Hammill's Happenings

Fall Back

2011-11-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am seeing myself more and more as a seasonal blogger. It's always really fun to go back, but difficult to choose the best pictures that portray what our life has been like the past few months. This fall season has been no exception to having a full and eventful plate.

September was filled with family having gone down to visit Bonnie and Leo for a week over Labor Day and then my mom coming to visit until Oct 1.

October was the best and busiest month. We seized every weekend by taking full advantage of the spirit of fall here in New England. The first weekend we enjoyed regrouping from September and listening to General Conference. The second weekend we planned an overnight camping trip to Sharon, VT staying at Camp Joseph and visiting the Joseph Smith Memorial site there with some fun stops along the way. Then when Bonnie came soon after, Adam and I headed to NYC to celebrate our anniversary for 4 days! We didn't take many pictures because we were having so much fun doing other things. We spent Bonnie's last week closing on the selling of our house in SC and then headed to the Lakes Region in NH for a foliage filled day with a two mile hike. The finale to this great month ended with our Hall-o-weekend, which we dressed up and went trick or treating three times!

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

I've taken up a hobby in collecting sea glass as my outlet away from the kids. Any ideas of what I can do with it? My mom got even way more into it than me.

The most peaceful, magical place where I find all my sea glass!

Harper relaxing on our road trip to VT

Special stop just for Atticus to this amazing train museum. It was heaven for this little boy.

Camp Joseph

Only decent picture taken in NYC, kind of a bummer.

Harper at friend Annie's B-Day party at the Commons

Atticus's Pee Wee soccer team

Hiking on Lockes Hill in the Lakes Region of NH

Best buds going to a farm.

Harper pulling her man Dominic on the wagon

What do I say to this face!?

This was our FHE one Monday night.

We were the circus...

with another partner in crime.

On actual Halloween Adam's wish came true and he was able to be himself.

I on the otherhand wanted to get the most out of dressing up this year!

Fun in the Sun

2011-08-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have had an eventful and memorable summer. It began with many friends and family visitors- Kristina, Cameron & Heather, Bonnie & Leo, then Tracy for the fourth of July. Then the busyness faded and we began having simpler days of summer with the beach and a camping trip. Since we don't know how much longer we have until the Coast Guard moves us again, we've utilized our convenient beach access as often as we can. Friends come down at least once a week, including an organized day when other moms from church bring their kids down for the morning every other week. Lately we've enjoyed taking the kids right before bed time too, which compliments our relaxing, nightly routine. Our world was shaken a bit when Adam came home with second degree burns that turned into grape size blisters all over his hands! He was in a lot of pain and got two weeks off for it. We made lemonade out of lemons by enjoying the simplicity of our days. Plus, we saw Harry Potter!

Making this driftwood wreath brought in the spirit of summer for me!

Kristina and Atticus became good buddies.

Atticus' large Birthday cupcake on 6/7/11.

Atticus' Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake for his birthday party.

My first piano recital after beginning in April.

Grandma Jean at 85. Loving every moment of her here.

Grandma Bon Bon & Poppy were able to be at Atticus' 3rd birthday party.

At the beach...

Harper is our climber.

Loves watermelon after a hot day at the beach. Doesn't mind the stickiness one bit!

Harper & her mangly hair mullet.

Somebody suggested buzzing her head to let it grow in nicer, so we did.

(It really worked by the way!)

Hanging out with the boys.

Strawberry Picking.

4th of July spread.

Our sibling friends and neighbor Esme.

(From the left: Esme, Dominic, Annie, Katherine, Emily, Atticus & Harper)

Family photo opp!

Our favorite friends who we spent 4th of July with!

Packing for Camping Trip 2011 with the Robarts.

Helping dad set up the tent.

Harper in one of her happier camping moments.

Such a big boy rowing all by himself.

The freak show.

More freak show.

Family grocery trip.

My two favorite flowers.

Our Portsmouth Harbor Tour alone with Atticus. Love him!!d

Spring and some!

2011-04-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

I must be feeling the same urge as everyone else to blog after Easter! It seems that we have major life events and happenings at each place we're stationed. Living in New Castle has been no exception! Before Adam's trip to Utah to visit his dad, a quick decision was made to have my grandma Jean return with him to stay with us for a while... probably indefinitely. Though it has posed many challenges, we definitely believe the decision came from on high. Harper also turned one and is coming "into her own". Atticus is potty trained and a "big boy" now. We are so, so blessed! Enjoy the pics.

So mature for 1!

Are you 1 or just picking your nose?

Birthday cake shot.

Poppy and Grandma Bon Bon virtually witnessing Harper opening her birthday present from them.

Stinker!

Our neighbor Esme who is one week older than Harper.

Silly children.

A well-done spread and presentation for the change of command ceremony.

