The Ranalli Family

Have You Heard?

2012-01-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

We're moving to Portland! Yep, that's right, we're doing it again. I'm not too excited about moving again, but I am so happy that it's Portland. We love the Pacific North West and there is no shortage of great companies in Portland for Chris, as that is the hub of his industry, so it's a great move for us. Bitter sweet --we loved Seattle and will miss our friends for sure. We will settle into our new home mid February.

Here are the rest of our holiday pictures, this winter is flying by!

Christmas Eve with friends:)

One more picture before Santa comes!

Christmas morning

Christian trying to figure out his Curious George Jack in the Box while holding onto his lego trash truck.

Daddy reading Christian a new book

Legos!

Posing for a picture

Christmas is so much fun!

Love them!

A video of Nicholas preforming "Haven't Got a Pet Yet" from his favorite band, Recess Monkeys, with his new guitar.

Christian having fun with his new basketball net.

And here are some more snow pictures from last week, it didn't stop snowing until Friday!! We had a ton of fun! Our street was used as the sledding hill by the entire neighborhood. Both boys loved the sbow!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Boy, Nicholas!

2012-01-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Nicholas' first birthday and now he is FOUR! I could easily let myself get emotional about how quickly time has gone and what a remarkable little boy he has become. Nicholas at 4 wants to be a fireman when he grows up and would like for his brother to be a trash man, his favorite color is red, his favorite animal is a cheetah (because they are the fastest runners), his favorite activity is probably swimming and his favorite book is called, "The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark." In pure Nicholas fashion we celebrated and we celebrated big! We sung happy birthday to him on three different occasions over the last few days (Not including when we were in Portland two weeks ago where Ruby and Tessa also had a mini party for him.) Geeze, this kid is loved!

We had a very small pool party for Nicholas on Friday where he takes swim class and invited 5 families followed by pizza and cup cakes in the aerobics room. I'm so disappointed in myself that I forgot to take pictures of the kids in the pool, I guess we were having too much fun!

Christian and one of his favorite friends, Brayden eating pizza after a fun pool party!

Nicholas and his preschool buddy, Jackson!

Happy Birthday

Several unsuccessful attempts at getting all of the kids together for a picture.

Round two was an impromptu snow day birthday party this morning at his friend Izzie's. It has been snowing on and off since Saturday here which is very unusual and we are suppose to get another 10 inches tomorrow. So nice that we live close by our friends, it was such a nice way to beat cabin fever!

Izzie singing happy birthday to Nicholas, she helped her mom make the cupcakes!

Yum!

Christian thinks so too!

Working man fixing Izzie's doll house

Round Three was tonight, just the four of us. His favorite, pasta and cake!

Blow!

Presents, Presents, Presents!

Snow!!

2012-01-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

What a special treat for us in Seattle, an unexpected snowstorm leaving us with several inches already and it isn't suppose to stop until Tuesday!!

Perhaps getting snowed in will motivate me to finish uploading our holiday pictures, stay tuned! Yes, that's right snowed in with only inches of snow, in Seattle they don't treat the roads leaving them treacherous for days. That beats two feet in New Hampshire!

Happy Birthday Pop-pop!!

2012-01-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Pop-pop!!

We send our love and wish we were with you to help celebrate!

XOXOXOXOXOXOO!!!!!

More Christmas Cheer

2011-12-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

Still fully in the holiday spirit, I thought I'd catch you up on more. Nicholas favorite movie, Christmas character, and song this year happens to be Rudolph. You should hear how loudly he sings the song! Christian happened to make a reindeer at the art sensory class we go to, and I knew as soon as Nicholas got home from school and saw it that he would want to make one too. Luckily, the teacher gave me an extra nose and set of eyes so that Nicholas could make one. I should probably go to the craft store and keep things like this on hand, as Nicholas has been a little crafter lately.

Nicholas' Ruldolph involved a foot and hand print. Nicholas enjoyed getting his feet tickled with paint.

Next, his hand.

Add some sparkles...

So proud, and as you can see, a full body experience. Nicholas is trying to master the open eyed smile!

Here's Christian's version. He picked a green nose. I actually like his better because of his wide hands and feet. Cute idea!

Garden of Lights show at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens

So festive and fun for the kids!

Well, Santa has sent the boys there messages from the North Pole again this year. Nicholas asks to see both he and Christian's every day. I feel a bit guilty, but I have two versions for Nicholas, a nice and naughty version. I have not had to use the naughty version yet, but have it in my back pocket just in case!

Click here for Nicholas' message from Santa.

Click here for Christian's message from Santa

Click here for Nicholas' naught version.

Tis' the Season!

2011-12-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas preparations and seasonal activities are well under way here at our house! Nicholas' joy and excitement are contagious! So far our month has included a trip to the Christmas tree farm, a visit from Uncle Christian, a day of skiing, and decorating the gingerbread house. I have never seen a kid so delighted to decorate a Christmas tree or a gingerbread house, so fun! Nicholas has been smiling and laughing all the way, "Ha Ha Ha!"

Nicholas and his friend Izzie make antlers at our city's tree lighting.

The boys in the wagon on the way to pick a tree!

What fun, we get a ride from Uncle Christian!

Thumbs up to this tree!

Family shot in front of "our tree."

Daddy cuts it down as the boys watch.

Uncle Christian and Nicholas standing next to the freshly cut tree!

Helping Daddy

What a helper!

I'm S T R O N G ! !

Nicholas showing off the decorated tree and his favorite ornament.

Christian getting ready for some fun in the snow. He got to go snow tubing while big brother went skiing.

My first time skiing since before having Nicholas. Chris and I were able to trade off little Christian so that we could both get in a few runs with my brother.

Uncle Christian getting ready for his first run down the mountain.

Nicholas practicing his ski stance on what the resort called "the magic carpet ride." He took a one hour lesson and loved it! I think he was really proud of himself.

Nicholas and Daddy at the conclusion of his lesson. He still has a big smile on his face!

Nicholas and Daddy decorating the gingerbread house. Nicholas has asked at least two dozen times when we can eat it, but Santa eats it, of course!

The finished gingerbread house.

I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of Nicholas' lesson. I was impressed by his confidence! Here are two videos from the last few minutes. The first he collides right into another adult. It was rather funny to see the adults slip sliding on the bunny hill.

The second is a bit shaky as I was walking with my ski boots on.

