Heather Bea's Blog

Big Girl Bed

2011-12-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

A Progression of a girl and her bed...

Above age 1 week (in her Moses basket in the crib)
Below age 1 month - I ended up taking those huge bumpers out very soon after this.
While they were very cute Dana did get stuck underneath them!

Big girl in her crib converted to a toddler bed:

Dana's new Full-Sized Bed!

Dana's new sheets:

Dana picked this bedding out by herself. Honestly I tried talking her out of the horse bedding... I guess it's just inevitable. This girl is gonna have the horse bug.

SO EXCITED!

All ready for bed!

Nighty-night, sleepy girl!
She slept all night on the first night!

School Photos Fall 2011

2011-12-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

My Sad, Pathetic Attempt at Food Blogging

2011-10-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely no formal food training. I really just do what the recipe says - but after I make a dish a few times I start to tinker. This is an example of just such a recipe. I can actually say I am proud of this one... it's good. It is complicated - but worth it. It's time consuming too - but again, worth it. (I give myself 1 and1/2 hours 'till dinnertime for this one.) It's a hit with my husband and my two kids (all of whom are rather picky eaters).

One of my favorite food blogs is Crepes of Wrath - and I am shamelessly copying her format. Cause I'm a visual person... so I assume you are too.

So because two of you have been relentless about asking for this one here ya go!

Consider it my birthday gift to you. Love ya.

Spanish Rice & Bean Pie - the full recipe is at the end.

Your ingredients:

Step 1: Start the rice. Boil 1 cup of water plus one chicken bullion cube.
Once boiling add 1/2 cup of rice.
Cover and turn down to low - simmer 20 minutes.

Step 2: Drain pinto beans (I don't rinse) add 1 teaspoon of cumin.
Stir together and set aside.

Step 3: Saute 1/2 cup EACH red and green peppers and 1/2 cup onion and 1 Tablespoon Butter. (Note: recipe calls for pimiento - yucko - I just use fresh red pepper.

Veggies are done after about 5-7 minutes.

Time your saute so that your rice and veggies are done at about the same time. This takes practice, but if I can do it, you can too.
Add the veggies to the rice - stir together.

Step 4: Temper in the Egg
I use the pasteurized egg stuff because the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of egg.
Tempering means that you poor in the hot stuff into the egg stuff slowly... slowly heating the egg up to the temperature of the other stuff - this way the egg doesn't cook the instant you pour it into the hot stuff. It's supposed to be like the glue for the the 'crust'.

Step 5: Pour the Veggie/Rice/Egg mixture into a pie plate that's been sprayed with Pam.
Use a spatula to mold the mixture to the pie plate.
This makes the 'crust'.

Step 6: Add 8 oz. Cottage cheese to the center of the pie.

Step 7: Top cottage cheese with the beans and cumin.

Step 8: Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
After 20 minutes it will look a little runny... it's okay dude.

Step 9: Add 1/2 cup (or so) of shredded cheddar cheese (we like sharp cheddar).

Step 10: Bake for another 20 minutes at 350.

Step 11: Remove from heat and let it cool on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes - more is better - it lets the extra liquid be absorbed.

Enjoy!
It's awesome with a dash of Tapitatio hot sauce.

Formal Recipe:

1 can pinto beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento (again, I just use 1/2 cup fresh red pepper chopped)
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (we like sharp)

In a small saucepan bring water and bouillon cube to a boil. Stir to dissolve bouillon. Add rice to bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Drain beans. Stir in cumin; set beans aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter or margarine until onion is tender but not browned. Stir in pimiento.

Add onion mixture and egg to cooked rice; mix well. Oil a 9-inch pie pan. Press rice mixture into pie pan to form a crust. Spread cottage cheese over rice crust. Pour beans over cottage cheese. Bake 20 minutes.

Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before cutting wedges. Serve with a spatula. Makes 4/6 servings.

Ko Olina Resort

2011-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Marriott Vacation Club where we stayed.

They have the most amazing beach - perfect for little kids like ours. No waves and a gentle sloping sandy bottom.
They rented this incredible hammock that we enjoyed a few days.
Perfect for kids and adults alike (it had cup holders).

Grandma and Grandpa Weiss walking out to join the fun.

Looking North from my beach chair...

The man-made lagoons had break-waters that protected our beach.

Here's a picture of our building looking from the beach.

Family fun in the pool.

Daddy, Dana, Blake, Aunt Katharine, Uncle Gregory and Cousin James.

CHEESE!

Back at the beach:

Here are some pictures of our resort:

The 'great' lawn:

Looking down at the main pool from our balcony.

Looking towards the lagoon beach from our balcony.

Looking north from our balcony: You can see the other tower of our resort, and our lobby entrance with large pond and the great lawn. The next resort is Ko Olina Golf Club, then the new Disney Resort, the furthest is the JW Marriott. You can also see the next lagoon.

Behind our resort was the marina where the Pirate Ship, Queen Anne's Revenge was moored. This was the Black Pearl and the main boat used in the new Pirate's of the Caribbean movie! It was very intricate and cool... it had a large canvas wall around it on the dock, so you really couldn't get closer than this. It's probably here because this is where the movie was made (Oahu) and because of the new Disney resort soon to open!

I'm not a big Pirate's fan, but this was COOL!

Update for Grandma and Grandpa

2011-05-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Mother's Day at Crescent Bar.

We did get some sunshine and warm enough temperatures to venture out to the beach. Nice preview for our up coming trip to Hawaii!
I will never get tired of this view.

Lunch outside!

Dana has really been into the princess thing lately...

The greater Seattle area has had record rain for the month of April. If we had 10 minutes of sunshine, we went outside... Digging in our flower beds is Blake and Dana's favorite way to get dirty.

Blake is so intense about his digging.

It's a good thing clothes and kids wash out.

Dana has been making some outstanding progress with her potty training.

She pretty much gets whatever she wants for a reward.