All his hard work and efforts paid off!

Harper's too little to paint.

Atticus & Annie

Painting a flower pot inside on a cold, rainy spring day.

Atticus has two girlfriends, Katherine and Annie. Over the winter he has developed such a sweet friendship with them, as well as I with their moms. We love spending time with these new friends!

The kids and I tagged along with Adam on a work-related drive up to Portland. We hadn't been yet, so we decided to make a family day trip out of it.

Such a peach!

This is her "Hungry Caterpillar" dress. It was designed after this children's book and we were lucky enough to get it handed down to us. It is so adorable!

Before Grandma arrived, we readjusted the bedrooms to make a room for her. Doing this meant the kids would now be sharing a room. Atticus was having problems going to sleep at the time, so the new change was one worth making! He has felt much more secure with the comfort of knowing his sister is right next to him.

We decided we should start family traditions while the kids are young. So on weekend nights, we pull the bed out of the couch in the living room, forego our typical nightly routine, and watch a movie together. The kids love it for different reasons. Harper, of course, is more interested in crawling around all over the bed while Atticus snuggles in to watch the movie.

Grandma arrived on March 23rd, just in time for her 85th birthday on March 27th. She is the same age as Queen Elizabeth! We were thrilled she could spend this milestone of a birthday with us.

A family of wild turkeys on our front lawn.

Did you know turkeys can fly!?

Fall 2010

2010-11-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for the past 7 months and I'm having a hard time deciding how far back to go. Huge milestones have happened. We moved to New Hampshire and went to two weddings over the summer, not to mention the growth in the kids. Once summer settled down, our lives continued to be eventful. I'm starting with October when we were blissfully enjoying our picturesque New England fall. Grandma Bon Bon came to visit before our anniversary. We had hoped to take advantage of her care and get away for our anniversary, but plans fell through and we stuck around town. We found plenty to do that week including the fire station open house, a harvest festival, the pumpkin patch and a gorgeous foliage drive to Conway, NH. All the while knowing that my grandpa could pass away any day, which he did on October 19. He was 85 and had lung cancer that spread to his brain. With a couple days of planning and Bonnie still at our house, we orchestrated a way for me to go to the funeral in Utah. Tickets were sky high and I didn't want to travel with an infant and toddler alone. Since Adam was the only cook at work because of the other one on leave, he couldn't come along or keep Atticus behind. So, we sent Atticus on a plane to Virginia with Bonnie. Then, I jumped on another plane with Harper to Utah. I was a wreck being so far from Atticus, but ate up every one on one moment with the baby. She soaked in the spotlight shining on her by me and all of her other Utah relatives. The happy ending to this chaotic plan was me flying to Virginia from Utah to get my boy the day before Halloween. The very next day on Halloween, the three of us hopped on another plan to Boston. After we arrived, we were still able to resume our big Halloween plans to go trick or treating in downtown Portsmouth. If it sounds like chaos, it really was. Out of these stressful situations we grow...

I thought this was a prime picture opportunity... a momma and baby goat cuddling.

Atticus enjoyed the petting zoo.

One big happy family

This is our favorite fireman Ryan. He was at our house a couple nights before over a carbon monoxide scare. Atticus was thrilled to see the big firetruck and its bright lights pull up to his house.

Atticus is hands down the biggest train fan I've ever met. We went on our fall foliage drive and spontaneously ran into this train station in Conway. There was no way of getting out of taking this guy on a train ride.

Harper and grandma Diane

Harper makes cheesy grins now.

This is my favorite great Uncle John. I have picture of him holding me at Harper's age!

Harper got ahold of her Auntie Sara's Macbook. She knew exactly what to do with it!

A ladies day out at Chilli's with our 50% off discount, thanks Sar Bear!

"Bee" Harper makes me smile :)

Exhausted, but relieved to be with both of my babies and Adam.

There isn't a bigger train fan than Atticus so it only seemed right that he be a train conductor this year.

This is how we were all feeling by the end of this day.

What I miss most...

2010-05-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

The last week of moving was very hectic, busy and unemotional. Now as we await our final destination in Virginia, I've had plenty of time to ponder the life we've lived over the last three years. Here are my top memories I will cherish most about Seattle.

Delivering my two precious babies, Atticus & Harper in Burien at Highline Hospital and watching them grow.

The gobs of time we were given with Sara. She lived with us for two extended periods of time and shared in our joy of watching Atticus grow. She has become a member of our immediate family and I will miss her closeness. I'm so grateful for the relationship she has with Atticus. It's priceless to see the happiness in Atticus' eyes when he has his "Say Say" and vice versa.