More of Fall 2011

2011-11-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Teach a child to play solitaire, and she'll be able to entertain herself when there's no one around. Teach her tennis, and she'll know what to do when she's on a court. But raise her to feel comfortable in nature, and the whole planet is her home.

~Joyce Maynard

Learning

Discovering

Admiring

Enjoying

In awe

Playing on nature's slide

Fall is a perfect time for us to spend outdoors! The pictures above are from a hike we took a few weeks ago to Twin Falls.

As you all know, Chris' favorite pass time is fishing. I hope this passion is something he will instill in Nicholas and Christian!

Ruby and Tessa came up and spent a few days with us, Nicholas was so happy to be reunited with his hiking buddys!

What do we do on our rainy days in Seattle?

Oh, we manage...with lots of fun!

Happy Fall, y'all!

Happy Birthday Dear Mimi!

2011-11-09T21:37:00.001-08:00

We wanted to wish Mimi a happy birthday. While we couldn't be with you today, we are so glad to have gotten to see you a couple of weeks ago!

Any reason to sing and have cake, Nicholas loved celebrating Meem's birthday a few weeks early!!

We all had such a good time!

While Mimi was out here she saw that Nicholas did not have an Eagles Jersey that fit this year, and yes, we as a family dress in Eagles gear every game. Notice what he has been wearing this year in the picture below.

A little big in Dad's old jersey.

Game Day!

So, what do you know, we get a gift from Mimi on her birthday...hey, how did that happen?!

He's so proud in his new jersey. We even showed up to the park this afternoon and he shouted in excitement to his friends, "Look at my Eagles jersey!" Now he's ready for the next game, as he has been asking all week if he can watch the Eagles game again! Now, let's just hope this brings them a little luck!

Thanks Mimi! We love you and miss you!

Day Light Savings

2011-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

As a friend said today, "I think time change was designed to torture parents with small children." While most people are excited to gain an extra hour, I always know that my kids will not take advantage:). I know it is suppose to create shorter days, so why did today seem so loooong?

Early wake up + haircuts + a trip into the city = sleepy boys.

Yes, Christian got his first haircut today. He did great, quite a difference from the tears Nicholas shed at this age. But, it was sort of sad. He was just starting to get some curls in the back and I thought it looked so cute. We decided to go for it, since someone subtly told us people were going to start commenting on how pretty "she" was. I do have to admit, he does look like quite the handsome boy now with his new haircut!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Halloween festivities do not just take place on the 31st in the Ranalli household, it's month long and lots of fun. From pumpkin patch field trips to dress up birthday parties, October sure was a spooktacular month!

Spiderman and Friends at a dress - up birthday party!

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Remlinger Farm.

Boo!

Nicholas loves dressing up now, this was a random day this month. He loves dressing in his super hero cape, race car driver, and fisherman vest.

He also loves playing the part!

Nicholas and his preschool teacher, Ms. Auerbach, on Halloween.

Spiderman gets right to work!

Nicholas' preschool class on Halloween.

Watch and learn, boys!

Pull it out...

and scoop!

The jack-o-latern is carved, costumes are on, we're ready for friends and trick or treating!

Busting a grub before trick or treating.

While the littlest pretend their cooking.

A first for Christian, trick or treating!

He got the hang of it in no time!

He was even brave while the big kids were scared of this spooky witch.

Running house to house with friends,

so much fun!

Happy Halloween ~ 2011!

Oh yes, can't forget, even Spiderman likes to get his groove on!

Summer 2011

2011-09-28T14:06:00.001-07:00

It's the first week of October and I'm finally finished uploading pictures from the summer. We had an amazing summer filled with lots of travel, fun, sun, hiking, family, and plenty of swimming!

Here is a mega picture upload of summer!

Little readers on our way to Portland for the weekend to visit friends.

Check out this video of the boys entertaining themselves on the way down!

I've mentioned before, Discovery Park is one of my favorite places in Seattle, play is endlless there! Nicholas with his friends on the stone wall overlooking the Puget Sound.

Running through the meadow!

Really, who needs playgrounds when you have this?!

We had our share of hot days and summer treats, Nicholas shares a snocone with his buddy!

Mmm mmm mmm, gelato!

Chris and I took an amazing trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. Thanks for watching the kids Mom! It was a fun, action packed trip and and an absolutely beautiful back drop. View from our 8 mile hike!

Chris surfing off of the boat's wake.

White water rafting, I am front and center, the worst spot to get soaked, and nothing to hold on too. I continued to fall back the entire ride, but thought it would be the best spot since I didn't have to paddle, boy was I wrong! Chris is holding me up here and we are both screaming, good times:) We also got to take a guided fly fishing trip down the Salmon River, so much fun, and we both caught lots of fish!

Family hike, Nicholas leading the way, Christian on my back.

My little hiker stopping for a snack!

Chris and Nicholas camping out in the back yard one summer night! Nicholas was so excited, he loved it. We'll begin family camping next summer when Christian is a little older.

I peeked in about 9pm...they were both out like a light!

Last but not least, our family vacation to Long Beach Island, NJ and Philly. Me and the boys on the bay.

Blowing bubbles on the deck with Mom-Mom.

Nicholas favorite thing to do? Relax on the chase lounge with Mom-mom every day!

Christian's favorite thing? The beach!

Busy working!

Everyone's happy on the beach, right?!

We also got to meet our new cousin, Conner, born in April.

and play with Tyler!

Christian feeding Pop his favorite fruit, blueberries!

Ice cream sundae night with the cousins!

Pulling his brother in the wagon.

And getting pulled in the wagon!

So happy my Dad was even able to pop in for a visit!

Daddy teaching him early!

Crabbing and fishing with the boys!

Cousins, GG's 5 Great-Grandson's (Minus Conner).

Kayaking in the bay with Pop!

In Philly, celebrating my step-sis's wedding with Chris and my mom

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Baselice!

Spending our last day with "Meem" before heading back home.

Nicholas' First Week of School

2011-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe the summer has come and gone and my little men are growing up too quickly. I have so many great pictures to share from this summer, but thought I would share a few quick photos from this past week. Nicholas loved his first week of school, it seems to be a really good fit. He even asked if I would email his teacher to tell her that he loved her. He was quite upset when he found out that he does not have school tomorrow. It seems that the school was a very warm and welcoming environment. I hope it's a great school year for Nicholas!!!

Here are a few pictures from Nicholas' first week. His teacher has sent an email updating us on each day and included two pictures of Nicholas.

All grown up on his first day!

Christian missed his brother all day long and continued to call "Nicky" throughout the morning.

