Festival of Lights

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the little town of Cd'a has a parade downtown. After the parade, a mass of people swarm towards the Coeur d'Alene Resort, lights some candles, sings a few Christmas carols and views a spectacular firework show! It's one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season. Sadly we did not make it downtown in time for the parade but we did make in plenty of time for the carols and fireworks.  It was so fun watching fireworks with Hayden for the very first time. As corny as it may sound, I swear they were the brightest and most beautiful fireworks I've ever seen. I actually got misty eyed watching them. I can't help but think that it all goes back to the fact that all that holiday magic comes to life again when you have a small child. I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year!

Trick or Treat

This Halloween was Hayden first time actually Trick-or-Treating! We dressed her as a fairy angel and she was so cute I could hardly stand it!

We took her to downtown Cd'a, were all the businesses on Sherman give away candy. We met several of our friends at Sweet B Cupcakes and started our adventure from there. There was SO many people down there. So many kids in some really GREAT costumes! As soon as we put Hayden down she started laughing and running.

I don't think I've ever seen her THAT excited. I LOVE being able to experience that "holiday happiness" through the eyes of my child. I don't think I've enjoyed Halloween that much since I myself was a small child.
She can't quite say "Trick-or-Treat," yet, but I did hear a few "thank yous" out of her during the course of the evening. We will definitely be returning to Sherman Ave again next year. It was a great time!

Cousin Holland (Unicorn) and Hayden

She LOVES her Cousin!

Grammy, Pappa and Hayden

And on a an unrelated and totally random side note:
Hayden has started calling me "Daddy." Now, she's been calling me Mommy for a quite some time and is still calling Chris her Daddy but just a couple of weeks ago I became Daddy as well for some reason.  She points to me in pictures and says "Daddy!" She wraps her sweet little arms around my neck and says "Daddy!" And if anybody point to me and asks "Who is that?" Her response is "Daddy!!" It's pretty funny, actually. But I'm looking forward to being Mommy again, soon. I'm curious how long this little phase will last....

A Fall Start

 Why, hello again! I can't believe it's been nearly 2 months since my last post! Life happens, I suppose. The month of October has been quite eventful for us. I'll give a quick overview of a few of the happenings that stand out the most. First and foremost:

1.  WE MOVED ~ From Seattle to Coeur d'Alene, Id. We are happy to be back in a smaller town, close to family and friends. Chris is going to continue his freelance Audio Visual career and I will be working at a chain pharmacy just 5 minutes from where we are living. Goodbye 2 hour commute!

2. I TURNED 30! ~

Throughout most of my 20's I never actually felt like an adult (at least not untill I had Hayden). Coming into my 30's I REALLY feel like I've grown into myself (if that makes any sense). I finally feel like a "grown-up." I feel comfortable in my own skin. I KNOW what I want in my life and have certainly learned what I do NOT. I am excited to by a home, marry my true love and raise our daughter together. I don't think turning 30 was all that bad. In fact, I kinda like it. My dear friends got together and threw me a surprise party to celebrate.  I felt so loved! I am truly blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

3. HAYDEN IS NOW 1& 1/2!! ~

We took her to her well visit on the 24th.  Her stats were as follows:
23lbs 6oz (45%)
31.5" (45%)
Head Circ. 47.5 (80%)

Her vocabulary has exploded in the last month or so! She is saying all kinds of words. And she surprises us with new ones nearly every day. We are becoming very aware that she repeats things (even stuff we would rather she didn't) after only hearing it a couple of times. This household is working on PG-ing itself!
She has been teething like crazy. Just since we've been here (a little over 3 weeks) She has cut 3 molars, 2 bottom teeth and just cut her first eye tooth. After these 6 she'll only have 8 more to go!
We know have a potty chair in the bathroom. Not for any serious potty training just yet. We just wanted to get her familiar with the concept. During the first week we had it I sat her on it and, more than likely coincidentally, she peed.  I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the accomplishment (even if it wasn't entirely intentional). I'm thinking we'll "real-deal" potty train sometime this winter.
She also got her first hair cut. We took her to Bombshell Salon in Cd'a and had an old time friend of ours, Toni, cut it for her. Now she has little bangs and looks even that much cuter in pig tails!