My friend Brandi. Our friendship began in an ironic connection on Myspace. Little did we know we would be working for the same agency, school, and be mistaken for one another! I was so blessed to have her as a professional ro-model, especially during my first year teaching. She taught me so much and has continued to be such an amazing, supportive friend to me even though we had to part ways professionally! We now have an even more permanent bond Since she and Henri adopted our beloved Andre.

Losing our sweet, precious Ida. She died right in our kitchen last summer as a result of kidney failure. This was a very sad memory that I will never forget. Brandi and Adam came to my rescue that day and then we went to lunch after dropping her body off at the vet.

The Hage's and Crosby. This family has given us many blessings and they opened several windows for us. After Atticus was born, we accepted their offer to rent their basement for a much cheaper price than we were paying for rent & heat. We became respite care providers for Crosby. He became the most unique person I've ever known. I not only gained more experience in my field, but learned a valuable lesson that you should never underestimate those with disabilities. They are almost always more capable than how they are initially perceived.

The Normandy Park Ward. We were blessed again with an amazing circle of people who have played a major role in our spiritual growth. I'll never forget the love we received when both our children were born, especially Atticus with his complication after birth. Also, the opportunity to go to FPU was made possible through being a member of this ward and Seattle stake. I am proud to have had so many great examples and friendships in all aspects.

Living so close to my long time friend Addy. Having her so close has brought back a sense of home from the past. She has been so supportive and understanding with all of our new family changes.

The beautiful parks in Seattle. I wish we would have taken advantage of them more- just getting out and walking the paths and trails. The Brooks were a great example during our first year here of seizing the moment and getting outside in the parks.

Fred Meyer. This was my home away from home in a very weird way. This is where I got my best deals and could do my one stop shopping. Going here was where I could have "me" time and feel refreshed.

South Center. This mall was under construction when we first moved here and was completed just one year later. It is an amazing mall and I will miss the atmosphere. It is the most kid-friendly mall ever- even having family lounges with TV's and private nursing rooms! This was a real perk and way to get you to stay and spend your money.

Bon Bon's trip

2010-05-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

It's official, Atticus has chosen to call his grandma Bonnie "Bon Bon" and we had to say goodbye to her today. :( Atticus proclaimed missing his grandma today by taking his nap in her bed. We will miss her so much, but will see each other again in a few short weeks. Here are some pictures of the trip.

Two Weeks Old

2010-04-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

I never thought I could be this fortunate. Harper has exceeded all of my expectations for a pregnancy and baby. After witnessing close friends having issues with infertility, I realize how true a miracle for a baby to be conceived and born. I can hardly believe this miracle happened to us and I feel so blessed, grateful and even undeserving.

From conception, we were so surprised and excited to find out we were expecting. I knew almost instantly just a day or two after missing a period that I was prego.

On Adam's birthday, we were again surprised to find out we were having a girl. I was 100% certain and content with having another baby boy and brother for Atticus. I don't think I've ever shed tears of joy until this day after finding out the good news. Adam had been right all along about this one being a girl!

As her birth date came closer, I was shocked to find out I was already dilated to 2 cm on March 31st. We had speculated having an early delivery, but this seemed to solidify it. It was a little discouraging when nothing happened before my next appointment on April 6, which I had by then progressed to 3 cm. The doctor believed I was minutes, hours, or days at most away from labor. She was going on vacation on 4/12 and said she would be happy to induce the next day so she could deliver and because I was already progressed so far along. Adam and I talked and opted out of this wanting Harper to come on her own and not wanting to risk ANY complications with this baby. This very night I began feeling uncomfortable contractions in my back and abdomen. I was sure Tuesday was the night. I laid down to go to sleep believing I would be woken up sometime in the night to go to the hospital. When I woke up in the morning, the contractions were gone and I got up to go to work instead. :( I determined Wednesday 4/7 to be my last day. I experienced the same painful contractions again on Wednesday and Thursday night until they ceased in my sleep. By Friday morning, I was getting really impatient and called Friday morning to have my doctor check me once more before she went on leave. I was able to get in and she determined I was now 4 cm dilated. The contractions I had been feeling for the past 3 nights had been working in my favor. By Friday afternoon I was really contracting and decided by the evening that I wasn't going to lay down in case this would make them go away again. I called my wise friend Monica who is an expert on making and having babies and she gave me some excellent tips to keep my contractions going. After doing some Karate kicks, squats and a few other things I called the hospital at 10:00 PM and was admitted after 11:00 PM to a birthing room. I had dilated to 6 cm and was 75% effaced! I got an epidural just after 1:00 AM and my water was broken at 5:00 AM. After my water broke, I had continued dilating to 10 cm with the help of a small dose of pitocin. By 6:30, I felt the pressure to push and sure enough after 4 or 5 tries, Harper was delivered at 6:57 AM (just in time for the nurses to transfer shifts at 7:00 AM). She weighed 7 lbs 9.1 oz and was 19 inches long. Needless to say, this was one of the best mornings of my life and was a picture perfect TLC baby story. The nurse herself even commented on this being one of her best labor and deliveries.