Nicholas in the center playing with his new friends.

Nicholas on the floor in the striped shirt, busy at play!

Dancing Kings...

2011-08-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Young and sweet...

Special Message for Mom-Mom!

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

We love you! XOXOXOXO

Sunday Hike

2011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

We spent our Sunday hiking to a beautiful water fall on the Snoqualmie River with friends. Not a bad way to end the weekend!

4th of July and Early Summer ~ 2011!

2011-07-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic 4th of July weekend! Independence Day was spent at our Kirkland parade followed by a BBQ with friends and then fireworks visible right from our front yard. This year not only did we watch the parade, we participated in the children's parade before hand. Nicholas rode his bike, while Christian rode in the stroller.

Nicholas cruising in the parade along side of his brother fast asleep in the stroller.

Nicholas with his buddy, Roman, in the parade.

Nicholas and friends watching the fire trucks go by.

Nicholas has never seen a firework show so this year we decided to wake him. The fire works started about 10:35 as it doesn't get dark this far north until well after 10pm in the summer time.

Nicholas and Daddy watching the fireworks. Nicholas was amazed at first and kept saying, "Beautiful fire!" A few minutes later he said, "Daddy, how long is this going to last, I'm too tired to watch!" So there you go, we didn't necessarily even have to wake him, but still a very cool experience!

Today was another beautiful day spent in downtown Kirkland. Every Tuesday morning there is a kids concert series in the park along the lake.

Roman and Nicholas watching the performance, too cute!

My birthday present to myself, my first half marathon on June 25th. Me and Erin post race.

My time: 1:53:32!

More fun photos from the last few weeks:

Splash pad at the Strawberry Festival. Christian was content to get wet all day and run through the water! Good thing, because there really wasn't any strawberries at the festival. The boys had fun anyway.

This cracked me up, Christian stood as Nicholas pedaled and Chris pushed, the whole time. He refused to sit. They were both so happy, Christian is his own person, for sure!

The Huts' farewell dinner, we miss them already.

A little backyard play/pool fun!

Lisa and Joe came for a visit. The kids loved seeing "Aunt Lisa and Uncle Joe!" Nicholas was sad to see them go. Thanks for the Phillies hats Aunt Lis! Wow, kind of makes me feel old to say that Lisa and I have been friends for 23 years. She was my first friend after moving back state side.

Check out my cool hat!

Some great recent shots of my growing baby boy, taken from Lisa's camera.

Hi!

Caught me with my mouth full!

Mouth full of strawberries, grown in our backyard.

Lil' conductor!

"Ball!"

And my other handsome boy snuggling with his momma in the backyard this past weekend. Nicholas has become really cuddly, I think because he sees his younger brother snuggling a lot. I told Nicholas that Christian was "such a lover" one time and then while at the supermarket Nicholas put his arm around his brother in the cart and said, "We're lovers!" I got a chuckle out of that, while I knew what he meant, I also took the adult meaning of "lovers." Haha!

Kisses from my boys make me happy!

Nicholas' serious look. I know I'm biased, but couldn't this be his model shot?! (Just cut out the old hag next to him:)!)

Birthday shout out to my dad, Grandpop Bob! Happy Birthday, we love you!

Nicholas and Grandpop Bob ~ Summer 2010

Catching Up on Our Life ~ Spring 2011!

2011-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

As part of Chris' Father's Day gift I'm catching up on the blog and hopefully posting more regularly too!

Chris spent Father's Day taking Nicholas to the Mariners vs. Phillies game in Seattle. Chris said Nicholas enjoyed the whole experience and they stayed the entire game. He said Nicholas was particularly fond of all the snacks and food, and people watching

Love these boys!

Mother's Day was spent a little differently, I ran a 5k in the morning and Nicholas joined in a kids dash afterwards.

My little track star

Me and my silly boys on Mother's Day!

Christian is now 15 month's old! He weighs 21lbs. 14 oz. and is 31 1/2 inches long. That would be 25% for weight (wahoo, he's moving on up!) and off the charts for height! His favorite words are mama, dada, and uh-oh. He likes to throw his drinks over board and then say uh-oh. He also says truck, ball, sock, and likes to ruff ruff when he sees doggies or any other animal for that matter. He is in a wild, crazy boy stage, but he's a very happy, exuberant guy!

Like Nicholas, he loves his crib.

Happy boy getting into some mischief.

"I'm a big boy!" Christian loves being forward facing in his car seat!

Hanging out at Nicholas' tumbling class. Poor boy gets toted around to all of Nicholas' activities and doesn't have any of his own. Good thing most of Nicholas' friends have younger siblings Christian's age! Maybe we'll get into a class when Nicholas is at preschool in the fall!

Click on this link to see Nicholas at 15 months.

We've had some fun visits between April and June!

My cousin Cortney's April visit, at the Crab Pot!

Mimi's May Visit

Uncle Christian's June visit

And more photos of our every day lives these past couple of months...

A game of duck duck goose in the back yard at our Memorial Day shin dig!

And of course, cup cakes!

Kids table

Nicholas on the bar at tumbling class.

Nicholas and friends on the last day of tumbling.

Running boy!

Such expression, "What's this?"

Dinosaurs at the zoo!

They're going to be heart breakers.

What's the zoo without a merry go round ride?

Oh brother, these two keep me busy!

Little man

Silly Mommy

Nicholas at the aquarium, he loves divers so was excited to try on some of their equipment.

May Day Festival, look at my sleeping boy!

Spring Parade with Nicholas' school

We still love our hikes and park dates with Ruby and Tessa. They are moving to Portland in TWO days. They are like family, so we will really miss them.

Outdoor enthusiasts!

Getting ready to trek in the woods.

Got to love the beauty of North West Forests

Hiker in training! Christian is usually in the carrier with me but more and more he wants to be down with the big kids.

Getting ready for a hike at Discovery Park...one of my most favorite places in Seattle!

Ahh, to be a kid again.

Today was Nicholas' last swim class of this session. Check out my little fish with Teacher Abby. The last class is always the fun class, hence the slide.

Sooo BIG!!!

2011-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

April ~ 2011

2011-05-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Geesh, can't believe it is already May. April passed by so quickly!! We had a month that was TOO busy! Chris' 40th birthday came and went, Easter, our 5 year wedding anniversary, we moved!! On top of it all, we had the wonderful company of my cousin Cortney, who was doing her final college internship at the hosptital I gave birth to Chrisitian at. Pictures of Cortney's visit and our new house to follow!

