Category: my weekend in pictures

{Eloise has figured out how much fun it is to go outside and close the back door and then make faces!}

{Eloise is loving spending time in the backyard these days. And her new thing is to walk with her hands behind her back.}

{We went to the Zoo with some friends on Friday afternoon because it was so, so beautiful outside! Eloise is at such a great age now for the Zoo because she can see the animals, say their names, and sometimes what sound they make.}

{Playing at the Greenlake playground while we waited for Aaron to finish up a workout after work on Friday.}

{Warm weather means it’s grilling season & Eloise just wanted to help her Papa!}

{In case you missed it on Instagram, Eloise & I have matching Salt Water Sandals. This is why we have kids, right, so we can match them until they have a say in what they wear?}

{We leave for a family vacation to Maui in a few weeks & I am prepping. Any tips from anyone who has been recently? Or tips for flying or beach time with a toddler?}

{I made Aaron play many, many games of Bohnanza this weekend. He may or may not have liked it.}

{Aaron was working on putting pavers around our driveway this afternoon and as soon as Eloise was up from her (very short) nap she wanted to see what she was up to. But first she had to have sun protection (says Mama) and her backpack (says Eloise).}

{After a quick shower with her Papa from being so dirty (she sorted rocks for us!) I put these overalls on her. They are Aaron’s from when he was little and I am pretty sure all of his siblings wore them! She still has lots of room to grow into them and I can’t wait for her to wear them all spring and summer! Also, she is such a ham. This is the face she made when I said “Eloise, say Cheese!”}

{Eloise and I ran out to Fred Meyer this afternoon to pick up some plants for a few of our flower beds (that are still empty). Holy decision-making. I haven’t ever really picked out plants for our yard before and I had no idea what I was doing. But, I do know about sun and shade in our yard, so I went with that. Here are some hostas and impatiens in front of our window. I think I need to add some in front of Eloise’s window too.}

{And here are a few plants for in front of the house, fresh with new compost mulch thanks to Aaron! Plus, I spent all afternoon weeding that flower bed. I think maybe I need a few more plants for this bed?}

As you can see, it was an absolutely gorgeous weekend (one for the record books!) and we enjoyed every minute of it. I don’t remember a weekend where we have spent so much time outside, and it was glorious. On Friday after work, we spent the evening at Greenlake. On Saturday morning Eloise spent time with her Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah, and Aaron and I re-arranged the office (to make room for the new Shop!), and then we spent the rest of the day outside in the yard (Aaron mowed and seeded, and I weeded). And then this morning we took a family walk to a friend’s house, and then spent the rest of the day outside back in the yard (Aaron worked on the pavers around the driveway and edging the grass, and I weeded and planted). Even though it has been so much work since last spring, the yard is finally feeling like it is looking good and is a space we are enjoying! Plus, the sun in Seattle is like no where else. Hooray for spring!

How was your weekend?

M

{In lieu of Easter baskets for collecting eggs, I made Jaz and Eloise these little bags. Well, I lettered the bags but I didn’t sew them!}

{After Eloise and I went to brunch on Saturday morning – at a favorite Portage Bay Café! – Eloise thought moving rocks into the bucket with Papa was super fun!}

{Getting supplies at Lowe’s for some springtime projects in the yard! And hoping for some dry weather on the weekends so we can actually get some outside stuff done.}

{Eloise was enjoying these gel window clings that the Easter bunny brought her this morning. And Mama enjoyed them because it bought me some un-interrupted time to unload the dishwasher & prep brunch!}

{Our Easter table. We had a few friends come over and join us for brunch this morning and it was so, so fun. Let’s brunch every weekend!}

{And I made a cake, surprise surprise. It was this speckled malt cake and while it was a little dense, it was pretty tasty!}

{Eloise on her first Easter egg hunt. I was going to take a video, but honestly, she wasn’t super into it. Once she got one egg and put it in the bag, it took her a while to get into finding another egg. Maybe next year we should go to a big egg hunt to get her in the spirit?}

{When we have company, at least one game of Catan is played. And this afternoon it was two!}

{After Eloise woke up from her nap – and we were still playing Catan – she joined Jaz up on the chair to watch the game. It was so sweet and the girls were so good while the adults played!}

{After dinner we ventured out for a walk around the neighborhood before bedtime. Eloise had so much fun and did not want to come home. She walked right past the house and said “No no no” when I told her she had to come home, and then I chased her down the sidewalk. #toddlers And that is my hat since Eloise has outgrown all of her own hats!}

{Happy Easter from the Lowers!}

We had a fun weekend with lots of friends and so much sunshine on Saturday it made me giddy. Not so much on Easter though and our outside Easter egg hunt was rained out. Bummer. We got a few things done around the house, though we have a laundry list of things to do in the coming weekends that it seems never-ending! I feel like spring is always like that. This morning we had a really fun Easter brunch with good friends and it was great to just be at home and catch up! Plus, Aaron made a super yummy frittata. It really feels like spring is here as we head into the last few days of March, right? Oh, and a big Happy Birthday shout-out to my Mama today!