I came home from the hospital on Sunday 4/11 and have had the best two weeks getting to know Harper and witnessing the change and unity in our new family dynamic. Adam has been the best having around day in and out. Atticus has taken well to Harper, but demands his mommy (and Thomas) now more than before. I have been able to divide my attention well between both with time. Adam went back to work today, so I juggled both and it had a great day. As long as I front load my love and attention to Atticus, he more easily allows me to take care of the baby. His Thomas and Friends video sure does help too. :)

At Harper's last appointment at 11 days old, she weighed 8 lbs 6 oz... which is a 12 oz. gain! She also grew an inch and a half.

Name Change

2010-01-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

This past week we discovered a different name that we really like for our little lady. This is groundbreaking considering we've stuck with the same name since the day of our wedding. We were married on October 22, which made us fall in love with the name Autumn if we ever had a girl. Then, we decided on Autumn Marie in recent months. It has been sort of a coincidental tradition in my family for girls to take their mom's name as their middle. My full name is Marie Patricia after my biological mom, Patricia.

So, I was looking through a baby name book that we have called A is for Atticus and found the name Harper. This sounds kind of perfect, coupled with Harper Marie. And then you consider Harper Lee was the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is the source of Atticus's name. Even better, is one of our favorite artists Ben Harper. To seal the deal, we asked Atticus to say Harper. As sweetly, clearly, and in as much as he can pronounce "rrr"... he said Harper!! It melts our heart. And this is why I think we found a new name.

A Bright Christmas

2009-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Since this is most likely our last Christmas in Seattle, we stayed right here at home this year. It wasn't a white Christmas, but was the next best, sunny and bright. Christmas was unique this year not only because we stayed at home. We shared it with the Hammill's: Adam's Grandparents, dad, and brothers. This was a dream-come-true Christmas for Adam. It made me happy because he was so happy to be here. It felt complete, even though we really missed having our other family with us... Bonnie, Leo, Grandma Jean, my mom, dad, etc. The best part about this Christmas was seeing the joy in Atticus. He may not fully understand Christmas and Santa, but he definitely knew it was a special day. For the record, he cared more for his actual presents than he did the toy boxes!

Check this off as being his "scared of Santa" stage. Atticus wasn't happy when I stepped out of the sleigh. He had just had his second H1N1 shot before the pic was taken.

Atticus is a super big fan of Thomas the Train, so I found this ride-on Thomas for $40.00 at Toys R' Us, I knew exactly what Santa was bringing him this year! He loves it and knew exactly how to ride on it.

We both have the "just woke up" look.

He is a smart boy at 18 months and got the hang of ripping the paper to get to the toy. He looks like he's wearing festive Ugg boots with leggings.

We loved having Sara with us this Christmas. Santa even brought her a little something straight from our home state-Bumpits! Now she can sport box hair whenever she's home sick!

Atticus disappeared for a while as we were opening our presents. I found him in the Kitchen eating the Costco chocolate cake from the night before. How could you ever get mad at this face?!

After opening presents at home, we drove to Bremerton to the Hammill's. Santa had also made a stop for Atticus over there. He knew exactly what to do with the bows.

He got Sid and Super WHY from his favorite PBS TV shows.

All four Hammill men together again.

Adam made a gourmet meal for us on Christmas Eve. The menu was Fettucine Alfredo with fresh spinach pasta, herbs, and clams from the market.

Atticus usually hates wearing hats and rips them off within seconds of them being on. He sure liked this Cookskin hat from his grandpa.

Atticus provided the evening entertainment while we waited for his dad to finish the meal.

Atticus & Great Grandma Marjorie Hammill

To me, Christmas just isn't complete without homemade, sugar cookie cutouts with butter cream frosting.

18 Month Christmas Pictures

2009-12-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

I broke down and took Atticus to Kiddie Kandids this year to get his Christmas pictures taken. He also turned 18 months, so for me this warranted the splurge on getting nice pictures. We have professional photographer friends (Brandi & Doug) who have taken the BEST pictures of Atticus before and who were willing to take them for us again. I just couldn't bring myself to ask them to take on the extra work again involved in taking pictures this busy month. I thought they turned out very well, pictures I will forever cherish.

Adam's Birthday Surprise

2009-11-21T03:57:00.000-08:00

Adam's birthday was this past Tuesday November 17th. Luckily, this was already a scheduled day off for him so I had the day all planned out in advance without his knowing. When he woke up on his birthday, he was surprised to know I had taken the day off and made childcare arrangements (thanks Sara!) to spend a very eventful day together. It started out with an ultrasound to find out the sex of our next baby (did I fail to mention before we are expecting #2!?). Going into it and all along, Adam was confident and determined "it" was a girl. He said he had a "feeling". He really wanted a little girl. I on the other hand, was truly ready and expecting another boy, and very happy with the idea. No matter what we had previously thought, the results were shocking to us both. We're having a GIRL!!!

