The Dillard Family

Austin

2011-10-28T19:09:00.001-04:00

Marty has been traveling on a grueling schedule for the last four months. On Sunday night he leaves Seattle and flies on the redeye to Huston, waits about an hour and then catches a connecting flight to Austin. He works day and night for 4 days and flies home late Thursday night. A job perk is we got to tag along for 10 days and enjoy some Austin fun. Grandma even got to go too.
We got to see my uncle Steve and his band play. The boys even got to play his drums! Marty got to see live music for the first time in the "Music Capitol!"

The kids, Grandma Suejump, and myself got to visit the sights:

The kids loved riding the Duck! It was fun, but honestly, I think the Seattle Duck is better!

Watching the bats! Austin has the largest bat population in the whole United States over 2 million bats live under Congress Street Bridge!

The best part for us was all the sun and warmth! Perfect weather!

Last night, eating at the Hula Hut:

Our House Got Quieter...

2011-09-19T13:50:00.005-04:00

Yesterday our house got a little quieter. Yesterday we lost Tucker. Tucker was the first real “child” we ever had. The first being we were 100% responsible for. Part of me feels like we gave him so much – spoiled him when he was little, took him with us to Philadelphia, on most vacations, let him sleep in our room, gave him so many treats. You could argue that so many other families wouldn’t have put up with his wild years as a puppy and juvenile. My hatred of his shedding almost led to his banishment. But we took care of him until the end. On the other hand we could have done more. We weren’t the best at making sure he got his flea and tick treatments. It became harder to walk him and take him on day-trips with us once we had kids (especially 3 of them).
Through it all, Tucker was a great dog for our family. Fond memories we will always treasure of him:

Marty:
-How gentle he was with the kids, especially Jack, as they tugged at him, crawled on him, and tried to ride him like a pony
- His obsessiveness with tennis balls and fetching – when he saw a body of water, he would jump in and immediately start looking for the ball or stick that he assumed we must have thrown in for him
- His desire to be in the middle of us at all times, especially in his later years – he would always be found under the dinner table, next to the couch, next to the bed – lying there just happy to be with us
- When he was a pup Sarah got him his “little friend” to keep him company while we both went away for work. It was a life-sized chocolate lab doll that she would leave in the backyard for him. He would drag it around the yard with his jaws and do other unmentionable things. The neighbor behind us thought we had two dogs doing who knows what all day. We thew the nasty toy away after a week, but have had endless laughs about it...
- That his tail wagged so hard it would bleed at the tip from whacking into walls (we referred to it as a paint brush and would have to wipe down the walls in our Philly apartment)
- Our walks with him around our neighborhood in Oakland and his backpack with 2 large bottles filled with water to tire him out after we started watching Cesar Milan dog whisperer – our neighbors probably thought we were crazy
- How fast he could run – I remember taking him to the dog park by Sarah’s Mom’s house and that he could outrun any other dog out there to get to a ball – chunks of grass and dirt would fly up behind him as he sprinted to the ball – in Philadelphia in the dead of winter I would take him running by the Schyukill river at night to get him exercise – we would go down through the Riverloft garage and I would be riding my bike with him on a leash besides me – we would get out onto the bike path late at night and then I would let him loose – I would ride as fast as I could and he would chase me at full speed, often passing me
- Driving across country with Tucker 3 times – out to Wharton with Sarah pregnant, back for my summer internship, then back out for second year. The final voyage back for Tucker was by plane to stay with Chris and Casey when we were in France at INSEAD – I think this severely traumatized him and may have taken some of the time off of his life clock – he wouldn’t go in his plastic crate again after that – only the metal one

Sarah:
-He made me chase him 10 blocks, on one of the hottest & most humid days in Philly, through city streets filled with people and cars, when I was 7 months pregnant, as he bolted toward our apartment.
-His many trips to the ER because of stomach problems, he's cost more to keep running than our car (seriously!). One time he had to had IV fluids. The doggy ER gave him fluid under his skin in his back. The fluid collected in his neck; stretching out his skin which always hung low and was never the same.
-He has destroyed important things, including Marty's orthotics- Martin couldn't run for months.

-Taking him Saturday early morning and afternoons to hike on the Oakland hills. He would run ahead of us then back to check on us, ahead and back.
-The one time I stopped at a rest stop in Oregon. We saw cows for the first time. Tucker was curious and less than a year old. He started toward the cow and it mooed and he ran away as fast as his feet could carry him. So startled and scared he tripped over me to get out of the way.
-How he would "boot scoot" all around our yard or house in Oakland when he got excited.
-How he "swept the floor" with Rocket. Rocket would literally get stuck beneath Tucker, as he ran out the door.
-Jack's first belly laugh was at Tucker playing ball.
-How much he loved to be with the boys- wanted to sleep in their room, sit under them at the table and chase them around the yard.

-My cousin Haleigh came to stay with us this summer. She'd sit in the yard under the umbrella in the shade and play ball with Tuck while holding Victoria. Victoria loved Tucker and it soothed her to sit outside watching Tuck play ball.
-My best of all was the kids playing tee ball with Tuck. They'd hit the ball off the tee and Tucker would retrieve it.
Tuck was all instinct, but has patients and a heart of gold... We loved him! Tucker NEVER snapped, growled or bit a child or an adult. He loved to play ball. Tucker had a big scary bark and made me feel safe when Marty travels. He got sad when we'd argue and would leave the room (usually to hide in the basement), reminding us that we are being ridiculous anyway.

Here are some old Tucker pictures and new Tucker pictures. The 1st video is from 2009. Tucker was in the Christmas spirit and helped us all unwrap presents. The 2nd a game of tee ball with the boys.

Tucker's last swim. Elk Lake, OR

School

2011-09-13T15:06:00.001-04:00

Jack Started Kindergarten.

He is in room 9 and has Mrs. Boyll as a teacher. We really like his teacher! Yeah Jack!

Bryce started preschool. He goes to school T-Th from 8:45-11:45a. He is at Child Becomes in the 3's class. He loves all of his teachers and his class turtles, Tucker and Molly!

Our Family in Seattle

2011-08-01T15:43:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures of the kids in our neighborhood. We love the beach, parks and wanted to capture a glimpes of our life- usually the kids aren't this well dressed though!

Day Trippin'

2011-07-24T14:21:00.001-04:00

We took a day-long road trip through the Kitsap Pennsunala & Hood Canal area. We begun the trip by heading North and took the Kingston Ferry. The kids loved the ferry.

Our first stop after the ferry was in the idyllic town for Port Gamble

The next stop was Poulsbo, dubbed "little Norway." We picked up supplies for a picnic lunch and enjoyed eating on the bay.

After lunch we walked along the "bordwalk" to a sweet little playground and then the beach.

We packed up and headed back via the Banibridge Ferry. it was pretty neat to see all of th ebike commuters getting off of the ferry.

Finally back to Seattle. Hello downtown.

Victoria 5 months Old

2011-07-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

Victoria has become the center of attention this month. Now that she is interacting more the boys just love to play with her, make her laugh and snuggle her. She is doted on.

