Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July to you! Did you happen to spend the day in the ER? We did.

We flew from Seattle to California in the early morning, settled in for a nap after arriving, and then rushed to the ER when I woke up mid-nap to find Elliott not asleep but sitting in front of a pile of prescription medications he had found in my Grandma Nancy's purse,. Apparently, I fell asleep before Elliott did and then he began exploring, struck gold, opened about 5 "child proof" containers, and dumped everything into a pile. I had no idea what the medications were for, nor how many there should have been in each container...but Elliott has been interested in medicine and vitamins (since they look like candy) and he had white powder on his mouth...we had no choice but to call 911. Luckily, he seemed to be fine, and the firemen who arrived first suggested we cancel the paramedics (to avoid extra charges) and drive Elliott directly to the hospital ourselves. We did (Grandpa Brent, Adam, and I). It was an annoying way to spend the 4th of July when Elliott appeared to be fine, but I did not want to regret not seeking medical help.

After 7 hours and a blood test, he was declared fine and we drove to a 4th of July party just in time to eat, swim for a few minutes, and then watch the fireworks at the San Clemente Pier. All is well.

We bought a house!

On July 2nd, Adam and I officially signed and closed on a new house! We are now homeowners :)

It is a 1 acre lot bordering a fabulous trail in unincorporated Woodinville. The lot is triangular, and about 50% sunny lawn and 50% "northwest forest", as you can see below:

There is a 2 story house built in the 1980's, which we will rent out for income: 

and a retired fire station/large garage (below) to renovate!  

Exterior:

Interior:

We plan to move in the Fall. I am excited for the years ahead of projects and improvements., though I am sad to leave our cute downtown Redmond farmhouse :(

Here is Elliott drinking our celebratory soda. "To homeownership!"

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us!

We celebrated 4 years of marriage on May 8th by spending an evening in Ballard as a family.

For dinner, we ate at La Carta de Oaxaca and were thoroughly impressed by the food (not necessarily the service, however). Try the Mole Negro:

and spicy salsa bar:

Then we topped off next door at Hot Cakes, for hot butterbeer (delicious!) and s'mores lava cake.
****I have been taking a clothing pattern making class from the NYFA in Ballard and walk past this restaurant every Thursday.
Also Anniversary related, we went to the Redmond Saturday Market the weekend before and treated ourselves to the beautiful flowers:

kettle corn:

and alpacas:

Pampa and Dama

Elliott ("Ezzie") and I surprised my dad ("Pampa") for his birthday! We spent 8 days at my parents' house in Laguna Niguel, which is always a dream to visit.
This post will be light on words and heavy on photos, because I am actually writing it on Feb 25th of 2014, but the trip was in mid April 2013.
Beach Day #1 with "Dama":

 I loved seeing little traces of Elliott around my childhood home: playdough on the counter.

 Even though I grew up here, I am always amazed at how beautiful it is when I visit:

 Beach Day #2:

 After church on a Sunday afternoon:

Visiting friends staying on a boat in the Dana Point Harbor. We brought bagels and OJ for breakfast:

 Elliott got to nap in the boat and Ken and Corrie babysat him while I went to the temple with my parents:

 My Mom and Dad!

 Happy Birthday, Pampa! Thanks for having us visit. We love you.

Birthday Yardwork

For my 28th Birthday last week, Adam and I and some friends fixed up our yard!
Before (actually, during):

After:

I was tired of looking at the giant yard debris heap built up from last year (below),

and wanted more flat, usable space in our slightly sloping backyard...so, I decided to use the logs and sticks as walls for terraces, supported by re-bar. It worked quite well. We used every scrap in the debris heap to build and shape the terraces. Now I just need to finish the top with plant-able soil/compost and we are in business!

In just 2 hours, we made 2 "terraces" on the right side (above); and then Adam and I spent the rest of the day making  one on the left side (below); making a compost area using a pallet; and washed the Argosy. It was amazing.

Thank you, friends! We could not have done it without you!

We (Cydney) also found a secret egg nest of 16 eggs! we water tested them and they were all good :)

 Elliott had the time of his life running around with our friend's daughter, digging in the mud with shovels, and eating jelly beans.

I love how it turned out; you wouldn't guess how drastically it has improved my quality of life...and the chickens'.