This little tike is all set to become her "daddy's girl" now since this was such an amazing birthday gift for Adam, followed by lunch at Chipotle and an afternoon movie of course. We saw Pirate Radio, which was the perfect birthday movie for my diehard music fan.

Disney: Ear Infection or Flu Virus?

2009-11-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

I am so glad to be done with October! We had terrible luck on our trip to Orlando. The very night before our morning flight, Atticus struck a high fever of 103. The after hours nurse advised us to try to get in to our doctor before our flight to rule out an ear infection even though she was convinced it was a flu virus. We couldn't get in to the doctor the next morning with enough time to catch our flight, so we took our chances and got on the flight with a lot of Tylenol and Motrin. This was the worst flight of my life as Atticus clung to me as pitiful as a sick puppy most of the flight. His fever continued to go up when the medicine wore off. We were helpless to Atticus the first night as he screamed through most of it in some kind of pain. First thing the next day we took him to the Orlando Urgent Care. The doctor examined him and was sure he had an ear infection (which would have been his third). She prescribed amoxicillin (?) and sent us on our way. To make a long story short, the medicine didn't really help him. His fever continued going up and down. We had six full days to spend in Orlando. Of the six we only ended up with two and a half days at the Disney parks. The others were spent at the timeshare and in Urgent Care. It was kind of a bummer. :(

This picture taken on the way home from Orlando said it for all of us!

This one's for Sara taken in Japan at Epcot.

Pooh's corner was our fave.

Atticus LOVED meeting Pooh and says "Pooh" every time he sees this picture.

Me, Adam, Bonnie, and Jeremiah

Fall Madness

2009-11-07T19:24:00.001-08:00

The month of October was pure madness! Every weekend it felt like something was planned around Halloween festivities and our one-week Orlando vacation (more to come). Unfortunately, all the hype of Halloween was short-lived when it finally became October 31st. We endured a lot with Atticus in October, so when Halloween finally came our patience was short. We quickly learned that Atticus hates dressing up as we forced his lion costume and make-up on 30 minutes before Trunk or Treat. The next day, we drove an hour to Bremerton to spend Halloween with Great Grandpa & Grandma Hammill. They had a Halloween party at the VFW, which Atticus wouldn't happily keep his costume on during. Then, a chinese food restaurant for dinner which goes down for Atticus's worst behaved at a restaurant. He was overly tired from not having his regular nap that day, so we knew trick or treating with him would be out of the question. Fortunately, we seemed to capture some sweet moments of him over our long weekend...

Happy as a clown with chocolate and his lion costume taken off, but now dressed as a girl with his fitted Old Navy Halloween shirt that I later realized later was meant for a girl (Yes Tiff, I saw Brooklyn wearing hers on your blog! LoL)

Not bad keeping his make-up in tact...

Nice picture with our neighbor and friend Camilla.

It grew on him...

Finished product.

Kids truly are wired to be "helpers".

Just leanin' on my pumpkin

Pumpkin Patch ride.

Since I turned one... (Mega Post)

2009-08-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Atticus has had a very eventful summer since he turned one in June. The most important event being his auntie Sara moving in with us! It has been so much fun. She's been very diligently nannying for a family nearby that pays decently, but is very hard work. Meeting people her age has been difficult here, especially since we aren't the socialites we once were. :) We try our best though. We took her to not only her first Mariner's game, but first baseball game ever. I think she had fun.

The last weekend of June we went camping at Ensign Ranch with the Erickson's, Wheeler's, and Ferree's. Sara decided to sit out on this one. It was sort of a reunion since only half of us remain in the ward. Atticus thoroughly enjoyed this experience, minus the first night we slept in the cabin. He cried hysterically for almost two hours. We felt so bad for the Ferree's who were sharing a cabin with us. We finally got him back to sleep in a car ride.

On the way home, we decided to stop at Snoqualmie Falls with the Ferree's. They were beautiful, a close second to Niagra Falls. Atticus thought the waterfall was pretty cool too.

Adam had the opportunity to attend a two week Culinary Institute in Norfolk, Virginia with the top cooks in the Coast Guard. This was a huge honor and big deal for him to be asked. His parents also live in Norfolk, so we decided to make a family vacation of it! Bonnie and Leo hadn't seen Atticus since Christmas, so it was already a long overdue visit.

We were very lucky to be able to spend the fourth of July in DC. See the Washington Monument behind us? Unfortunately, the lucky spot we thought we found was actually kind of crappy because the fireworks were behind the monument. We still got to see the idea of them!

