6 days and nights

Mommy and I got quite the education last week. We went to Sunriver resort with three other Mommies and 6 other children. We all stayed in one house together. I got to know what it would feel like to have lots of siblings, and Mommy got a taste of what things are to come in later parenthood. Big kids take a different kind of energy than babies like me. They eat a lot, fight a lot, ask lots of questions (i.e. are we there yet?), they don't sit still, and they get into everything! It was a fabulous and relaxing vacation, but boy was it noisy! Mostly we hung out at the house. The older kids played on bikes and I sat with the Mommies who were reading and talking. We went on little trips to the park, the pool, and into Sunriver Village for shopping and treats! One highlight of the trip is that I learned how to nap on my own. I took long naps during the day and allowed Mommy to have some time with two free hands. I also experienced a "first" during this trip--my first time in a swimming pool. Mommy dressed me up in my super cute ladybug swimsuit and hat that I got from Aunt Dian and Katie. Then she took me to the kiddie pool and dipped my toes in the water. Well, it was so cold and I hated it so much that I screamed! The whole experience lasted less than a minute and is captured on videotape forever. Maybe we will try again when I am older and the water is warmer!

Mommy and me at the kiddie pool.

How cute am I?? It would be a two-piece swim suit,

but the lady bug covers up my tummy!

Me and my friend Nicole. She is 6.
Mommy and me at the park. I wanted to go on the merry-go-round with the big kids but Mommy said no.

The downside of our vacation is that we ended up being away from Daddy for six nights in a row. Daddy says I grew up too much while we were gone and he never wants to be separated for that long again until I go to college. But, he did enjoy sleeping through the night which is something Mommy and I did not do. Daddy worked hard all week in Seattle and Portland, and on the weekend he got to enjoy time with friends at a BBQ on Saturday night and even went golfing on Sunday. He surprised Mommy with a clean house when we got home. She said that was the best surprise ever!!

Fun in Chicago

Everyone's first question is "How did Maddie do on the plane?" As a matter of fact I was a perfect baby on the plane ride. Mommy and Daddy were super nervous that I would cry and stress them out, but I didn't. I ate on the way up and down, and slept in between. I liked Chicago...I got to wear all my cute summer outfits and see something called "sunshine."

We stayed in downtown Chicago, which made for good people watching and easy access to lots of cool sights. M & D got lots of walking in, but I got to cruise in my stroller. As a family we went to Millenium and Grant Parks to walk around and see the Buckingham fountain; the Magnificent mile-- for window shopping and chocolate tasting at the Hershey store; the Hancock Tower to see the city view; Lakeshore Drive to look at the lake; Wrigley field for a Cubs game, and boating on the river for an architectural tour. While Mommy was doing wedding stuff, Daddy and I also went to Navy Pier and Lincoln Park zoo with another bridesmaid's family.

Daddy finally made it to Wrigley Field!!

The Lake is so big it looks like an ocean!

I think I am going to like chocolate once I get to try it!

Going to a wedding is pretty cool. Thursday night we went to a BBQ at Sarah and Alix's house and got to hang out with all the rest of the friends and family. Friday night was the rehearsal dinner at a Tapas restaurant. Everyone got to taste 7 different tapas and had paella served family style. It was neat the way they presented the food. Daddy tried dishes with vegetables and Mommy tried a Beef dish. All I got was breastmilk and formula!


Saturday was the big wedding day. Mommy left early to do her hair and makeup and get dressed in her pretty red gown. The wedding was in a huge Catholic cathedral with high ceilings and beautiful stained glass windows. At one point a baby cried and Mommy turned around to see if it was me. Nope, I was snoozing on Daddy's lap the entire time. Then we were off to the reception at the hotel. Some kind older lady held me so M & D could dance. Boy do they have some groovy dance moves! Then I was plum tired out and Daddy took me back up to the room but Mommy stayed until everything was over.

We clean up nicely, don't we?

The bridesmaids and the newlywed couple!

Sunday was Father's Day!! Mommy and I gave Daddy nice cards and a special picture frame with a picture of him holding me when I was first born so he can put it on his office desk. We let him choose the restaurant for lunch.....is anybody surprised he chose ESPN zone and watched Tiger play golf?? Then we had to fly home. We are a little tired today after all that excitement, and there are piles of laundry, but we declare our first family vacation a success!!

Happy Father's Day!