Ice cream in a cone was a big hit for both of them!

Dana's other favorite pass time is FINGER PAINTING.

Easter 2011

We had an Easter Egg hunt with Grandpa and Nana.

Here are Dana and Blake with their cousin Chloe.

They cannot wait to get out there and grab those eggs!

The Saturday before Easter was a special Birthday party for Liliana and Talia.

We got to go up to Everett and celebrate at a very cool Bouncy House!

Here a just a few pictures of our little dare-devil Blake.

He climbed the huge slide all by himself.

Here he gets a little extra help through the obstacle course.

After all that fun bouncing we had cake and ice cream!

Dana also got to help me dye Easter eggs for the first time.

She thought they were pretty-darn cool.

She didn't want to eat them though.

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here is video taken today at Blake and Dana's 3rd week of lessons... They're LOVING it!

Big Time Snow

2010-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we were blessed with some snow.

This was Dana's first time playing outside. (Yes, I've since ordered her some mittens.)
We built her first snowman.

She really liked him. We used grapes from the vines for eyes.

Dana made him a hat.

Fun!

It was just too cold for Blake to go outside.

That, and I didn't have the right clothes for him yet.

He longingly looked out the window.

Soon, young man, soon.

70 degrees in November

2010-11-03T22:39:00.001-07:00

Today was just an amazing day.

Beautiful. Crisp. Warm.

These are the grape vines on our back deck.

It was a beautiful day to go to the park.

Les Grove Park in Auburn.

This is a fun park with lots of stuff to explore. Like musical instruments.

THIS is why we get the flu shot every winter.

It's a very modern park that is accessible to everyone.

There's no 'wrong' way to play with the equipment.

We played and then ate lunch.

Until we were all tuckered out.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

This Halloween was a busy day!

Trick-or-Treating: Dana was Nemo and Blake was a giraffe.
We also went to "Trick-or-Truck" at the Maple Valley Community center.

Blake didn't mind walking around in his costume... Dana really didn't want to wear Nemo.

They had a great assortment of trucks: a dump truck.

Blake driving a school bus.

Dana in the school bus.

Of course, a fire truck!

Mor Mor and Grandpa John joined us.

We started our day with the Halloween party at our church.

Dana making her treat bag.

Here's Dana playing the 'fishing' game.

It was so great that the whole party was planned and put on by our 4th & 5th grade students. They did an awesome job.

Daddy was a Rangers Fan. Scary.

On Saturday we enjoyed dinner with our good friends.

Dana found this inflatable toy and decided it worked best on her head.

Silly girl.

Fall City Farms

2010-10-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a beautiful day to go to the Pumpkin Patch!
Fall City Farms is a wonderful place.

Dana got to pick out her own pumpkin.

By the time the sun came out it was pretty crowded!

Of course, it's impossible to get all 4 kids looking at a camera at the same time.

There was a very cool "maze" made of straw bales, just right for our little kiddos.

Fresh-squeezed apple cider in a cute pumpkin bottle!

Pretty darn crowded by mid-morning!

Dana found some resident goats to feed some grass to.

New Pool

2010-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

One of the best purchases this summer: A new pool from Costco.

A very cool feature: Sprinklers on each side.

Blake, in particular, was fascinated with the water fountains.

It also has this way-cool slide.

Happy baby. Two teeth!

We enjoyed inviting friends over to have some fun in the sun with us.

Good Boy

2010-10-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

Bouncy House

2010-10-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

Another favorite past time for the summer - the Bouncy House. The best Invention. Ever.

We are lucky enough to be close to two places that let kids and parents play, for a reasonable price, until the kids are passed out in the back seat of the car.

Wish they had these when I was a kid!

The place in Kent has this huge monstrosity... THE FORTRESS.

Dana, my little daredevil, LOVES it.

Lots of upper body strength and confidence help with this...

Baby you can drive my car

2010-10-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

Blake and Dana are really enjoying each other's company lately. They can actually play together. One of their favorite activities is riding the car together. It cracked me up every time.
And then zoom around the house!

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

This year we went to Crescent Bar for a family fourth celebration!

The kids were in the parade this year!
Alexandria drove the electric jeep - Dana rode beside her and tossed rubber duckies.

The theme was "Island Fun" - so we decorated the jeep and played island music from the Ipod.

The babies rode in the wagon behind the girls... they were so stinkin' cute!

Dana stayed up for her first Fireworks show.

Yey! Pop!

We all enjoyed our holiday weekend.

The kids and I went over early on Wednesday with Papa John.
So we had some days to kill before Allen and the rest came over on Friday.

Blake loves his 'big boy' chair.

We had fun hanging out outside but we needed more entertainment.

Nothing a kiddie pool can't solve!

Papa John added some warm water and we were good to go!

Blake checking out the water.

Dana called it her 'Water Park.'

She later discovered she could dip her head in the water...

And then let the water drip down her face.

So funny when she did this!

Dana helped Papa water the flowers.

Then it was back to the pool.

"Kick baby! Kick!"

Blake had fun with a sprinkler.

Saturday brought beautiful weather... and a chance to go boating!

John's family; Chris, Karin and their daughters Lexie and Sammy spent the weekend with us.

All four kiddos in the tent.

Allen grilled some amazing pork loin for dinner.

Dana loves going fast on the boat.

The stunning view of the Columbia River from the boat...

The sandbar was pretty mellow this year.

A view of the concert venue at George from the river.

There was a large brush fire that started on the side of the highway, sending smoke down our way... it was a little smelly and ashy for the greater part of Sunday.

Made for a pretty sunset. We got to watch the local fire department battle the fire with helicopters taking water directly out of the river - it was kinda cool!

Happy Birthday Blake!

2010-06-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

We found this great bubble machine at Costco...

It was a huge hit! The cakes! Yummy from CJ's Bakery!

Good buds - Dana, Lucas and Lila.

Allen was the grill-master.