We spent about 2 weeks in CA. Victoria loved meeting family, friends, and visiting with Grandma, Nana & Poppa.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T13:06:00.000-04:00

We celebrated the 4th of July in Sacramento with Sarah's family. The kids loved swimming, eating home-made ice cream, and watching fire works!

Fairy Tale Town

2011-06-25T11:59:00.000-04:00

One of the coolest places to visit in Sacramento is Fairy Tale Town. We met up with The Callahans & Edwards for some story book fun!
The cheese!

Jack be nimble, Jack be qucik, Jack by the candle stick.

Robin Hood & Little John

Getting creative

Snow cones!

Victoria is 4 Months Old

2011-06-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

Victoria is a happy baby. She's pretty mellow and sleeps really well! She loves to play on her little mat; it has become the heart of our home. We keep her mat in the living room. Tori can watch the boys play and they stop by and say hello to her. They are usually rewarded with a great big toothless smile and lots of cooing.

Hawaii

2011-06-20T12:33:00.000-04:00

Mckinsey, Marty's employer, took us on a 4 day trip to Hawaii (the boys were with Bobo and Jiji). We stayed on Kauai. We enjoyed swimming, visiting, and relaxing. The highlight of our trip was a guided coastal hike. We learned about Kauai's history, climbed into a cave that led to a sacred area, and learned about the big Kahunas ceremony, and the filming of Pirated of the Caribbean 4.

Victoria's first time in a pool and swim wear.

The swimming wore her out she fell asleep sitting up on Daddy's lap.

Our hike!

Check out that spider!

Back at the hotel Ready for fun!

Lalu

The fire thrower came and performed directly in front of Victoria and Ava's strollers. Victoria slept through it, Ava was shocked!

Some of the Seattle office.

Sunriver Family time

2011-06-12T01:14:00.000-04:00

The family all met up at Sunriver to celebrate Julie's graduation and have family time.

The girls! Louisa stuck close to Tori. They are the only girls & quite out numbered. Additionally, Louisa was very interested in Tori; she gave her lots of love and attention.

Before we left Sunriver we had to be sure to measure the kids on the Great grandkid chart.

Jiji Graduates

2011-06-11T01:09:00.000-04:00

Julie's hard work paid off. She graduated and is ready to take on the world of medicine, but first she has to contend with the the Dillard boys!

Giving Bumpy her rose.

Dillard Weekend

2011-05-29T14:03:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend hosting the Dillard family, Marty's brother Scott, Lauren, Noah and Sammy. The cousins had a great time playing together. They even had fun getting clean- well Noah was a little shocked when Sarah scrubbed his hair, but he didn't seem to hold a grudge.

Doing the tourist stuff...

We went to the Folk Live Festival, it was rather crowded, and the kid seemed to have more fun just playing in our back yard. We did get a good photo of Bryce and Noah with the Space Needle though.

Victoria is 3 Months old

2011-05-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

Victoria has changed so much this month. She is really playful. She loves to play under her little gym mat and grab the little animals. She rolls from side to side, grabs her toes and coos. She is a really happy baby. Victoria loves to watch what everyone is doing, but isn't a fan of strangers holding her.
Victoria's biggest accomplishments this month are sleeping through the night, gaining weight and getting chubby, holding up her head, smiling, laughing and cooing.

Victoria was great on our road trip to and from California for weddings and Mother's Day. She also got to meet her friend Brooklyn.

First Mother's Day

Victoria is a wonderful addition to our family.

Baptism

2011-05-22T14:06:00.002-04:00

Victoria was baptised at Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church, at same church Jackson and Bryce were baptised. She didn't cry and seemed calm during the ceremony. We celebrated with a cake we shared with our congregation. We also attempted to take a family photo. The light wasn't great so the picture is not too good, but marks a special day!

Flowers for the church alter we got to celebrate this special day.

Zoo Trip With the Grandmas

2011-05-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

Patti and my mom were excited to take the grandkids to the zoo. This was little Sammy and Victoria's first visit to the zoo. The weather was perfect. The boys favorite exhibits were the giraffe habitat, flamingos and the merry go round.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T11:18:00.001-04:00

We spent Mother's Day in Sacramento. In the morning the kids and I woke up early and went to Freeport Bakery and Marie's Doughnuts on a mission to surprise the grandparents. We dropped doughnuts and pastries off at Nana & Poppa's and then surprised Grandma with breakfast in bed. Finally, we all enjoyed our treats.

In the evening we had a BBQ at Nana & Poppa's and took a few pictures in Nana & Poppa's beautiful yard.

Hunter and Jenny's Wedding

2011-05-07T17:42:00.002-04:00

Hunter and Jenny had a beautiful wedding. It was wonderful to be with family celebrating such a great couple.

It was the first time the family met Victoria

The boys loved spending time with their cousins. They danced until they were ready to melt!

When Hunter and Jenny were getting ready to cut their cake, Jack grabbed his fork and ran up to the cake. I guess he wanted to be prepared.

Little Gym

2011-05-02T17:17:00.002-04:00

Every Monday Bryce is delighted to go to Little Gym. He loves every minute of his 45 minute long class. The teacher leads them in songs, activities and centers; the centers encourage balance, coordination, listening skills and awareness of their abilities. Bryce has learned so much in the year he has gone to Little Gym.

At the end of every class the children all get a stamp on each hand, each foot, and their tummy.

This is what Victoria does in Little Gym

Easter Morning

2011-04-24T16:09:00.000-04:00

Here are photos of Easter morning and our egg hunt.

Easter Egg Decorating

2011-04-23T19:50:00.001-04:00

After church, and before the birthday fun we colored Easter Eggs. The boys took off their shirts to avoid staining. Everyone enjoyed being creative.

A little play dough time was a great way to wrap up craft hour!

Farm Outing

2011-04-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

We went to Portland for Easter weekend. Aunt Betsie planned a great weekend of activities. Our first outing and activity was a trip to a local farm. The sun was out so we had a great time walking, biking, and snapping pictures.

In the group shot Jack really wanted to be in the center, as you can see he was not a happy camper.

Victoria is 2 Months Old

2011-04-23T18:23:00.005-04:00

Victoria is growing rapidly. She is a healthy happy girl. She is also a great night time sleeper.

Her favorite things are taking a bath, playing under her mat, sleeping in the swing and taking walks out doors.

Her big brothers adore her.

She is a perfect addition to our family!

This picture is for Grandma: a chubby cheeked girl in the out fit Grandma got her.

Maple Falls Get Away

2011-04-11T00:44:00.001-04:00

The kids and Sarah made a last minute decision to join Sarah's mom overnight (on Sunday) at Uncle Ted and Aunt Susan's. Susan was not expecting our crew to show up, but she was so warm and welcoming. She cooked an amazing meal and spoiled all the children rotten!

Shasta, Kasoma, Aaron and Adrien joined us for a Sunday night dinner. The kids loved their after dinner Wii game.

Uncle Ted took Jack and Bryce for a ride in his bucket truck. It was the highlight of the trip for Jack! He is still talking about it! When we got home Jack drew uncle Ted the cutest Thank You card and included the sweetest note. What fun!!