This was Mount Vernon, home to our first president George Washington. Guess what? He's my ancestor. See any resemblance? I am related to him through his madre Martha Ball.

This is a very bad picture of Atticus. LoL

It was also my birthday the week we were in Virginia. Adam was very sweet and romantic making me these yummy chocolate dipped strawberries when he got home from work.

This was Atticus's gift to me. He's learning from the best (his dad and grandpa)... before you know it, his gift to me will be some electronic that is really for him.

Adam partaking.

Again, Costco chocolate cake!

What would a trip to Virginia be without going to the beach!? This is always my favorite part of the deal. This time we went 3-4 times. For some reason this seems excessive to Adam and his parents. I would have gone everyday if could have! I was starting to get used to having a beach bum lifestyle.

We got to visit the Norfolk zoo in Virginia. Atticus took in all of the animals around him. It was really hot and humid that day, we were all troopers.

I can't believe he's big enough to sit on this!

Atticus and I came home from Virginia early. What a trip that was! I have never been so uncomfortable in my whole life (next to birth). Our flight was full and we were both crammed into a window seat, Atticus on my lap next to two grouchy old men. The plane ride was 4 hours and Atticus pooped during the first hour. There was no way of getting out of our seat to change him, so we both just sat with it, gross! He did sleep for 2 hours, which was sweet at first. I never knew how much he likes to spread out.

As I mentioned before, Atticus loves basketball! It's so cute to see how excited he gets over the hoop and the ball.

Most recently, we went to Wild Waves on one of Seattle's hottest days of the year. Sara and Liz came too. We had a fun time there amongst the crowds. We even took our own food which we had to eat in the parking lot. :( Adam, Sara, and Atticus pooped out midway and Liz and I stayed in the heat and played.

One Year Birthday!

2009-08-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Atticus's birthday marked many milestones. He saved a couple of them for his special day!

Our Landlord Bruce built an industrially, sturdy swing set and included a seat just for Atticus. Atticus officially became a "big boy" on his first year birthday because ironically he became unafraid of his swing on his big day!

On his birthday, he kept pointing his finger in the air so it looked like he was telling everyone that he was turning "1". It was sooo cute!

He was really just pointing to things he likes. The basketball hoop is a third world wonder to him... we think he might be a basketball player in the making.

Atticus's birthday cake consisted of the infamous chocolate-chocolate cake from Costco! Of course this was my choice-I figured I should have say on this since it was just as much my own celebration of giving birth one year ago. Atticus didn't really like the sticky, gooey sensation. I planted the chocolate spots on his face to get a good picture.

One Year Old

2009-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just over one year ago, we were at Highline Hospital not knowing who or what was coming to us. Now, just as everyone had promised, Atticus is the best joy we've ever had. He had his first year check up yesterday and proudly weighed in at 27 lbs 11 oz and measured in the high 95th percentile. To give you some perspective, he looks like you're average two and a half year old. He is a chunk!!!

During his birthday weekend, we were lucky enough to have our awesome friend Brandi take professional pictures of Atticus and us at Gas Works Park in Seattle. If you've ever seen 10 Things I Hate About You, the scene where Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger are paint balling was shot at this park! The pictures are as sweet as ever and captured his personality (and cool new red converse shoes) so perfectly as you'll see.

Spring & Family

2009-05-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Since it is already summer and Atticus is almost one, I had to go back and reflect on the great times we had with him this spring. We were so spoiled by all our family that visited us in March and April. Our camera has been missing its USB chord, so it hasn't been convenient to post pictures. These are all from a CD of pictures that I had to make from our memory card, bummer! I hope we'll resolve our camera issue soon. Stay tuned for Atticus's one year old pictures!!

Grandpa Rick

Spaghetti face

Look how his sweet little legs are crossed

Plane ride alone with Dad

Valentine's Day

Tera and Marty's visit

Atticus & Aunty Sara

The "Dream Team" w/the Troll

Mama and Atticus

Sleek baby!

Atticus's grandma Diane

Atticus & Dad at the Mariner's Game

Financial Peace

2009-04-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

One of our latest, personal accomplishments was completing a 13 week financial class called "Financial Peace University" from Dave Ramsey. When I was pregnant, several people we knew were taking it and saying how transforming it was for them. We were a little skeptical at the time, but mostly in a state of financial denial. At this time, Adam and I were spending money very carelessly; eating out whenever we wanted, going on vacation, shopping every weekend, etc. We knew our income was going to drop tremendously with having me out of work, but we still weren't moved to make any serious financial changes. Though we weren't creating serious debt for ourselves, we certainly weren't making any progress.

When Adam came back from Alaska, we decided to take a closer look at our finances. It was really starting to get emotional for me considering how much I want to be home with Atticus without financial stress. We signed up for the January class. Our first night of class we were asked what we hoped to get out of the course. Finding a way to be home with Atticus was my hope. Throughout the 13 weeks, I can honestly say that we found a way!