I just started working this week so we had a nice, long and well needed "vacation" for the last few weeks. In Seattle our lives were SO busy and scheduled with very little down time so it's been great to have so much quality time with Chris and Hayden. Now that we're in Cd'a, Chris and I have experienced the luxury of a few date nights. Movies, dinners, a few sleep in Saturdays and even a night out at Scarywood ! Living so close to Grammy and Pappa definitely has it's perks!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY! A TRICK OR TREAT BLOG POST IS SOON TO FOLLOW!

A Little of This, A Little of That

Hayden FINALLY had her 15 month well visit! Only she was 16 months by the time we got her in for her appointment. Her stats were as follows:

Height:    50% (31 inches)
Weight:   50% (23 lbs)
Head:     90% (47.5cm)

It's hard to believe she'll be 1 year and 1/2 in just a couple of months!!

As for the last few weeks? Last weekend we found a little gem in Bellevue called Crossroads Park. They have a great splash area and playground. Hayden absolutely love it, and so did we!! If you have children and live in the Seattle area we highly recommend you check it out! 

Today we hung out at Golden Gardens in North Seattle. It was crazy crowded and we almost left because we couldn't find any parking (one of the reasons we are excited to move to a less populated area). But we happened across an empty space just as we were on our way out. And we're happy we did cause Hayden had a great time digging in the dirt and if we had let her, I'm pretty sure she would have ran all the way into the water, even though it was not all that warm.

Other big new in the life of us? After MUCH consideration we have decided to move back to Coeur d'Alene, Id. We are currently on the hunt for work and plan on relocating at the beginning of October. Coeur d'Alene has always been and always will be "home" to me. I think it will be the ideal place to buy a home and raise Hayden. The transition during the next couple of months will be very challenging for us but we're VERY excited to be closer to family and friends.  I am ball of nerves and excitement as we move into this new chapter in our lives. Change is always difficult but only when we're outside of our comfort zones and challenging ourselves do we learn and grow and evolve. On to our next adventure with the spice of the unknown.

Sheri Dee Meets Hayden Marie

For those of you that don't know Sheri Dee, she is a very near and dear old time friend of our family. When I was born we lived in Norwalk, Ca. My Mom lived right around the corner from Sheri. They had been friends for a while. Perhaps I should note that my Mom's a tad bit on the young side (I'm 29, she's 44. You can do the math). Sheri is a few years younger than her and Sheri would babysit me sometimes. Sheri LOVED Boy George (I'm pretty sure she STILL totally does) and her room was covered in music posters and porcelain masks (I later went on to collect porcelain masks when I was in middle school). She worked at McDonald's (I thought this was AWESOME!) We would watch videos on MTV together. I don't personally remember ALL of this cause it was quite some time ago but I've heard many a stories over the years. I'm constantly reminded by her of things like:

1. I referred to Billy Idol as "Mo, Mo, Mo"
2. I pronounced lipstick as "Lip-dick"
3. And in my world, Chicken McNuggets were "Chicana big nuggets"

How awesome is it to have somebody that you still keep in contact with that knows these types of things about you? Pretty friggin' awesome, if you ask me! Other fun facts about Miss Sheri Dee?

* She took me to my first big concert. Who was it, you ask? None other than Janet Jackson. Her Rhythm Nation tour, even.
* She let me be her Flower Girl (they are no longer married, but little girls feel pretty damn special when they get to be in a wedding)
* When I graduated from Highschool, she gave me her wedding ring from said wedding and told me to make myself a "graduation ring" with the diamonds from it. I STILL wear it to this day, every day. It's my right hand diamond.
*She took me to see Drop Dead Fred and it was my favorite movie for the longest time!  
* We spent many a fun time baking with Sheri when I was a kid. I remember going to the store and buying all the makings for fudge and cookies and cakes along with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol for the belly ache afterwards.

Sheri always took me to do the funnest things and the memories go on and on.