MorMor and Grandpa John got the coolest gift...

Blake's very first BMW!

Of course, Dana got the first ride.

But Blake did get to enjoy eventually!

Happy Birthday to our very special little man. We love you.

Indoor June Fun

2010-06-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

When the weather is crummy out, you get creative with indoor entertainment...

You have fun with, what else, Tupperware! Still some containers in there to pull out Blake!

Dana has figured out she can fit on the top shelf... She loves to pull all the containers out, climb in and shut the door...
no claustrophobia in THIS kid.

Blake having fun with an air pump. Dana's all-time favorite show - Elmo's World on Sesame Street... here she is watching the episode about sleep... so she insisted on making the ottoman into a bed... (an ottoman in front of stereo equipment is essential for a house with a very busy 1 year-old)

June Backyard Fun

2010-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

June weather has been hit and miss around here... when we do get a nice evening we all jump at the chance to enjoy our yard...

Blake likes to practice drinking out of a big-boy cup...
Although, he still needs more practice - here's his soaked shirt (and Daddy).

Dana showing off HER ability to drink from a big-girl cup.Best Craig's List find - a new play set!

Slide!

Dana's favorite way to be pushed on the swing... She just yells "Feet!" Such a dare devil.

Blake's got a bucket swing so he can enjoy too.

We look forward to lots more afternoons spent in our own backyard.

Or as Dana calls it "Dana's Park."

We hope to invite lots of friends over to enjoy with us!

Oh No... a walking fool...

2010-06-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

Blake has been practicing his walking...

After about a week of practice...

He's doing great!

Bloomsday

2010-05-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

April Mash-up

2010-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

April has just been one of these months where we've had something EVERY weekend. I've had no time to even get pictures off my camera.

So, in no particular order here's what we've been up to!

Grandpa's Birthday. Blake loves pulling things out the kitchen drawer.

Just standing all by himself!
Dana at the Little Gym.
And a new pony tail.

Blake has also discovered spaghetti...

Please hold the Oompa Loopa comments.

Dana shows how big girls eat spaghetti.

It's spring! This is the cherry tree in our front yard.

And my ONE daffodil that bloomed this year.

We've enjoyed nice days at the park!

We like to meet Lila and Katie at the park in their neighborhood.

We also made another trip to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

Dory?There is a beautiful carousel at the Zoo.

Blake showing off his mad walking skills...

Baby's First Easter.

Dana sharing a jelly bean with Grandpa John.

Easter 2010

Muse concert at Key Arena.

Dana showing off her mad stacking skills.

Blake sleeping in his car seat.

Dana driving her car.

We're off to Eastern Washington this weekend to run the Bloomsday 10 K race! Wish us luck and I'll be sure to keep more on top of this blog - - now that I'm getting a new lap top! No more waiting 15 minutes to download pictures! I won't have any more excuses.

Oh. No.

2010-03-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

So Blake started walking behind push toys this week... Dana is WAY more excited about it then we are. Blake is pretty delighted with himself.

I think he's going to be walking by himself very soon.... *sigh*

St. Patty's Day Dash

2010-03-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Allen and I ran the St. Patty's Day Dash in Seattle.

The weather was perfect!

Traffic, on the other hand was terrible.

We missed the official start of our heat... took us more than 30 minutes to exit the freeway and park. Luckily we got to start with the last group - and the timers were still functioning. Starting line by the PNW Ballet.

A live band with Bag pipes!
I'd say we ran a little more than half of it.
We had fun! We stopped and took pictures... yeah! Dianetics! ?!?!
We totally didn't notice this sign in the background until later...

The course went North on 99 - up the hill to the bridge to Canlis.
Then you turn around and run back... so here's a shot of those of us going up the hill and those coming back... LOTS of people. This mile uphill was a killer...

Coming back down the hill you could just see Mt. Rainier over the city. Gorgeous! We made it! The finish was right by the EMP. You had to walk down the 'finish shoot' into Seattle Center... where they had Top Pot Donuts! I KNOW, kinda made all the calories we just ran off a waste... but it was the best tasting donut I ever had...

In Seattle Center. Lots of people in lots of goofy costumes... notice the guys in the background in nothing but green briefs... Allen was so glad to be in a picture with them.

Yeah! The fountain was on!

We finished in 49 minutes... that's a 13 min. mile average. Pretty good for us!

We had fun and we'll do it again next year (weather pending).

We're on our way to Bloomsday!

We have a crawler!

2010-02-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

Random, Weird February

2010-02-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

We went shopping at Old Navy.

Dana fell in love with a mannequin.We're getting over the crud that's been going around.

Blake still has a bit of a runny nose.
Feel the love.
Happy Valentine's day!

No, no... pigs are not flying.

Allen and I joined Facebook.

Find me under Heather Hicks Weiss.

Cute Blake Video

2010-02-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Blake managed to maneuver over to the corner of the rug and was very entertained by it...

He is very close to crawling on all fours.

The Little Gym and Park

2010-02-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

Dana started her lessons at The Little Gym this past week.

As you can see.... she loves it.

She's a very coordinated girl. She could do the balance beam and rings on the first day.

And of course, it's all about balls with her right now.

She had the record for holding the most.

She actually would hold 4 balls at one time... I wasn't fast enough with my camera to capture her holding the 4th one IN HER TEETH.

With all the mild weather we've been bundling up and heading to the park too.

Slide! Wee!

Big girl swing.

Happy Birthday Dana!

2010-01-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

A look back...

1st Birthday The BIG day!

Birthday Party!

2010-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Dana's 2nd Birthday this past Sunday.

Balloons were the best gift EVER!Big hugs for MorMor.
Yummy cake!

Best buds...

loved playing on the stairs with the balloons.

Presents!

Foam letters for the bathtub.

CAKE!

Coloring in her new Nemo book with Grandpa. Playtime with Grandpa and Nana and Lucas.