Dave Ramsey's course teaches you to follow 7 baby steps that will bring absolute financial peace.

1. $1,000 in an emergency fund

2. Pay off all debt with the debt snowball (and stop using debt!)

3. Build 3-6 months of expenses in savings

4. Invest 15% of income for retirement

5. Fund your children's college education

6. Pay off your home early

7 Build wealth and give

He says that in order to accomplish these baby steps you must live like no one else, so you can live like no one else!

Though we are only on baby step 2, we have already felt peace in our lives and see our finances clearer than ever before. We have our small emergency fund built, paid off are cars & lines of credit, and are making large lump sum debt payments. The cherry on top is that I now know how to make a monthly budget, follow it, and track how it's going! I have peace knowing that after 1-2 years of teaching, we will be fully out of debt (including student loans, minus our first mortgage) and I can be home with Atticus and maybe even another little one by then. :)

His program is life changing if you ever have the opportunity to take Financial Peace, read his book, or even attend a seminar.

February Break

2009-04-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

An update on Atticus has been long over due and these are still older than current picture. They were taken over February break by the *most talented photographer, Brandi Vos :) (Thanks for capturing these faces!) Atticus would have been almost 9 months. He's 10 months now. Enjoy him! :) More to come...

Why so serious Atticus?

West Seattle Lincoln Park

Atticus's "scrunchy nose face"

Such a sweet boy!

Mom trying to make Atticus laugh

More "scrunchy nose"

What a funny (looking :)

baby!

Happy Belated New Year!

2009-02-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

Life has changed drastically since we've been home from Virginia. As you have noticed, it has become a challenge for me to blog. Adam is home and we are loving being a family again! Since the New Year, we have incorporated a few good changes into our life. I took an after school job, which offers a nice balance to home life. We've enrolled in Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey, started coupon collecting and rebating, process homemade baby food, and even signed up for and have been using a gym membership!

Atticus had his late six month appointment in January and weighed in at 23 pounds and 2 and 1/2 feet! He is eight months old now and is always a happy boy... as long as his momma is close. :) He smiles at anything and everyone and belly laughs when you least expect him to. He sits up well, scoots backwards, will balance himself while leaning over the couch, and will put his own binky in his mouth (though usually backwards). He isn't crawling and hasn't broken any teeth yet, but he certainly is making progress. One of his favorite games now is mimicking us when we shake our head back and forth, we're afraid he's going to learn "no" too early. Also, he gets a good giggle when we pretend like we're going to eat his little fingers.

Bonnie and Leo miss him terribly and hope for the day will come when we relocate again back east. We don't know what the future in the Coast Guard will hold. Luckily we've discovered oovoo.com which is a live video where grandma and grandpa can see Atticus on a weekly basis! I highly recommend this site to all of you with close, long distant relatives. That's all I've got for now. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to post pictures in these posts.

A few great holiday pics!

2009-02-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Since you've been gone...

2008-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Atticus's new job: holds stuff for mom

Wassup?!!

Atticus has eaten cereal, prunes, green beans, squash, & pears

Our little boy has grown so much love!! Can you believe we have a six month old?!

Newport: Great People, Great Places

2008-12-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

The baby and I got back from RI on Thursday morning and had a great time there. It was so great! We were always on the go, but managed to stay warm!

Friendly Faces

(I didn't get many pictures with friends, dang it!)

Jessica & Gabby Diaz

Hero Bremer & Atticus

Atticus had his first biscuit at the Bremer's

Atticus with the Kohl's

Atticus with Jennifer Mello

Roger (Rodga, Baby Whisperer, etc.) and Atticus. This man has such a BIG heart! He holds all the little ones at church just to give us parents a little break. Him and Carmen even let me use their car for the week. Amazing I tell ya! Love you guys!

Familiar Places!

Tracy & I ate here Saturday and had French Toast with carmelized bananas, delicious! Adam and I used to eat here a lot and romanticize our future...

Old theaters we used to spend lots of our time at when we first moved to Newport. There's nothing like an old, authentic place to catch a good flick!

The Hotel Viking was just a few houses down from our first apartment on Kay Street. It was on the way when we used to walk to the movies on Friday and Saturday nights.

Best Buffalo Chicken Pizza can be found here! This was an all time favorite restaurant of ours.

This one's for you Adam! Best Buy came to the island, right by Home Depot where the Christian store was.

One of my favorite highlights was bundling up Atticus and taking him down to Thames street. We walked around everywhere! It was one of my favorite things to do living there. Atticus enjoyed the bumpy cobblestone paths, while I had the worst time lifting him and his stroller up (and down) into all the shops I wanted to check out. This was a very memorable day for me that I will always cherish. :)

Thames St.

