To the West

Chaos, in three words that start with the letter 'A'. Annaka, Adelyn, and Andrea.

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend a few days on the west coast of Washington during the last part of Naomi's spring break. Knowing how hard it is to travel with a baby and two very very active children we opted to cram as many events into the few days as possible. What is the worst that could happen right?

We started with an uneventful car ride west. Uneventful really means that we made it without having to listen to a screaming child(ren) during the last couple hours. The grand plan was that if the baby was happy then we drove... and that is exactly what we did (sorry Annaka and Adelyn). Even with our ingenious plan the trip took well into eight hours with a few dictated stops.

We rolled into Lacy (Tacoma area) for our first couple nights lodging with Naomi's uncle. We had a wonderful time visiting with them in the evenings. All the girls quickly took to their new found grandparents and were as lively as ever. During the days we enjoyed the Seattle Aquarium, a Harbor Tour, Woodland Park Zoo, and the Crab Pot. Our stay with the in-laws would be incomplete without a trip to the Honey Pig and some wonderful Korean fare. A wonderful time was had by all especially with baby Andrea's first time visiting her great aunt and uncle.

Part two was a bit more stressful but well worth it. We headed up to Bellevue for my youngest cousin's wedding. We managed to get a little time with family and a trip to the Pacific Science Center and Space Needle all while enjoying a mini game of leap frog through Seattle area traffic.

The wedding was amazing. It was quite beautiful and so much effort was put into the entire evening. Congratulations Kyle and Kristen! (So much went into this evening I cant even describe them all but I will at least mention a few of our favorites). We enjoyed: Family Photos, Ceremony with cousin Bryan officiating and all the Edwards cousins as flower peoples, a Photo Booth, a Candy Bar, a pasta dinner, Drinks, Dancing, Ceremony, Toasts, and much more. We decided that we would stay at the wedding as long as were were physically able. (i.e. how long would the girls last?) The next day would all be traveling back home, tired children would be welcome.

All three of our girls, with all the other events of the week under their belt, did a pretty darn amazing job. Annaka and Adelyn danced nearly all night long. They each loved it oh so much. Annaka only broke down when cousin Zane was so tired of dancing with Annaka that he didnt want her to grab his hands anymore. Andrea, such a blessing child, was her always charming self. Snagging any passerby with the batting of her eyes and easy smile. We finally headed out after Cinderella's coach would have turned into a pumpkin. We somehow managed (painfully) to get all the girls tucked away for the night.

The ride home was uneventful and we enjoyed a few random detours and missed turns. However, it was not painful as the girls slept... a lot... Thank you lord for your blessings, we needed it.

So much into so few days. Needless to say we are tired and feeling the financial pinch. We are still recovering and will probably be recovering for a few more days... or months. To prove my point this morning after getting all the girls dressed, fed, and in the car and everything else needed for a Tuesday morning. Naomi frantically turns to me.

Naomi:"Hey, *frantic* Where are my keys?"

Caleb: "In your coat?"
Naomi:"No..i checked"

Caleb: "Did you wear that coat yesterday?"

Naomi: "No, i wore that one *pointing to other coat*. But I already checked those pockets."

Caleb: "Well... is there anywhere els...*interruption*"

(At this point I am not sure if I notice or Naomi notices that her keys... were in her hand. THE ENTIRE TIME. I guess Wonder Woman has her moments too!)

We have some pictures we will try to post that show the girls doing their thing in the west. All in all it was a very successful trip. To reiterate something we already knew but is now very fresh in our minds... traveling with three young children is quite the chore. Now back to work before we travel again to see April graduate.

Dancing is contagious.

Dancing anyone? After a enjoyable movie "Despicable Me", we plugged in the iPhone and iPad to the speakers for an impromptu dance session. With the three girls, two absolutely LOVE to dance and one LOVES watching it. As you can see in this first video. Dancing is hard... and can be hazardous. Adelyn has a very close relationships with her sister's stomach and the floor.



I figured I am pretty much in for the long haul so why fight it. I held my own, shaking my booty right along with a waving toddler and a princess. I am not sure how long we were dancing. All I know is dancing with two young girls in your arms is work... real work! So is running in circles... enjoy the videos.

The Somersault

Annaka is showing Adelyn how to do a somersault. Adelyn gets the idea but, needs some warm up spinning before she gets down to business. It reminds me of what our dog does before he lays down somewhere.