First Tee Ball Game

2011-04-11T00:08:00.001-04:00

Jack had his first tee ball game of the season. He loved hitting the ball, but didn't quite get the concept of running the bases, or crossing over home plate. He was also very similar to his mom as a team player and spent most of the time (when in the dugout or out field) chatting with is friends.

Jack's cheering section

April Fest

2011-04-09T00:22:00.000-04:00

We had a small gathering at our house in honor of Marty's birthday. The theme was German and Belgian beer tasting. Sarah made home-madre pretzles and we cooked bratz. We had 5 different beers to taste. And for desert chocolate beer floats (quite yummy).

The kids at one point out numbered the adults. We mostly kept them contained in the basement thanks to our amazing sitter!

Happy Birthday Marty

2011-04-06T19:09:00.000-04:00

For Marty's Birthday his dad was in town, and Sarah's mom was too. We all went to dinner at a local restaurant, Mission, and came back to our house for cake. Happy Birthday Marty!

Whistler, B.C

2011-03-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

Our first weekend away as a family of 5 was great! We went to Whistler B.C. The highlight of the trip was the tube park and many visits to the heated pool.
We got to take a gondola up to the tube park.

Pool time!

The boys loved sharing a bed. They also loved the milk and cookies the hotel sent up to our room. The card included said the cookies were for, "being such great big brothers to your new little sister." What lucky little boys!

We enjoyed a peaceful dinner at Spaghetti Factory and everyone was well behaved.

Tori had to take a bath in the sink. She was in desperate need, but seemed to really enjoy it.

Enjoying the Olympic Village

Victoria is One Month Old

2011-03-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

It's been one month since Victoria was born. Even though she's only one month old it is also hard to imagine our life without "baby sister."

Tori's a sweet & mellow girl. She has slept at night pretty well since we brought her home from the hospital. Actually, she sleeps too well. One night she slept 8 hours. I was shocked when I looked at the clock! We have had a series of weight checks and she is not gaining weight at the pace the doctor would like. So no more long stretches at night are allowed. At her one month weight check she was 8lbs. 6oz. She was born at 8lbs. 2oz. A baby should return to birth weight at week 2 and gain an ounce a day after week 2. We also had to have her tongue "clipped." Her frenulum is short and makes it hard for a proper latch for nursing. Hopefully this all helps and soon she'll be a chub like her big brothers were.

Jack and Bryce are amazing big brothers! Jack loves to dote on her. They have taken to calling her "Sis" and it's stuck. In fact most of the time we call her Sis or Baby Sister.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T12:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

We had a corned beef and cabbage dinner. The boys and I also made Irish soda bread. The boys favorite part of the meal was the big green cookies!

OREO

2011-03-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

When Nana was visiting she mentioned Oreo cookies. Jack's response was surprising, "What's that?" The teacher in me saw a teachable moment. It was also a realization that my quest for a healthy diet for my kids had eliminated a bit of the fun of being a kid. Who doesn't enjoy an Oreo? That night I went to the store and bough the first bag of Oreos (post children) our house has ever had. Here is a series of pictures capturing each boy as they enjoy their first Oreo...

YUM!!

2 Weeks old

2011-03-10T02:12:00.002-05:00

Today Tori is two weeks old. It seems like she's been a part of our life for ever, even though she's only two weeks old.

It's pretty loud to snoze in this house, Tori's figured out how to block out the noise

snuggling with her brother's

and dad

First bath

2011-03-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

Victoria's umbilical cord fell out on March 5th. On March 6th she got a much needed 1st bath.

Nana was here to help. Our neighbor Gracie stopped by during the bath and Jack proudly showed off his sister.

Tori enjoyed the bath, she didn't cry and seemed to fall asleep. All clean and happy...

Geocaching

2011-03-05T18:32:00.003-05:00

This morning we woke up and the sun was shining. The weather lent it self to an outing. Our new favorite thing to do rain or shine is Geocaching. Marty and I did it before children, but in the last few weeks we've introduced the boys to it. Jack loves holding the GPS and finding "treasure." Nana joined us. She got pretty excited about Geocaching and even added an app to her phone. We also took Jack's buddy Brock out for the first time. We went to a park less than a mile from our house. The wooded trails were so beautiful! The creeks were running and everything was so green!

We found it!

Someone painted a split log to look like a giant alligator. The kids had the best time playing in and around the alligator log.

Click here to learn more about GEOCACHING

Ski School

2011-02-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Jack has been going to Ski School every Saturday for 4 weeks. The fist 2 weeks he was not really into skiing. On week 3 the class went on the real chair lift and down the beginner run for the first time. After week 3 he was so excited and proud. This Saturday was his 4th and last class. The class spent the entire time on the "big lift" and went up and down the slope 4 or 5 times. Jack did really well and loved going on the lift!

Jack also loved being in class with his buddy Quinn. They went to ski school last year together. Here they are last year (they did a lot of sitting last year).

Look at the difference this year.

Here's a movie of Jack skiing

Jack's Art

2011-02-25T23:46:00.002-05:00

When we brought Victoria home from the hospital Jack had a series of pictures hanging from the fire place to welcome us home!

The first picture reads "Welcome baby sister. I am a good brother. I hope you like my picture. Love baby sister." The art has snow falling because Tori was born on a snowy day. Then he drew a picture of each of us.

This picture is of us in the hospital room. He really got the details down. Jack, Bryce & Tori are sitting on the bed Marty and I are standing on each side, and the little bed behind me is the clear hospital bassinet in the room.

This photo is our hospital room. We are on one of the floors. Jack is playing with the hospital bed, working the controls at the end of the bed.

This is Bryce's picture. It was hanging in the grouping along with Jack's pictures.

Hospital Pictures

2011-02-24T04:20:00.000-05:00

Bella Baby, a photography company, has photographers working in Swedish hospital. They shoot natural light pictures right in the hospital room. The photo shoot was complimentary and there was no obligation to buy the pictures. Our photographer Nathania was amazing, she took the pictures in about 40 minutes and we liked them so much we bought the CD with rights to all the pictures. Here are a few:

Big Brothers

2011-02-24T04:00:00.003-05:00

Jackson and Bryce were excited to meet their baby sister. Jack was extremely attentive to Victoria, he loved holding her and gently touched her feet, hair and cheeks. He loved having his picture taken with her and insisted on the order we took photos: Jack and Bryce with sister; Jack, Bryce and Mommy with sister; Jack, Bryce Mommy and Daddy with sister; Jack, Bryce & Daddy with sister; finally Jack, Mommy & Grandma with baby sister.

It was special having this time as a family. Another special event is today would have been Sarah's dad's 65th birthday. We miss you Tom!

Victoria Evelyn Dillard

2011-02-23T03:35:00.000-05:00

We are thrilled to welcome Victoria into our family at 9:24 PM on February 23. She weighed in at 8 pounds and 2 ounces and measured 20.5 inches. She is perfectly healthy and seems very mellow.

