saturday and Sunday night hanging out in their gorgeous backyard talking about everything (more to come on that soon).  They built a fire in their fireplace on the patio and we relaxed.  I even roasted a few marshmallows.  Then Mary and I watched Safehouse with the boys in the TV room.  Besides Emery waking up constantly for some reason, we had a great evening together.

Yesterday I went with Mary's friend, Mary (haha), to a bootcamp at Bethany Baptist.  Okay, so you may be thinking what kind of bootcamp is at a church?  A wimpy one?  NOPE!!!!  She kicked my bootcamp-loving butt!!!  Literally... it was all legs, so today my hammies and butt are killing me! lol  It was awesome!  So glad I can keep up my training for the Tough Mudder!  So far I've had 2 GREAT workouts in 3 days!  Sean left in the morning with Daniel to head into Seattle.  Mary, Emery and I made our way to Seattle later in the afternoon.  Gary's office was honoring him for 20 years of service.  It was pretty fun to see where he works, mingle with his coworkers and drink some wine! :)  I thought I wanted to walk around downtown a little and shop, but it was kind of tiring and Emery was past needing a nap.  Since we stayed a little while longer, Gary ended up catching a ride home with us instead of taking the train.  When we got home Mary says what she really wants to do is just sit and watch TV tonight.  I was like "YES"!!!!  After going into Seattle two days in a row, I too just wanted to veg out in front of the TV.  So she, Leigh and I watched the Bachelorette together.  I haven't been watching it but it is always a great girls night for TV.

This morning, as I said, I could hardly get out of bed.  This afternoon I was going to join Mary for a walk to work out the pain, but she reminded me I was driving into Seattle again in two hours.  So being that I feel SO tired today, I decided resting with some brainless TV sounded a little better.  I will be driving in and then home tonight.   I'm really looking forward to that quiet time alone on the 45 min drive.  And Mary and the kids get Emery all to themselves.  (they will love that!)

I'm really excited about tonight because I finally get to meet Alissa, who is marrying Chris.  Chris lived with us for 6 weeks two years ago.  I tell him its because of him I got pregnant.  lol   But really, its because he left for a week to go visit family before moving to Seattle and so Sean and I were really excited to officially be alone in the house.  So we 'spent a lot of time together'.  And because of that......  Emery came about!  Oh how perfect is God's timing.  Had Chris left any sooner or later, we could have missed our open window.  Well, his time with us became, what we later realized to be, a time of discipleship for him.  We was a very new believer in Christ.  He began questioning life itself and what its all about, searching for Truth on his own.  And being the intellectual he is, he came to his belief in Christ.  And little did Sean know that he played a huge part in that mainly because of his daily life and testimony to what a true Christian looks like (per Chris).  Well Chris moved on to Seattle and met the love of his life, who is also a believer.  And now.... they are getting married Sept 28!!!!  We are super excited to hang out with them and get to know her.  I haven't seen Chris in two years.  I really felt a kinship with him as a brother in Christ when he lived with us (which was unexpected since he was just some guy Sean worked with).  But what is even more special, is Alissa is really excited to meet us, who she says played a tremendous part in his coming to Christ and becoming the man of God that he has become and that she now gets to benefit from.  How sweet is that! (tears)

Tenative plans for tomorrow are maybe bootcamp again in the morning or a walk with Mary, and then me and the kids are meeting Sean and Chris for a Sounders (pro soccer) game in the city.  Should be fun!  Unless I'm too exhausted to go. lol

That's all for now!  TTFN!

Seattle Vacation Part 1

We were off to Seattle at 7:45 friday morning.  Flying with Emery was quite different from last year when she was only 3 months old.  So we were a little nervous.  But Sean downloaded some Bubble Guppies on his phone, I had games on mine, books, food and drink!!!  We hoped that was enough for 2 hours. lol   As it turned out, it was.  She did great!!  Although with Sean and I being so different....  He is a little more stressed and I'm a little more chill.  But I guess we balance each other out.  So I think it went well.  

Emery in the Fresno airport awaiting takeoff!

Emery loved her Bubble Guppies!  And so did we!!!  :)

Well we are on day 3 of our vacation as I write this!  It's been so wonderful to be back with my brother and family.  I only get to see them every few years.  The last was when we came for my oldest niece's HS grad.  This time its Daniel.  And then two more after that!  Whew!  And the weather has been fantastic!!  I hear its 108 in Fresno today!  ICK!  So glad I'm not there for that!  But I'll have worse to look forward to in TX I suppose. lol

Well we rolled in Friday morning.  We went home and got straight to working on the grad party for Daniel that night!  I was made the baking queen!  I made red velvet bars, lemon bars, chocolate dipped strawberries and cookies (ready-made dough though... lol).  I took pictures but don't have them now.  Wish I did because the dessert table turned out beautiful!!   Mary's close friend Anne came over to help too and the three of us had a fun time hanging out, baking, cooking, and decorating for the party!  They had 100 people come through that night!  It was a huge success!  Great fun!  Mary is such the hostess with the mostess!  lol  And of course everyone loved Emery as she jammed around like she owned the place.  She was a constant ice breaker. :)

Yesterday Mary and I started the day out with a 6 mile walk/run.  Ok, so we mostly walked the 5 mile route but threw in a mile run around the track to make it 6.  However this walk through the mountainy terrain was a great workout as if I ran 3 miles.  On one hill I even sprinted to the top and bear crawled back down it!!  (yep, my arms are sore today!)  But best part was just the priceless time spent with my sister-in-law.  We got a late start, so it was back home to Gary making breakfast burritos.  We got showered and ready and hit the grocery store then home for a quick dinner and off to graduation.  I was dressed for beautiful weather only to get out of the car into rain.  And it was a long walk to the fair grounds. ugh!  But luckily we were under cover but he poor grads were not.  It was a light rain the entire time!  We ended the time watching Safehouse and then hit the sack.