On the road again

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are on our way to Chicago leaving tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 6 AM. What were Mommy and Daddy thinking when they booked the flight?? M & D have been working all weekend to get us packed. We might be slightly overpacked, but apparently traveling with babies means taking a lot of stuff! Plus, Mommy is a bridesmaid in Sarah's wedding, so she has a pretty dress to pack too. We are very excited for our trip and hope to do many fun things while we are in Chicago. It is Daddy's and mine first trip, but Mommy has been there once before.

This last week was kind of quiet for me and Mommy. We hung out at home and rested and took lots of walks. Daddy was working in Corvallis. On Wednesday I turned 12 weeks old!!! I am about 13 pounds now. I am awake a lot more during the day, and I like to smile, laugh and interact much more. I took my first trip to OMSI on Tuesday but I slept through the entire thing. Oh well, maybe I will get more out of it next time.

Saturday night was our friend Melissa's 30th birthday. Her husband Michael surprised her with a LUAU party. We dressed festively at first, but as the evening wore on we had to put sweatshirts and pants on. It was typical of an Oregon luau. Where is our summer???

Hope everyone has a great week! We will have more stories and pictures when we return from Chicago.

Our Week in Seattle

So this last week we spent most of our time up in the Seattle area. Daddy had to work in Seattle for most of the week and the whole family got to go on the trip. We had a lot of fun on our trip, though traveling is still a bit stressful on M&D!




We left on Monday and stopped in Puyallup where Grandpa Randy's cousin and uncle live. We stopped by and stayed a few hours. We visited, had a BBQ and played some cribbage. It was a very nice time and a great way to start the week!




On Tuesday Daddy had to go to work in the morning so Mommy and I hung out at the hotel. At lunch time Daddy picked us up and took us downtown. He had some meetings for the rest of the day so Mommy and I took advantage of the nice weather and walked around the downtown area by the water and had some lunch. We picked Daddy up around 5:00 and headed to Safeco Field to catch a Mariners game. Daddy hadn't had lunch yet so we had a nice dinner before the game.



The weather was great and we had really good seats even though they were in the outfield. They had a family section, so there were lots of other kids around. I didn't fuss much during the game as I was told to be on my best behavior!

Our view from our seats in right-center field...

Mommy and I by our seats...

Wow...sunglasses and shorts...what a concept!

I think the Mariners should try pink and leopard spots....

The game was exciting! The Mariners got off to a fast start and led 3-0 midway through the game. Manny Ramirez hit a 3-run home run for the Red Sox late in the game to tie it all up. We figured that Seattle would find some way to lose this game since they had already lost 7 in a row and have the worst record in baseball this year. However, there bullpen managed to not let Boston score any more runs through the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. That gave Seattle a chance in the bottom of the 9th to not send the game into extra innings. We were rooting hard because we would have to leave at the end of the 9th regardless of the outcome.

Come on Seattle!!!

The Mariners got a double to start off the inning! The next batter sacrifice bunted the runner to 3rd, so the Mariners had a runner on 3rd with only 1 out. Next up was Ichiro - by far and away Seattle's best player - and he was intentionally walked. He stole 2nd when the next batter was up and that batter popped out for the second out of the inning. So the table was set - two on, two out, bottom of the 9th. The batter hit a line-drive down the 3rd base line and the Red Sox 3rd baseman dove to stop the ball - but it got by him and the game was over!!! Seattle actually won a game! We must have been good luck!!!

YEAH!!! Go Cubs, uh, I mean Mariners!!

The whole team mobbed the batter!


Seattle 4, Boston 3!


This pretty much sums up the whole week!

After the game we went back to the hotel and crashed! The next two days were pretty routine as Daddy worked during the day and we went out at night for dinner. On Thursday Mommy and I headed home after lunch to beat the traffic and Daddy had to go to the airport for a flight to Phoenix for a business meeting on Friday. He actually flew into Phoenix and drove to Tucson for one day.

This weekend was pretty relaxed. We did some grocery shopping yesterday and took a walk, but it turned into a run when the rain started and we were caught outside. We decided to go to Blockbuster and get a couple movies. Mommy finally talked Daddy into renting Atonement, but we all fell asleep to it and had to finish it today. The weather was bad today so we relaxed most of the day. Daddy BBQ'd some yummy halibut for dinner and now we are settling in for the night before the work week starts again.

Daddy has to go to Corvallis for work again, but Mommy and I are going to stay home. It is still a bit stressful traveling with me and not very easy to pack up everything I need and store it in a hotel room. This will give Mommy and I a break from traveling before we head off to Chicago next week! I can't believe we will be in Chicago in 9 days!!! I can't wait!

That's it for now. Have a great week everyone!