After a nap the balloons are still a big hit!

Hard to believe she's two already. We love you baby girl.

More Christmas

2010-01-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

Allen reminds me that *technically* it's still one of the 12 days of Christmas... so it's still okay to have Christmas photos online... which is good, because I haven't had the chance to blog before now!

Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Seriously, it's the biggest one I've ever had in my life! 9 feet!

We figured we had the ceiling for it.

We ran out of lights at the bottom.
Blake enjoys the jumper.

So many great Christmas presents!

Here is Dana opening gifts on Christmas eve at Grandpa and Nana's house.

A baby doll that really 'drinks'!
Christmas Day was spent at MorMor and Grandpa John's house.
The whippets helped open gifts.

Big kisses!

Yummy prime rib!
Everyone opened their Christmas crackers to get their hats!
Dana loved wearing hers!

Blake, too.Uncle Jordan wrestling with the dogs.

Dana really enjoyed dancing with Grandpa John's Christmas present...

a plunger.

And playing in the new storage ottoman...

And the boxes that were shipped to us from Texas...

Yet another way to 'reuse' those terrible packing peanuts.

Xmas in Texas

2010-01-01T12:13:00.001-08:00

A few pictures from our Holiday celebration in Daingerfield, Texas. A beautiful, Texas-style, Cedar Christmas tree. The best gift of all?

NEMO!Now she can hold him...While she watches!!

Blake is sitting up pretty well.

Baby's First Christmas.

Blake loved to play the piano!

Dana and Grandpa spent hours outside playing.

Pictures are from Grandma and Grandpa's backyard.

Our little Tom Boy - loving the dirt!

Grandpa Glenn keeping a close eye on her.

Ooops! Too dirty!

It was nice just to play outside again.

Sometimes it just feels like we've been inside for months! ('Cause we have!)

We all had such a wonderful time!

The kids did great on the airplane too.

More Xmas and New Years pics soon!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

Dana still wants nothing to do with Santa.

Thing is, next year that will be Blake too...

*sigh*

Family Picture

2009-12-08T06:46:00.001-08:00

It takes A LOT of coordination to get all 6 of us sitting, smiling and looking in the direction of a camera... many thanks to John for his patience. Baby Blake is 5 months old!

Finn is such a good boy.

We had more success with just the four of us.

Dang! We have good looking kids!

Dana LOVES to say TEETH!

TEEEEEETH!

Say TEETH Daddy!

Pretty eyes.

Zoo!

2009-11-20T11:44:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we took our first trip to the zoo.

We went to the Point Defiance zoo and aquarium in Tacoma.

It was a bit gloomy, but it didn't rain! Dana loved looking at all the animals.
Blake mostly slept in the stroller.

There is a wonderful kid zone in the zoo - full of things to climb through...

and things to climb on...

and a great slide!

There was a petting zoo part where Dana got to feed some goats - so fun!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Blake's First Halloween

He wore the same costume that Dana wore LAST year. We joined the West's for Trick-or-treating.

Dana and Lucas picked up the concept very quickly...

I knock on a door, stand here and look cute, and then I get candy!

By the end of the evening Lucas was pretty tired, so Dana gave him a ride home in the stroller.So much candy! She would not let us carry her basket for her.

This blue lolly-pop looks good...

Looks good all down the front of my costume!

We also went to our church Halloween party.

The kids had fun playing games, and Allen won the chili contest!

More cuteness...

Dana is really into Nemo right now - so jealous of Lucas' costume.

And Blake found his feet!

He also rolled over for the first time this week. He rolled from back to front right in front of Allen and me. It was a special milestone that I'm glad we both got to see happen live.

We have a swimmer!

2009-10-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Chelan

2009-10-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

We had yet another great weekend at Lake Chelan.

We discovered the Chelan Chase.

A 5K fundraiser for the local hospital and breast cancer treatment.

We decided to go for it!Bundle up the babies in the BOB and let's go!

We also had a picnic lunch at 25 mile creek state park.
They have a wonderful playground.
Look! I'm IN the bubble!

HUGE slides! Weee!

It was a breath-taking, crisp fall day.

Dana didn't understand why she couldn't go IN the water.

And was frankly upset she couldn't go in.

A great trip for a great reason - to celebrate Casey's wedding.

Congratulations to Casey and Alison.

Growing Boy

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Blake will be 4 months old on the 30th.

He is growing in leaps and bounds.

He used to sleep in this moses basket... Dana slept in it too. But, all of a sudden it got too small!
Ahhh, much better. Room to spread out!

He's in size 4 diapers, and in size 6 months clothes!

Such a

happy baby. He loves to hang out with his big sister.

She colors, he plays with his toys.

Mom just sits back and watches.

... and makes sure Dana doesn't poke him in the eye.

September, in a nutshell

2009-10-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

September just flew by...

We went boating with Mom and John on Lake Washington. Check out Mt. Rainier and the Seahawks training facility behind them.
Baby Blake is a boater!

Then we did the Puyallup Fair with the Wests.

It was the first time on the rides for the kiddos...

Maybe Dana was just a little under height and age.

She loved it.

Anything Lucas was going to do, she was going to do too!

Here's Lucas showing Dana how to push the button to sound the horn.

Elmo was on Dana's pack that serves as a 'kid leash' - perfect for our toddler who loves to bolt in large crowds. And LOVES anything Elmo.

We also had an awesome family vacation to Lake Chelan.

My dad and step mom rented a great house.

Allen and Blake all ready to go boating.

Dana too!Mostly, we just had fun hanging out with Grandpa and Nana.

DMB 2009

2009-09-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

We arrived this year to our platinum parking only to have it rain,

really hard on us for the first hour. We could see the dry weather on the horizon.

After the rain it was an absolutely beautiful evening.

The VIP bar was just to the left of the stage.

Our view from VIP.

DAVE!!

We sat in row 9 this year.

Way crowded, but way cool.