I promised myself I would enjoy my coffee on their front porch in this beautiful weather!  

Unfortunately this first morning was the only time I did it. lol  But it was most enjoyable! What a view!

Yummy pear Martinis by my sis before heading out to Daniel's graduation... still can't believe I'm drinking with my niece!  They grow up so fast!

My new niece (there's actually two of them! adorable!)

Today we went into Seattle (we're actually in Edgewood) to the City Church.  It was a great church.  But a long 45 min drive with 8 kids and adults and one baby crammed into the Armada!  I wonder if people were thinking "how many are coming out of that car?" as we piled out at church! lol  It was extremely uncomfortable!  But what a great way to get to know each other better!! hahahaha  I was hoping to have a relaxed lunch in downtown and then hit Top Pot donuts on the way out (that was Sean's one request for father's day).  But instead we only picked up the donuts and headed home.  Another long, cramped ride!   We were all so glad to be home!  Gary immediately left for a run and the rest of the fam headed out to another grad party.  The kids are back now,  Emery is sleeping and its just a nice quiet day at home.  Aaaaaahhhhhh......  I love the energy of my family!  They are ALL like the energizer bunny!  Its good for me! :)

Emery playin it cool at Top Pot donuts after church!

That's about it so far.   Sean is heading into downtown Seattle tomorrow for the next 3 days while I spend time with the girls.  I'll post again in a few days!

Funny faces and swim dates!

So, I am SO not a good blogger!  Honestly, its just not my priority.  Although when I print this into a book again, I will be so grateful for the entries I made.  But how many precious moments did I miss?  I have even been horrible at writing those moments in her journal.  I just get so overwhelmed, because honestly there's so much I could write.  But when I sit down to post, nothing comes to mind.  ugh. lol   

Emery is so amazing!  But let me tell you.... she is definitely testing us.  She has a strong, stubborn will and frequently cries and whines when she doesn't get her way.  I'm constantly trying to balance when to ignore her temper tantrum and when to confront and discipline it.  Its so hard.  Its true... you really don't understand until you're a parent.  I hate to admit that now.  But I will lay down my pride and say... "you were all right!" lol  Things are so clear when you are standing on the outside.  But when you are in the middle 24/7, things are not so clear, and definitely not so easy.  Because it is moment to moment disciplining.  No wonder parents let their kids get away with murder.  haha  But I definitely do not want to produce a child that cries or throws a fit every time she doesn't get what she wants.  Let's nip that in the bud!  Its funny... I even told the Lord yesterday, "yes Lord, THIS is what I waited for for 10 years!  And I love it!"

But she is definitely precious.  She is so stinkin sweet and fun and beautiful.  She is learning to share and when she empties all her toys out on the floor or empties out a kitchen drawer, she is learning to put it all back.  She's a quick learner.  And we think the first word she's been trying to say lately is 'cheese'!  That's my girl!!!

 A couple of the many faces of Emery....

This was Emery's first time in her new pool.  Her cousins came over.  Mattie and I sat and chatted and drank iced lattes.  It was a perfect summer day!

 The hat is compliments of JamieRaeHats.com!  I LOVE them!! Thanks Jamie Rae!

 Emery, Owen and Mckenna

Last night we went to a friend's house for swim and bbq, Michael and Jamie.  They have 2 boys and a girl.  The boys did they're own thing all evening.  But Chloe played and swam with us and played with Emery.  She was cracking me up all night.  

Emery looks so determined in this picture.  I love it!  But she seriously was trying to climb up that slide!  She could climb up on the edge but that was about it.  We had a great time!

 Chloe, Emery and Sean

Em crashed as soon as we got home.  Not only did she have a long afternoon and went swimming, but she took a pretty hard spill off the swing. :(  Actually she completely flipped off the swing.  I really was devastated.  Sean told me to keep a hand on her and I did at first.  But then, as usual, I got too trusting and relaxed and in the 1/2 second I glanced at Chloe on the swing next to us, Emery flipped off backwards on the forward swing.  Luckily she landed flat on her belly, but I'm pretty sure her neck jarred a bit on the way down.  I wanted to cry.  I felt so bad.  I felt like an idiot.  I know things happen, but, Sean is right, there are definitely things we can prevent.  Well, she was fine, just very tired after that.  The worst part was she was crying so much and then I gave her Tylenol which went down the wrong way which then made her cough and it snowballed from there.  She began coughing so hard, she started throwing up the phlegm in her throat from crying which then only irritated her throat and she coughed the rest of the evening.  Whew!  Poor baby.  But luckily, once asleep, she was out for the night.  But don't think I didn't check on her frequently.  

Upon checking on her the first time, this is how I found her.... asleep in her BoBo's lap.  

So precious!

Sweet dreams baby girl