Too bad we have wall-to-wall carpet, except in the bathroom, and that would just be wrong. I mean, more wrong. Now if we could hook up a vacuum to those little walkers - then we'd be talkin'!

Autumn...

This is the time of year when I miss being in the Valley - when the colours are a-changin' and the mornings are so fresh and crisp, but the afternoons are sunny. The snow is starting to come down the mountain, but it's not far enough down to be a hassle yet. I guess it's true what that "wise" person once said about not being able to take the country out of the hick ;) - even if this hick has literally left the country. My sister sent me some shots from around Babine Lake this weekend to feed my nostalgia...

One day down, 13 years to go...

The First Day of Kindergarten! It's a little surreal to take my child to school when it still seems like not too long ago that I left school - not counting college, which really hasn't been that long. She's loving it and says she can't wait to know "everything". Hope Mrs. Davis is up to the challenge! ;)
She came home today all jazzed up because they got to play tag in a 'real gym'! (It's sad how many schools don't even have PE, Art, Music, etc. anymore, so we feel really lucky that Jaela's school has PE & Music classes, even for the Kindergarteners.) Along with the start of school came the start of soccer season - so I am officially a Soccer Mom - yikes! Will they let me into the SMClub without a mini-van?!

Day trippin'

Took a little journey South out onto the Peninsula to explore. Would have got some great shots of the area, but the camera died about an hour into the day. Managed to get a couple of the town of Gig Harbor, which was having a Folk Festival when we arrived. It's a terrific little area - almost forgot we were so close to Tacoma. After Gig Harbor, we scoped out the camping situation at the Kopuchuck State Park down the road - planning ahead for next year. Arrived home sun-soaked and exhausted - a perfect Saturday afternoon :)

Polly Pocket massacre...

I guess it's time to start saving for that therapy bill...
Apparently the scene here (in the bathroom sink) is that Polly & friends were taking a sled ride across the frozen pond when the ice cracked and now they are all floating on the bottom of the pond! Except the ones who turned into Mermaids - they'll be fine. Oh, and there's a Polly-sized turtle and puppy in there somewhere who are also survivors of this horrific incident. It also appears that several victims shed their clothing in an attempt to swim to shore. That's messed up!

Half-Pint & the Quart

At the risk of getting repetitive, here are a couple more pics of the chitlin's. Can't help it - my world view is pretty narrow these last couple of weeks. I am finally cleared to drive - woo hoo! - but not yet allowed to vacuum - aww shucks. Thanks to the help of some wonderful family & friends, we are enjoying some 'time off' together to get into the new normal routine before school starts and the new job begins. Catching up on some DVDs & magazines that I've been neglecting and getting my butt kicked royally & repeatedly in Candyland. Life is a little surreal this week, but I know reality will be here full-on PDQ, so I'm just floating with it before the bills come in (having a child in the US is not a cheap thing to do!) and work beckons.

My discovery today...

I'm probably way behind the times, so forgive me if this is long old news, especially for those of you out of the US (we're always the last to hear about new music here, unless it's local). Anyway, heard this song on the radio called 'I Wish I was a Punk Rocker' and now I'm in love with Sandi Thom. Maybe a new album to replace the Curious George soundtrack in the car right now? (Jack Johnson fans take note - that soundtrack is really, really good.)

Far-Away Retreat Weekend

Went on my first overnight trip with Kieran to the Core Team retreat in Longbranch, WA last weekend. We stayed at this amazing old 1910 mansion originally built by the family that started the Bon-Marche company. It's right on the tip of the Key Peninsula with 180 degree views of the water. I forgot what total quiet sounds like! Kieran & I tried out all of the built in swings on the property until we found our favourite one, overlooking the dock. S'mores on the beach, fresh BBQ salmon, and iced tea & pineapple in the hot tub - that's a good weekend!

Kieran Rhys is here!

Kieran decided that he wanted to make a dramatic entrance, so we had a c-section on Wednesday, August 2nd and he took his first peek at the outside world at 11:29 a.m. He was 8 pounds, 4 ounces (!) and 20.5 inches long. He surprised us all by having blond hair - his Viking side, maybe?
All is well in the universe :)

Geez kid, are you taking up enough room yet?!

So, I've been getting rather harassing emails asking to see just how huge I am getting - well, here you go folks! Be careful what you ask for! (Since we don't have a full length mirror, seeing this pic was a bit of a shock to me, actually!)