Let's start with Chris' birthday. Can you believe my wonderful, hot, funny, caring, romantic husband is 40?!?!

Had to make my honey's favorite cake, pineapple upside down!

Chris and Christian standing in front of the collage of pictures I hung of Chris.

To highlight a few...

hehehehehe!

In addition to Chris' momentous birthday we also celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Obviously, we have been simply blessed within those years, having our beautiful two boys. But, it has also been a very busy time. I'm almost embarrassed to say that in our 5 years of marriage we have lived in 4 different states. CA, NH, NY(NJ), WA. Of course, most of our time before marriage was spent in California and most of our married life spent in New Hampshire. Although, we have now already been in Washington for 15 months!! I feel like, we can conquer the world together! Truly, my best friend! Chris suprised me with an overnight spa/dinner date at the Salish Lodge, known for it's location perched on a beautiful waterfall. We had a great time and we were so grateful my cousin was there to watch the kids.

Here is a picture Chris took from his cell phone of us out front of the falls.

Easter was pretty mellow this year. It rained in the morning, but the sun came out after nap time, just in time for the egg hunt in the back yard!
Perfect rainy Easter morning activity...decorate easter popcorn balls courtesy of my Aunt Jeanne. Nicholas really gets into these! I think it's funny that he wore his Christmas pjs on Easter!

Final product! Chris' Easter bunny wins the prize. Cortney's egg takes a close second! Mine and Nicholas' in the back!

This is what the Easter bunny brought! A yummy basket full of treats and two watering cans for the backyard.

My little GQ model!

Brothers!

Egg hunt...Nicholas ate as he went.

"Look what I have!"

Hunt in action!

"More eggs!"

Our Easter family shot!

Nicholas at an Easter egg dying party we went to earlier in the week.

More random cute pictures from the month of April:

Nicholas 2nd visit to the dentist another success!

BFF's

Nicholas with Ruby and Tessa after the May Day Festival. I have none from the festival this year:( but it was so much fun and a beautiful day!

Nicholas and Tessa, hiking partners, making silly faces!

These were so cute, we had to get two. A big one and a little one!

Saturday afternoon trip to Pikes Place Market.

Best Friends!

2011-03-24T14:28:00.001-07:00

I love how the boys are starting to interact more and more! (And fight over toys more and more!!)

Playground buddies!

Beach buddies!

Playing buddies!

Snack buddies!

Christian's 12 Month Update

2011-03-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today was Christian's 12 month wellness visit. He is now 19 lbs 3 oz and is 30 in tall. He continues on the same growth pattern, long and lean. Big brother Nicholas was two pounds heavier at this time and one inch shorter. Christian is very social and really likes to "flirt." He has been walking since 10 months old and loves to walk around the house carrying and throwing balls. I still think he is our athlete! He is proud of himself and often walks up to you with something in his hand saying, "dis" (this.) He is "talking" all of the time and often mimicking sounds and words, but I believe "dis" is the only confirmed word he says. He does say dada as well and some would argue with me, but I think it is still without meaning. Christian is often mistaken for a girl, even if he is wearing green or blue or brown. But, I really take it as a compliment actually when strangers refer to him as "my daughter" because I think it is his pretty eyes and luscious lips!

Christian and Nicholas are beginning to play with each other more and more. I'm not sure what is it about boys, but Christian is a rough houser. He loves to wrestle his brother and although it can make me nervous, sometimes it' s cute. Check out him being the aggressor in the series of pictures below.

Christian's approach

Climbing on top of his brother to get thru...

Such determination!

While it may not show according to his weight, this boy can eat! He is also a very messy eater and always seems to want to rub his hands all over his face as he eats! The picture above is with him wearing avocado and black beans all over his face!

On a totally separate note, here are pictures from an unexpected February snow that I had been meaning to post.

Nicholas was so excited to wake up and find snow. He wanted to go out right at 8am.

Happy as can be!

Ok, so it wasn't that much snow! 3 inches at the most. This picture reminds me of when I was a child living in Greece. We got about an inch of snow and all of the schools were closed. It was my first time ever seeing snow and we built a mud snowman in the backyard. I guess the point is, kids love it wether it's a half inch or two feet!

If you did not read the post about Christian turning one, read the previous post. We had a great day celebrating Christian!

Christian is ONE ! ! !

2011-03-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, that year flew by! We cannot believe Christian is one today! Our little boy made our family complete. He is such a happy addition to the family and really balances out some of our other cranky personalities! While life has become busier, crazier, and more hectic it is now also, the most joyful, fun, and rewarding. Nicholas has grown fond of life with Christian and is sometimes bothered if he goes out without him or takes a short ride in the car without his brother sitting next to him. I would be lying if I said life is a walk in the park with two boys, but it is truly fulfilling. We love you Christian, happy birthday! What a wonderful year it has been.

We celebrated Christian's first year with Mom-mom and Pop-pop who flew in from Philadelphia.

The cake: looks cute, but not that tasty. Should have made my own...next year (maybe!)

Pop-pop and the birthday boy!

Hahaha!

Daddy and Christian

Our baby! (or toddler, but forever our baby!!)

Chef Nicholas (carefully being monitored by Mom-mom) cutting pineapple.

Happy birthday to you!

"What's this?!?"

"Actually, YUCK!"

He wasn't that impressed with his first taste of sweets.

Nicholas received a superhero cape for being such a good big brother this year. The cape is suppose to help Nicholas protect his brother and keep him safe. Too bad five minutes later he made Christian cry when he took something out of his hand!

Opening presents...

Trying presents out...

... But I actually like the packaging best!

Getting a family shot of everyone looking is next to impossible!

Quiet time with Daddy reading a book after such a long day. Life is good!

Stay tuned for my 1 year stats after my wellness visit. Mom and Dad are keeping their fingers crossed that I'll weigh 20 pounds so we can turn my car seat around!

XOXO

2011-02-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We hope everyone had a great day

filled with lots of love!

Watch our boy dancing to a Valentine's Day Card!

Nicholas is Three!!!

2011-01-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

Nicholas turned three on the 17th of January. I just can't believe my baby is gone, my toddler is gone, and my preschooler is here! Times passes by so quickly! Nicholas certianly enjoyed his birthday festivities. Starting with a visit from Mom-Mom and Pop-pop and ending with a birthday party with friends. Nicholas thought it was pretty neat that the focus was on him. He kept on saying, "I got birthday suprises and Christian didn't!" He's in for a real wake up when Christian's first birthday approaches in just two months!