Bad Blogger

2009-08-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose it goes without saying that we've been pretty busy around here lately.

So here's a re-cap of what we've been up to for the past two months.

We went to visit Grandpa Jerry at a car show.

Dana got to sit with him in his Ford. Grandpa can't wait to take her for a cruise. (After we're done with a car seat, Grandpa.)

The car show just happened to be at the Puyallup Fair grounds, so Dana got to go on her first ride with her Daddy.

A natural-born horseback rider. :)

We also took a family trip to CB with Dave, Joanna & Lucas.

A blast of a weekend. It was very hot. Here we are chilling in the shade of our car, eating popsicles.

Cooling off also involved some boating.

Dana got some new shades.

Blake turned two months old yesterday.

I'll post his stats when we get back from the doctor visit later this week.

He's a big boy - in size 3 month clothes already!

We also went to Carter and Chloe's first birthday party - they had a bouncy house.

Dana LOVED it!

Here she is with Carter.

We got to see Great Grandma too.

Here we are back at home, giving Blake some floor-time.

Dana brought a book over and wanted to 'read' it to him.

Such a good big sister!

Blake has also been practicing sitting in his Bumbo chair.

Dana was very upset...

She's pretty sure that's HER Bumbo!

'Cause she still fits in it!

She is growing up! Now her crib is a day-bed.

Can't believe summer is almost over.

Next weekend is Labor Day and DMB at the Gorge!

Entertainment

2009-08-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what Dana can find to play with in our kitchen.

Oven mitts:

Kitchen towels...

And to think, I used to refold all of those every time she did this...

Now I just cram them back in the drawer - what's the point?

I just keep telling myself, someday I will have nice, neat, folded towels again.

And of course, playing peak-a-boo under the table cloth.

Such a busy girl!

A year of blogging

2009-07-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd re-post the original picture.

Here's Dana as a 6 month old on the boat... We are taking our first trip to CB this weekend with Blake.

I am hoping to take a similar picture with him - so we can compare.

In the meantime, here are our two babies...

Dana Blake
What a year!

Three Weeks

2009-07-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe our little man is three weeks old already.

He continues to be a good eater and sleeper. Happiness is being a Great-Grandparent.
Happiness is also being Grandma...

...and Grandpa.

Happy July 4th.

Blake's Hospital Stay

2009-07-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Boy!

First Weigh-In: 8lbs. 1.5 ozRight after surgery - I was SO out of it.

I do remember being cold so the nurses bundled me and Blake together with all these warming blankets. We both loved it.

Feeling better the next morning.

Blake's hearing test - he passed!

Visitors included:

Mor mor

Grandpa John,

Uncle Jordan

My Dad and step-mom Kerry were actually at the hospital until 2 in the morning the night Blake was born! They stuck around until we came back from the OR. Technically, they were the first to meet Blake - we just didn't get any pictures! It was really wonderful to have them there for moral support.

Home - July 2nd.

Dana was happy to have us home too. She crawled up into my lap and wanted to cuddle with me and Blake under his blanket.

Video of this below.

First bath at home.

Dana wanted to help with this too.

All in all we've had some pretty good first days at home.

It's so much better the second time around!

We'll keep you all posted and hope to see you soon.

First Cuddles

2009-07-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

First photo of Blake

2009-07-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken after returning to our room and his first bath. So, technically it's not the first photo we took, but it's the first one we're able to post up from the hospital.

Introducing...

2009-07-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

We welcomed baby Blake Henry Weiss at 11:52pm on Tuesday. He weighed in at 8 lb 2 oz and measured 21 inches long. Blake gave us quite a night with variable heart rates and made his appearance via Cesarean (where they found a large knot in the cord). Both baby and mom are now doing well.

We'll post pictures when we get home, thanks for all the prayers, love and support.

All ready for Baby

2009-06-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

Now all we need is our boy to make his debut!Baby furniture - by Craig's List!

The best!

Okay, the crib we bought new... but it was on sale!

I love this simple crib bedding. Those are blue stars.

I'm feeling great! Some Braxton-Hicks contractions this week - nothing serious.

Dana came at 38 weeks - so I'm already feeling overdue.

But I'm sure he'll be here in his own sweet time!

We appreciate all the well wishes and prayers.

We can't wait to meet him!

We'll keep you all posted.

No baby yet...

2009-06-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

So here is some cute Dana video instead...

Amazing Weekend

2009-06-01T11:03:00.001-07:00

We just got home from an amazing weekend at Lake Chelan.

The weather was perfect. This was the view from our condo. We were walking distance to the beach.Those swimming lessons are really paying off.

Dana has no fear swimming in Lake Chelan with her daddy.
Not sure what she's pointing at...
But she would have played all day in the sand if we let her.I'm big!

Our last day we went to Slide Waters - the water park in Chelan. It was a blast. Something for everyone. This was the kiddie part of the park - Dana was loving this giant mushroom waterfall-thingy. I can't believe I walk around in a bathing suit 8 months pregnant...

She rode the moose.

Her most favorite was this purple dinosaur slide. Check out video of her doing it all by herself below. She went down this slide about 50 times!

They also had this great 'beginner' slide section.

Dana could ride a real water slide with her daddy... video below.

She didn't mind the sliding, it was the landing in the 'cold' water that bothered her the most.

After every slide we'd have to go sit in the hot tub to warm up.

The pool at her swim lessons is a toasty 92 degrees - so hotel and public pools are on the chilly side for Dana. So spoiled.

This weekend was a glimpse at all the fun things we get to go do as a family.

I would highly recommend Slide Waters to anyone - such a nice, clean, family-friendly park!

We will be back again soon!

Slide Waters

2009-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Joy

2009-05-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy couple of weekends. We traveled to CB for our annual Mother's Day "Wax-on, Wax-off" weekend. We had beautiful weather.
Dana and Finn.

