Haircut

It's amazing how a new do can make you feel better! For the last year I've been sporting the trendy wedge cut that almost everyone seems to have. I also found a stylist who I really loved in Albuquerque. So before we moved, I made sure to squeeze in one more appt. Murphy's Law, when I got there, I found out she wasn't in (she didn't realize she had an appt.). They asked if I wanted to wait an hour for her to drive over, but I said no because I needed to pick up the kids. Well, another stylist was in, and she said, "Hey, my 2 o'clock canceled, so I can do it." I was so happy, I said sure. All was fine until halfway through the process she said, "This is one of the most difficult cuts. It's been the hardest for me to learn." I was like, great, this doesn't sound good for me. It wasn't.

I don't know what she did, but the back looked like a weird mushroom, and front sloped in like a catfish. I was trying to be patient to let it grow out for a while (it's been two months), but today I couldn't take it anymore! Somehow I thought it would be a good idea for me to be Edward Scissorhands! It's not like I could have done more damage! ;-D

Anyway, the verdict is in -not too bad! Maybe this should be my career...

Bronwen and Ava go to the movies for the first time!

On Friday we got a call from Auntie Bianca to say that she was coming up for a visit. Bronwen and Ava were so excited. For the rest of the afternoon, almost all of the conversations between the girls and me were:

Bronwen/Ava: "What is going to happen after we wake up tomorrow?"

Me: "We'll eat breakfast."

Girls: "Then what momma?"

Me: "Oh, I don't know...chores?"

Girls: "No momma, tell us!"

Me: "Oh I know! Your Auntie Bianca is coming."

Girls: "Yeah! What time?"

Me: "Around 12."

Girls: "When is it 12?"...

It was obvious the anticipation was killing them. They couldn't wait!

Well Bianca pulled into the driveway right on schedule. Conrad made us lunch, we loaded up in the car to get a caffeine fix from Starbucks, then to the movies!

Conrad had been wanting to take the girls to see WALLE for about a month now. Some of his favorite memories with his dad were of them going to the theater, so he wanted to pass on the 'tradition". We all had a great time, and actually got to stay for the whole show! The best part for me was watching Bronwen with Ava. Even though they are only 16 months apart, Bronwen really is the world's best big sister. She would get popcorn and candy for herself, then look at Ava and say, "Here Sissy -open up," and pop a treat into Ava's mouth. It is so beautiful to see how caring they are to one another. On a funny note, one of the characters is named "Eve", but they pronounce it as "Eva." The whole time, Ava kept saying, "They said Ava!" She was very excited and rather loud about it too! ;-)

My missing husband

My sweet husband was looking at the blog, and said, "Where am I? I see my name, but I don't see my face!" So here he his. Ahh... :-D

Let's go to the beach!

The girls and I are loving WA! We live two miles away from an inlet on Lake Washington. The park is called Gene Coulon Memorial Beach, and it has everything to satisfy a water lover's taste! There are two large play areas, tennis and volley ball courts, fields (for Frisbee), grills, a duck-feeding area, and a beach. I've taken the girls to the play areas before, but today we decided to put on our swim-suits and dive into the water. We had a blast!

I have to admit, at first I was a little hesitant to venture out to the lake with two small children, but any qualms melted away as soon as I saw how shallow the beach area was. It was only to my knees 15 ft out! Bronwen and Ava practiced their swimming skills (i.e. crawling/paddling on their tummies in the water), and I got a bit of a tan. We stayed for about an hour (we met one of my new girlfriends there), then came home. Now we're just hanging out, eating popcorn and watching Beauty and the Beast. Life is good. :-)

Happy Fourth of July!

Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote. My family came out for Bronwen's birthday, and my mom accidentally packed up my camera (thinking it was my sister's), so I couldn't download any new pictures. Well, a lot has happened in the last few weeks!

I have the whole house furnished and decorated. It feels so nice to be in a home again! I did have to get rid of a lot of our Southwest decorations though. They didn't quite look right in our home! Now we're just daydreaming about home improvement activities. We're going to redo our kitchen and put wood floors on the bottom floor (which is what we did in our old house -de ja vu!). :-) That will probably happen next summer.

