Time for an update!

Wow. October was my last post.

I really wanted to keep this updated on a weekly basis. I must have been crazy when I thought that was possible. That was my intention of course. It is not as easy as it seems once school, work, and family are pulling on every limb. At least Facebook is on my iPhone, otherwise I would NEVER be on it...unlike of course my husband, who apparently has time throughout his workday and then some. But that is another story. ;-)

Anyway, I do however find it rather relaxing to come here, reflect back and share some memories. For that reason, I am going to try to make a more conscious effort to stay on top of it.

So, where do I begin? So much has happened since then, some good, some bad, some enlightening, some heartbreaking-here is my attempt to catch you up. Hopefully, by the end of next week I will be all caught up!

October~

This was the start of the what would soon become bad news. Chad was taking back to back trips to Asia, trying to make peace with the factory there. The lawsuit between Terry and Michael was underway, with an agreement nowhere in sight. It seemed like there was a black cloud hanging overhead for weeks. It was like having a case of the Mondays, over and over again.

We took the kids to Virginia Beach for my cousin Frankie and Lori's wedding. It was beautiful there and so great to see the family.

Heading to the beach...of course we needed tattoos!

What a tush!

This was the afternoon of the rehearsal-freezing cold, wet and windy.

Olivia and Tay

Preschool was in full swing. With Halloween quickly approaching, Encompass planned a class trip to the nursery to pick pumpkins!

We of course took our own family trip to the pumpkin patch. The Merritts/Gardiners all went along for the fun. Sadly, this was the only decent family pic we could get. The kids were done!

Here are the kids in their costumes. As you can see, Jack hated being a turtle.

November~

This month we met Kelli. Kelli was our nanny for roughly three months during what was a very crazy time for Impex. She would come help me three days a week for about 5 hours a day. Chad was gone for roughly 3 and a half weeks throughout Asia, so having Kelli was my saving grace. God Bless the mother and father that put her on this earth-she is truly amazing and our family misses her terribly. Since there was so much traveling for Chad, we really didn't have a lot on our plate. We did take a family picture before he left...thanks for snapping it Kelli! xoxo

December~

What a busy few months it has been. Chad finally returned home after a brutal travel schedule. Just in time for my birthday, and Thanksgiving. Our niece Sofia turned 1 on the tenth! Santa even stopped by for the party.

To be continued...

My Prima Ballerina!

What a fun morning we had! Taylor and her best bud Ava had their first day of Dance Theatre! I don't know if I will ever witness a sweeter moment, those little girls melted my heart. Sara, their teacher, was so patient and friendly that the girls walked right in and starting moving. Jack came along for the first day and was captivated by all of the little gals. He was smiling and laughing and almost looked like he wanted out of his stroller to participate. He is our 'tiny dancer.'

First stop Mt. Si Dance Theatre, next stop Juilliard??

Here are some pictures highlighting the hour of fun...

Both Taylor and Ava listened and followed all the instructions beautifully. Their movements were fairly choppy but they tried each move nonetheless. These girls are very dedicated and will have no problem excelling in the class.

A few of the girls were so tiny. They looked so much smaller than three, but held their own in the class.

So sweet. Little ballet slippers, tiny leotards, and itty bitty tutus...budding ballerinas.

Whistle while you work!

Well, Jack is officially feeling WAY better! He is up to his normal routine, even aside from yesterday. Thank GOD!

Not sure what it is, but ever since Hawaii our little man has been having a love affair with cleaning tools. While he loves the vacuum and duster, his favorite remains the broom. It goes everywhere with him! Heaven forbid you take it away to put it back into the closet-the crocodile tears start flowing! Who knows, maybe he will be a cleaner guy than his dad!

The funnies thing is that as he walks with it, he does this little dance. I will try and capture it on video to post here. He makes me laugh, that is for sure.

Then of course is Taylor, who as most of you know, is a ham. The minute I starting taking pictures of Jack, Taylor wanted to be a part of the action. I found this sweet dress at Gymboree a couple of weeks ago and thought it was perfect for this gorgeous fall day.

She is so fresh! It would have been nice if she smiled!

By the way, that clip in her hair is from my girlfriend's company: http://www.littlemissclippies.com/

LOVE THEM! And yes, it matched perfectly!

Holiday Cards From Sweet Pea Photography Now Available!

It is officially starting to feel like fall...with the holidays just around the corner. I am working on my email campaign for the 2008 Holiday card release, but since it is being uncooperative, I decided to post them here as well. Fingers crossed, should have the email campaign up and running and off to read by early next week! To view the image on a larger scale and see the details, click on the picture below. It will *should* open in a separate web browser window. Thanks!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!

So, I wanted to get these pictures together beforing sharing Sunday's birthday bash for Taylor. It was the perfect ending to our busy birthday weekend for our little 3 year old. Of course, everything was decorated in Disney Little Einsteins. Everything! From the banners, to the favors, we were officially on Einstein overload. Even the cake had its very own Rocket!

I guess that is what happens when the kids start to get opinions of their own. Just as long as they don't ask for Barney or Winnie the Pooh! I would cry!

We decided to have the party in the morning-wow-so glad we did! The timing worked out well for the little ones and it allowed the adults to still plan a full day thereafter. I would definitely recommend it! The weather turned out to be so nice that the kids were even able to play outside! I was so grateful it wasn't rainy or cold as the prior parties. What a fantastic day!

Thank you to everyone for making the day so special!

Taylor's 3rd Birthday

Last Friday (September 26th) was Taylor's 3rd Birthday. I still can't believe that my little girl is 3! It is remarkable how the time has flown by these last three years, so bittersweet. We continued our tradition of Chad staying home from work to help celebrate the big day and of course it started at breakfast. Taylor decided she wanted pancakes for her birthday breakfast, and while not a big fan, I chose to have some as well.

Next stop: the "round-n-round slide." AKA Cascade View Elementary's Kindergarten play area. We spend a lot of time here. Instead of the bark at all of the other playgrounds, this has a great rubber pad so no slivers! Plus, is completely fenced off. There is a corkscrew style slide there (which is Tay's favorite) hence the nickname. She loves this park. She asks to go every day and has yet to understand that we can't always go because school is in session.

Where to next? Chuck-E-Cheese's! Chad and I had a ton of errands to run to get ready for the party on Sunday, so once in Lynnwood, we headed to CEC. I have only been once, and I was a kid, but this was Chad's first trip. Both Taylor and Jack were hysterical! I don't know who had more fun. Jack loved to hop on the rides, but had a blast playing the arcade games. I think his favorite was the water gun race (where he beat Taylor by a landslide). Sadly, we hadn't plan to go there and didn't bring the camera. Bummer. I would imagine we will hit the Bellevue location soon for a bad weather outing.

Nothing exciting on Saturday, just more prepping for the party. The kids were so pooped out from the day prior we figured we should let them rest.

Watermelon, watermelon!

So, I have recently learned Taylor LOVES watermelon. While she used to just like it earlier in life, she now can plow through several large slices. This was her 3rd slice of melon before school today.