Dana had a doctor's appointment too - she weighs 21 lbs. 6 oz. She's in the 30% for weight.

She is 31" long - 40% for height. Her doctor believes she is doing just great.

A very healthy and active baby!

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of her baptism.

Today she is 16 months old.

I have also been seeing my midwife every other week. Baby boy is growing and kicking and has a very strong heartbeat. My midwife believes that things are progressing just fine!

We are busily making preparations for him to come home soon!

With a spoon...

2009-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today I gave Dana some applesauce for lunch and decided that she could try feeding herself...She didn't quite get the whole, front vs. back of the spoon...

But she was successful nonetheless!

Then she tried it with her right hand...

Yes!

It works even better if I pick it up!

Forget the spoon!

MUCH better.

Lucas had to ham it up today too...

Swimmin'

2009-04-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa

2009-04-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Easter Moments

2009-04-13T14:40:00.001-07:00

We've been practicing our egg hunting skills for a little while now...

Great Grandma came over for church and lunch on Sunday.
Egg hunt at the church!

Very nice spring weather.

Dana didn't like her hat.

We went to Nana and Grandpa's house for Easter dinner.

Grandpa surprised Dana with her very own pedal car!

Not sure what to make of this yet...

Don't I look cute?

It even has her name on it!

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Dana's first Easter Egg hunt had to be moved inside because of the weather. She's actually inside a classroom of the preschool in the basement of our church.

Got Milk?

2009-03-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Look Daddy, no hands!It does a baby good...

Couldn't help myself...
Can't you just hear her saying, "Ahhh"?

Mommy's little helper

2009-03-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Little O'Cutie

2009-03-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I was feeling kinda bad because I don't have an appropriate outfit for Dana today... I remembered that she used to have a cute onesie for St. Patrick's day... That got me looking back to some old pictures - thought you'd like to reminisce with me... Dana at 2 monthsWhippet kisses are good luck!

This was back when we were just letting Halle and Finn get a close look at her...

They were VERY interested in this little person. (They still are.)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Cheap Sunglasses

2009-03-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember this photo of Dana sent out last February.

She was our 'cool chick'... Well, she's rediscovered those sunglasses...

For Daddy

2009-03-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dana loves to 'dance' on this Rubbermaid box...

It's a...

2009-02-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

BOY!

The Dr. said he looks absolutely perfect.

He's a little over 1 lb right now.

And I'm a little further along then originally thought... so perhaps a baby in June...

Happy Birthday Allen!

2009-02-11T14:40:00.001-08:00

Just a few of my favorite pictures of Allen and Dana... In Texas at Grandma and Grandpa Weiss' piano.
Summertime at Crescent Bar.

Nightly bath routine.

Aw.

And my two favorite shots of Dana and Allen...

Happy Birthday honey.

Thank you for being the best dad and husband.

I love you!

Working

2009-02-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

Dana found a new and interesting toy this week while in Daddy's office... An old cell phone, plus charging cord...

She loves to drape the cord over her neck and walk around with it.

Then we found her an old keyboard to play with...

Gosh, with the cell phone and the keyboard it's like she's working from home - just like daddy.

Daddy's girl.

Best Buddies

2009-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Dana and Lucas are just the best of buds... This week Lucas discovered he could push Dana on her train.
They both just LOVED it!

More!

What fun we have on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Spaghetti Face

2009-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

Dana enjoyed some spaghetti for lunch today... Not sure what she enjoyed more... eating it or playing in it...

Most of it got in her mouth - but a lot more was on the floor.

Also, for those of you who heard our whippet story...

The one where Finn supposedly attacked Halle at the kennel during Christmas...

Here's just more proof of how much they really hate each other...

At least Halle's stitches are out - and because of her coloring you really can't see her 4 inch scar... So, no worries, she's still a beauty.

Dana's Check-up

2009-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Dana got a healthy report from the doctor's visit yesterday... along with four shots! Poor thing.

She weighs 20 lbs. 4 oz and measures 30 inches long.
She's in the 50th percentile for both height and weight - in other words, perfectly average. Ah. Although, we think she's a bit more than that.

I also went to see my midwife on Friday and things are looking very good in that department too. We heard a strong heartbeat and I'll schedule my first ultrasound in the next few weeks.

I'll keep you all posted!

Happy Birthday Dana Claire

2009-01-19T09:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Dana's First Birthday with a party at our home.

We had many friends and family come to celebrate with us...

We had a house filled with babies!
It will be so fun to watch as these little ones grow up together.

Lila got some special love from Dana.

Every birthday girl has got to have her cake... and eat it too.

First, you have to take off that pretty birthday dress...

Who's naked?

Do I have to wear a bib?

Such a lady... daintily picking at her cake...

Daddy had to step in and show her that there's MORE under the frosting!

"Oh! Why didn't you say so!"

Dana clearly preferred the 'no-hands' method.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, right. ME!"

Here's looking at you kid.

Cake Before shot...
Cake After shot...
With such a busy, exciting day it was nice to end with a quiet bottle.

Dana gets to go to the Doctor today.

We'll post her stats tomorrow.

She gets to have shots too...

Happy Birthday Baby.

We love you!

New Shoes

2009-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

So, last week we went shopping with Mor Mor at Nordstroms Downtown...

Dana was fascinated by the giant fish tanks...We decided that those old soft soled shoes just wouldn't do anymore...

and since we were in the children's department...

You've got to be measured for new shoes...
The nice saleslady helped us try on a few pairs...

We chose the brown ones with pink flowers.

Dana thought they tasted the best...

Yes, we know... we've probably started a bad trend...

I can't remember the last time I got to have new shoes from Nordstroms!

Oh well... you only get to have one pair of First Walking Shoes!

Christmas - Finally!

2009-01-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to celebrate the Christmas holiday with the Hicks family...

Great Grandma and Grandpa had over 36 inches of snow at their house this year! Dana got this way-cool measuring stick that will help us track how much she's grown. Grandpa Jerry and Nana Kerry MADE it! So cute!

Not to mention the portability factor - when/if we move it can come with us!
It was fun to play with Great Aunt Dova!

Nana Kerry found this cute bear - Dana loved it!

A little late this year - but always a blessing to get together with our family.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2009!

(Check out Dana's 4 teeth!) Got to have crazy New Year's Hats and Blowers

The West's joined us for a New Year's Eve celebration.

With a little bubbly...

...And...

We got "Rock Band 2" for our Wii system.

And played all night long!

Yes, we know... we're dorks.

There are three game 'pieces' - a guitar, a microphone and drums.

Allen was the best singer...

We wish everyone a fun and safe New Year!

Dana's First Christmas

2008-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Holiday Season this year. We traveled a lot and saw our friends and family. Here are just a few pictures from our adventures...

We left on the 16th - The next day it snowed in the Seattle area.All in all we got about 8 to 10 inches at our house...

Not at much as some of you got!

But we were warm in Texas with Allen's parents and siblings.

The temperature peaked at 80 degrees!

Dana and her cousins enjoyed playing outside!

Something just not right about 80 degrees at Christmas time.Dana enjoyed a ride from Aunt Katharine.We opened presents...Dana playing with her Cousin Anna.

Traveling to and from Texas was not difficult - luckily our flight was only delayed a little. Dana was a star on the plane.

Then on Christmas Eve we stopped by the Kelly's.

Tasha was so wonderful to Dana - helping her open her presents.Then it was on to Nana Kerry and Grandpa Jerry's house for dinner and MORE presents!

Christmas Morning means Daddy makes pancakes!! Yum!

And presents under the tree.

Later we went to Mor Mor and Grandpa John's house.We celebrated with Uncle Jordan and Aunty Em.
And then - More Presents!!

A great Christmas - so amazing to celebrate with Dana.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Cat's Out of the Bag

2008-12-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

Yes, we're expecting! The ticker at the top let's you all know how far along I am... still pretty early. The most common question has been, "Did you plan to have another one so soon?" And the answer is honestly, yes... Of course, it happened a little faster than the first time we tried. I'm excited. Excited that Dana will soon have a sibling to grow up with. I'm glad they'll be close in age, and I am hopeful that they'll grow to have a close relationship too.

We have a lot of planning and organizing around here to do... another room to get ready. We'll find out the gender at about 20 weeks -so we'll keep you all posted. Of course, I want another girl, and Allen would love to have a boy. Our due date is officially July 2nd, but Dana came at 38 weeks... so we're hopeful for a late June birth (like we can control that!)

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Tree Motivator

2008-12-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

A few of Dana's first steps... she's been doing this all week.

Here she is reaching for Grandma and Grandpa Weiss' Christmas Tree at their house in Texas.

That's her cousin, James, screaming in the background.

Enjoy!

Picture with Santa

2008-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

Bad Blogger

2008-12-12T18:25:00.001-08:00

I know, I know... I've been terrible at updating this page.

So here's what happened the past month...

We went to the Christmas Tree farm in Maple Valley...

Dana liked showing off her mittens.

We went with Dave, Joanna and their son, Lucas.

Lucas and Dana are boyfriend and girlfriend... aw, cute!

KISS! KISS!

Dana is SO big! Over 20 lbs! So that means a new car seat!

Now, she gets to face forward - she loves it!

A couple of weeks ago we traveled up North to visit with Dana's Great Grandma.

Dana and her Mor Mor.
(That's Norwegian for Mother's Mother or Grandma.)

Dana, Elder Mor, and Mor Mor.

And, WHO can forget the Apple Cup??

Dana wore her colors proudly that weekend.

SWEET VICTORY

Halloween Weekend

2008-11-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated Halloween at SVLC with some friends: Madelyn (from the book) and Mario (Luigi was helping with the chili cook off). I think Allen had the scariest costume -

a Cougar Fan.
Dana and her Daddy
On the 31st we met up with our best friends to go trick or treating! Here's Lucas the giraffe and Dana the Teddy Bear.We only made it to one house (Lucas' Grandparents).
Mmmm, candy!

On Saturday we visited some friends!Fellow Bloggers - Liliana and Talia

Then on Sunday we saw Dad, Kerry and the Thurik's brood!

Dana was very interested in her cousin, Chloe.
Dana, Nana Kerry and Cousin Chloe.Oh Grandpa Jerry!
Dana seems to like playing horsey with the dog...

Poor Maggie!

Climbing the Stairs!

2008-10-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

She has this down... well, almost.

Happy Fall

2008-10-21T09:47:00.001-07:00

We went for a walk on the Preston-Snoqualmie trail this past weekend.

It was absolutely beautiful.

And, we went to the pumpkin patch... we all had a great time!

Dana was more interested in the woodchip ground cover than the pumpkins.

"No, Dana, don't eat that..."

Dana's First Tooth

2008-10-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

After many efforts this week I was finally successful at getting a picture of Dana's first tooth.

She was very interested in the camera.

Then I got busy with some laundry and when I checked on her...

Poor Paul Bunyan... what did you ever do to deserve this?

Got to put that new tooth to work!

I guess it's time to put the big kid books up high for a while... at least until she's out of the 'everything goes into my mouth' stage.

What a beautiful, happy baby. I feel so blessed to have her!

Pulling Up!

2008-10-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

I just love this video

2008-10-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Dana crawling to the tub. Allen tries to tempt Dana with her favorite bath toy... just too cute.

Dana Video!

2008-10-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the past few weeks have included some MAJOR changes around here! Dana has been growing in leaps and bounds! She is now a talented crawler! This video shows her progression from 'army-man' skooching to full-blown crawl.

We've been busy baby-proofing our home.

She's also grown her first tooth! It's about time! She is getting used to the new chomper - and even bitten me once! I know more are on the way!

More to come soon!

