Pumpkin Patch with Nonni & B

In October, Jason's parents came into town.  The girls always get very excited for them to visit and this time we all went to the pumpkin patch close to our home.

The girls headed straight for the petting zoo area when we arrived, then discovered other strange aspects to the farm, like pumpkin-head scarecrows.

They climbed to the top of a huge tower of hay (well, huge to them).

They became pumpkins and farmers.

They checked to see how they measured up.

They enjoyed their grandparents and each other.  As you can see, my children take photos very seriously.

In the end, we came home with a pumpkin that was bigger than Claire.  It literally weighed more than she does.  But that pumpkin viewing will have to wait until another post....

Colorado

In October, it was time for me to leave home again.  This time for Ouray, Colorado (AKA The Middle of Nowhere) for a friend's wedding.  

Juliana married a great guy named March that she met in medical school years ago.  He is originally from Thailand, so they had a traditional Thai ceremony, which was unique and fun.

The backdrop was beautiful, with water and layers of mountains behind them.

Lucky for me, I recognized one face among the wedding guests - a girl I had met in NYC many years ago, named Amanda.  It was fun to chat with her and the other guests during the weekend of festivities.

The funny thing about Amanda is that the first time I met her, we were eating at a small restaurant in NYC's West Village when Jay-Z and Beyoncé walked in and sat at the table behind us.  You can see them in the background here (might have to click on the photo).

Once Beyoncé realized that she was in our photo, she covered her face.  :)  The poor girl can't even enjoy an evening out to dinner in peace.

It was a random memory, but it felt like a small world to be able to reconnect with Amanda in Colorado many years later.

September Miscellaneous

In September, Jason and I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert at The Gorge Amphitheater.  The views of the Columbia River were breathtaking (though not well captured on my phone's camera).  Dave put on a good show and it brought back some good memories of concerts of the past, but being at The Gorge was our favorite part.
On second thought, my favorite part was watching the 90-year-old woman in front of us dance the whole time.  Her moves were awesome!  I tried to catch some video of it on my phone, but the lighting just didn't do her justice.

Since September was still sunny, the girls and I frequented farmer's markets and even treated ourselves to some delicious gelato one day.  This was one of those random moments when your kids make you laugh.  Claire wanted to feed Gabby the whole time and I savored the moment even more than the gelato.

Gabby had her class bear, Scamper, for a week.  She brought him with her on her outings, including the children's museum with Daddy.  But since Mommy was out of town during most of this, we had to put together a quick photo shoot for Scamper's journal the day before we needed to return him to the school.  Gabby had a fun time being silly.

Welcome to Miami

In September, I took a long overdue trip to visit my friend, Nicole, in Miami.  It was so good to see her, relax in the warm (and sometimes rainy) weather and mostly reminisce.  

While Nicole was saving the country at work my first full-day there, I enjoyed the scenery from her apartment and walked to the beach to enjoy a little sun-filled R&R.

The rest of our time involved a lot of "remember the time we...".  The two of us had so much fun being silly together in our NYC days.  We are convinced that no one else saw us as funny, but we had fun, so that's all that matters!

We were always hanging out with random famous people (pictured below: Robin from Gin Blossoms & Brandon from Jagged Edge).  We have random stories of getting on a tour bus after noticing Usher there, my free birthday party at Jay-Z's 40-40 Club, and getting into all of New York City's elite hot spots without ever paying a cent (and without ever drinking, I might add).  I am not sure how we did it - all I know is it had nothing to do with me and a lot to do with Nicole - but I am so glad that I had someone to create those crazy experiences with.

It was fun to see see Nicole again, bring out some dusty old memories and make even more that we can think back on when we turn 80!

First Day of School / Ballet

I realize that this is a bit anticlimactic since the first day of school was actually two months ago, but here are some pics none the less.   Gabby is now a full-time student.  She goes 5 days a week, from 8:30 - 3:00.  She LOVES everything about school.

After the first photo above was taken, she decided that she had to have a picture taken with her new favorite jacket.  Pink = love.

While Claire was disappointed to not be starting school yet, she was very happy to finally stop watching ballet and start participating herself.

Gabby tries to teach Claire everything she knows.

The true excitement came when Claire was able to join her friend, Reese, and go to their first class!

Japanese Garden

Our family took a little morning visit to the Japanese Garden recently.  Naturally, I had to take a lot of photos of my little gals with this beautiful backdrop.

Gabby & Claire enjoyed feeding the very large fish.

After the gardens, we went for a walk and the girls discovered a less-groomed area that had magical flowers.

 Before departing, how could we not pause to appreciate the best street in the world?

Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo

Right before school started up again, we made a visit to the Woodland Park Zoo.  The girls had a great time and shared some unique experiences.

Their favorite part was feeding a giraffe.  They each had multiple turns.  

Check out that long purple tongue!

Of course, we saw many beautiful animals.

The girls were able to touch some and come awfully close to touching others.

They rode the carousel, made themselves at home in an African village and explored dark caves.

Before the day was over, they took turns feeding an elephant.

We met up with one of Gabby's friends from school, Olivienne.  Good-byes are always hard, but we all had a great time together!

Summer 2012

Now that it is November and I am missing our warm weather, I suppose it is about time I post about the last few neglected months.  As seen above, the girls enjoyed lots outdoor activities, like running through sprinklers in the backyard.  Seattle summers are gorgeous because the temperature is perfect - 70's & 80's, the scenery is lush and green, and most importantly, we Seattlites don't take the sun for granted so everyone you come across is happy.  This summer was particularly dry - only one hour of rain in three months.

Gabby & Claire took swimming lessons at a friend's house over the summer.  They have improved, but let's just say they are not exactly naturals in the water.  I realize that after swimming competitively for 15 years myself, my offspring should not have such a deep fear of water, but maybe one day when they put more than their chins in the water without screaming, their innate passion for the sport will suddenly emerge....

Gabby also enjoyed her first ballet & tap class over the summer.  Luckily, dancing does not involve holding her breath, so she loves it.  Claire had to watch with her younger buddies on the sidelines until she turned two and could join her own class.