Sunday, February 26, 2012
I don't share videos often enough...
I've said before that Evelyn is in love with Mr. Dyson (our vacuum cleaner). Here's a recent video of Evelyn helping Joe vacuum. Her laughter is undeniable evidence that she adores her daddy and Mr. Dyson! :)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Heading back to Massachusetts!
"Another day, another plane ride," should be our motto in this household, and not because Joe works for Boeing. It seems we're always packing up for our next family visit. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing! Quite the contrary, we love seeing our families. However, when you travel as much as we do, packing suitcases starts to seem as ordinary as washing dishes! That's okay for now; it is just reality for us!
Today, I pulled out the suitcases to prepare for our next adventure to Massachusetts to see my family. Sadly, Joe will have to stay home and work, so just Evelyn and I will be traveling. As an aside...We wish that Joe could be with us, but we understand that someone has to work to pay the bills. Thank you, Joe, for working so hard to give me and Evelyn this wonderful chance to be with family again! We love you!
Anyway, I pulled the suitcases out to our main room and opened the bigger suitcase on the couch, preparing to fill it. I ran into our bedroom to grab some of my clothes and came back to see Evelyn on the couch, standing inside the suitcase, right at the edge and giggling to her hearts content. I grabbed the camera and tried to capture the moment... here are a few photos. I guess packing suitcases will never get dull for Evelyn... she always finds ways to make it exciting. Below are some other photos of Evelyn in suitcases from past packing episodes!
Today, I pulled out the suitcases to prepare for our next adventure to Massachusetts to see my family. Sadly, Joe will have to stay home and work, so just Evelyn and I will be traveling. As an aside...We wish that Joe could be with us, but we understand that someone has to work to pay the bills. Thank you, Joe, for working so hard to give me and Evelyn this wonderful chance to be with family again! We love you!
Anyway, I pulled the suitcases out to our main room and opened the bigger suitcase on the couch, preparing to fill it. I ran into our bedroom to grab some of my clothes and came back to see Evelyn on the couch, standing inside the suitcase, right at the edge and giggling to her hearts content. I grabbed the camera and tried to capture the moment... here are a few photos. I guess packing suitcases will never get dull for Evelyn... she always finds ways to make it exciting. Below are some other photos of Evelyn in suitcases from past packing episodes!
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| Feb. 2, 2012 |
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| Feb. 2 2012 |
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| Feb. 2, 2012 |
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| Nov. 1, 2011 |
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| Nov. 1, 2011 |
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| Evelyn's first real crawling: to diapers in a suitcase |
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| Jan. 30, 2011 (almost exactly a year ago) |
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| Jan. 30, 2011 |
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| Evelyn's first time packing: October 2010 |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Snow Week
It happened. After a year of waiting, it snowed in the Pacific Northwest. Joe and I grew up in states where snow was just a winter standard. We now live in a state where snow is the exception (at least snow in the lowlands). Needless to say, we miss seeing snow, but we've learned to deal with our new climate. However, when snow is forecasted for WA, we jump for joy! We were delighted to see the arrival of the white fluffy powder early last week (as in the week of Jan. 15... I'm posting this a week late).
Evelyn caught a nasty cold two weeks ago and was still having some nose troubles when the snow arrived. I was determined to give her outside time, afraid she was going to miss out on a rare opportunity to "play" in the snow. So, against my better judgement as a mom, I took her outside on Sunday, January 15, just for a quick 10 minute stroll in the dusting of snow. Our snowy adventure was short lived; Evelyn was too bothered by her runny nose and the restrictive nature of her snow clothes (several onesies, sweatshirts and jackets--- just think "A Christmas Story") to enjoy the new fallen snow. I swear I spent more time getting her ready to go outside than the time we actually spent outside! I was disappointed that she didn't last longer or really pay much attention to the snow, because I had such high expectations. I was also a little sad when we came inside because I was sure the snow would be gone by morning.
