Tucson

Our first vacation as a family of four came in early January with a trip to Tucson, Arizona for five days.

We spent the first half of our trip staying at a great, historic hotel in downtown Tucson. While Paul had meetings with his Tucson client during the days, the girls and I got to explore the grounds. Sammy loved to be the "leader," showing me and Nina where to go. Actually, Sam truly seemed to love the whole hotel experience -- lounging on the big bed, swimming in the pool, having the whole family sleeping in the same room, even the giant bathroom mirror...

On the second half of our trip, we were fortunate to be the guests of Paul's clients at their fantastic ranch about an hour outside of Tucson. The setting was amazing, and Sammy quickly bonded with 3 1/2 year old Hayden. We saw the training of Spanish Barb horses, went on a hike into the hills, had beautiful sunsets, and enjoyed great meals and company.

Overall, although traveling with a toddler and an infant is not without its challenges, it was great to get away, feel warmth and sun, and see new things for a few days!

Two Months!

Nina is 2 months old!

She is growing quickly, weighing in at over 11 pounds at her appointment a couple weeks ago, and starting to put pressure on the 3-month sized clothes. We are amazed at how strong she is getting, even holding her head upright during tummy time. The increased weight has helped her sleeping, too, making mom's life much easier as she's already started sleeping through the night!

Nina continues to be a very mellow baby, and is now smiling and cooing a lot. She is definitely recognizing voices and faces, and seems to enjoy looking at her toys, her mobile or, most of all, her very entertaining big sister. Here are a few pictures of Nina at about 2 months.

Day Trip

Just after Christmas and while the weather was still beautiful, we took a family day trip on the ferry to Whidbey Island. We had a great time walking around the town of Langley, then spending time on the beach.

Paul's love of throwing rocks must be genetic, as it has become a favorite pastime of Sammy's too. He and Sam spent about a half hour at the shore. Nina, in the meantime, seemed to enjoy the view from her carseat vantage point.

Holiday Wrap-Up

The holiday season always seems to whiz by us, and with Nina's arrival just 6 days before Thanksgiving, it seemed particularly so this year.

And now all of a sudden here we are, January 11, a new decade before us, the onset of the oh-so-lovely rainy season outside, and finally time for me to do a quick recap of the big holiday events...

Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to have all of our immediate family in town for Thanksgiving this year -- Dick (Gramps), Pam (Grandma), Diane (Nani), Bill (Papa), Aunt Laura, Uncle Josh, cousin Jake (age 4 1/2), cousin Becca (age 2 1/2), Aunt Abby, and Abby's boyfriend Eric. Sammy loved playing with her cousins and we all enjoyed a great dinner at our house (complete with turkey cooked on the Big Green Egg barbecue) with the whole gang. Thank goodness for family to take care of all of the details while we were in our sleep-deprived state! Here are a few pictures:

Christmas: We also spent Christmas in Seattle, and Samantha was fortunate to have all four grandparents in town once again, as well as Aunt Abby and Eric. Sam definitely had more awareness about Christmas this year. She loved singing Christmas carols, talking about Frosty the Snowman, looking at the new stocking with her name on it, and admiring the Christmas tree. As for Santa, he was officially added to her list of "scary" things (joining dogs, cats, and numerous other items), but maybe next year he'll get a little more appreciation.

We had fantastic weather on Christmas day, and, after opening gifts and stockings, we enjoyed a beautiful walk to Volunteer Park with the grandparents, followed by a big Christmas dinner in Kenmore. Here are a few pictures from the day: