Seattle and Sleepy Sundays

I love the northwest. One of the things I love about the pacific northwest more specifically is that we have two fantastic cities within a couple hours of one another. We love taking day trips to Seattle. We have a lot of memories of the three years we lived in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Our downtown apartment was our first home as a couple; it's where we got engaged, where we started our careers and where we fell in love with living in a city. This trip we decided to visit a beach we hadn't been to in years. Seeley was her usual mermaid self and immediately tried to get in the water. She ran up and down the beach and we had a blast splashing and playing in the sand.
The next day we planned to go for a little hike after Wes made us an amazing french toast breakfast, but S fell asleep in the car for a much needed nap. So we ended up taking this amazing drive through farmland and orchard after orchard. We live in paradise :)

Time at Home and Big Changes

We had such a nice weekend! After a week of Seeley being sick with a stomach virus (seriously, Portland, what's up?) we decided to take it easy since Wes and I weren't feeling great ourselves. It turned out to be really nice to have some much needed down time. We really like spending time together at home. We both love our home and I especially take a lot of pride in how it's maintained and decorated. I'd like to think that our house is nice as well as inviting and comfortable and, most importantly, full of love!
We finally got the cherry tomato plant Wes has been wanting forever and Seeley helped him plant it by playing with the trowel and throwing dirt around. We also took little girl out for a ride on her balance bike but she was more interested in going for a walk with her helmet on. She also decided it was Seeley and papa time and let me know it multiple times ("no mama. I want papa to swing me!") I didn't mind carrying all the stuff and watching them run around. They're too cute to be mad at :)
One of the two big changes in our house is that Seeley is officially weaned from nursing! It just kind of worked out with Seeley being in Boise and then being too sick to tolerate any breastmilk without throwing up. We decided just to go for it entirely and say bye-bye to nursing. So she's done! I'm a mess though. Having that bonding time with her has been amazing and it's really sad to see her growing up (as well as exciting and fantastic, of course). I know that for us nursing Seeley for almost three years was the right decision. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Our other big change is also about growing and moving forward. Beginning in September I will be working part-time! Holy cow! I am excited and nervous and on the verge of a panic attack. I will be teaching a ten week course on public speaking at an educational resource center for homeschoolers! Basically my dream job in alternative education. And the best part is they have a childcare area so I can bring Seeley. It's amazing and I can't wait to get started. Onward and upward!

A Weekend in Boise and Mama Solo Time!

This weekend I spent my first weekend alone since Seeley was born! That's almost three years ago! I've spent a day away from her, but I've put her to bed every night of her life. We were ready to have a little space, and Seeley's such an adaptable girl I honestly wasn't nervous about it. Some people may have done this earlier but I knew we waited until the right time for us. So we all gave eachother hugs and kisses and off they went!
I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I just kind of walked around our quite house for an hour. Eventually I settled in and did my favorite thing on earth: reading. I read poetry and fashion magazines. I started a novel. I read in bed late into the night and with a cup of coffee the next morning. It was glorious. I went for a couple nice walks. I stretched out in bed and lingered there all morning. A girl could get used to this. The best part is that I wasn't worried or nervous about Seeley. I knew she'd be fine because she was with her papa and her family. And I was right. The girl had a ball. Wes' family showed her so much love! I think everyone had a fantastic weekend and that we've grown even more as a family.