While Nicholas still enjoys Thomas the Train, I wouldn't say it was his favorite any more. He has normal boy progression of fire trucks, rocket ships, jets and dinosaurs! But still loves anything with wheels! If he is allowed to watch TV, he will usually request Curious George and loves George books too! He still loves to read and could probably spend countless hours having me or Chris read to him, but one of his new favorite things to do is to listen to made up stories or to tell us stories. He starts by saying..."Let me tell you a story...", it can actually get quite creative. When he asks that I tell him a story his favorite character is always a boy named Nicholas! He loves hearing stories about himself even if it is just relaying the story of our day, as often times it is since sometimes my brain is fried and I can't think of anything else to talk about in my story! This is such a fun age for all of us, but it is not without challenges! I would say that Nicholas is also a normal three year old who demonstartes a strong will to do it all on his own, at the same time a certain clinginess to mommy, and the most stubborn will imaginable!

He is a very funny boy and is always talking. I can't believe I already have a back seat driver at three years old, I wonder where he gets that from? I know a particular someone who always tells me how to drive! Our conversation went something like this the other day:

Nicholas: "Mommy, hold the steering wheel with two hands!" (I was guilty of driving one handed!)

Me: "OK, thanks Nicholas."

Nicholas: "Mommy, slow down and keep us safe." (I was driving the seed limit!)

Me: "OK, I will."

Nicholas as we are at a red light: "It's green Mommy, green means go!"

Me: "Nicholas, lets play a game called how long can we keep quite without speaking."

Nicholas: "Why?"

His three year check up was very cute! He and the doctor were chatting it up, talking about the things he can do, the bed he sleeps in, the bike he got for his birthday. The doctor said he communicates like a 5 year old! The best part for me was when she was looking into his ears, she asked him to turn his head and look at mommy, and he said "I love you mommy!" What a sweet boy (sometimes!) He is now 33 pounds (50th %) and 381/2 inches (75th %).

Three yeas ago our little boy was born and changed our lives more than we ever thought possible! It has been the best three years of my life and I feel like I am such a better person because of him. He has taught me about patience, respect, the value of free time, but most of all he has taught me about the truest form of unconditional love. Happy birthday Nicholas, I love the boy that you have become and I can't wait to see the changes and growth this year brings!

We had a quite morning of cake and presents at home on the day of Nicholas birthday.

Nicholas licking the cake of of his new train, Spencer. I used him as the cake topper.

Birthday dinner night at Red Robin. Nicholas was delighted that they sung happy birthday to him and that he got a birthday sundae!

Since Nicholas enjoyed his tyke yoga class so much in the fall, we did a yoga birthday party. Here we are, slithering and hissing like snakes!

Even the Dad's did the yoga class! Chris, unfortunately could not as his foot it still healing.

Nicholas' favorite, roaring like a lion!

Tree pose

Followed by a pizza party lunch within walking distance of the yoga studio! The kids got to watch them make pizza through the viewing station.

The Dad's conversing

Nicholas really enjoyed his cake and all of the attention from family and friends! What a great birthday, thanks to everyone who made it special!

Pop-pop's Birthday and Mom-Mom and Pop-pop's Visit

2011-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a nice visit with Mom-mom and Pop-pop. We got to help celebrate Pop-pop's birthday with him as his birthday and Nicholas' are exactly a week a part. What fun we had with them! And how lucky we are to have such a selfless, giving, and caring father, father in-law and grandfather!

Singing happy birthday to Pop-pop!

Mom-mom in front of the dinosaur at Nicholas' newest favorite Seattle attraction, the Pacific Science Center!

Pop-pop with Christian at the museum.

"Look Mom-mom and Pop-pop, I can build really big towers!"

Christian changes so much each time they see him! Can't wait to see the changes when they come out for his first birthday in March!

Pop takes our family shot

Snuggles with Mom-mom!

Brother love

Wright Brothers at the Museum of Flight

Christmastime ~ 2010

2011-01-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful and busy holiday season. Kids really make the season magical again, anyone who has lost the Christmas spirit just needs to hang around some kids to get it back! I would say this is the first year Nicholas really "got" it. Sure, last year he knew who Santa was and pointed him out by name, but I really think this was the first year he grasped the whole concept! It made it easy to bribe him with Santa, I wish I had something that powerful to use now:) He was so excited to take part in all of the holiday festivities, such as going to the Christmas tree farm, decorating the tree, picking out an ornament for himself this year, going on cookie decorating and gingerbread man making play dates. It was for sure a lot of fun! Christian is such a good baby and was joyfully going a long for the ride!

At the tree farm!

Ruby and Tessa have become Nicholas' surrogate cousins! Looks like these kids are Patagonia models. I guess that's what happens when your dad's work in the industry.

Family shot in front of this years tree!

Stockings are up and Christian is waving hi!

Nicholas was really into decorating the Christmas tree this year.

We let him pick out his own ornament this year at a Christmas shop...

and what do you know, it was a shiny red truck!

Uncle Christian came to visit in December for work and play! It was so nice to get to spend time with him!

What a treat for me, Christian and I took a mini weekend get away to Suncadia, about 90 minutes East of Seattle for a cross country skiing/spa trip. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my battery before the crazy holiday season!

Hanging out on Lake Washington before brunch!

Cookie decorating play date.

Concentrating on what he should do next.

And, on another day, a gingerbread man making play date.

Here is Nicholas' gingerbread man. We saved it until Christmas Eve night where we left it by the chimney with a glass of milk for Santa!

The babies having their own fun! Love their drooling faces!

Nicholas feeding Santa's reindeer apples at the Reindeer Festival

and sitting on Santa's sleigh!

Story time, hearing How The Grinch Stole Christmas for the first time. He was enthralled!

Christmas was a success this year! The boys loved all of the gifts and there was the perfect amount! Nicholas was so excited to come down stairs and see his new play kitchen. He played with this for a good 20 minutes before we even went over to the tree.

Eating breakfast from his new kitchen.

He made it to the tree and was so excited!

and Christian wondering what the heck is going on.

one of Nicholas' favorite gifts, the 2010 Hess Truck!

Christian crawling thru his favorite gift!

Mommy and her two boys!

Mommy and her three boys!

Enjoying his first Christmas...

all day long!

The Ranalli boys!

Mimi and the boys!

Day after Xmas, Mimi and Christian practicing his free standing.

Pop and Mimi at Pike's Market.

