So, I just had to write about how excited I am to be meeting our neighbors. We’ve lived in our house for a year and a half and only met two neighbors. And both families took the initiative to come meet us, so that tells you how friendly we are. Until now. The neighborhood bible study that we are a part of has decided that since it’s summer we should just throw BBQs each week and invite all the neighbors. At first I thought it sounded like a great idea because a). i like anything involving food and b). it meant that i didn’t have to feel guilty about not doing to the weekly reading. But then the leader said “lets plan on bringing food for at least 50 people, maybe more.” I did some quick math, thinking how expensive this little venture would be. Then I wondered how selfish it would be if we signed up for chips each week. Luckily, our wealthy friends committed to bringing the meat. Anyway, we had our first BBQ last week and it went great. We met some new people, and i took a real liking to another young couple with a baby. Perhaps, it had a little something to do with the fact that the dad looked like david beckham’s twin. Point being, I had a wonderful time. Well…. this week was even better. About twice as many people came, and most of them were families with young kids! We brought a blanket for all the babies to conjure on and the moms sat around talking about usual mom stuff (what percentile is your baby in? when do you want to get pregnant again? when did he/she get teeth? yes, he bit my ta-tas too, yada yada…). I truly enjoyed meeting these people and hearing their stories. It’s totally worth the $16 that we spent on brownie mix and chips. So, if you’re ever in the neighborhood on a thursday night, pop on in to our backyard.

Here is the one and only picture of the night.

P.S. As i write, my dear husband is attempting to dig up the world’s largest rhododendron bush (to make room for our new deck). I’m not sure what sort of craziness is going on out there. All I know is that when I tried to peek out the front door he yelled at me to get back inside. I hear chains. I hear a motor revving. I hear yelling. And now Brian is calling a neighbor for help. These BBQs really are coming in handy.

Finley had her nine month check-up today and everything looks great. No shots today-Hooray! Dr. B was very happy with Finley’s overall growth and development.

Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (75th %)
Height: 29 inches (85th %)
Head: 45.7 cm (90th)

The topic of breastfeeding came up and I was shocked to hear her say that now is a good time to start weening. I thought most pediatricians recommended bfing for the first year, which is when I planned on stopping. For some reason it rubbed me the wrong way. Finley is growing up so stinking fast as it is, I don’t like feeling rushed. Plus, I quite enjoy not having my period! So, sorry Dr. B, but I’m not gonna take your advice on this one!

Waiting patiently for her appointment.Trying to crawl off the table.

we all thought this was blog worthy-

we were sitting on the beach relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We noticed that a new family came and joined us on the beach. We watched the little boy having fun playing in the sand. It turned from cute to annoying in about 0.2 seconds. His mother began shouting his name (Jayden) over and over in the most shrill voice i’ve ever heard, and proceeded to do so until they left an hour later! Mostly she yelled things out like, “Jayden, WALK!” or “Jayden, stop running!” After hearing “Jayden!!!!” at least a billion times she got creative yelling, “Son!” or my personal favorite, “Boy!”. The situation might not have been so noteworthy if Jayden was actually being naughty, but he was just playing in the sand. He never ventured into water above his ankles or did anything that deserved the hollering that the whole beach was privileged to. Seriously, poor Jayden wasn’t even allowed to run in the sand. How sad! That is one mama that needs to take a chill pill!

On Sunday we took a day trip up to Birch Bay with Mimi and Grandpa. Some of my earliest memories are from camping trips to BB. Somehow, it looks nothing like what I remembered. I have vivid memories of playing on a grassy knoll with my cousins…in reality, it’s just a one foot deep ditch. Anyway, after a scenic ride around town we hit the beach. I wish I captured Brian’s face on camera. He’s a little bit of a beach snob, having grown up in California and vacationed every year at their house in Huntington beach. He was a little overwhelmed by the lack of sand and abundance of seaweed. But even he couldn’t deny that we timed it perfectly-the tide was way way WAY out, so we were able to walk and explore the shoreline. The tide left behind little pools that were as warm as bath water for finley to play in. After she got used to it she crawled all around, and enjoyed playing with the seaweed and tasting the salt water. We had so much fun relaxing, eating a yummy picnic lunch, playing cards, and experiencing the nostalgia of being back.

here’s the bon bon at costco riding in the cart for the first time. she loved it and squealed the whole ride. Yes, I DID sanitize the cart first! after a difficult day yesterday i went in to peek on her and this is what i found. my heart melted . i love my sweet girl so so so SOOO much, even during this not so enjoyable stage.

My friend katey tagged me to do this…so here goes…

5 things on my To Do list:
1. organize and put away finley’s clothes that she has grown out of
2. buy gifts for several weddings we attended over the last few months
3. find new recipes to try
4. develop photos from finley’s birth-today
5. water the plants

5 snacks I enjoy:
1.pineapple
2. string cheese
3. popcorn (made with my whirly pop)
4. wheat thins & peanut butter
5. homemade brownies

5 things I would do if I won the lottery:
1. buy my mom a new van-that doesn’t beep the whole time it’s on
2. travel
3. tithe/give to organizations that we are passionate about
4. build our dream deck and get some really nice patio furniture
5. have brian quit/and or scale back on the 60 hour work weeks

5 bad habits:
1. snacking when I’m not hungry
2. not hanging clean clothes back up after I try them on
3. neglecting to wash dishes better before loading them in the dishwasher
4. drinking too much diet soda and not enough water
5. not treating stains right away

5 places I have lived:
1. carnation, wa
2. seattle, wa
3. vancouver, bc
4. tukwila, wa

5 jobs I have had:
1. tanning salon
2. eddie bauer
3. nanny (for several families)
4. WAHM- work at home mom (my new favorite term!)

5 friends who ghost read your blog and need to start their own:
1. Mimi
2. everyone who reads my blog already has their own!

5 favorite things to do on the weekends:
1. spend time with brian
2. sleep in/take naps
3. play out in the yard
4. do home improvement projects, or just cheer brian on while he does them
5. cook yummy breakfast

I’m tagging Lindsey