How was your weekend?

M

{We left home very early on Thursday morning to the airport. It was Eloise’s first bus & light rail trip!}

{Eloise loves the stairs Grammie & Grandpa’s house. And we found my old backpack which Eloise wore on & off all weekend!}

{Eloise enjoyed the fountain & the giant Easter duck at The Village shopping center before lunch.}

{I spent a LOT of time editing photos for the Shop this weekend & site is live if you’d like to take a peek. The Petite Flag Shop officially opens on Wednesday morning for orders!}

{Grammie & Eloise painted with watercolor, & Eloise loved it! The pieces were even cropped & framed so I will share soon!}

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{We had dinner with my brother & sister-in-law, & Eloise liked hanging out with their dog Aspen, including giving her high-fives!}

{Eloise had a little trouble with the time change one night & we had a fiesta in bed for a minute before it was back in her own bed!}

{We got to get together with the girls & babies from home on Saturday morning which is always amazing! We missed you Meg & Em!}

{The Petite Flag Shop went live this weekend!}

{Eloise was supervising while Grammie & Papa hung up her swing.}

{Eloise was telling Grandpa & Grammie how much she loved the sweet potato fries at dinner! This was proceeded by her dumping almost an entire cup of water on her & Grammie…}

{If there is a beer sampler, Aaron will drink it!}

{Eloise & Grammie had lots of fun drawing with chalk this weekend.}

{Eloise in Grammie’s old rocking chair. It plays music when it rocks & Eloise loved it! Also, those pigtails kill me!}

{Bye bye Boise, it was fun!}

{Our flight out of Boise was scheduled right in the middle of Eloise’s nap & then we were delayed, so we were thankful when Eloise went to sleep right after take-off! She slept only about 40 minutes, but it was better than nothing! What a sweet little babe.}

We spent the long weekend in Boise visiting my parents – obviously – & had a really fun time! The weather was a bit colder than I thought it would be, but still felt spring-y which was so appropriate since it is now officially spring! We are back home & gearing up for a new week. It should be a fun one since I am launching the Shop this week! How was your weekend?

M

{While we were out enjoying the sun at U Village on Friday – & maybe doing a little shopping! – Eloise decided she wanted to push the stroller. And so it begins…}

{Working on a piece for the Shop for a good friend. Really excited for the coming weeks. Stay tuned!}

{Aaron took advantage of a dry Saturday & did some yardwork – trimming, weed-whacking, mowing, weeding. The yard looks so great!

{I got these matching dresses for E & me in the mail this weekend & I am SO excited to wear them.}

{We had a lazy morning this morning & Eloise had already had finished her breakfast by the time I got upstairs. But, of course, she needed to have some of my oatmeal! She is learning how to use a spoon which is great, but requires so. much. patience.}

{With dinner guests on Sunday & Monday night, we headed to the store for a rare Sunday shopping trip. Eloise was helping me make a list!}

{Setting up the tripod so I can start photographing for the Shop this week. EEK!}

We had a bit of a slow weekend since Eloise & I were still getting thru the end of our cold, and the weather was a little crazy, especially today – wind, rain, sun, a rainbow. But, now that we are thru Daylight Saving Time, I feel like we are so, so close to spring & I can’t even stand it! How was your weekend?

M

{Eloise figuring out how Papa’s watch works. If you ask her what time it is, she will look at her wrist – the cutest!}

{In an effort to have nice flowerbeds, I took advantage of the sun on Saturday morning & weeded the front flower bed. It looks amazing now. If only the weeds would never come back…}

{On Saturday afternoon Aaron & I got a day date in while Sara & Colin watched Eloise – thanks guys, she loves you! We headed to the Eastside to a couple’s baby shower & it was so pleasant to eat & drink & chat without running around after a toddler. And, the weather was absolutely gorgeous!}

{We got home from our date & headed to dinner at a friend’s house – with Eloise – which was SO fun! Dinner was amazing so was the conversation. We also were introduced to this super fun card game called Bohnanza! It probably helped that I won – hooray! – but we are definitely getting this into the game mix at the Lower house!}