At the Boeing Museum of Flight

Pop and Christian in the airplane hanger.

"Wow, I'm flying!"

At the Botanical Garden Light Show, very cool!

On top of our busy month, Chris got foot surgery a few days after Christmas and is still recovering; AND Christian fell and bumped his head right on his brow bone. We took him to the Children's ER. He got his induction into the boys club a little early!

He was such a trooper!

Poor guy! Luckily, they only had to glue him and clean it up! It is still healing and hopefully will not leave a scar.

Videos

Here is Nicholas just waking up on Christmas morning as he was looking down to see if Santa had been there yet. It looks dark, but it was actually 7 AM.

Here is video of Christian dancing. He LOVES to dance, much more so than Nicholas. Any time he hears music he starts bopping! He seems very musical, as he also bangs Nicholas' xylophone and drum more so than Nicholas ever did! So funny how each kid is so different!

A Message from Santa!

2010-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Nicholas is a very special boy and got a personal message from Santa this year!

Click here to view Santa's message!

Happy 9 Months to my Baby Boy!

2010-12-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Christian is 9 months old!!! We had his check up today and he is still in the same growth pattern; long and lean! He now weighs 17 pounds and 8.5 ounces (10th %) and is 29 1/2 inches (90th %) He is as cute as ever and continues to make us laugh constantly. He is really trying to keep up with Nicholas so it just seems like everyhting is happening even more quickly than the first time. I'm actually WORRIED he might walk soon, as he is now beginning to pull himself up to standing without holding on to anything for 10 - 15 seconds. I really hope he can hold off the whole walking business until at least a year because I'm not ready for the insanity of TWO kids on their feet!

Just like his brother... loves his turkey meatballs. He has been on a pureed food boycott, so he's eating mostly finger foods at the moment. A good shot of his two front teeth!

"I may be trouble, but aren't I cute?"

Yes, that's him pulling on the vertical blinds on our sliding glass door. He seems to love everything he's not suppose to get into.

Christian's idea of entertainment? Pull himself up to a stand unassisted, hold his arms high in the air and giggle. He will do this over and over again, all day long. He's getting better and better at it.

TWO Santa visits!

2010-12-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

So far this year the boys have gotten to visit with Santa two times! The first was unexpected when Santa was at the tree farm we visited. You were allowed to take pictures with your own camera. Christian absolutely loved Santa and began smiling and turning around to look at Santa instantly! Quite a contrast from Nicholas' first visit with Santa as a baby, he cried immediately! Nicholas also loved Santa this year on both visits, telling him both times that he wants a black truck. I am now searching high and low for a black truck!

At the tree farm.

We weren't so lucky to get two smiles the second time around but I think it had to do more with it being nap time for Christian.

I was just looking back at Nicholas' first two Christmases as well! Time flies!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

The Rest of November 2010

2010-12-04T12:00:00.003-08:00

Wow, the holiday season is already upon us! I figure I needed to upload a lot more pictures before I can start posting about our holiday festivities! Today, we went to a Christmas tree farm to get our tree, those pictures will follow shortly!

Chris spent the first two weeks of November in Asia and so I was lucky to have my mom come out and spend time with me and the boys.

We took another trip to the zoo! Here are some favorite shots from our most recent visit...just can't get enough of the zoo. Every time we go we see something new, or an animal that was sleeping last time is awake this time.

No suprise that this visit, Nicholas' favorite attraction was the tractor!

And the boat!

And the masks in the gift shop! We actually had quite a bit of fun trying on almost every single animal mask there was!

Mimi's Birthday!

Out to dinner at the cheesecake factory for Mimi's birthday. So, so happy we spent her big day with her! And so, so lucky we have her in our life! Love you Mom! Thanks for spending your birthday helping me out with the kids, I know it's not the most relaxing way to spend your birthday!

Of course, we had several birthday celebrations! Another at the house with pumpkin pie... one of Nicholas' favorites (and mine)! "Can I blow yet Mimi?!?"

BLOW!

We also got to take a fun trip to Bainbridge Island while my mom was here! Mimi and the boys aboard the ferry!

Walking along the shores of Bainbridge Island!

We have been doing regular Friday hikes with Ruby, Tessa, and Alixx. Nicholas really looks forward to our Friday hikes and I really do too! Chritian spends most of the time asleep in my carrier on our hikes, it must be the fresh air!

Our Black Friday hike was a big group, as Chris, Scott, and Alixx's Dad all came with us! I'm so happy I got to spend my black Friday doing something like this, reflecting on everything I am grateful for rather than among the crazy shoppers, looking for bargains. By the way, we have NO pictures from Thanksgiving:( But we did go to Scott and Alixx's house for a yummy Thanksgiving meal! We put on Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer for the kids after dinner, and boy did the abominal snowman scare the heck out of all of them. It had been so many years since any of us watched this, I forgot....the elves even took out his teeth! Oh well, good thing in the end he turned out to be nice and helped decorate the tree!

We took another trip to the aquarium last month, this time we got to bring Dad!

Nicholas' favorite attraction of this particular visit, the BIG octopus! Did you know that some of the largest octopus in the world can be found right here in the Puget Sound?!

The boys and I also went to Seattle Children's Museum one week day. It is a really cool place and the great thing is there are three fantastic ones all with in our area! Pictures taken from my iphone, so not great quality.

Yay! Christian even got some play time in!

Nicholas "shopping" at the grocery store. He was really hawking the beef, which is kind of funny considering we don't eat it! Happy that at least he got a salmon in there!

Nicholas, the fireman!

Chris and Nicholas at our town's tree lighting on the Saturday following Thanksgiving!

And, last but not least, more pictures from our November snow storm! Whew, what a busy month!

Seattle Snow!

2010-11-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

It is a few days before Thanksgiving with frigid temperatures here in Seattle. We got a little snow storm today with about 3 inches on the ground right now. I believe it is unusual for us, but they are forecasting for our area to get a lot of snow this winter. Here are a few pictures from Nicholas' first snow storm of 2010. I think he has missed it, as we haven't seen any snow since NH!

Miniature snow man!

"What's this stuff taste like?"

"COLD!"

trekking

Halloween WEEK!!!

2010-10-31T20:05:00.013-07:00

Yes, that's right! I said Halloween week! I guess when the kids get to a certain age every holiday becomes a week full of festivities. Here is a picture of our fun week! Boy, kids really get you back into the spirit of a holiday!

Painting a pumpkin day!

So proud of his work!

