Amanda and Shaye

Bellingham: Day 3 and 4

Our third full day in Bellingham, we went on an adventure. I always feel proud of us when we go out and do a real excursion, especially this time, when we were carting two babies around. First we met up with Skyler and Jamie and made the 90 minute drive to Seattle. It was a bit rainy, but we weren't too worried. We went to the Woodland Park Zoo in the morning. The first few hours were magical, just watching the wonder on Emme's face.

Like just about everywhere we went on this trip, I had Hudson in the baby carrier. He felt more comfy to me than he looks here. Poor guy--haha.

The whole crew. It was definitely a fun time at the park.

For lunch we were to a French bakery in Pike's place. It was crazy busy and I can't believe we even got seats. The Jamón y Burré sandwiches were good and the macarons were even better. It was fun to get the Pike's place experience.

We just had to stop by the notorious Gum Wall since we were so close. Seattle is fascinating. It's got such a weird, edgy vibe. I love going places and just soaking in the ambiance. We were only there for a quick daytrip, but we definitely got a little dose.

So, because Skyler and Jamie are just the salt of the earth sort of people, they INSISTED on taking our babies so we could go to dinner for our anniversary (9 years!). They really are the type of people that do the kindest things and just act like it's no big deal. We went into this hole in the wall Indian place, and then met them at Mallard Ice Cream after.

Skyler captured Emme terrorizing her older cousin while they watched our kids at Chuck E Cheese's. I just love this sequence...

That is just an expression I know all too well. "I got my way." Oh man.

We were pretty tired after our big day in Seattle, so the following day, we just relaxed and regrouped. I snapped this pic of Hudsie, but besides that we spent the day in the park and walking around Lake Louise, just enjoying the quiet.

Bellingham: Day 1 and 2

On May 30, we embarked on quite the adventure. Our first family trip (notice that I'm not using the word "vacation," as it would be a misnomer in this case!).

We started off by driving to Vegas. I had to wedge myself between their two car seats, but all was fine. I had packed meticulously, and I was pretty sure we were going to be all right. Shaye dropped us off at the airport and I snapped this photo to send to my mom to show her that all was well...and then Shaye got lost and couldn't find the parking garage. He called me wanting directions without really knowing where he was, and then things pretty much fell apart when Emme threw a tantrum and tried to run away from me and Hudson started screaming. I definitely lost my cool and we hadn't even boarded the plane yet. Oh dear...

Contrary to my fears, however, the plane wasn't all that bad. Probably because of her early antics, Em fell asleep an hour or so into the flight woke up when we were landing. I had to nurse Hudson a few times, but it wasn't too bad.

We landed in the evening and grocery shopped and settled into our rental. The next day we had all to ourselves. Skyler and Jamie weren't to arrive until the next day and my family wasn't due for another few days after that. We enjoyed the park on Lake Whatcom in the marina where there were these ginormous swings. Em just loved it.

Later we walked around our beloved Lake Louise.

We gathered wild raspberries. They're pretty tart, but we don't mind. Emme was immediately a fan!

My face says it all here. Bellingham, and especially lake Louise, is a zen place for me.

And let me just tell you, the smell here is amazing. You can just smell all of the trees, thousands of them! And there are little ducks playing in lilly pads. It all just makes my heart happy.

I could tell right away that Shaye was going to love showing Emme his childhood delights of this place.

The next day Skyler and Jamie got in and we got to see their fun bungalow in Fairhaven. The neighborhood was maybe a little sketchy, but the place couldn't have been cuter. Shaye had some work to do, and so we hung out here for a few hours. Emme explored with Landon and Shayden and we adults and Hudson laid around and talked. It was drizzling out and rather cool. Just how we like it.

A bit later we ventured into town and took a little drive north to Birch Bay. It was cool and windy, but still very fun. Emme had never seen the ocean before. She definitely had fun, but she thought the shells and seaweed were a little bit gross too.

This is the face she gave me when I begged her to smile. Pretty sure she threw these seashells 5 seconds later.

We had tons of fun eating caramel s'mores and just laughing and being together. Skyler and Jamie are the funnest to travel with! This second day was so fun!

May in Everyday Photos

Oh, the sweet craziness of our every day lives. Here are some fleeting moments I captured that give a glimpse of our May.

Sometimes I just can't stand how cute she looks and I pull out my camera and snap some photos. This happened to be on Mother's Day. When she cooperates, it's gold; when she doesn't, I feel like some terrible "momager" or something, forcing her kid to pose.

The way we spend a lot of our time--with all of us in bed watching TV.

We finished our backyard this month and are pretty excited about it! We've had grass back there awhile, but it's so nice to look back and see bark and plants instead of dirt!

So, since I've been dieting, I've had enough milk to nurse Hudsie, but not extra to donate like before. Also, while the milk I thawed from a few weeks after Hudson was born was totally opaque and creamy, my milk now looked more like skim milk. Good thing he's still as chunky as can be!

Their first little bath together. Hudson was maybe a little afraid for him life. And I think Emme realized he is a boy for the first time--hahaha.

I put my foot down and treated myself to a mother's day gift--my new garden! I'm a TOTAL novice, but excited to learn.

We went on a fun date night dinner in Shaye's car. Always a treat!

I got the Bountiful Basket tamale kit and made some pork tamales that turned out awesome. It makes a big mess, but it's pretty awesome. We've been eating this batch I made for months!

What snuggling with Hudsie feels like after nursing. I'm obsessed with him!

Mandy and me with our sweet boys. So fun to have them so close in age even though we never see each other.

Yeah...this sometimes seems like a good idea when we pull up to Harmon's, but it never ends up working out to great when I'm slamming into end caps and trying not to lose my temper.

We bought this kitty leash in preparation for our trip to Bellingham. I didn't waste any time trying it out while we were at the store. I got lots of looks, but I didn't care. She loved it.