I was so wrong. Instead of being gone by morning, the snow just continued to accumulate. By Tuesday we had a solid inch (any accumulation is a lot for us) and by Wednesday we had around 7 inches. Joe came home from work early on Wednesday afternoon, just so we could all play in the snow as a family. Evelyn was happy to be out in the snow by Wednesday and we enjoyed making snow angels and posing for pictures with a snowman (woman, actually) that the girls next door made! We would have loved to have made our own snowman but time didn't allow and our little girl didn't have a proper snowsuit (footie pajamas are a great substitution for a snowsuit)!!
Thursday morning the snow stopped the fun in its tracks! We still had about 7 or 8 inches on the ground, but now there was at least a half inch of ice on top of all the snow. I think this was the first time we had seen icicles in WA. Joe didn't go to work because he was fighting the same cold Evelyn had and the roads were a mess for the morning commute. We just hunkered down for the morning and watched the freezing rain turn to sleet, then snow and then freezing rain again. Around 11:00AM we lost our power (the power lines just couldn't handle the weight of the snow, ice and tree limbs that had fallen). Luckily, our wonderful friends, Joe and Anna Skillman, came to our rescue. They weren't planning to stay in their own house, for fear of falling trees, but they were headed to Anna's parents' house. Not wanting to wait out the power outage at our house, we packed up and headed to Anna's parents' house too.
The storm dragged on well into Thursday evening. We felt fortunate to be safe inside with friends and power. We ended up having an impromptu sleepover party and Evelyn and Gus (Joe and Anna's son) had a great time playing together. Our power returned around 1PM on Friday afternoon and we settled back into our condo as the snow and rain ceased. It was certainly a memorable snow week!
Evelyn caught a nasty cold two weeks ago and was still having some nose troubles when the snow arrived. I was determined to give her outside time, afraid she was going to miss out on a rare opportunity to "play" in the snow. So, against my better judgement as a mom, I took her outside on Sunday, January 15, just for a quick 10 minute stroll in the dusting of snow. Our snowy adventure was short lived; Evelyn was too bothered by her runny nose and the restrictive nature of her snow clothes (several onesies, sweatshirts and jackets--- just think "A Christmas Story") to enjoy the new fallen snow. I swear I spent more time getting her ready to go outside than the time we actually spent outside! I was disappointed that she didn't last longer or really pay much attention to the snow, because I had such high expectations. I was also a little sad when we came inside because I was sure the snow would be gone by morning.
I was so wrong. Instead of being gone by morning, the snow just continued to accumulate. By Tuesday we had a solid inch (any accumulation is a lot for us) and by Wednesday we had around 7 inches. Joe came home from work early on Wednesday afternoon, just so we could all play in the snow as a family. Evelyn was happy to be out in the snow by Wednesday and we enjoyed making snow angels and posing for pictures with a snowman (woman, actually) that the girls next door made! We would have loved to have made our own snowman but time didn't allow and our little girl didn't have a proper snowsuit (footie pajamas are a great substitution for a snowsuit)!!
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| Evelyn sporting pj's as a snowsuit! |
Thursday morning the snow stopped the fun in its tracks! We still had about 7 or 8 inches on the ground, but now there was at least a half inch of ice on top of all the snow. I think this was the first time we had seen icicles in WA. Joe didn't go to work because he was fighting the same cold Evelyn had and the roads were a mess for the morning commute. We just hunkered down for the morning and watched the freezing rain turn to sleet, then snow and then freezing rain again. Around 11:00AM we lost our power (the power lines just couldn't handle the weight of the snow, ice and tree limbs that had fallen). Luckily, our wonderful friends, Joe and Anna Skillman, came to our rescue. They weren't planning to stay in their own house, for fear of falling trees, but they were headed to Anna's parents' house. Not wanting to wait out the power outage at our house, we packed up and headed to Anna's parents' house too.
The storm dragged on well into Thursday evening. We felt fortunate to be safe inside with friends and power. We ended up having an impromptu sleepover party and Evelyn and Gus (Joe and Anna's son) had a great time playing together. Our power returned around 1PM on Friday afternoon and we settled back into our condo as the snow and rain ceased. It was certainly a memorable snow week!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Christmas Chronicles: Part 2
Every fall (because we have to book plane tickets in advance) we have to make a big decision; who will we go visit for Christmas? Most years, we've traveled to see both families (Michigan and Massachusetts). This year, we concluded that flying all over the country might be too much for Evelyn (and us) to handle. Evelyn's a frequent flier already (with over 18 flights under her belt) but as she gets older, she wants to move more, and airplane seats are not designed for movement! We decided that we would go to Michigan to spend Christmas with Joe's family and that Evelyn and I would travel to see my parents in February. It's always tough to be away from family at Christmas, but it was really wonderful to actually get to settle in and stay put for the whole Christmas break!