I was beyond excited when she contacted me to tell me she was gonna be in Seattle for work (she lives in CA). She stopped by last Saturday for a visit and met Hayden. It really was a bit of a full circle moment for both of us. We both got a little teary-eyed during the introduction. Sheri will ALWAYS hold a very special place in my heart and it was AMAZING to see her and little Hayden together. Thank you for stopping by, Sheri! I hope we get to see you again soon. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Summa Time Shenanigans

Chris and I went to Soundgarden at the Gorge last Saturday and I must say we were LONG overdue for an evening of just us time.  A big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Proulx for intercepting Hayden in Moses Lake last weekend so we could have a night to ourselves. We, like so many others, get so caught up in our day to day responsibilities (caring for Hayden, work, bills, chores, errands, etc) we forget to stop and connect in the ways we need to and know we should. It was nice to have and afternoon of relaxing in the sun, an evening of incredible music and above all time to focus on each other.

The Gorge

Chris Cornell ~ AH-MAZING!!

We camped at the Gorge and left bright and early Sunday morning to head over to Coeur d'Alene for a few days of family and friend fun in the sun! We finally had some time off AND the weather was nice. Imagine that! We had a big BBQ on Sunday with loads of friends and their kids. It makes my heart happy to spend time with old friends that I pretty much grew up with, watching our kids all play together. I love lounging by the pool with my parents, watching Hayden and her cousin be silly little girls. Life just feels "right" when we're there. As time ticks by I feel myself yearning more and more to be closer to family. I want so badly to share Hayden, every development and milestone with all the ones we love. Sigh...Perhaps some day that can be a reality for us. For now, this little blog along with pictures and videos will have to due. Here are some of the photos from our time in Cd'a:

Popsicle Princess

Holland & Hayden

Davi Lyn, Hayden, Oliver

Holland, Davi Lynn, Hayden

Fun times with Cousin Holland

Grandma and Hayden

Filling water balloons with Daddy

Chillin with Pappa

More posts to come hopefully sooner than later. I've been a bit of a slacker. I know. Hayden will be going in for her "15 month" well visit soon (probably closer to the time that she's 16 months) we've been busy and are running a tad bit behind schedule. Her personality is really starting to pop and every day it's something new. A lot of imitating games and silly antics. She is getting good at communicating when she needs/wants things and can say a few words (Momma, Dadda, hi, bye, bubble, no, nigh nigh,  SHOE!) You know, all the IMPORTANT stuff ;) She makes the funniest faces. Including one where she opens her mouth super wide like she's shocked and shakes her head. Usually she'll do it if the vacuum turns on or if she see's something she really likes or sometimes just cause she knows it'll make us laugh. Anything for a reaction.

She's learning how to test us and see what she can get away with. She is absolutely fearless and we find ourselves having to watch her every move! She is keeping us very, very busy but we're loving every second of it!

Happy Birthday To The Man I Love

We celebrated Chris' birthday last week, Wednesday to be exact. I really wanted to get a good birthday photo of him, but this is all I got:

Which doesn't really come as much of a surprise considering over the years when I  try to get a photo of Chris I end up with snap shots like these:

He's a total goof ball, but I LOVE IT! It's obvious where our daughter gets her silliness from!! We celebrated his 3rd annual 29th (wink, wink) by going out to dinner as a family, just us three, to Elliot Bay Brewery in West Seattle. Yummy beer and food in a kid friendly environment is always a good time for us! Hayden got to color and people watch and we got to enjoy some time outta the house, a good meal and tasty beverages with no clean up. Awesome! We followed up with some birthday treats from Cupcake Royale. That place never disappoints . Chris & I have been together for nearly 5 years now and I'm excited to continue to grow older right along with him. To many moooore!!! Happy Birthday, my love!

Birthday Yummies!

