Friday, February 27, 2009
I have a spider friend
Whenever I do laundry, "Mr. Spider" greets me. Today he was pretty bold and climbed up the wall a wee bit. If you know me well, you know I despise spiders. However, Mr. Spider and I have an understanding: he is welcome to hang out near my dryer; as long as he doesn't move from his spot, I let him live.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Valentines Day Webster Style
Well, first of all, this was Valentines Day on a budget. So much so, that Drew and I got excited when we remembered that his parents got us scratch tickets for Christmas that we had yet to cash in. Our first part of the day entailed us running into the ampm to redeem our $11 (after dropping Bentley off at his parents house). We then headed out to parts of Tacoma that we have always wanted to take photos of. Here are a few...
After that, we wanted to check out a few vintage clothing shops... Urban Xchange and PURE... here is a photo of one we didn't go into. However, we did check out an estate sale in Opera Alley.
Then we drove by the graffiti wall where we had several of our wedding photos taken... though now, it looks quite different... (our sentiments exactly)
I convinced Drew to check out the Conservatory in Wright Park and it just so happened that Dale Chilluly had several installations there. It was gorgeous! A squirrel met us outside and was not shy at all. I think it recognized me from when I used to feed the squirrels peanuts with my dad in Wright Park. Here are several photos.
Looking up at the gazebo ceiling. I made Drew kiss me under it... aww.. how romantic
My grandma Blanche would have LOVED this exhibit full of organic and colorful glass pieces
We were now super hungry and so we used our $11 to get chowder at Duke's Chowder House along Ruston Way. (Well, I got chowder and Drew got a burger :) On the way, we were stopped waiting for the train, but we got to take in the "scenery". It was Drive-by Art. Some of it was lame, but some, not so bad. Unfortunately, this isn't a photo of one of the better ones.
At Dukes, I gave Drew a Valentines Day card, and I made sure not to forget to give him one from Bentley.
The P.S. says "I like being a Daddy's girl"
We then headed out to Border's Books & Music for one of our typical cheap dates; reading and looking at art books that we don't buy. (I highly recommend checking out Banksy ) The best part was when Drew had the guy check the balance on a 7-year-old gift card he had and it turned out there was $25 on it! SWEETNESS! Drew got a music magazine, and I was going to order a chai, but I decided I would get one on another date since we had to head out to get Bentley... We did miss that little munchkin.
After that, we wanted to check out a few vintage clothing shops... Urban Xchange and PURE... here is a photo of one we didn't go into. However, we did check out an estate sale in Opera Alley.
Then we drove by the graffiti wall where we had several of our wedding photos taken... though now, it looks quite different... (our sentiments exactly)
I convinced Drew to check out the Conservatory in Wright Park and it just so happened that Dale Chilluly had several installations there. It was gorgeous! A squirrel met us outside and was not shy at all. I think it recognized me from when I used to feed the squirrels peanuts with my dad in Wright Park. Here are several photos.
Looking up at the gazebo ceiling. I made Drew kiss me under it... aww.. how romantic
My grandma Blanche would have LOVED this exhibit full of organic and colorful glass pieces
We were now super hungry and so we used our $11 to get chowder at Duke's Chowder House along Ruston Way. (Well, I got chowder and Drew got a burger :) On the way, we were stopped waiting for the train, but we got to take in the "scenery". It was Drive-by Art. Some of it was lame, but some, not so bad. Unfortunately, this isn't a photo of one of the better ones.
At Dukes, I gave Drew a Valentines Day card, and I made sure not to forget to give him one from Bentley.
The P.S. says "I like being a Daddy's girl"
We then headed out to Border's Books & Music for one of our typical cheap dates; reading and looking at art books that we don't buy. (I highly recommend checking out Banksy ) The best part was when Drew had the guy check the balance on a 7-year-old gift card he had and it turned out there was $25 on it! SWEETNESS! Drew got a music magazine, and I was going to order a chai, but I decided I would get one on another date since we had to head out to get Bentley... We did miss that little munchkin.
Another growling moment
My mom stopped by so I had her help me feed Bentley - always an adventure in new sounds.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My Six-Month Portraits
Bentley turned six months on February 5th so mommy took her portrait!
Her dress is from Auntie Judy and in a few of the photos, the white sweater, bonnet and booties are from her Great Aunt Mildred. Drew's grandfather's sister-in-law. Apparently Drew's grandmother used to make all the grandchildren a set, but since she passed, Aunt Mildred took over the tradition.
Her dress is from Auntie Judy and in a few of the photos, the white sweater, bonnet and booties are from her Great Aunt Mildred. Drew's grandfather's sister-in-law. Apparently Drew's grandmother used to make all the grandchildren a set, but since she passed, Aunt Mildred took over the tradition.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I'm Cutting a Tooth!
Bentley's cousin Aya came to visit today and Aya's auntie Kim (Drew's cousin) noticed that Bentley is cutting a tooth! If you look closely at her mouth in a few of these pics, you will notice it! It was hard to show Drew when he got home from work since Bentley basically lives with her tongue sticking out.