Sarah had some post labor complications. We are so thankful that her doctor, Dr. Kimelman, has years of experience and the labor and delivery nurses were skilled and calm. Victoria was a mellow little girl while the team worked to stabilize Sarah and we were all grateful for the 4 hours of sleep we got that first evening!

Happy Valentine's

2011-02-14T00:09:00.001-05:00

We had mellow Valentine's Day. We gave the boys boxes of chocolates and exchanged cards.

Marty got me a bouquet of tulips, my favorite flower. He got 3 bunches: yellow (Jack's favorite color), purple (Bryce's favorite color), and pink for baby girl (due in 10 days).

Superheros

2011-02-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

Rohan and Devin, (not photographed) along with their parents, came over for dinner on Saturday night. Rohan brought along his superhero capes, enough to share with everyone. The boys spent all evening fighting crime! They had so much fun!

Sprinkle

2011-01-30T16:21:00.002-05:00

My friend Ann hosted a "Sprinkle" to celebrate the up coming arrival of our baby girl. A group of 6 of my friends and I went for manicures and pedicures at a really nice spa. Ann reserved the back room in the spa and provided pastries, fruit, and mimosas (for the non-pregnant ladies). Then we all headed to the Scarlet Tree restaurant for brunch, were joined by my mom and great aunt Julie.

Left to right: Cindy, Ann & Nilu

Left to right: Sarah, Amy, Dianne, Althea

Hannah & me

My mom, Suzanne, and Aunt Julie

Aquarium

2011-01-28T11:57:00.001-05:00

We renewed our membership to the Seattle Aquarium. We've spent several rainy afternoons visiting the fish, octopus, otters, & seals. Grandma, treated us to lunch one afternoon. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.

The highlight of all of our visits was the day the octopus was fed by the aquarium staff. The octopus used his tentacles to grab a shrimp from the staff member and seeing the octopus fully spread out we were amazed by his size!

The boys love getting up close and seeing the fish and water mammals! The also love touching the starfish.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

Games, a nice meal, dessert, and a midnight toast!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2010-12-28T23:15:00.002-05:00

We were all excited to enjoy the snow!

Snow ball making & snow ball fighting

Sledding

Snowmobiling

The house lookes so pretty surrounded by snow-covered trees, and blue skies!

More Present Fun

2010-12-27T23:09:00.001-05:00

We we arrived at Sunriver late on Monday night. Bobo, Jiji, Ben & Bumpy were waiting with Christmas Cheer & more gifts for the kids!

Bryce loves his new slippers and Leap Pad!

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T22:45:00.001-05:00

The boys, even our dog Tucker, waited at the top of the stairs before coming down the see what Santa left.

Wow- the boys must have been great, Santa left them a kitchen. We're still not sure how he got it in the house, we think maybe he used the back door!

This is Jack's "Oh My Goodness" face. This present is a remote control digger that he had been asking for for weeks.

What a happy boy!!

Brycie takes after Mommy, he cleans up as he opens presents. Here Bryce is putting his wrapping paper in the recycling bag!

Marty scored with tools! He especially loved the book Tree Houses and Other Cool Stuff.

Stockings with mics oh boy!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

We had a very mellow Christmas Eve. Marty fried a turkey, and we enjoyed a delicious meal. After dinner the boys made cookies for Santa, opened one present each, Christmas jammies, and we went to Christmas Eve service at church.

Jack set the timer on our camera to capture this picture of us eating dinner.

Jack was excited to open the last box on the Advent Calendar!

Making cookies for Santa

We set the timer on our camera to take a picture of us before church, it took several attempts to get this one:

First Over Night

2010-12-23T22:40:00.001-05:00

Jack had a buddy stay over night. Brock, Jack and Bryce enjoyed a movie & popcorn before bed.

In the morning they had fun playing with Legos

Trimming the Christmas Tree

2010-12-13T18:04:00.002-05:00

We chose our tree by blind luck. We went to Home Depot and chose a Noble Fir tree that was still wrapped in a net. When we got it home, we discovered it was a Siamese twin. There was one trunk, and 2 trees. The main tree was full height, and a small tree was growing from the single stump. This made it very difficult to put in the tree stand. We put the small twin side facing the wall & it looked really nice once it was decorated!

The boys had the best time trimming the Christmas tree. They loved using the step ladder to hang ornaments!

Santa Train

2010-12-12T01:10:00.000-05:00

We took the kids on their first trip in the Santa Train. The train leaves the station in North Bend, and takes travelers a few miles down the track to meet Santa, have cookies & hot coco, and then return to North Bend for a fun filled outing! Bryce was terrified of Santa, but was some how tricked into sitting on Santa's lap for a quick and blurry shot.

The night before at the McKinsey holiday party Jack was a huge Santa fan, sitting on his lap, cheering for him, and chatting it up. Jack wasn't keen on sitting on his lap, but had no problem asking for a remote controlled digger. Jack reluctantly sat on Santa's lap for a blurry family picture.

The Sharma's enjoyed the trip so much last year that they invited us along for the fun this year.

Cookies, hot coco, and train table fun

Grandma was delighted to come along for all of the fun

A short but sweet ride on the train

McKinsey Kids Party

2010-12-11T01:02:00.001-05:00

Marty's office hosted a party for the Children. The kids got to do crafts, eat treats and meet Santa. Santa even gave each child a gift!

Jack's 5th Birthday

2010-12-05T00:49:00.001-05:00

Jack wanted to have a bowling party for his 5th birthday. It turned out to be lots of fun. Everyone from age 2 to adult bowled and had a good time.

Cupcakes & presents

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!

Thanksgiving Road Trip Part 2

2010-11-26T00:33:00.001-05:00

We reached Sacramento on Monday. We had a full and busy week in Sacramento.
The boys loved swimming in Poppa & Nana's new spa. They also enjoyed making a fort at Grandma's. Marty and Sarah had a turkey-off for Thanksgiving: oven-baked breast down vs. deep fried turkey. Plus Sarah got to meet up with her high school buddies. What a fun trip!

Spa time!

Building a fort

Turkey prep

Thanksgiving cheers

Lunch with the girls and Fox

Thanksgiving Road Trip Part 1

2010-11-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

We headed South for Thanksgiving. Our first stop was Bend, Oregon to visit Bobo, Jiji and Ben, and Bumpy too. We had a short, but sweet visit. Jack's highlight was building a gingerbread house with Uncle Ben. Bryce loved playing with Jiji's exercise ball!

Southern California

2010-11-10T16:43:00.001-05:00

The kids and Sarah tagged along on Marty's business trip. We spent one great week at the Sheraton in Carlsbad, CA. The boys loved the hotel pool. Even Liz was able to meet up with us for a few days. While Marty worked Liz and Sarah took the boys on adventures. The best part of the trip was visiting Lego Land! It's right next door to the hotel and we even go to use a special entrance!

Sea World-
It's a good thing Liz was with us. Since Sarah is pregnant the staff in Elmo's World wouldn't let her on the rides. Liz had to take the boys on the Elmo's World rides. Bryce is still talking about the Flying Fairy School Ride. Both boys loved the animals, shows, and running around. Jack's highlight was when the birds stole Liz's lunch; Liz's lowlight.