I am using the defense that with the heat wave I am retaining a lot of water, which while true, is a bit of a stretch in explaining why it looks like I'm about to give birth to a small whale. ;) Ah, but we're both healthy and everything, so I sure won't complain.
(12 days...tick,tick, tick... )

A new member of my 'family'!

Congrats and swift recovery wishes go out to my friend Charmaine who gave birth last week to Ainslee Kaede! Another source of estrogen for the O'Coffey house, along with big sisters Raelee, Araceli & Denali. I wish I'd seen that middle name, which means 'Maple Leaf', sooner - I might have stolen it for our bumpkin as a nod to the "Home Land". Guess we'll have to settle with 'Telkwa' now - good for a boy or girl, dontcha think?!

Tick Wisdom

"Everybody was a baby once. Oh, sure, maybe not today, or even yesterday. But once... Babies, chum! Tiny dimpled fleshy little mirrors of our us-ness...that we parents hurl into the future like leathery footballs of hope. And you gotta get a good spiral on that baby or evil will make an interception.
Ready?
One, three, thirteen, twenty-six, hike!
Go deep! Go deeper!
~The Tick (cartoon superhero)

PS - 22 days & counting...only 4 shifts of work left...down to only a half-billion things on the to-do list. :)

Some off-season dental work?

Looks like someone in Edmonton is trying to make the Oilers look better.

Countdown!

Tonight I was sent a link to download this pregnancy countdown thingy-majigy. It's a little freaky, actually. According to this, we have 56 days or 1,322 hours until launch date. (It also counts out the minutes & seconds, but let's not even go there!) It has told me that we are 80.333% 'done' and that the baby's irises are reacting to light now. (All the senses are up & running, although I guess smell might be difficult what with the lack of air and all.) I guess I'd better get busy with these last 79,295 minutes - still have a crib to put back together (assuming all the pieces are still around), some baby items to buy (little things like a car seat), and some decisions to make - doula, no doula? A NAME? (Just minor issues, really!) Crap, down to 79,293, I'd better run...
Tick...tick...tick...

Smiles of the Week

So, Jaela was having a pointless "argument" with a friend about where to put certain toys away and I finally said to her, in mock Dr. Phil tone, "Jaela, do you want to be right, or do you want to be friends?"
Without hesitation, she says, "I want to be right!"
Ahh - not the 'right' answer, but can't fault her honesty. ;)

For those of you who don't know her, this tells you quite a lot about her personality. I have (almost) learned to never ask her a question I don't really want the answer to. This includes "What have you been using those scissors for?" "What just fell in the toilet?" and "What kind of bug is in your hand now?"

Second best quote came in the car after she sneezed with a mouthful of crackers in her mouth. "Ewwww!", she says from the backseat.
"Bless you", I say.
"Never mind that," she says, "I just blessed all over the place!"

That's pretty much the week in a nutshell. What else is new?!

Seattle Underground Tour

Okay, so this post is a little sparse on pictures - thanks to me not figuring out my camera properly yet. Anyway, last weekend, my globe-trotting girlfriend, Brenna (some of you may have heard of her) came down to my neck of the rainforest with some other fun gals (most of them were also on the Vegas '05 trip) and I was able to join them for the Underground Tour & some shopping. I highly recommend the Tour - our guide, Gail ( the 'lucky' one above) was quick-witted & full of info. (It's the perfect job for a corny-joke-loving-history-nerd!)

Cirque du Soleil

For a Mother's Day treat, Brett & I took our Moms, (and Wayne & Mallory), to Varekai. Set up in a giant tent in the park, even our '2nd class' seats were amazing - close enough to see the performers facial expressions - any closer & we might have been hit with flying sweat pellets - yuck! Highly recommend any Cirque show - the creativity & soundtrack are incredible every time. (Warning - it may make you want to go directly to the gym on your way home.)

"I'm a whole hand old!"

Jaela's 5th Birthday Party! I don't know how it happened, but we've managed to keep this kid alive now for half a decade! We had a great little party in Kent, with her best girl friends (flu bug kept the boys at home), grandparents & auntie from Smithers & Grandma from Arizona. Obviously, she had a Puppy Party, so they ate out of dog dishes and had this 'Kooky Chew' stuff for dessert that looked exactly like dog food. Smithers Gma & Auntie Mallory made the cake again this year - thanks guys!

Who knew she'd be funny too?!

Got to enjoy my birthday present of tickets to Maya Angelou last night - great show! She is, of course, eloquent and inspiring, but I had no idea how much we'd be laughing through the whole thing. If you ever have the chance to catch her, it's worth it.