When you need a good laugh

2008-09-23T14:33:00.001-07:00

So this week has been a little traumatic for everyone... what with the economy and all. I'm not trying to be political here... I just know that if this has been affecting everyone - including us.

Maybe not all of you know, but we have been without the use of our master bathroom shower for a while now... the tile and grout has failed and leaked down to the ceiling of our family room. We've recently tried taking out a home equity loan for a mere $5,000 to try to repair/replace the shower. Now, generally we have good credit and we pay our mortgage on time - but our bank has even turned us down! It's sad when people like us can't get a loan... I KNOW that many people have similar stories to share. I feel your frustration.

My prescription? (more cowbell!) No, kidding...
Laughter: Go to:
http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
My favorite cake? The Macho Man ... it's a couple of pages back...
Hopefully a little laughter will help you out too!
Dana pics coming soon!

What a weekend!

2008-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Friday we left for Cresent Bar. We arrived to beautiful weather. We had dinner and waited for Mom and John to arrive.

Saturday morning we got up ate breakfast and packed the car for our first trip to Pullman with the baby! We've been looking forward to this trip - showing Dana around and attending our first football game in the newly renovated Martin Stadium. Of course Dana has her own Coug gear that we purchased last year... you'd think that six month stuff would still fit... but unfortunately, her head was too big!

She just had to pose for this picture ... we promised to go shopping at the Bookie when we arrived in Pullman...

All buckled in for the car ride to WSU!

Our first stop - Lunch at our favorite Pullman Mexican restaurant!

The highchair at Rancho was one of the oldest I've ever seen - it sure did make a loud sound when she banged on it though! She loved it! I kept worrying that she'd slide out of it!

Walking from our car to the stadium we pasted some students sharing the rapors from the Vet Program. Here's Dana and I with an owl - very cool! Of course we donated to their cause!

The new CUB - Very nice.

New entrance - Dana and I are standing in front - can you see the new video screen in the background? It was HUGE!

Dana was just a star during the game. The cheering crowds didn't bother her a bit!We left at half time... the score said it all. We chalked it up to the baby needing to get home to sleep. We left Pullman around 5 pm and got home about 10.

Sunday was another full day!
First church and then off to Woodinville to help my Grandma celebrate her 80th Birthday!

I love this picture of Dana and her Great Grandmother!

After the party at Grandma's church it was back to her house to celebrate more with the family. Yes, even after all this, Dana is just a happy, happy baby! (That's Grandma's chihuahua, Abbey in the background) Thanks to Cousin Ashley for taking this great picture!

Overall, a wonderful weekend! We are so blessed to have our family - especially Dana's Great Grandparents.

Today was about sleeping and getting back into a routine. I am very fortunate to have a baby that is so easy going and good natured! I feel very blessed to be able to go and do all this great stuff together as a family.

Labor Day and Dave Matthews

2008-09-03T19:56:00.001-07:00

So awesome - Tim Reynolds is touring with them this summer...

I love Carter's smile...

I love Dave!!!

Only about 50 cars in this entire lot!

Labor Day weekend was a blur... Joanna, Dave, Dana and I left Friday afternoon and returned Sunday night. We had a great time - cooler weather this weekend.

The highlight of the weekend was the Dave Matthews concert at the Gorge on Saturday night. Among the set my favorite was their cover of 'Sledgehammer' by Peter Gabriel.

Dave scored Plaza Premiere Parking and we were halfway down the hill! Check out the picture - that's the entrance of the main gate - behind us! The VIP tent and bathrooms with running water made all the difference. Another memorable show, saddened by the loss of LeRoi Moore; yet the music and mood of the crowd was upbeat.

Enjoy my pics!

Hot Hot Hot

2008-08-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the hottest yet at CB. In the triple digits all three days. The baby and I spent most of the daytime inside the new park model - with the AC. We had a great time with Uncle Jordan, Auntie Em and Cousin Alex.

We went boating on Saturday. It was so warm we actually swam in the Columbia river! Yes, Dana went swimming in the river too! She wore her life jacket and floated with the rest of us! After floating we just plopped her down in the middle of the boat on her towel with some toys and she was as happy as a clam!

It was a revival weekend all around - with wearing life jackets like 'diapers' and floating with a cold beverage in hand!

We ended the weekend by swimming in the pool again. Check Dana out - she was lounging in her floatie - you can see her toes in front of her under the yellow mesh - So cute!

Thanks Mom and John for a great weekend!

Weekend at CB

2008-08-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a wonderful weekend at Cresent Bar with Joanna, Dave, Lucas, Mom and John. The weather was great - not too hot. We arrived on Friday, first for a change, only to find we had no shed keys! We managed though, with help from the neighbors to get in and move the boat. Saturday was perfect with boating and swimming in the pool. Both babies were super.
Sunday morning got interesting when the power went out - that means no water either. We ended up packing up early and headed home.

All in all, a fantastic weekend with friends and family. We're looking forward to returning soon - to a new park model! And Dave Mathews on Labor Day.

Solid Food + Teething = No sleep

2008-07-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

So our perfect baby who has been sleeping through the night since April has begun the fun process of teething. In addition she's started solid foods (apple is the new favorite). The combination of food digestion, and consequent poop, along with the pain of teething has resulted in a pretty cranky baby. Last night we were up every two hours - for a quick diaper change and feeding. Well, not really a feeding, more like a soothing. She's not up for more than 15 minutes, but it's the frequency that's killing us. Any tips?

I think tonight we'll give in and try some infant Tylenol. Wish us luck!

Dana's Latest Adventures!

2008-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

So, as promised, some Dana photos!

Yes, I'm blogging now

2008-07-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I've finally decided to take the plunge and start blogging. I've been reading lots of blogs lately, from the strange (see K$) to some really great ones (see Carrie's). My hope is to be somewhere in between.

My goal is to keep you all updated with events in our life and post recent photos of Dana.

So, enjoy!