I think I have more appreciation for this historical landmark now than I did before... Trinity Church. We used to think it looked like an LDS temple in Newport.

We all have people and places that come in and out of our lives. It felt the same as we had left it, but I was certainly changed. As I spent the week in Newport, I appreciated the life I had once had there. I felt warm and content. While reflecting on this, I also came to a new found appreciation for the life we now lead in Seattle. I realized that someday when we've moved on again, I want to return to Seattle with the same warm feelings I had returning to Newport. Seattle IS a wonderful place and has always been so good to us. It has been in Seattle that I began my career as a teacher, had my first child Atticus, made a life long friend in Brandi and some others, lived near Adam's relatives, and was closer to my family in Utah. Even though it seemed we had delved deep into a new life in Seattle, visiting Newport helped me realize that I still haven't given it my all there to create a sense of home and well-being that I had in Newport, RI. I have a lot of work ahead.

Our Official Google Blog Launch!

2008-12-02T11:50:00.001-08:00

We've had a profile since Atticus was born, but never really created and customized our blog. Evidently, Adam already wrote two posts when Atticus was born, they are sooo sweet! Check them out! At the time, we felt so overwhelmed with the new baby and felt like we were sinking in our communication with others. Life has eased up on it since and I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands lately to get this up off the ground!Some of you know that Adam left before our anniversary in October on a temporary assignment to the Baring Sea in Alaska. This came as quite a shock when he found out this news one day and then left on another! When he left, he had no clue where the ship was leaving out of Oakland, CA. We only knew he would be back in time to catch his flight to Virginia for Christmas on December 19th. To my surprise, Adam and Sara orchestrated a sneaky little surprise and Adam showed up at our front door on our anniversary, October 22. It's been 5 wonderful years! Although I was very excited to spend our anniversary together, I was the most grateful that he would be around for another big move to the Hage's on the upcoming weekend, Saturday October 25. We said our second goodbye to Adam on Monday October 27, 2008.When we found out Adam was leaving, Sara fortunately extended her trip to help us get settled in the Hage's basement apartment. We are so excited about living here and look forward to building a life-long friendship with our upstairs neighbors/landlords. :) Sadly, I had to say another goodbye to Sara on November 9, 2008. There was such a big void when she left. On that note, I will just tell you that Sara became the NEWEST member of our family after Atticus during the two months she lived with us. She now has a second home in Seattle. We love you very much Sara!With the change in circumstances of Adam leaving until Christmas and not having a job I was committed to, I immediately decided that I didn't want to spend this two months alone. Sara was generous and offered to stay until December, but I knew she wanted and needed to get back to Ogden to get her life started. My next thought was to spend the time sharing Atticus with his loving and very unique grandparents Bonnie and Leo. So, Atticus and I made the trip out to Virginia the day after Sara left on Monday November 11.With trials come many blessings. I had the blessing of having my sister all to myself after Adam left. Also, my dad came to spend Halloween weekend with just us girls. He wanted to contribute to the move, but I think it was just an excuse to see us! :) Then came the blessing of being at Bonnie & Leo's home. It has been a blast and a comfort to be out here. I am happy we could spread the joy that Atticus brings to our family.Tomorrow, yet another blessing will arrive! The baby and I are flying up to Rhode Island to visit our beloved friends there for a week. Newport brought me so much joy for three years and I can't wait to share this with Atticus!I am posting two videos of Atticus from the time he was born to the time we left for Virginia. This was Sara's work of art and gift to us, especially for Adam to take a piece of Atticus with him. I hope you enjoy!

What music was dad listening to when I was born?

2008-06-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

As I have grown up into who I am, I wonder where my parents were in their life and what their interests were at the point I was brought into the world. Music to many is a trivial subject but I love it. So, right now I am Listening to:
Weezer - Weezer(Red Album)
Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild
Lil' Wayne - The Carter III
PlayList - Premo Rock
PlayList - Premo Rap
PlayList - Atticus
PlayList - Nas
Music often makes me think of what kind of person I am and life's many joys and struggles. I always want to link events in life to music. The way I will always remember listening to John Forte - I, John during the summer we graduated High School. Or driving to Circuit City Tuesday September 11, 2001 to buy Jay-Z - Blueprint album. Or, the first CD I got from my Father for my 10th birthday Pearl Jam - Vs. I loved it! Then for my 11th Birthday I got Nas - It Was Written. I remember listening to that CD once or twice and only the single off of it, "If I Rule The World". I did not like the album until 5 or 6 years later when I bought Illmatic which is one of my all time favorites. So if Atticus grows up to share a passion for music, he will know where I was in my musical life. But more importantly, where I was in more important things like spirituality and world topics. This is more to come...