Busy Bees!

We haven't posted in a while because we've been so busy! Chelsea has been recovering nicely from her surgery a few weeks ago; she still has a little bit of pain sometimes, mostly in the evenings, which may still go away... She meets with the Doc again tomorrow so we'll see what he has to say. We've also been pet sitting (well, mostly Chels has been) for some cute cats and now for our friend's Stacy & Lindsay's sweet pups Aggie & Bart. Chels is definitely getting her fix for wanting more pets! :) We're also still on the house hunt, so we've been going to open houses and setting up home tours. Plus it's the new season floor plan flip at work, so for the past few weeks it's been nothing but lights, ladders, and moving heavy furniture around. I've got the bruises to prove it! I do love the start to a new season, even if it is a lot of hard work. It's nice to see the fresh new colors and fun new product. My cousin Molly was in Seattle last week with her husband Matt, visiting his family that lives here. We met up at Pike Place Market last weekend and it was really fun! I'll post pictures soon... That's it for now, going out to enjoy the beautiful Seattle sun today!

Healthy Living Can Be FUN!

About 6 months or so ago, I realized I wasn't eating enough fruit. So I decided to put out a fruit bowl on the table, my goal being to have it full with fresh fruit each week. And guess what? I'm (we're) eating more fruit! Each trip to the grocery store I load up on fruit & veggies--we also go to the local farmer's market each week to refresh our supply. Having them front and center on the dining table makes it an easy choice for a snack. I also make sure I have at least one piece of fruit packed each day for my lunch. YUM! Who knew it would make such a lovely centerpiece?

Yesterday we tried our hand at making Aunt Cathy's homemade spaghetti sauce. It's a delicious recipe that we have been wanting to make for some time now, and I think it was a success! We first started out with some olive oil, onions, garlic simmering in the pan, then added green bell pepper and celery, letting the veggies all soften up for a few minutes.

Next came the carrots.

Okay, so I didn't make the tomato sauce or paste from scratch, but all the ingredients used are organic... That counts for something, right?

Almost ready, just needs a few more finishing touches!

A splash of red wine (not beer, that was for me), some salt & pepper, and it's time to simmer for about an hour.

Done and done!

Now we have sauce for 9 spaghetti dinners, woo-hoo! We freeze most of them and then just reheat in a saucepan for dinner. Thank you, Aunt Cathy, for the delicious recipe! I hope it wasn't supposed to be a family secret...

Our Last Few Days: Minnesota Trip

We had a fun last few days in Minnesota, spending much of the time with our cute little nieces Clarabelle and Delilah, and Mom, Ash & Blake, too.

Here's pumpkin smiling big for us

Mom has a picture of her as a little girl smiling just like this, so cute!

Here's me and my little doppelganger

Me and Lila, babies are so sweet!

We spent a lot of time running around outside. Claire loves to be outside, always wanting to run and kick the ball and go to the park. She is really good at kicking a ball, very surprising for a two-year old! Here, she was bowling by kicking the ball to the homemade pins. She has a funny little run she does to get to the ball, and then makes a little grunting noise as she kicks it, ha ha :)

Once she had tired me out racing, it was Grandma's turn

Delilah smiling at her Auntie Chelsea

They love each other! So cute!

Delilah taking a nap next to the knit kitty we got for Clarabelle when she was born

Auntie showing us little Lila's sweet Star Wars onesie (I wonder who got her that awesome shirt...? Of course it was us, we love Star Wars!)

Lila smiling at her Mommy

She's got a lot to say

Snuggle time with Mommy

They look so sweet while they sleep

We couldn't resist putting Claire's doll's crown on Delilah for this photo, ha ha

We had so much fun spending time with all the family, can't wait to see everyone again next year!

Can I Get A Wish Right Now?

Chelsea had back surgery yesterday morning on one of the discs in her lower back. You may recall that she had back surgery three years ago--this was the same procedure, just on a different disc. Chels started having severe back pain in December last year and discovered through an MRI that she had another herniated disc. After seven months of trying many different options (short of hanging upside down from her toes!) with no relief, she decided to have surgery. We were at the hospital yesterday at the crack of dawn (is it even dawn yet at 5:45?) and her's was the first case of the day. The surgeon said it went well--now we have to wait a few weeks to see just how well she'll feel. She may still have some back pain associated with the disc, but at least the disc won't be pressing on her sciatic nerves so hopefully she won't have the leg pain she's been experiencing... So far, so good! She's been doing pretty well, able to walk around a little, slowly, and is definitely able to stand up straighter, yay! No more Grandpa-back for Chelsea, as one of our friends said :) She's been a little sore and mostly tired, but seems to be in good spirits. We'll keep you all posted, please keep her in your thoughts!

Loving Life with the Sjodins

Here are some more pictures from our Minnesota trip last month. One night Chelsea and I had dinner at my sister's and spent some time with the Sjodin family. It was so fun!

Here's little Lila smiling for her Auntie Chelsea

Pretty little peanut

Two's company with peanut & Chels

Another big smile for Auntie! Delilah looks so much like Clarabelle did as a baby--at the time of our visit, Lila was one month younger than Claire was at our wedding. Wow, the time has gone fast!

Mommy Ash & Delilah

Pumpkin loves bath time. Here's her newest trick, laying down in the water and floating. Silly girl!

Counting for me. When you ask her how old she is, she proudly replies "Two birthdays!", ha ha so cute!

Here's Clarabelle posing in her cool towel after the bath.

She loves her new baby sister!

Pumpkin quickly lost the towel and decided it was time for some naked dancing around the living room.

There she goes! Taking a tumble during her dance routine.

Pumpkin roped her Daddy into dancing with her, so funny!

Apparently she decided she needed some clothing, aka a hat like her Daddy, for the dancing grand finale.

Two peas in a pod

A goodbye hug from Claire before Chels and I went home. It's so fun to see the nieces, I miss them already!

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

We got back to Cambridge Sunday evening after our weekend in Northern Minnesota and had a fun Monday to look forward to. One of my besties Emily and her lovely mom Pat had us over for lunch, yay! We had so much fun! Chels, me, Ash & the girls, and Mom went to spend some time with the Christoffersons. Em and I have been friends since 7th grade, and her family has been my surrogate fam ever since... She is great! Every time we get together again we pick up right where we left off, I love it :)

Emmy and Clarabelle on the trampoline



Not sure who is having more fun, Em or pumpkin!

My turn jumping with pumpkin

There's a smile

Claire and Pat

Me and pumpkin at the swing set, she sure loves to swing!

It's always more fun with Emily is around!

Em & Me

Clarabelle and Mommy

No hands!

Flying like a bird

Auntie Chelsea got some great shots of pumpkin jumping on the trampoline

Ash & Blake, I think someone wants a trampoline...

Slides are fun!

Claire & Mama having a yummy treat

Adorable!

Sissy and Emmy

We had such a lovely time, thank you so much Em & Pat for hosting us! We love you!