Skeleton boy at his tyke yoga class.

Ahh, Zen!

Daddy attended this special Halloween yoga class. Nicholas is getting wrapped like a burrito by Daddy!

Christian looking cute in his skull pj's!

Nicholas getting a pre-Halloween treat!

Pumpkin carving day, Nicholas did not like the slimy feeling of the inside of a pumpkin.

He likes it better when Daddy takes over!

And the finished jack-o-lantern!

Halloween morning, so excited!

The skeleton and giraffe!

Tessa, the Owl; Ruby, the Peacock; Christian, the giraffe; and Nicholas the skeleton trick or treating at Whole Foods for some healthy(ier) treats.

and later Halloween night trick or treating in the neighborhood!

Christian began to crawl about a week ago and a few days later he began to pull himself to stand along furniture. Wow, he is growing up too quickly! Slow down, I want to hold on to a baby forever!

Here is a video of him crawling today. You can hear Mimi reading Nicholas a book in the background!

Nicholas' First Field Trip!

2010-10-24T14:56:00.005-07:00

Nicholas started preschool in September. He goes Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:10 - 11:20 (funny start and end time!) He seems to be doing great! I think I have a harder time with it them him, just not knowing what my boy does for two whole hours without me! The last time I dropped him off he said, "OK, bye Mommy!" (In other words; go mommy, you're lingering too long.) This past week Nicholas had his first field trip to Jubilee Farm in Carnation, WA. It was in the mountains east of us and took about 35 minutes to get to. It was so much fun to see how much the preschoolers enjoyed the animals, tractors ride, and pumpkin patch!

Classmates: Bodhi, Roman, and Izzie

Me, Christian and Nicholas. Christian is going to wonder what I was thinking one day when he sees himself wearing a pink bunting suit! I left mine right by the front door, forgetting to grab it as we headed out the door. I'm so thankful I could borrow one, regardless of color, because at least he was warm in the chilly mountains! He was dead asleep in this picture!

Nicholas pondering which pumpkin to pick.

The kids favorite attraction, the tractor ride!

Running in the Blood

2010-10-19T14:10:00.014-07:00

A few weeks ago Nicholas participated in his 1st race. Anyone who knows Nicholas knows that he loves to run so I thought it would be perfect for him! It was a 1k kids run at the Salmon Days festival. Well, maybe a 1k was a little too ambitious for his first race, a 100 yard dash probably would have been more appropriate! He started out running as though it was a 100 yard dash, fell, cried, got carried, walked, but we finished out the race running again. Overall, it was a fun experience.

Pre-race snack

Nicholas' friend Kayda participated as well!

Ready, set, go... Nicholas started the race sprinting like a mad man.

Finishing strong...

Getting ready to cross the finish line!

Nicholas loves getting fed by his girlfriends!

Hurray! We did it!

Bonus: Train ride at the festival after the run!

And the shuttle back to the car!

Who knows, maybe Nicholas will be a national record holding, all star runner like his Uncle Christian!!! (Shameless plug to my brother, whom I love so much :)!) I think Nicholas was so into doing the race because he and Christian spent a great deal of time in the stroller with me this summer as I trained for a 10k run that I participated in this past September. His famous line to me was always, "run faster Mommy!"

After the Iron Girl 10k with my training partner, Erin.

Erin's daughter and Nicholas' friend, India, came to cheer us on that day. Her sign says "Go Mommy" and she put an extra circle at the bottom for me!

On a side note, I can't believe Christian turned 7 months last week! He is doing the little army crawl and occasionally getting up to his hands and knees. He has also slept through the night the past week, let's hope he keeps it up!

He just LOVES watching his brother and Nicholas loves the attention, it's really cute!

Simply BLESSED!!!

2010-10-03T21:02:00.040-07:00

A few weeks ago we were so fortunate to be able to share Christian's baptism with those we love in Long Beach Island, NJ. Christian is most certainly our little blessing and it was THE perfect day! It meant so much to us that everyone came to meet Christian! I know he will grow up feeling all of the love that surrounds him from all of you! Thanks to everyone who shared in his special day! We spent the week down there and boy did we luck out with the most gorgeous weather! No surprise that Nicholas had the time of his life and continues to ask when we will go back to visit the beach again!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the trip.

The God Parents, my brother Christian and good friend Lisa.

Christian did not have a nap that morning so he fell asleep in my arms during the mass. He is asleep in most of the pictures. I guess the holy water over his head must have put him right to sleep!

Asleep with grandparents Pop and Mimi.

Grandparents Pop-pop and Mom-Mom

Uncle Christian and Grandpop Bob

Christian's delicious cake that he did not get to try.

Poor Christian, he wanted to dig in so badly! He'll have to wait another 6 months!

Cousin Audrey is ready for cake!

No cake for you, hold this napkin instead, haha! Christian and Aunt Patty

The McCaffrey-McFadden step siblings; haha, that kind of sounds weird to say!

Childhood friends, minus one who happened to have a baby the day before!

Big, strong Nicholas pulling his cousins.

Phew, tired now!

Blessed and fortunate to have gotten to spend so much time with the cousins!

Nicholas had a blast spending time with Lucas and Aiden!

Nicholas loved watching the big boys play!

Crabbing...

Ahhh, beach time! Lucky for us, we had such perfect weather!

Getting ready to jump in the waves with Pop!

1 - 2 - 3 - Jump!

Christian actually didn't care too much for the cold water. It wasn't too bad once you got all the way in.

Feeling much better on the sand with Daddy!

After a long day at the beach!

I am simply blessed!

Snuggle time! (with Fin, but you can't see him in this shot)

Play time!

What's the shore with out ice cream treats?

Gorgeous day at the light house!

Nicholas made it all the way to the top of the light house.

Christian's first time on the swings, he loved it!

Chris says he looks like a little man in this picture. No, he wasn't really riding it all by himself, it was just a cute photo op.

Nicholas and Chris in Pop's fishing bike, again, another photo op. Nicholas didn't really get to ride it for long since we didn't have his helmet.

Nicholas' first kayak ride in the bay. Chris has been waiting years to take him on a boat!

Nicholas in his first life jacket!

So blessed that Christian got to spend time with so many people that love him!

Christian and Christian

He loves his Pop-pop!

Mimi and Christian

Mom-Mom and Christian

The best part of being around all of our family - babysitters!!!

Lucky for us (and everyone around us) the kids traveled great!

Growing Up!!!