Bentley was super smiley as usual. In a lot of the photos, she is looking at Jill's husband Dave or Kim who is making her smile (Jill is Aya's mommy and also Drew's cousin - following? ;) Kim even had her giggling several times!
At one point, Bentley is growling and talking quite loudly to Aya and flinging her arms, to which Aya starts crying... Bentley looks surprised, and then soon she starts crying a little. They are both crying at this point. Finally Bentley calms down a bit and then Aya and then all is well :)
"Hi cousin!"
Bentley was super smiley as usual. In a lot of the photos, she is looking at Jill's husband Dave or Kim who is making her smile (Jill is Aya's mommy and also Drew's cousin - following? ;) Kim even had her giggling several times!
At one point, Bentley is growling and talking quite loudly to Aya and flinging her arms, to which Aya starts crying... Bentley looks surprised, and then soon she starts crying a little. They are both crying at this point. Finally Bentley calms down a bit and then Aya and then all is well :)
"Hi cousin!"
Monday, February 16, 2009
Grrrrr... Growling Baby!
Bentley has been doing this growling thing lately. We caught it on tape. It is one of her 'social' noises. It cracks us up, especially when she starts to get red-faced.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
California Girl
Okay, so I finally have a moment to sit down and write about our trip to California! (January 21-27)
DAY ONE: No photos to prove it happened.
Why? Because I left one of my cameras on the plane - yep - MAJOR ugh. There is still hope that we will get it back, so cross your fingers. Anyway... We flew out the day of inauguration and we were actually able to watch the entire thing because we were fogged in for about 8 hours at SeaTac. Bentley was AMAZING! We had several people come up to us and say "I have seen you here all day with your baby and I can't believe she has not been crying" (or "I can't believe how good she is being!"). Bentley is quite the social butterfly, when we finally began to board the plane, she was talking it up and smiling to the passengers all the way down the aisle to our seats. She even received a little certificate documenting her first plane ride from Seattle to Las Vegas. Yep, Las Vegas. We had to switch planes in Vegas, so I love that it looks like Bentley's first plane ride ever is to Vegas... what kind of mother am I?
DAY TWO: Woke up in the OC and Bentley greeted her Great Nana and Papa with loads of smiles and noises. My sister-in-law came over and Bentley got to meet her new cousin Olivia who was born January 8.
Telling Great Nana a story
"Hi Olivia"
DAY THREE: We had a relaxing day of hanging out with Great Nana and Papa... well, everyone except Drew :) Drew donned Papa's work clothes (and Nana's belt) and got to work stripping the several layers of varnish on the front door. The day concluded with mandatory ice cream, jeopardy and wheel of fortune.
DAY FOUR: Bentley got to meet her Grandpa Hall for the first time at his home in Sun City. She was SO fascinated by him! Wide-eyed she just stared and stared at him (I think she liked his glasses). My grandmother Cleo passed away recently and my dad showed me all kinds of things he had saved. She had even saved all the letters I had written to her since I was little and the several I wrote to her from my college dorm. My favorite thing my dad showed me was a sketchbook my grandmother had filled with her fashion drawings in high school. They were seriously flawless, and amazing. Bullocks, a department store, at the time, actually hired her out of high school to create some designs for them.
DAY FIVE: We trucked on over to Venice Beach in "Blondie's Buick" to meet our friends, Colin and Shiho and their daughter Ame (just a little over a week older than Bentley). Both of us couples arrived in true "twinsie" style. Drew and colin were both wearing matching red sweatshirts and Shiho and I were in matching grey Uggs! Shiho got me to try these Mexican things called "Pappas"? (oh nuts, now I can't remember the name) anyway, they were super yummy and I finished it off with an Arizona Ice Tea. (What I just said is so my Grandma Blanche (Nana), to document and tell me everything she ate for the day - ha!) We watched the skateboarders along the boardwalk while we ate lunch. And then perused Colin and Shiho's old stomping grounds in Culver City and had to get some bubble tea - and oh Bentley wanted some for herself. She has a strong grip and with teething, bubble tea seemed to suit her. I love these photos. We then went into this fashion boutique - a favorite of Colin and Shihos - and while we were there, Bentley and Ame were facing each other. Bentley started doing this grunting growling thing to Ame, and wiggling her arms and legs, trying to communicate with her but little Ame's face started to scrunch up and she burst into tears. Bentley wasn't sure what was going on, she just wanted to talk to her little friend. This happened three more times.
Bentley also decided to take up piano later this day. She would pound on the piano a few times with both hands and then hold her hands there, listening to the "chord" and then sometimes continue with one hand or both. She was fascinated.