Liz and Jack became fast friends. Liz swam with the boys, helped out at meal time and taught them silly games. We're were s glad she came along!

Fun at the beach!

It was really fun driving around our rental car. Marty got a free upgrade, so we got to drive a 2011 BMW!

Stay tunned for Lego Land pictures...

Lego Land

2010-11-09T17:14:00.000-05:00

Lego Land had a special so we got to go back on Sunday for free! There are 2 days worth of pictures below. Most were taken on day 1. The first day we stayed from sun up until dark. On day 2 we left after lunch.

Sarah learned her lesson at Sea World, this time she tried to hide her 5 month pregnancy belly so that she could ride on slow, safe, rides with the kids.

Captain Jack navigates his yellow boat!

Marty, Jack and Bryce took part in a fire fighting competition, they finished last, but had a blast.

This is Jack's favorite ride. He got to drive the car all by himself an added bonus, it was also his favorite color, yellow!

This is Marty's favorite ride!

Ice Cream time!

Hi Bob! Bob the Builder made of Legos and taller than Bryce!

Bob the Builder in 3D!

Bryce, Jack & Marty the builders

Castle Lock up:

We were all amazed by the cities made of Legos. Here's Jack in front of San Francisco.

Watch out Vader!

Lego Land is exhausting!

We let jack pick out one Lego to go.

One last ride, before we head back to the hotel!

The lighting made it look (a bit) like a snowy night

Happy 1st Birthday Sammy

2010-11-07T16:23:00.001-05:00

We couldn't miss cousin Sammy's 1st birthday!

Marty's Brother Scott, his wife Lauren, and their children recently moved to Richland, in Eastern Washington. We were excited to see their new house, and celebrate Sam's birthday. As an added bonus Nana & Poppa came from California to celebrate too! They even brought the big boys party hats!

Lauren went all out. She made 2 cakes! Sam had a lot of help blowing out candles!

Cal vs. Oregon State

2010-11-01T20:44:00.000-04:00

We hit the road and took the boys to the Cal football game. We went to, Corvallis OR to see the Cal Bears play the Oregon State Beavers. Marty's family is Beaver alumni and his dad, Bobo, hosted a tailgate party. The tailgate was the highlight of the day for us Cal fans.

Look at this picture closely, Jack is in blue and gold- Cal colors. This picture was taken prior to him being corrupted by the Oregon family influences!

The Bears played terrible, Jack became a Beaver fan, and still waves the giant beaver paw Bobo got him, and we got rained on. Next year we're going to have to take the boys to Memorail Stadium to experience a true Cal game. Hopefully, Cal can make a better impression on Jack!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:49:00.000-04:00

Halloween was a full week of activities and fun tis year. Jack had a blast at his school party.

The boys loved wearing their costumes around the house- Bryce swapped between his dragon suite and a superman pj set. On Halloween we went to a party, and trick-or-treated. The kids got tons of candy, most people gave them several treats. We'll be munching on Halloween candy until Christmas!

Eye Balls

2010-10-27T14:38:00.001-04:00

Jack & his friend Brock created eye ball treats for his school Halloween party.

We used powdered doughnut holes, green & black frosting, and green M & M's. The boys loved making the eye balls. They were the perfect bite-sized treat for the party.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

Jack's class took a field trip to Remlinger Farms. Bryce and I tagged along on the trip. The first stop was the petting zoo. Neither Jack nor Bryce had any interest in feeding the animals.

My little animals:

The maze:

Another photo opp. The Cool Bus:

Tractor play:

Last stop, Train ride:

Bryce was happy about the pumpkin he picked, but not happy about the sun in his eyes

We ended the trip with a picnic in the back of our car

Mother Daughter Weekend

2010-09-20T19:11:00.001-04:00

My childhood friends and our mother's have met all over the West Coast for a weekend of mother daughter fun! This is our 8th year of this tradition and we met in my city, Seattle.

We stayed in S. Lake Union, not too far from the Space Needle. We visited all the tourist favorites: Pike's Place Market, the Space Needle, Down Town, Nordstrom's for makeovers, and we even took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island.

The moms from left to right: Rema, Sue (my mom) and Patty

The daughters form left to right: Holly (Rema's daughter), Natalie (Patty's daughter), and me! Natalie is due in November with a boy!

I loved this cute bench on Bainbridge Island

A photo outside of the Pike's Place Market. The sky was beautiful and Elliot's Bay looked amazing!

Here we are at Nordstrom's to shop the baby section and get makeovers. Natalie is holding a $150 Coach baby cap.

Monorail ride to the Space Needle

A Fabulous meal at Re:public. What an awesome weekend!

Is it a Boy or Girl?!

2010-09-17T18:56:00.003-04:00

We went to the Ultrasound with the intention of finding out if we were expecting a boy or a girl.

However, we wanted to do it a bit differently. We asked the nurse to write down, on a card, if we were having a boy or girl. We took the envelope, with the card in it to our favorite local restaurant and opened the card over dessert. We didn't expect the card to be so cute- or to say "GIRL." What a surprise!

Marty began calling and texting people right away!

Bryce is 2

2010-09-05T19:02:00.000-04:00

For Bryce's 2nd birthday we had a fireman themed party. We went to the local fire station, Station 29, 2 blocks from our house. We gave out fire hats to everyone and had blue and red cupcakes for dessert.

Chocolate cupcakes for teh adults mini red and blue cupcakes for the kids.

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Thanks, Grandma, Nana & Poppa!! They all came from Sacramento for Bryce's birthday party. They helped us set up and prepare for the party.

Jetty Island

2010-08-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

Carrie & Brian invited us to go with them to Jetty Island. It is a small island near Everett. There is a small water taxi to shuttle people to and from the island. It is a popular place for wind suffers. We lucked out and had great weather and everyone enjoyed fun in the sun.

Waiting for the water taxi

On Jetty Island

Fire Pit

2010-08-08T18:23:00.001-04:00

Marty got a fire pit for our 8th Anniversary. We have used it all summer long! Here is an evening we made smores:

Oregon Coast

2010-07-30T17:31:00.000-04:00

Marty's Grandma, who we all call Bumpy, took the whole family to the Oregon Coast for 3 days! We stayed in condos right on the beach. Weall had so much fun together. What a great family time for us all!

First night, a cousin sleep over

Beach outing, to the tide pools

The tide pools were amazing! We saw starfish, sea anemone, fish, and little hermit crabs.

Scott, Lauren, Noah and Sammy

Louisa and Bryce working together

Burring Ben

Play time at our beach-front condo

The Boys destroying our sand castle

Ben flying his dragonfly kite

Dinner time, Bumpy ate with the her "greats" as she refers to her great-grandchildren

Bumpy had a cake made to celebrate all of the recent birthdays

Bryce loved the cake!

Sunset pictures

15 Years

2010-07-09T17:41:00.001-04:00

Marty and I graduated 15 years ago. While we were in Sacramento we got together with our high school friends and their children.