2010-09-15T21:02:00.007-07:00

Nicholas sure has been making some major changes lately! He is becoming so independent and often tells us he wants to do things all by himself. He is now in the "why?" stage, and can often ask it up to 50 times in a single conversation regardless of your answer. Sometimes cute, sometimes annoying! He is a nosey body and if we are having an adult conversation he often asks "what are you talking about guys?" And he is also very curious often asking "What does that mean?"

But the biggest change is that he wears big boy underwear!!!! He is officially potty trained. I can really take no credit, as I think Nicholas was just completely ready. He threw out his diapers nearly two weeks ago (I went and pulled them out to save them for Christian) and I can count how many accidents he has had on one hand. It has been much easier than I thought, but only because I think I waited for his perfect time! We will see how it goes as we travel this coming week! We are so proud of him! I know he will kill me in later years for posting the pictures below!

Underwear model

so proud of himself!

His pediatrician said at his 2 year visit that sometime between the 2nd and 3rd year they go from not liking stranger attention to reveling in it. Well, I think it is certainly true in Nicholas' case. Today he fell while playing and said he needed to go to the doctor, a year ago he would have cried at the idea of visiting a doctor. He also got his haircut this past weekend and sat perfectly still again; it use to be a nightmare taking him for a haircut.

He had his first dentist appointment and he was so good! He got a full cleaning and opened nice and wide the entire time. He got to play with new toys, watch a movie on the ceiling and get his "teeth tickled", he was in heaven! He even walked out of there saying, "I had fun!"

say aahhhhh!

I'm loving this new stage, but I am also secretly sad that he isn't so dependent on us any more. His quest for independence can also lead to some stubborn behavior sometimes which clearly tests my patience but I wouldn't change being a mother of a two year old for the world!

Christian is 6 Months Old!!!

2010-09-14T21:32:00.013-07:00

Christian turned 6 months old yesterday! Today we had his wellness visit at the doctors office. Everything is great, he continues to follow the same growth pattern of long and lean. He is 14 lbs and 11 oz (10th percentile) and is 28 3/4 inches (off the chart, 99 percentile and above for height). I looked at Nicholas' 6 month information and Christian is 1 1/2 ponds lighter than Nicholas was and two inches taller than Nicholas was at 6 months. Wow!!! What a difference! Christian is nearly half of my body height!

He is adorable and happy as can be! He is eating solid foods now and loves carrots, sweet potatoes, avocado and pears. He has no teeth as of yet, although one week I thought for sure he was going to get one, he was so cranky and waking up a bunch at night, I even thought that I felt something but it must have been in my own sleepless imagination! Anything and everything that he can get his hands on goes in his mouth. He cracks up at everything, but mostly at his big brother. He has his own way of making his way from one side of the room to the other via rolling. He sits up on his own for a few minutes before eventually toppling over. We love each new day with Christian here and can hardly believe 6 months has passed! I can't believe he is half way to one, it seems unimaginable that in another 6 months he will be walking around!

P.S. I got a new camera, aren't the images great?!!

Happy, happy playing in his exersaucer!

gnawing at his fingers

sitting up, but on his way down

doing the super-man on his belly

pure joy!

More of Summer ~ 2010

2010-09-06T10:09:00.015-07:00

Well, I cant believe it's Labor Day already. The summer has really flown by. It seems like just

yesterday was Memorial Day. This summer was so much fun. Having two keeps me very busy!

I realized today that I needed to post some more pictures before the summer is officially gone in a few weeks!

We spent a day on the Puget Sound a few weeks ago with our friends. The Puget Sound is what connects Lake Washington to the Pacific Ocean. It was amazingly beautiful and we got to see more natural marine life than at the Aquarium. These pictures were taken by my friend, but I wish that I had remembered to bring my camera. Hundreds of the most gigantic starfish I have ever seen; purple and orange ones! Huge anemones, we were too scared to touch and lots of big crabs. Only in the Pacific Northwest will you see our little ones dressed in boots and sweatshirts while others kids were in bathing suits swimming in the water. The Puget Sound, in my opinion, is too cold to swim in with water temperatures in the high 50's. Thank goodness for the lakes, they are much warmer for swimming!

Nicholas and his buddies gazing out into the Sound.

On our way to check out the starfish under the ferry docks!

We've also had lots of time to check out cool playgrounds and parks!

Nicholas and India on the see-saw.

and enjoying a hike on a near by nature trail!

We spent many warm summer days swimming in the pool in our backyard. One day it was so hot that Chris and I joined in the fun and got in too!

King of the pool!

Cutie pie laying in the shade!

and taking a quick dip!

We have so many fantastic lake beaches to choose from around here, all within a 10 minute drive. Few houses have air conditioning around here because it only reaches the 90's maybe two weeks out of the summer, so everyone flooded the beach on Lake Sammamish on this one hot summer day.

Coincidentally, we ran into our neighbors so Nicholas played with them in the sand and ate lunch with them under their big beach tent. Nicholas was such a gentleman sharing our watermelon with all of the girls!

Another warm day swimming in Lake Washington.

with his buddy Hudson, after a mommy stroller work out along the lake.

He has already started climbing trees like his favorite monkey, George. (yes, that is his new favorite, almost trumping Thomas!)

Great-Grandmom and Grandpop McFadden's visit.

We had such a fantastic time when my dad and grandmom came to visit us for a week. I am blessed to see my children spending time with their Great-Grandmother because it brought back so many memories of all of the fun times I shared with her when I was a little girl. I miss them both so much already and can't wait for their next visit!

Having fun throwing rocks into the water on Lake Washington.

Grandpop Bob and Nicholas watching the boats.

Our day at the zoo!

My dad carried Christian around the entire zoo that day.

Chilly afternoon at our downtown waterfront.

Me and the boys at the park down the street from our house.

Nicholas playing in the park pushing a truck while his brother got to socialize with some other babies. Hmm, is he a little grumpy because not all of the attention is on him?!

Christian holding hands, that's him in the plaid jumper!

We try to give Christian as much one on one time as possible which can sometimes prove challenging since Nicholas is so demanding of our attention lately. Sometimes he gets bath time with Mommy...(he is a natural back floater!)

...and other times he gets snuggle time with Daddy!

I just wish he would stay this little forever...

But I know that he won't! Big boy started rice cereal this past week!

We also had a great weekend visit with our friends, the Rowell family from Sandpoint, Idaho. To see pictures of our fun weekend together click on the link below:

The Rowell Family: Summer Vacation - Take 3! Seattle!