The Pacific Northwest is having the warmest winter on record, which sounded more appealing than [...]]]> A week and a half ago, Eva and I bid farewell to the five foot pile of snow in our front yard and headed West for a balmy vacation in Seattle. Matt flew out and met us a few days later.

The Pacific Northwest is having the warmest winter on record, which sounded more appealing than Washington DC’s snowiest winter on record. It was a spring vacation; bulbs were peeking out of the ground, trees were blooming, and we rarely needed coats (or pants, if you’re a baby).

I planned the vacation in part because the gap between December and May seemed too long for Eva to go without seeing her West Coast Uncle and Grandparents. Just two months after Christmas she’s a different person, and nine months is an exciting age. I watch her learn and grow every day, and she does it with cheer and giggles (most of the time). It is an age that is meant to be shared.

As is becoming tradition, my brother took me rock climbing. We went to Vertical World in Redmond, and I was pleased with my progress since my first climb last November.

If you’re a climber and look closely at the picture at left, you’ll see that I’m not following a route (my hands and feet are on different colors). I did, however, climb that wall a second time following a 5.6 route (beginner) without cheating. I managed to make my climber extraordinaire brother proud.

We planned the trip to coincide with the Kasdan’s trip to Seattle. Mitchell just turned one, and Eva had a lot to say to him. She likes to be around other babies, and is especially interested in babies that move independently (crawl or walk) like Mitchell can. It took him awhile to warm up to her, but they were batting each other on the head by the second visit.

Eva made great strides with her stranger anxiety on this trip. For the last three months she has taken days to get used to new people and situations, and often had to be attached to me. On this trip she immediately smiled and waved at everyone she met, and even allowed Marissa to carry her around at a crowded event.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and I was as thoroughly spoiled as Eva. I barely cooked, saw a movie, and came home with a suitcase of clean clothes I didn’t fold. If that’s not a good trip, I don’t know what is.

I have one more entry to post on this trip; in the meantime, there are more photos here.

There were so many [...]]]> We flew to Seattle on Thanksgiving morning – it was wonderful to have a relatively quiet airport experience and fly on a half full plane. If you look at our pictures, it looks like all we did that weekend was bathe and feed a baby… well, maybe that’s kind of accurate.

There were so many baths, many directly after feedings. This is my favorite bath picture, though don’t be fooled by the peacefulness of the shot. A few minutes later, the scene looked like this.

We were so excited to introduce Eva to the Rutledges, my friend Marissa’s family (sadly, Marissa was not there). We’ve known each other for 20 years now, so it was fun to watch Eva play with Calvin, Marissa’s nephew.

One of my biggest highlights was rock climbing. My brother Austin is an avid climber, and took me to his favorite gym. He taught me the basics, and after a few tries I found myself at the top of a 20-foot vertical wall, and then hanging upside down. It was exhilarating, and I hope to find a gym in D.C. so I can go again soon.

Eva and her grandparents had tons of quality time together. Grandpa taught Eva to play peek-a-boo actively, and Grandma spent time reading to Eva and showing her how to turn the pages of her books. My mother now has what I call “Happy Grandma” face – you can see it here, as Eva gives my mom a hug.

On our last day in town, we all went for a walk along the Redmond Slough. Matt took a series of nature shots that turned out beautifully – start here and click next for eight shots total.

As always, the trip was way too short, and Eva is already looking forward to seeing her West Coast grandparents and uncle in a few weeks. All of the pictures are here, complete with captions.

We took family portraits.

We built an impromptu snowman after taking family portraits. (Photo evidence might suggest “we” actually means Matt and Austin built the snowman.)

My mom and I attended a joint baby shower, at which we blind tasted baby [...]]]> We’ve had a lovely visit with my family, which has included lots of snow, food, and chocolate.

We took family portraits.

We built an impromptu snowman after taking family portraits. (Photo evidence might suggest “we” actually means Matt and Austin built the snowman.)

My mom and I attended a joint baby shower, at which we blind tasted baby food and guessed the flavor. I did not do very well, but suspect I will become an expert in the near future.

We visited Edward Hopper’s Women at the Seattle Art Museum. It’s a small exhibit, but has some great paintings. If you’re in Seattle before March 1st, I recommend stopping by.

And we toured a chocolate factory on New Year’s Eve. We wore hairnets and tasted so much chocolate we still can’t look at it today. Again, it’s a great tourist spot if you’re in town.

All pictures are up in our photo gallery. Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas, indoors and out. The [...]]]> Despite the incredible, unheard of week of snow in the Seattle area (it’s still coming down!), Matt and I managed to make it into town in Christmas Eve, and our plane even landed early. We were lucky, because here’s what the world looked like the next morning:

We had a wonderful Christmas, indoors and out. The poor Seattle plants can’t take the heavy snow, so my mom had to shake the snow off the bamboo a few times:

Matt shoveled the walk for the poor, clueless Northwesterners:

And my friend Marissa came to visit. Somehow she keeps winning the battle of the bumps… maybe because she’s two months ahead?

For more pictures of family and a winter wonderland, visit our photo gallery.

The above two (super fabulous) pictures are by Lindsey. The below (boring vanilla) picture was taken by me—we’re going to have a good time once [...]]]> Matt and I are in Seattle for the long holiday weekend. While Matt and Austin were out buying fireworks, Lindsey (Austin’s girlfriend) and I inspected the wildlife in my parent’s yard.

The above two (super fabulous) pictures are by Lindsey. The below (boring vanilla) picture was taken by me—we’re going to have a good time once it gets dark.