The Girls

The kids all had a great time together

Bye Bye Hair

2010-07-09T17:26:00.000-04:00

We gave Jack a buzz for the summer. Best thing we ever did! His hair was always a mess and it is so thick it took for ever to wash and dry.

Before:

Durring:

After:

4th of July Parade

2010-07-04T16:52:00.000-04:00

Our new neighborhood, North Admiral, has a tradition of a kids bike parade on 4th of July. We invited the Peter's along with us. The kids had a great time!

Mr. Patriot during the National Anthem

Bryce has got both sides covered for the Anthem

Sunriver, Oregon

2010-06-25T20:29:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows us, also knows our favorite place to vacation is Sunriver, Oregon! This time we invited along the Sharma family. Ann, and her boys Rohan, and Devin, and myself and our boys all drove from Seattle to Sunriver (7 hours) in our car. The drive went really well. The boys were all great, except Mr. Bryce did not sleep for more than 30 minutes and did not want Ann and I to talk to each other, he wanted all the attention. The dad's came up a day later after work on Friday night.

We visited the pool, took a great bike ride and enjoyed a beautiful and sunny weekend in Sunriver.

The start of the ride:

30 minutes of riding and they're both fast asleep.

A pit stop at Goodies for some ice cream!

Play time before bed- a busy day enjoying Sunriver is the perfect recipe for a good nights rest!

8 Years

2010-06-22T20:07:00.000-04:00

For our 8th Anniversary we worked on our house in the morning, and had a nice dinner at McCorick and Schmick's. Over dinner we enjoyed a quite time to reminisce about all of the adventures and the life path we have shared these past 8 years as husband and wife. We both agreed 8 years ago on our wedding day neither of us could have imagined the life we have today- so many unforeseen lessons & blessings we have received!

Marty and I asked Nana to take a picture of us before we left and the boys both climbed up to be in the shot- perfectly fitting!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T19:57:00.001-04:00

Nana & I made breakfast on Father's Day. We kept the festivities low-key and had a nice day.

While Marty worked on the bathroom- laying some tile, we went to the farmers market to get local fare for dinner. The cheese we got was amazing!

Brownie making for dessert!

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-06-10T19:32:00.001-04:00

Jack's preschool put on a performance of "Where the Wild Things are." The play was great and the costumes were creative. Each child had to make their own Wild Thing costume. Jack's costume was a last minute act. We were not suppose to he back from Prague in time for the performance. We got back on Sunday (2 days early) and the performance was Monday at 11. I rushed to create a costume, what a relief we had all the items necessary to make a Wild Thing.
Here he is:

All the little Maxs set sail for the land of the Wild Things

"Mr. Ham" in center stage

Prague

2010-06-06T14:44:00.002-04:00

Martin has spent the last 2 months traveling between the Bay Area & Prague for his most recient work project. Because of the time away and long travel study the company flew the family, for a week, along with Marty to Prague, in the Czech Republic. To go along with Marty was an incredible perk and an opportunity we could not pass up!!

The kids were great on the flight.

Do you think we packed enough?

Our 2 bedroom home-away-from-home

The first Day we brought the rain with us, but after it let up we had fun in a park near our hotel.

The boys loved playing in this historic tree- maybe we weren't suppose to be in it? Oops!

Day 2- Shopping trip to the Palladium, tram ride, long walk along the Charles River (all while Marty was at work) and dinner in Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square- the epi-center of the Czech Revolution.

Bryce was so tired and jet-lagged he fell asleep on Marty's shoulders

Day 3- The Prague Zoo. Sarah was very proud of her ability to find her way back to the hotel from the zoo, via public transportation with the boys alone in the city.

We were 39th into the zoo.

The Polar Bear was so close! I think he wanted the little boy next to Jack for lunch.

An unsual trunked-mouse

Silly boys on the zoo train

View from the zoo train

The Monkey enclosure was amazing. The monkeys could climb above your head, although the monkeys were lounging under a tree on the day we went, the only monkey was Jack.

Our Czech lunch at the zoo:

Riding the Metro home from the zoo

After a nap we went to a local play ground and to our little favorite Italian restaurant down the street from the hotel- we ate there night one as well.

Jack and and Bryce each met little people to play with, Jack and the little boy played trucks together. They spoke a common language- rummm, rummm, bang, the sound of trucks driving...

Prague Part 2

2010-06-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

Saturday and Sunday Marty didn't have to work so we had the opportunity to explore Prague as a family.

First tourist activity: crossing the Charles Bridge

The shop were I bought myself ear rings, and gifts for our mom's

Rubbing the golden Jesus Altar, for good luck, on the bridge.

Entering the old city:

One of many glass shops

Prague Castle Gardens

Art wall in Castle Garden garden.

Birds and fish- the boys loved seeing the wild life.

Can you see the peacock up in the tree?

Ice cream break

This picture doesn't do justice to highlighting the grade of the road. Marty had to push two big boys up hill for about a 1/2 mile to get to the Cathedral and the main castle grounds. This was tough work! Or first stop was to re-hydrate. In a cute little square.

The Castle Guard

The Cathedral

Prague was having the Three Day Walk for breast cancer!

Look at the little dog riding under the stroller!

The Prague Castle is considered one of the biggest castles in the world, more castle exploration...

Marty took us to the most amazing restaurant. It had an in-door bouncy house, lego table, toys cards to ride, a trampoline (on the front patio), and the food was amazing & the views were even better!!

A cocktail and hours o'douvres in play area

A view of the Charles Bridge form our table

Jack made a friend- he was a guest at the wedding that was taking place next to our table at the restaurant.

Funny fountain

Walking back to out hotel at sunset. Such a beautiful time of night. A Big bonus for the Seattlites- blue skies!

Sunset on our private roof top at the hotel- What a great day!

Sunday: starting the day off with a U.S.A favorite- Starbucks!

Mural

The playground on the water

Enjoying the view from the playground on the water

R & R

Excited we found a nice lunch location on the water

Cheers

Martin's cool artsy shot.

Our camera was as tired as we were. We explored more but these are our last 2 pictures. First, the boys in front of the astronomical clock. Second, Old City Square by the clock.

Brandy to the Rescue

2010-05-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

Sarah & Marty's friend from high school, Brandy, came to the rescue. Brandy stayed with us for 5 days and helped us whip our house into shape! Together Sarah and Brandy painted the living room, dining room, hall way and kitchen. The house was looking so nice that we had our first guests over for a barbecue!

Brandy even brought this cute shirt me- although I think it looks better on her!

Garden in the Making

2010-05-15T14:11:00.001-04:00

Jack and Martin have been doing lots of work in the garden. Marty built a raised bed for our vegetables, and Jack was there to help with every project.

So. Cal

2010-04-29T00:07:00.001-04:00

We got the opportunity to hang out with some of our favorite Southern California Friends.

We loved visiting with the Edwards family!
Elliot and Jack playing conductor.

Rory loved taking care of "baby Bryce." It was funny watching them because Bryce is the same size as Rory, but she was such a little mom to him.

