Winter Sowing Round 2

Corey & Nova came by Saturday afternoon to help winter sow the last of the hardy perennial seeds.  This time we completed 17 containers & included lemon mint to the mix.  Nova liked the variety of the seeds in size & texture.  She helped sow many of the containers.  Now we just have to be patient and wait for any seedlings to sprout!  

Our little helper.

Hike @ Farrell's Marsh #3

The dry weather has continued along with the low temperatures.  We met up with Teresa on Saturday morning at Farrell's Marsh, a small park in the middle of Steilacoom.  Not a lot of mileage, but there were several different trails. We hiked on both sides of the marsh.  We didn't see too much wildlife, but we did see a few mushrooms.  There was a small layer of ice on the marsh; we took turns throwing pinecones and sticks into it to see if they would sink.  In all we did a little over 1.5 miles.  Nova was the leader & kept us from getting lost. We also encountered a few painted rocks, which are always a pleasant surprise. It was a fun, but cold morning!

Teaching Nova to be a tree hugger!

Maddox Month 2

The boy turned 2 months old!  Time is going so fast! He is getting to be so big and handsome.  He stays awake for longer stretches now and has surpassed ten pounds.  Unfortunately, he caught Nova's cold, so that was a bit rough, but he has recovered.  He's also starting to sleep for longer stretches, which would be great if it were at night. He is already cooing and he & Nova have such sweet exchanges.  

Week 5

6 weeks old & into a new year already!

Week 7

Not an official 7-week photo but taken the same day.  I love that outfit and his Pooh booties.

He was not happy for his 8th week picture because he was sick.

Two months old!

Weekend with Gamma

Gamma flew over on Thursday afternoon and stayed with us until Monday afternoon to visit and meet Maddox for the first time. We packed the weekend with lots of fun events and family time. On Thursday night Scott, Sherry & I went out to dinner at Cactus. On Friday morning we met up with the Wares and did the toddler hike at Pt. Defiance Park. We picked up lunch afterwards at our favorite Pho place then ate at our house. After lunch everyone headed back to Pt. Defiance, but this time to the zoo.  Nova got to ride the carousel and touch a sea star. We saw lots of cool animals including a new one in the Tropical Reef Aquarium called a Bowmouth Guitarfish. Apparently, these fish are critically endangered. His name is Fender and he weighs 230 pounds and is 6ft 7in long.  He was really cool to watch!  After the zoo we ate dinner at our house before the kids had to go home for bed. Corey also baked us some delicious cookies. Gamma got to meet & hold Maddox who was unfortunately not feeling very well as he had caught Nova's cold.  

On Saturday Scott, Gamma & I drove up to Seattle to visit with Gabby & Ethan. We met up at Tat's Deli for some delicious sandwiches before crossing the street to Smith Tower where we headed up to the 35th floor for spectacular views of the water, Mount Rainier and surrounding area.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day and warm, to boot! You couldn't have asked for better weather on a January day.  We stopped in the bar for some drinks before heading home.

On Sunday we had Nova from 10am to 5pm while her parents were doing a virtual conference.  We enjoyed hanging out with her. It was another gorgeous day, so we took her to the playground. She also came along with us to do our weekly grocery shopping.  She did some coloring and watched a few of her favorite shows. Randomly Gamma & I found a really nice wood dresser that a neighbor had put on the curb for free while we were walking the puppies, which Corey ended up wanting, so we packed it into the car and took it over that evening when we dropped off Nova.  Scott, Gamma & I ended the night with dinner at home and a few games.

The beautiful weather continued into Monday, so we took Gamma to Ruston. We walked along the water and saw a great view of Mt Rainier in the distance. We had lunch at Stack 571 then walked some more.  Afterwards we headed home to relax for a little bit before having to take her to the airport. It was a short, but fun visit!

Terrell & Nova enjoying a snack on the log during story time after the hike.

Zoolights is over now, but they were still in the process of taking everything down.

Fender the Bowmouth Guitarfish

View of Smith Tower from our parking spot.

The Columbia Tower where Scott used to work!

Scott & Ethan both ordered this mocktail which they said was yummy.

Enjoying her macaroni & cheese.

At the park.