DAY SIX: Bentley finally got to meet her other cousins, Madelyn and Matthew and her uncle Matt. We met them at Centennial Farms in Orange. Bentley watched a milking of a cow (wait, doesn't she see that everyday? just kidding - no comments please. ;) ) and see a few llamas, pigs and experienced the texture of hay for the first time. Later that night we went to their home in Anaheim and my sister-in-law, Judy's mother was there. She is like the baby whisperer. Despite Bentley being super tired, Rosa had her laughing and giggling with her rapid Spanish. It was so cute to watch. Then Isabel came home (Judy's niece) and Bentley got to meet her too.
DAY SEVEN: It was time to go home today, so we made sure to finally pose for family portraits. She also took time to smell and feel the grass and loved the California oranges. We were super sad to go, and the week really did seem to fly by. Bentley did an amazing job on the plane on the way home too... I have no problem flying with her again :)
Time to fly home...
DAY ONE: No photos to prove it happened.
Why? Because I left one of my cameras on the plane - yep - MAJOR ugh. There is still hope that we will get it back, so cross your fingers. Anyway... We flew out the day of inauguration and we were actually able to watch the entire thing because we were fogged in for about 8 hours at SeaTac. Bentley was AMAZING! We had several people come up to us and say "I have seen you here all day with your baby and I can't believe she has not been crying" (or "I can't believe how good she is being!"). Bentley is quite the social butterfly, when we finally began to board the plane, she was talking it up and smiling to the passengers all the way down the aisle to our seats. She even received a little certificate documenting her first plane ride from Seattle to Las Vegas. Yep, Las Vegas. We had to switch planes in Vegas, so I love that it looks like Bentley's first plane ride ever is to Vegas... what kind of mother am I?
DAY TWO: Woke up in the OC and Bentley greeted her Great Nana and Papa with loads of smiles and noises. My sister-in-law came over and Bentley got to meet her new cousin Olivia who was born January 8.
Telling Great Nana a story
"Hi Olivia"
DAY THREE: We had a relaxing day of hanging out with Great Nana and Papa... well, everyone except Drew :) Drew donned Papa's work clothes (and Nana's belt) and got to work stripping the several layers of varnish on the front door. The day concluded with mandatory ice cream, jeopardy and wheel of fortune.
DAY FOUR: Bentley got to meet her Grandpa Hall for the first time at his home in Sun City. She was SO fascinated by him! Wide-eyed she just stared and stared at him (I think she liked his glasses). My grandmother Cleo passed away recently and my dad showed me all kinds of things he had saved. She had even saved all the letters I had written to her since I was little and the several I wrote to her from my college dorm. My favorite thing my dad showed me was a sketchbook my grandmother had filled with her fashion drawings in high school. They were seriously flawless, and amazing. Bullocks, a department store, at the time, actually hired her out of high school to create some designs for them.
DAY FIVE: We trucked on over to Venice Beach in "Blondie's Buick" to meet our friends, Colin and Shiho and their daughter Ame (just a little over a week older than Bentley). Both of us couples arrived in true "twinsie" style. Drew and colin were both wearing matching red sweatshirts and Shiho and I were in matching grey Uggs! Shiho got me to try these Mexican things called "Pappas"? (oh nuts, now I can't remember the name) anyway, they were super yummy and I finished it off with an Arizona Ice Tea. (What I just said is so my Grandma Blanche (Nana), to document and tell me everything she ate for the day - ha!) We watched the skateboarders along the boardwalk while we ate lunch. And then perused Colin and Shiho's old stomping grounds in Culver City and had to get some bubble tea - and oh Bentley wanted some for herself. She has a strong grip and with teething, bubble tea seemed to suit her. I love these photos. We then went into this fashion boutique - a favorite of Colin and Shihos - and while we were there, Bentley and Ame were facing each other. Bentley started doing this grunting growling thing to Ame, and wiggling her arms and legs, trying to communicate with her but little Ame's face started to scrunch up and she burst into tears. Bentley wasn't sure what was going on, she just wanted to talk to her little friend. This happened three more times.
Bentley also decided to take up piano later this day. She would pound on the piano a few times with both hands and then hold her hands there, listening to the "chord" and then sometimes continue with one hand or both. She was fascinated.
DAY SIX: Bentley finally got to meet her other cousins, Madelyn and Matthew and her uncle Matt. We met them at Centennial Farms in Orange. Bentley watched a milking of a cow (wait, doesn't she see that everyday? just kidding - no comments please. ;) ) and see a few llamas, pigs and experienced the texture of hay for the first time. Later that night we went to their home in Anaheim and my sister-in-law, Judy's mother was there. She is like the baby whisperer. Despite Bentley being super tired, Rosa had her laughing and giggling with her rapid Spanish. It was so cute to watch. Then Isabel came home (Judy's niece) and Bentley got to meet her too.
DAY SEVEN: It was time to go home today, so we made sure to finally pose for family portraits. She also took time to smell and feel the grass and loved the California oranges. We were super sad to go, and the week really did seem to fly by. Bentley did an amazing job on the plane on the way home too... I have no problem flying with her again :)
Time to fly home...
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