Hanging with Drew:

Touring the train museum

Celeb sighting, the guy from Lost

Disneyland Day 4- Time to Geek Out

2010-04-28T23:25:00.001-04:00

On our last day in Disneyland we wore all our Disney clothes! Sarah decided we would go out with a bang and totally geek out!

It's okay Marty, wearing your Disney wear isn't that bad!

We started the day at the Character Breakfast. We're not sure who had more fun, Sarah or Jack. Bryce did not want any of the characters to touch him, and Marty posed with only a few characters, but found his doppelganger:

California Adventure:

We didn't spend much time at California Adventure. Jack was not impressed with the "Cars" characters and deemed them not real. He said their mouths didn't move.

We got to meet up with our friends Nick, Michele and Cruz

We ended the last night in Disneyland with good friends, a parade, Disney treats and a little Disney magic!

Disneyland Day 3

2010-04-27T22:50:00.000-04:00

Keeping Bryce happy in line was not too hard. Upside down baby...

Our first ride was the Finding Nemo Ride. It had the longest line of all the rides!

A little snack on main street and a parade

Time to drive:

Toon Town = lost back back oops

Back Pack found!

Keeping Bryce busy during dinner

Disneyland Day 2- May the Force be With You

2010-04-26T17:03:00.000-04:00

Day 2 we got savvy and skipped the main entrance and took the monorail from Down Town Disney directly into the Tomorrow Land station, we made a bee-line straight for It's a Small World.

On our way to the Buzz Light Year ride we discovered Jedi training was starting. Jack got a seat in the front row and was chosen to go up stage and get Jedi Training.

Jack got to go up on stage and fight Darth Vader. Jack was the last kid to go, and the smallest. After Jack battled Darth Vader with his light saber Vader retreated so Jack thinks he defeated Vader himself.
Sadly we don't have any pictures of him fighting. We do have a video- we'll up load it one of these days...

Here the kids are "graduating"

Now for more fun, Autopia- we're pretty sure this will be a "Cars" ride the next time we visit.

In hindsight it wasn't a great idea to take Bryce on Autopia. It's an aging 1950's car with a lap belt and crazy kids driving. Bryce is tall and met the height requirement, but I really don't think he belonged on the ride. I felt nervous driving him! Plus, I had no memory of all the fumes- those cars are stinky- hopefully they go green soon!!

Bryce was the only one who would take pictures in Pixi Garden, Jack was too busy having fun.

It's blurry, but we all had fun on Alice in Wonderland Ride

Disney treats

As we were leaving the park we spotted Mickey Mouse. We waited in line for a picture and we were surprised Bryce was so scared. He started to scream when Mickey touched his hand, seconds before this picture.

Disneyland Day 1

2010-04-25T15:14:00.001-04:00

We started our adventure on an 1 o'clock flight directly from Seattle to Orange County. The boys fell asleep directly after take off. They were so sweet snuggled up in one air plane chair together! Marty was asleep next to the little boys too, but photographic evidence of him sleeping has mysteriously disappeared?!

Here we are first day, posing in the all time best picture location:

As we stepped on to Main Street a classic fire truck pulled up and offered us a ride directly to Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Jack thought this was the coolest way to get around Disneyland.

Our first ride, and Jack's all time favorite, Casey Jr.'s Train

Come on dad SMILE!

We all loved the Tea Cup ride and photo opp.

On the Dumbo Ride we were lucky enough to get Jack's favorite color, yellow.

Cheap skates don't buy mouse ears they take their children into the Mad Hatter Shoppe and take pictures.

Getting a little rough with the hats, time to go!

Time to go back to the hotel for a nap- for everyone!

After we all rested the family was feeling festive and we all put on cheesy cars tattoos. Jack some how believed the tattoo would help him pull out the Sword in the Stone.

Strong Guys in Tomorrow Land. The quote of the day was from a boy about 12, "Tomorrow Land is SO 1985." Love it!!

Bryce was tall enough to go on, but it did not seem like a good idea to take a 19 mo. old up in the air in one of these rockets, so he enjoyed watching.

This is as close as we got to the Matterhorn. We will have to save this ride for a future trip

Jack loving the Jungle Book Ride & Brycie hating it!

Both boys loved Tarzan's Tree House:

A family picture in New Orleans before we headed to dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe.

Rain Forest Cafe is on the Downtown Disney Mall which is not on Disneyland, but just outside of the Disneyland & CA Adventure.

Fireworks from our hotel. Marty and Bryce were already asleep. Jack and Sarah stayed up for the show!

Birthday Daddy

2010-04-04T19:11:00.000-04:00

Marty was in Prague for his actual birthday. On Sunday night, Easter Sunday, we went out for Indian food at a delicious local restaurant and had a great time as a family and a delicious meal.
3 on the right and 3 on the left stands for 33 years old!

Make a wish!!

Easter

2010-04-04T19:06:00.000-04:00

Even though we had just moved into our new house the Easter Bunny found us and left baskets and eggs.

The boys are ready to hunt eggs

Champion Egg Hunter Jackson Dillard

Egg Hunter Extraordinaire Bryce Dillard

The MOVE

2010-04-04T18:19:00.001-04:00

We moved into our new house in April 1st. On the final days leading up to our move Marty was in Prague for business. Our "fixer upper" was not fixed, in fact it was/is in shambles, incomplete, and unsafe for the kids. Our long time friend Brandy came to our rescue!! She helped us pack and move out of our old house and move into our West Seattle home.

Here's our first night in the new house:

Once we were living in the house we realized why we were over budget and had nothing finished: our contractor wasn't being entirely honest, working less hours than said, scattered, showed up each day unprepared and left by 3pm.

Breakfast in the construction zone: our table is in the living room, against the fireplace, but the oatmeal still tastes good

The house is not finished and probably won't be for years. The good news is, we LOVE the neighborhood. Our neighbors are so nice and the area is charming, surrounded by natural beauty (water, mountain views, beautiful plants and trees).

Jack has made friends with the girl next door, Gracie. We can walk to the store, library and eventually Jack's elementary school. We love West Seattle!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T22:04:00.002-04:00

Some how we mustered a bit of energy and celebrated, we'll really I just took pictures of the boys and picked up some store bought baked goods. We are all under the weather today. I'm fighting a painful sinus infection, Jack was diagnosed with Phenomia on Tuesday, Bryce is just getting over an ear infection, we're all on antibiotics and Marty is in the Bay Area on business. We did not actually get dressed in our green wear until after naps, but the sun was out and our spirits lifted by this Irish day!

The dinner was really easy and festive. We made ordinary Annie's, white cheddar, sea shell pasta and added green food coloring. Jack got carried away with the die so their lips turned green too. The corned beef was left over from Sunday when Marty made a delicious crock pot corned beef meal for us all. Canned green beans topped it all off. Martha would NOT approve!

Cookies were store bought, usually I bake, but being that we are getting over a nasty cold I didn't want to bake in germs for everyone.

Happy St. Patrick's from this some-what Irish family!