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Chaos and Candy

No big fancy Halloween party this year. Instead we enjoyed the community trick-or-treating at the school and then headed over to Elliott's house to try out some real trick-or-treating.

Let me tell you, it was quite the experience. I do not remember actually trick-or-treating door to door when I was younger. I do remember dressing up but usually only for school. Thus for me, the entire going from house to house was a bit uncomfortable. I did have a secret weapon or two. Not a light saber or numchucks but a Princess that kept stepping on her dress and a horribly content little ladybug. Luckily, for my self and some little teeth, my little girls were not going to be able to solicit the entire neighborhood. Instead they were joyfully treated along one street. The cold really set in as Ratnali and I along with Spider-Man, Cinderella, and a Ladybug headed back up the hill to the house. I do believe that with the cold or not Adelyn would have kept going until she dropped from the dead weight of her candy loot.

The rest of the night we enjoyed watching all the many many trick-or-treaters ring El and Whits door bell in full garb. Elliott kept us well entertained confusing the many older kids and treating the little ones.

Potato Head

Annaka, Adelyn and I recently visited my parents and their garden. Our mission (which we chose to accept) was to kill some time, eat some strawberries, and dig some potatoes (get dirty). We were successful on all accounts. Even in hunting the elusive potato. All the potatoes I would unearth were all too common; too visible; too sooo last minute for Annaka (Adelyn could care less). Annaka didn't want to pick up those potatoes. Nope! She would dig to find the really"hidden treasures" before unceremoniously dumping them into the white five gallon bucket. All in all it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so. On the plus side we had hash brown makings for a few weeks.

A day or so later I walked in our front door. To find our bucket of treasure about half as full as it was. Ironically I didn't see any potatoes anywhere. Well, I didn't see them at first. I will post a picture here. Perhaps you can spot where the potatoes ran off to.

Yep, I did find them. They were safely tucked away as mini clansmen hidden behind well formed plastic and comfortable foam walls. I did asked Annaka how this happened and she quickly surrendered her younger sister. I asked again later and she was more hesitant and told me that she had only helped Adelyn. So at this point I am not sure if Annaka or Adelyn or both did this. I do know that Naomi, myself, and Jindol had absolutely nothing to do with it (as is the case with many things in our house). Now who will clean the dirt out of the helmets?

If there was ever a time you didnt think our darling little Annaka was as weird and crazy as Naomi or I... well, you were mistaken. As you can see I have proof. Annaka strolled over to where I was sitting with her googley batty eyes. Needless to say I had my self a good laugh before running to grab the camera. I was surprised at her blind dexterity in her journey past the gauntlet of baby toys strewn about... without even peeking.

There are some days that Annaka can look as beautiful as ever. This is one of my favorites. It was a choice snap in between being too sisterly and causally painting the house with clutter.

You cant quite see it here but Adelyn is not lacking many teeth. There has been more than one occasion where upon the return of a crawlabout she would be rolling something around in her cheeks. I just wish Naomi would let me know when she gives Adelyn little things like bites of apple. It may save me many many sore fingers.

Naomi and Annaka making some wonderful home made pizza. They do such wonderful work.

Well, sadly that is all the pics that I have to blog so far tonight. I have been taking video. The problem with my video is the lack of support for my new OS (Windows 7). I vow to find a way and share the love of Annaka tickling Adelyn, Adelyn crawling around, and more. Soon... I hope.

Pictures of the girls.

This last weekend the only thing I really accomplished besides cleaning the kitchen was taking these pictures. I had both of the girls for the weekend while Naomi was working on her Pro Certification. Enjoy!

Smiles

The planets and stars are aligned! I caught a few pictures of both of the girls smiling last night.

One Month Old

Adelyn is actually six weeks now but here are her one month pictures. She is just growing like a weed! We took her to her six week appointment and she weighed in at 9 lbs 3 oz!!!

Smiles

What could possibly top watching your child smile at you the very first time? Well, both smiling back at the same time of course!!!


She's smiling... I swear!

Annaka gives a cheesy smile

Adelyn poses

The two in matching dresses

Sisters

I have to admit I love these pictures of my girls. Please enjoy! I hope to post more this weekend. Adelyn is just over 1 month old now.