{We put Eloise to bed in a pack n’ play since we weren’t at home, so we had to wake her up to get into the car. She was so sweet that I had to take a picture!}

{These two, I don’t even know what I am going to do with them sometimes! Eloise was helping Aaron do push-ups. Shenanigans!}

We had a super busy Saturday & then a pretty lazy Sunday which was really kind of perfect. Eloise was at daycare on Friday so that I could have a fun Mama day with shopping & lunch – the best! – but picked up some type of cold bug. Seriously, I don’t know how it even happens, she was only there for 6 hours! But she did, so Aaron & I are doing our best to avoid getting her cold! Eloise is a little raspy & has a bit of a cough, but seems in pretty good spirits most of the time, though she doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite. We are looking forward to the coming week & hope there isn’t too much rain! How was your weekend?

M

{Eloise & I hit up the post office on Friday for some stamps, & she loved dropping our letters into the mailbox!}

{We went to BabyJam for a music class on Friday morning with some friends. It took Eloise almost the entire class to “warm up” but she loved the music, singing, & instruments!}

{Um, Fuller House anyone? I only got thru the first episode since Aaron won’t watch it with me. Super cheesy, but nostalgia will get me thru the entire series!}

{As we were getting out of the house on Saturday morning, Eloise decided she wanted in the driver’s seat!}

{We hit up the Aquarium with some friends & caught the end of the fish feeding. Eloise liked to watch the scuba divers!}

{We met up with the Andersons for yummy burgers on Saturday night to celebrate Cale’s birthday – happy birthday! So delish, but we were all SO full…}

{When Jaz is over at bedtime, you better believe she is going to read Eloise a story! Right after this picture, Eloise put her head on Jaz’s shoulder… it was so sweet! And once the baby was down, the parents could play (Settlers of) Catan which is basically Aaron’s favorite game!}

{Meal prepping a crock pot for a (hopefully) less frantic Monday!}

We had a weekend with a few plans to see friends & also had friends staying with us (who were in town for a wedding), though it seemed like a bit of a lazy weekend which is just what we needed! Sadly, the nice, sunny weather that we had earlier in the week didn’t show up for our weekend so we didn’t get nearly as much done outside as we were hoping to. We are gearing up for another week (closer to spring!) & looking forward to one extra day in February. Happy Leap Year! How was your weekend?

M

{Eloise stacked all of her blocks in a tower on Friday morning (all by herself!). I was pretty impressed!}

{Eloise’s Aunt Yaya – my sister – sent a Valentine’s Day card with stickers & Eloise was (& still is) obsessed. She put the stickers all over the card & then waved it around when I asked her to say “cheese” for the camera. You can also see her little lip wound from last weekend; it is healing up really nicely!}

{We had a birthday party bash on Saturday morning & it was so fun to have all of our friends over to celebrate & catch up. This is the only picture I got, but it was SO fun to see everyone. A house full of friends & babies – it doesn’t get much better than that!}

{After the party, Eloise went down for her usual nap, but we had friends over when she woke up. She was unusually snuggly with Aaron & took a few minutes to really wake up. I LOVE this picture of them!}

{So all of our friends know me really well because they all brought flowers!! You guys, this is the best, I have a bouquet in every room – in the kitchen, dining room table, dining room sideboard, guest bathroom, our bathroom, office, & my nightstand! It’s like a dream come true!}

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{We hit up U Village for dinner on Saturday since we spent all morning cooking & baking for the party & Eloise loves the slide!}

{We finally did it – we got a Costco membership! Five and a half years of marriage & one kid later! I still don’t know how we are going to consume anything of that size, but it’s worth it even for the diesel!}

It was such a FUN weekend since not only was it sunny & so beautiful on Saturday, but we got to celebrate my birthday with all of our friends. Seriously, we throw birthday parties every year (so now it’s three per year) & it is always the best time! The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing & we tried to just get a few things done to start the week. Plus, I am in disbelief that it is the end of February already, what? At least we get one more day this month, right? #happyleapyear

How was your weekend?

