Elliott's first ski day

Elliott has been dying to ski but his crazy parents have had so many house projects going on combined with pregnancy and taking care of newborn Arlin, etc. Finally, the weather brought plentiful snow to our Cascade Mountains and we had a Saturday dedicated to skiing before Elliott's hydrocele surgery.

We rented gear for Elliott, loaded up the 4 Runner, and drove to Steven's Pass. I dropped Adam off at the lifts so he could get started while I parked in the boonies (it was a crowded Saturday), dressed the boys in snow gear, and hauled everything but the kitchen sink up to the lodge :)
After staking out an area in The People's Lodge, Elliott and I went snow tractor hunting. Adam met us for lunch but Elliott would not re-enter the lodge for fear he would never get to ski...
Poor little guy - he wanted to ski so bad!

And ski he did! He took to skiing like a pro 2.5 year old and wore us out with his unquenchable energy. All in all, he probably skied about 4 hours. Adam bribed him with hot chocolate to get him back in the lodge at 9 pm! He insisted on skiing to the car and fell asleep before we had packed up and left the parking lot :)

 (here is E trying to cut in front of others...)

 Adam convinced Elliott to come in for lunch and resting.

 Elliott's new ski friend Margot:

Here is a video of his ski jumps, inspired by the recent Sochi Olympics:

Hydrocele

Elliott had a surgery on February 26th, 2014 to correct a hydrocele (see below). We chose Dr. Burns from Seattle Children's Hospital Bellevue Clinic and were very happy with the care.
Here is Elliott in the waiting room before his surgery:

The recovery was fast. 4 hours after the surgery you would have never known he had been under general anesthesia that morning! He was jumping around, playing with his new train set, laughing, etc. The first hour coming out of anesthesia was rough, which is to be expected. Elliott kept flopping around moaning confusedly and saying he wanted to go home. He became unreasonably distressed when his Otter Pop kept getting smaller (as he ate it). He cried, "But I want a BIG one!" while motioning with his hands a 3-foot popsicle!
About the hydrocele - It is an accumulation of fluid in a tube around the testicle. I first noticed it when he was about 1 1/2 years old. I actually thought he had only one testicle, because you could only see one enlarged ball. That was actually the hydrocele and the normal testicle was the small one. It was most noticeable when Elliott was warm or in a bath, which is why it took so long to notice! (because he never bathes! and it is always cold here!). We made an appointment with Dr. Burns who explained what was going on. We ended up doing the surgery about 7 months later.

I have 2 boys

I'm up for a night time feeding for Arlin, my 1 month old baby boy, and I must say I am officially bonded to him for life :)
With Elliott, as well, (who is now 2 1/2 years old!) it was around 1 month when I realized how much I loved him and felt like he really was my own boy forever.
Now, I have two boys forever! Plus Adam :)

I crush at the sight of Arlin! His face is still full of mystery for me: what features are familiar? what features are from which family members? What will he look like later?  His cheeks look fatter than yesterday, again! I made him, but I'm learning to know him; an eternal, happy process.

My dad made a simple comment I find adorable and always makes me laugh. When family was in town, I was commenting on how cute Arlin's little newborn behaviors are. Things like arching his back to stretch, frantically rooting for milk, attempting to hang on to my breast or shirt, and grunting in a satisfied way. My dad said, "He's happy!" and it struck me how true it was and how grateful I was to know he was happy. What a confusing reality he just began. I'm glad he is happy.

It kills me when I see his tiny face poking out of his blanket laden car seat with his small hands resting under his chin like a bunny. He is so cute I can't take him seriously but he has this look on his face where you can tell he is trying to catch sight of something familiar and make sense of his world. Preciously heartbreaking.

These are all physical thoughts, but what is his personality? He already has differences than Elliott. He seems more calm - but it could be that Arlin uses a pacifier :)

Arlin's Blessing Day

Thank you, family, for visiting us for Arlin's baby blessing. 

The name Arlin Douglas Barlow was chosen to honor Adam's two uncles who died as teenagers while ice skating on the Snake River in Idaho. Uncle Arlin was named after an earlier family member, Arlin Henry Bates. If you have a few minutes, read the history in that link - Arlin lived a good life and raised a happy family.

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.