One of the greatest things about spending this Christmas with Joe's family was the chance for Evelyn to play with her three cousins. Christmas morning (in Chicago at Joe's sister, Kate's house) was full of excitement; it was so special to see all the cousins together. Evelyn finally had her older cousins (Sean and Kylie) to show her how to properly unwrap a gift!
Later in the week, we went to visit Joe's Grandpa Smoker (Carlene's maiden name is Smoker). He lives in the same town as Joe's parents. I love visiting him because it brings back fond memories for me of my own grandparents, who are now deceased. Certain things about Grandpa Smoker's house also remind me of my own grandparents' houses; it seems familiar or something. Grandpa has a favorite chair in his house and Evelyn thought she'd try it out for size! She wasn't too keen on sitting down on her great grandfather's lap, so Grandpa moved so she could have the chair for herself!
Carlene's birthday is Christmas Day. We managed to give Carlene her special birthday presents on Christmas, but we weren't able to make her a cake until almost a week after the fact! Sean and Kylie helped me decorate it and Kate did all the baking! The rest of the family helped by eating it!
The rest of our time in Michigan went by all too quickly. We were able to visit with some of Joe's best friends and their children at the end of the week. It was great to catch up with them all! We had a great time as a family too, playing during the day and relaxing together. We played Scrabble or cards most nights and went out for a nice dinner at the local steak house. Kate and I spent our final morning trying to capture a picture of all four cousins together. I wasn't very successful at catching all four kids at once, but I did get some cute pictures!
Well, we're back home now and missing all of our family, but happily recalling all the wonderful times we had this Christmas break.
One of the greatest things about spending this Christmas with Joe's family was the chance for Evelyn to play with her three cousins. Christmas morning (in Chicago at Joe's sister, Kate's house) was full of excitement; it was so special to see all the cousins together. Evelyn finally had her older cousins (Sean and Kylie) to show her how to properly unwrap a gift!
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| Sean, Kylie, Evelyn and Braden |
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| Evelyn's new roller suitcase! |
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| Quiet time with Grandma |
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| Kisses for Kylie |
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| Hugs for Kylie |
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| Joe and Kate (his sister) treating us to a duet on the piano |
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| Evelyn trying her hand at piano |
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| Hugs for Daddy We all drove from Kate's house in Chicago to Joe's parents' house in Michigan on Christmas night. My mother-in-law (Carlene), was hosting her family Christmas party on Dec. 26, so we needed to be back to help get the house ready! On Christmas night, the cousins had an opportunity to open their presents from Grandma and Grandpa. |
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| Evelyn loved Kylie's new pillow pet |
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| Trying to figure out what's inside the box |
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| Checking out Grandpa's new meat grinder with Sean Seeing Carlene's family on Dec. 26 was terrific. We hadn't seen many of them since 2008 (I believe that was the last time we were in Michigan for the party). It always falls right around Christmas, and we have typically visited Massachusetts first and then headed back toMichigan in time for New Year's. On Dec. 27, our close friends, the Dykstra's came to Joe's parents' house for a visit. Ben Dykstra used to work with Joe at Boeing and was in our wedding many years ago. Ben, Mary and their children (Annika and Lane) moved back to MI (where Ben and Mary grew up) over the summer. We've missed them in WA and it was a real treat to catch up in person. We visited for several hours and went outside for a little walk around the Joe's parents beautiful farm. The most hilarious part of the walk was that we (me, Joe, Ben and Mary) were each wearing a different pair of Alan's (Joe's dad) boots. It was snowing out and none of us had the appropriate footwear, so Alan was kind enough to lend us his boots (we were grateful that he gave us so many to choose from). We should have taken a picture!! Evelyn enjoyed reconnecting with Annie and Lane but wasn't too excited about being photographed...just see the group photos below for evidence. |
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| Lane, Annika and Evelyn |
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| The Sosinski's and Dykstra's together again |