M

{aaron came home from work with these beautiful tulips!}

{selfie with mama & eloise!}

{ah, this girl!}

{eloise & her papa.}

{apparently we like green cups & containers… basically the only real gender neutral color in kids’ stuff these days! we hit up Uneeda Burger on Friday for dinner with eloise’s uncle ben & aunt sarah.}

{& then we stopped by molly moon’s for a pint, because, why not? it was my birthday weekend!}

{I have replaced our big black bookshelf in our living room with a new one & have finally started styling it with stuff we have around the house. I had SO many books on the old one, & picked just a few to be on the new one. & I had fun decorating book covers for them out of kraft paper.}

{aaron got me lots of flowers this weekend, including these beautiful paper flowers from The Lovely Ave. I am slightly obsessed!}

{thanks facebook!}

{aaron also made me these skewers: strawberries, toasted marshmallow, & brownie topped with milk & white chocolate drizzle. so good, but you can only really eat one since they are SO rich & sugary!}

{eloise opened her Valentine’s Day cards & presents from her grandparents.}

{we have started teaching eloise to feed Sadie by getting a scoop of kibble & putting it in her bowl. she can walk the scoop from the pantry to the bowl, but we are apparently still working on getting the all of the kibble in the bowl! as aaron said: #nailedit}

{we brunched on sunday morning for my birthday – after I got to sleep in! – & eloise & aaron had way too much fun with the highchair on wheels!}

{family picture. if only eloise had been smiling. funny because she was in a really good mood that morning!}

{this afternoon we had a bit of a scare which sent us to urgent care for a few hours. eloise & I got home from a playdate & she almost immediately went head first into our coffee table. I was sitting on the couch next to her & saw the entire thing – it was brutal! there was a lot of blood & she was really scared. once I got the bleeding to stop, I could tell she had cuts on the inside & outside of her bottom lip. I called aaron to have him come home since he was down the street working at a coffee shop. once he was home we piled into the car & headed to Children’s Hospital Urgent Care. eloise was in really good spirits & her mouth didn’t seem to be bothering her at all while we waited – forever! – to see the doctor. aaron & eloise had a fun time spinning on the doctor’s stool while we waited.}

{the doctor didn’t think she really needed stitches (it would have been just one) because it would have required sedation, but they did numb her outside lip with a topical ointment to make cleaning it easier & less painful. eloise wasn’t thrilled about the check-up & did not like the Band-Aid! third time was the charm on that one & I finally got her to sleep for a few minutes since, of course, this was all happening during naptime!}

{the nurses rolled eloise up like a burrito before they irrigated her outside cut. eloise wasn’t happy about it at all, but she did really well. now it is just waiting for the cut to heal & hoping it doesn’t leave a scar!}

It is always fun to have my birthday fall on the long weekend – then the celebration lasts all weekend! We had a pretty mellow weekend with not a lot planned which was what we all needed. Three-&-a-half hours in urgent care wasn’t how we wanted to end the long weekend, but with a toddler, it was bound to happen at some point, right? Eloise doesn’t seemed too bothered by her cut & is acting completely normally, including eating, so hooray for that! How was your long weekend?

M

{I took the car in for service on Friday morning & the only loaner available was a Beetle. I was dying because the Beetle is basically my dream car, but so, so impractical, especially with a little. Thank goodness it was a convertible so I could put the top down to install the car seat! The seat actually fit, although no one would have really been able to sit in the front seat. And in order to get Eloise out of her seat, I had to go in thru the driver’s side, into the back seat, & take her out (or put the top down!). We didn’t drive with the top down since it was pretty cold & I feel like it’s not very safe to drive with the top down & have a car seat in the car? Needless to say, we didn’t run too many errands on Friday!}

{My naptime project on Friday was to start a refresh project on some of Eloise’s cloth diapers. The diapers are all in really good shape, but the elastic on the legs has stretched & is causing some leaking. BumGenius makes these refresher kits & it was a pretty easy process, just a little time consuming. Hopefully I can get into a rhythm & get them all done soon!}

{Last week I started painting our entryway & stairwell, & it is an on-going project. I have been trying to squeeze it in anytime that I can to ensure I will get it done by the end of this week – eek! It looks SO good & I can’t wait to show you the finished project.}

{On Saturday morning we hosted a little playdate with these lovely ladies. They are daughters of two ladies I went to law school with & it was so fun to catch up & see the babies together!}

{Sunday morning we hit the store for some gameday food supplies & stopped at Einstein Brothers for a bagel breakfast. The chocolate chip bagel is SO delicious! And, today I solved the riddle & won a free bagel!}

{Aaron made a super easy & yummy tomato, cheese, & bacon bake for us to nosh on during the game. It was super yummy & we had blue corn & sweet potato tortilla chips to root on the Broncos!}

It was a fun weekend, but geez it flew by! I feel like I had a lot to do with the painting project so having the SuperBowl this afternoon helped balance that out since I actually watched the game (well, as much as you can watch while having a toddler around). We had friends come over for the game that have a son that is the same age as Eloise, so it was fun for her to have another playmate around (she was super social this weekend!). And we are gearing up for another week (the last one of my thirtieth year!) & I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sun will stay out! How was your weekend?

M