On the family front, what a blessing it is to be near my mom, dad and sisters! The car ride from Portland to Seattle is exactly three hours -the same amount of travel time via a plane, but without the addition of security, driving to the airport, etc.. It is wonderful! Like I mentioned earlier, my family came out for Bronwen's birthday (none of can believe that she is actually a little girl now!), and I just came back from a trip there this past Monday through Thursday. It is so nice to pack up the girls and leave on a whim. I love being in the NW!

I have really appreciated the time I've had to stay at home and spend time with the girls and get the house ready. I am ready to go back to work though. Working gives me such happiness, and makes me feel like I'm a better mom as a result (I was working part-time before we moved out here -a nice balance). I've had two phone interviews for a position at T-mobile, and I go in for a real-live one next week. Wish me luck! :-)

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful fourth of July holiday. I miss each of you, and look forward to hearing from you.

Love,

Michelle, Conrad, Bronwen and Ava

When It Rains, It Pours

I've decided that whoever says staying at a hotel is fun must not have small children! We have been at the Embassy Suites in Bellevue since the 29th, waiting for our furniture to arrive. EDT is now Saturday, June 7th. The first couple of days went by quickly as Conrad & I had plenty of running around to do. We signed all of the paperwork for our home, bought a new washer & dryer -I've had my eye on the front-loader units & moving was the perfect excuse to get them, & met with friends. Then Monday came; time for Conrad to go to the office.

Monday was pretty fun. There's a local children's museum about a mile away from the hotel, so I decided to try that. We got to the museum, & saw a large sign that read, "Closed on Mondays." I had already hyped up the day for the girls, so we couldn't very well turn around and go home. Instead, we went to Petsmart, & pretended we were visiting a local zoo. :-) Cheesy, I know, but the girls actually really loved it. We got a few warmer outfits for them (I didn't realize it was so cold, therefore only packed light-weight stuff), ate lunch, then went back to the hotel. Around 3 pm we were well-rested, & decided to venture out to a nearby park -fabulous! The girls played for about an hour and a half, then we picked up dinner, & then picked up Daddy. The day was great! Tuesday on the other hand...

Now that we knew the hours of the museum, we went back on Tuesday, mid-morning. The girls had a blast! Bronwen loved 'driving' in a full-size truck cab they had set up, & Ava loved playing on the piano in the music area. A little tip for other Seattle moms; I wouldn't recommend going at the beginning of the week, especially if you have multiple children. It was a zoo with babies, toddlers & kids everywhere. This made it a little difficult to keep my eyes on Bronwen & Ava at once (now they're into different things). Two hours later, I was ready to go. Bronwen wasn't. As soon as I told her we were leaving, suddenly her legs were, "So tired, I can't walk. Pick me up. You never pick me up." I felt bad, but I couldn't carry both at the same time. Needless to say, she fussed most of the way to the car (then napped in the car). Good times. ;-)

Now the afternoon...I kind of had the blues. It had been raining all day (yes, I know we moved to Seattle), & I didn't feel like getting everyone in the car again to go somewhere. I wanted to take the girls to the park again, but they only have sandals (tennis shoes are still in a box, in transit), & I didn't want their feet to get all wet. Right when I was really feeling sorry for myself, the rain stopped, & the sun came out. I put on my running shoes, & loaded the girls in the stroller. I went to the front desk at the hotel & got a map of a 2.5 mile run. We hit the pavement! I got in a great run, & Bronwen & Ava were happy to run around at the park again. We played for an hour, then headed back. Disaster struck!

I was at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, when I realized that the stroller wouldn't roll. The front tire came off! The girls climbed out of the stroller, while I attempted to fix the wheel. Somehow the fork got bent, which caused the lock for the wheel to come undone. Fortunately Darcie & her son, Gavin, stopped to help us. She loaded the stroller in her van, & we climbed in. We were both laughing at the circumstances, & I couldn't stop repeatedly telling her how grateful I was. My first new friend in Seattle. :-) We exchanged numbers, & plan on having a play date when we're settled in.

Conrad the hero fixed the stroller last night. What a sweetheart!