Week 5/6 of Construction

2010-03-15T00:41:00.008-04:00

Our house is progressing. It feels like it is moving slowly, especially since we are suppose to move in 3 weeks from now! The bathroom is being tiled this week, and the bedrooms are suppose to be done. Then the contractor will move on to the kitchen.

Lots of dust in the air that's why the picture is so blurry!

Where is our kitchen? And when will it be done?!

The boys love playing the the make-shift toy room we've set up. It is gong to be Marty's office when we actually move in, but for now it is serving as a safe play room since most of the house is dangerous.

We are happy with the exterior additions, our new roof looks great and the new front porch light actually works (unlike the old light). We still have so much to do, but at least it's a start!

Ski School

2010-03-13T00:53:00.000-05:00

Jack and his friend Quinn are signed up for 4 weeks of ski lessons. It is incredable watching them learn. The look of triumph when they come down the hill is priceless!! This was their second week. They both seem more confident this week and a lot less tired. Week one, they both fell asleep on the drive home, but this week they laughed and goofed around after their lesson and the whole way home in the car!

This picture cracks me up. This is after the lesson and they were all tired, check out the other kid in their class he's taking a rest right on the snow.

Post lesson snack and sillies...

Sacramento

2010-03-01T23:56:00.001-05:00

Whenever we spend time in Sacramento we have a blast. Sarah's mom, aka Grandma, is a great host and she always takes the boys to the zoo, out for treats and to the park!

ZOO

The mask, by the way, was a party favor from Haylie's 3rd birthday. Jack didn't have much interest in it at the time, but he was really excited when he found it in Grandma's toy basket. Can you see the tiger he is growling at?

TREATS

PARK

On this visit Poppa celebrated his birthday! The boys enjoyed sharing in the festivities. Bryce was happy to give Poppa a birthday "Cheers!"

The boys love spending time with Grandma and visiting Poppa & Nana's house. Sarah loves the time she gets to spend with her old buddies!

Natalie & Matt Miller

2010-02-27T00:25:00.000-05:00

Natalie & Matt had the most romantic wedding in, Nevada City, California's gold country. The couple celebrated at the Miner's Foundry amid flowers, candles, friends & a Scotch toast.
Congratulations Natalie & Matt!

Nana

2010-02-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

Nana came to visit us and she was lucky enough to experience a little taste of early Spring. On Saturday morning we had a great walk in our new neighborhood. Flowers were in bloom and the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Nana's visit was short and SWEET. Nana watched the boys so we could accomplish tasks to ready our new house & she helped Sarah fly, with Jackson and Bryce, to California for Natalie & Matt's wedding (which Marty was unable to attend). Thanks Nana!

Bowling

2010-02-20T23:34:00.001-05:00

The Walter Family and the Dillard Family teamed up for a great evening of bowling! Jayden and Jack are really good buddies. They have so much fun whenever we get together! They weren't the only ones having fun though, Bryce and Addison had fun bowling too!

Marty and I really enjoyed bowling too. It has been a while since we bowled, but after a little practice we got the hang of it and we each scored several strikes and spares.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

In the evening we had our friends come over for tortilla soup. The boys were excited to host the Peter's girls. The sisters, Quinn, in Jack's preschool class and Tess one month younger than Bryce, were well loved on Valentine's.

Jack & Quinn played alone in the room most of the night. They came out only long enough to eat a bit of dinner and then to help bake cookies.

Bryce trying to give Tess a hug.

Play time with Valentine's balloons

Fixer Up-Date

2010-02-14T17:45:00.001-05:00

Marty and Sarah had a morning work day at the "new" house on Valentine's Day. Sarah painted, and Marty demo-ed a wall to make way for our new kitchen pantry. This was our date, as we had a sitter and some time alone. Not the romantic get away like in years past, but still exciting as we prepare our house for our family to move into.

The new bathroom is well under way, all the plumbing was put in this week.

This is our bathroom to-be. The ladder is standing in our soon to be shower.

This is the other side of the bathroom and our new walk in closet. The sink and toilet will be on a wall between the spaces. The door that you see is the entrance to our room from the hall. The other door is "framed in" and you may be able to tell where the closet and closet door are going to be.

In the boys room all of the old wood paneling was removed because the room was not insulated and very drafty. In the end we will end up with lots of extra storage as we are creating access to the area under the eves. The boys will also get a little "fort" under the eve.

We can't decide if whe should keep or remove this little built-in in the boys room. The door to the "fort" will be to the right of the built-in (if we keep it).

Here's the house from the rear before:

Here's the back of the house with the bathroom addition. The new window isn't in yet, but has been ordered and is on it's way.

Cousins

2010-02-13T18:30:00.001-05:00

Chris, Casey, Louisa & Henry came to Seattle for a quick visit. They arrived Friday night. We had pizza and watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

In the morning the kids had great fun playing together.

Eventually we put them behind bars. Actually, Jack & Louisa were pretending to be dogs.

Once everyone got dressed we headed to West Seattle to show the Starks our new neighborhood. The checked out out work-in progress, then they headed back to Portland. We hope you guys can come again soon!

Home Sweet Fixer-Upper

2010-01-27T23:15:00.010-05:00

We've finally decided to reenter the real estate market. We thought we'd buy the ugliest house in West Seattle. Ha ha
Actually, we are really excited about our fixer-upper and can envision the house's potential. We think it is a diamond in the rough. After 30 years as a rental it needs A LOT of tlc!

2224 is located in West Seattle, a peninsula directly across from down town (there is a ferry in the summer, bridge access year-round). The house is two blocks from California Street, a great little shopping area. There are a few great pubs, stores, restaurants, a movie theater, and a public library all with in a few minute walk. The main reason we chose this house though is it's proximity to a great public school (Lafayette Elementary) . Jack will be in Kindergarten in 2011, and we wanted to be settled into a neighborhood well before he begins.

Living room:

Dining room:

Kitchen 1

Kitchen 2

Fabulous wood-panelled basement. Future kids hang out:

The yard:

Marty made the property manager/seller leave the plastic lawn furniture and BBQ. He loves a deal! Ha ha
Rear-facing picture of the house:

Happy Home owner:

New Years Eve

2010-01-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

Our friends Adam & Mindy celebrated New Years with us in Sacramento. Nana and Poppa watched Jack and Bryce, plus Ben (Adam & Mindy's son). We go the kids settled, managed to put the little boys to bed, and headed to Down Town Sacramento.

We enjoyed a great meal at Esquire Grill. Great food and conversation. We probably over-stayed out welcome, there was no one left in our section when we took this picture (whoops).

After our dinner, it was nearly mid-night so we headed back to Mindy's sister's to watch the Time Square count down. We had a very rich tiramisu cake and champagne (in beer glasses- classy) to ring in the New Year!

Happy 2010!!

Christmas Day Part 2

2009-12-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

In the evening we went over to Sarah's extended families dinner and rockin' Christmas bash. The food was GREAT, as usual, and the Wii games had us all laughing. Just Dance was a hit with everyone!

JUST Dance:

There was lots more dancing fun, but not enough space on our over-crowded camera card to capture the fun!