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| Happy to have a decent group photo I mentioned that Evelyn really enjoyed playing with her cousins. She just wanted to shadow/mimic Sean and Kylie in everything they did (I think she's just at that curious age). She had plenty of hugs and kisses for her younger cousin Braden, but seemed to prefer playing with Sean and Kylie. In this picture, I caught Evelyn playing with Kylie's stuffed animal, while holding a block from Kylie's toy and standing quite close to Sean's Hotwheels track. Sean and Kylie were incredibly patient and kind to let Evelyn play with them and all their toys. |
Later in the week, we went to visit Joe's Grandpa Smoker (Carlene's maiden name is Smoker). He lives in the same town as Joe's parents. I love visiting him because it brings back fond memories for me of my own grandparents, who are now deceased. Certain things about Grandpa Smoker's house also remind me of my own grandparents' houses; it seems familiar or something. Grandpa has a favorite chair in his house and Evelyn thought she'd try it out for size! She wasn't too keen on sitting down on her great grandfather's lap, so Grandpa moved so she could have the chair for herself!
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| Happy Birthday, Carlene! We love you! |
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| Evelyn "helping" Braden with his milk |
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| Sean, Evelyn and Kylie in adorable pajamas |
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| Evelyn: 18 months old |
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| Cousins in Grandma's rocking chair |
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| Giving Braden kisses |
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| On the rocking horse in the loft where we stayed! |
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| In the loft with the teddy bears |
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| Good times with Uncle Jay |
The Christmas Chronicles: Part 1
We began our Christmas celebration a little prematurely this year! Evelyn was actually able to open a few of her gifts (mostly from relatives) on the eve of Christmas Eve. Our flight to Chicago left the morning of Dec. 24, so we celebrated with Evelyn on Dec. 23 while our Christmas tree was still standing (just barely however, since we had forgotten to cut a fresh slice off the trunk when we brought it home on Dec. 3! Needless to say, it was a little dry 20 days later!).
The saddest thing about celebrating early was that we had to take down our real Christmas tree during Evelyn's nap on Dec. 23, and bring it out to the trash before Christmas Eve even came! Our condo neighbors must have been perplexed watching us... for all they knew, we had the dates for Christmas mixed up. The plus side of taking your tree down and opening gifts before Christmas is that you're not fighting with anyone for space in the condo dumpsters! :)
Either way, our premature Christmas celebration was wonderful! Evelyn wasn't sure what to make of all of it. She could tell that things looked different in the living room, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. I think she also felt that we (her parents) were a little off. She could tell that we were super excited about something, but she wasn't sure what that something was. She looked around cautiously and then started to find her stocking and some presents that were under the tree. With a little encouragement and perhaps some extra nudging from us... she started to unpack her stocking and open her gifts. We had to remind her every so often to keep pulling at the wrapping paper until it was all off. Her favorite gifts were a kitten purse (thanks Aunty Sue) and a kitchen set (from Santa).
Either way, our premature Christmas celebration was wonderful! Evelyn wasn't sure what to make of all of it. She could tell that things looked different in the living room, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. I think she also felt that we (her parents) were a little off. She could tell that we were super excited about something, but she wasn't sure what that something was. She looked around cautiously and then started to find her stocking and some presents that were under the tree. With a little encouragement and perhaps some extra nudging from us... she started to unpack her stocking and open her gifts. We had to remind her every so often to keep pulling at the wrapping paper until it was all off. Her favorite gifts were a kitten purse (thanks Aunty Sue) and a kitchen set (from Santa).
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| A Mini-Sosinski Christmas on Dec. 23 |
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| A Christmas reindeer from one of Joe's co-workers |
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| Opening up raisins that she found in her stocking |
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| Evelyn sleeps with this kitty. She calls it "CAT." |
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| A cute headband from Aunty Sue! |
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| You can never be too careful when opening a gift! |
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| A grin of approval for the stove knobs that turn and click |
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| Showing Daddy how to use the stove |
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