She's A Toddler Now

Hayden had her 1 year appointment a few of weeks ago. We got to skip the vaccines during the appointment seeing how she was running a 102 degree fever. Another little gem of a virus I'm sure she probably picked up at daycare. At the rate she's going she's gonna have one heck of an immune system by the time she's 2. Or at least I hope. Her stats were as follows:

Weight:  20lbs. Even.   30%
Length:  29  & 1/2" inch.   55%
Head Circ:  18 & 1/4 inch.  75%

Walking has been her main mode of transportation for well over a month now.  When she first started walking she was SUPER cautious. Being "upright" for as long as she has has definitely built her confidence. Maybe a little too much. She thinks she can run now all of sudden. She's taken a few spills and clumsily collides with walls or whatever else happens to get in her way. It's quite a nerve racking phase for Mommy and Daddy. She went head first into a bench in our hallway on Mother's Day, resulting in a big welt and scratch just under her right eye. Happy Mother's Day, right? I didn't mind apartment dwelling in the past but I think that having a toddler and no yard might be a little rough this summer. Sigh. Someday I'll have a house and a yard. Someday. For now we'll have to make good use of all the beautiful parks the Seattle area has to offer.

Anyways....Hayden is doing all kinds of fun stuff these days!! Her little personality is emerging right before our very eyes and she is a SILLY little thing! She has the cutest little wiggle. I'd say it's dancing but she does it spontaneously. Whether there's music or not. Perhaps it's a happy dance? Whatever you wanna call it, it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. But then again, I AM her Mother and I think pretty much everything she does is the cutest thing. Ever. She's quite the little tickle monster, too. She will brush her little fingers over any feet or arms she sees while making a "tickle noise." It's somewhere between "tickle-tickle" and "deedle-deedle." Also, adorable. She says "bye" and waves. She has also started saying "Hi," usually while placing a random toy or her hand over her ear. I think she thinks she's on the phone. She plays peek-a-boo. She sometimes grabs a book and sits on the floor, turning pages and making sounds as if she's reading. She has also learned where her nose and tummy are. We ask her "Hayden where's your tummy/nose?" And she'll point to the correct body part. She's our little smartie. And my favorite of the month? She blew me a kiss before I left for work this morning! It. Was. Awesome.

She's getting SO big!

 

Bath time + Bubbles = A good time for all.

We're Going to The Gorge in George!

Yup, that's right. I got us tickets to Soundgarden at The Gorge July 30th! To say I'm TOTALLY STOKED, would be an understatement. Chris and I don't "get out" much. We don't have any family here in Seattle so baby sitters are hard to come by. My Mom agreed to meet us at the Gorge (or slightly after, depending on how well little HM is traveling) to intercept Hayden and take her back to Cd'a for the day/night. We'll meet her over in Cd'a the following day and chill there for a few days before returning to Seattle. Chris and I get to have a child free afternoon/night at The Gorge for a killer show, a little camping and more than likely a bit of beer consumption . Can you say AWESOME?!  I'll be counting down the days.

Easter Birthday Party Weekend

A friend of mine pointed out that Easter was last on April 24th in 1859 and it won't be on April 24th again until 2095, adding just a little more extra special-ness to Hayden's first Birthday! Since her Birthday fell on the holiday we decided to celebrate on Saturday the 23rd instead. We had BEAUTIFUL weather (especially considering we woke up to an inch of snow just the day before the party!). We had a great turn out of friends and family and lots of kiddos. An Easter egg hunt, a pinata, a jumpy castle, cake and ice cream. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We took a zillion pictures but her are just a few of our favorites.

Click on Collage to Enlarge

We were actually in Coeur d'Alene for an extended weekend. We got there the Wednesday before Hayden's Birthday and left the following Monday. We had a relaxing and wonderful time there. Dying Easter eggs, going out to dinner, spending time with family and friends and just enjoying being away from all of our typical at home responsibilities.

It was just one of those memory creating weekends. A lot of good times with great people. It's always so hard to leave that  place. I know it's only a 5 hour car drive but sometimes it just seems SO far.  Here's a few more photos from our time there.

Hayden's B-Day dinner at The Texas Roadhouse

Easter Bunny

SUGAR!!

Bubbles with Daddy

Wearing Uncle Eddie's headphones

Mommy's Favorite Photo of the Week!