Best Christmas Ever!

What a great Christmas! I was on call and had to work a little bit, but my mom and sister were up visiting and Sawyer finally found the joy in unwrapping gifts! He had so much fun that we let him open all of his gifts, and then when he picked up one that wasn't for him he would take it to whoever it belonged to and then "help" them open it. So it took all day for Sawyer to open every gift under the tree. Grammie brought him an Elmo kitchen and he hasn't stopped cooking since.

We also had lots of fun Christmas celebrations with the Gray's, Bathiches, Morton's, Timm's, and Powell's. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Sawyer really got thought the slinky was interesting, and has discovered how to pretend play with cars and little animals from the "Little People Zoo". It is so cool to watch the transition from just exploring what toys can do, to actually start playing make believe.

Meeting Santa!

Santa was visiting a local coffee shop on Friday night and we decided to stop by and see if Sawyer had any interest in sitting on the old guy's lap. He was a little wary at first and very clearly said "no" when we asked him if he wanted to sit on Santa's lap. All was not lost though, he did give Santa a few high fives.

Zoolights!

I was so excited to take Sawyer to the first ever Zoolights at the Woodland Park Zoo, that I planned to go with Kilee and her family, and then again with Hani. The first trip it was pouring and I had Sawyer all bundled up in his muddy buddy. The second time the weather was much more cooperative and we had special guest passes so we got all kinds of little "extras". Starting with blinky star necklace and free carousel passes. I was so excited to take Sawyer on his first carousel ride. Unfortunately, the little guy started to protest each time I tried to put his leg over the back of the horse. So I tried to sit on the horse with him in front, still no good. So we just stood beside the horse and went around. Then I thought maybe Hani would have better luck. Nope. When the two of them got off Hani said "why do people like those!" Apparently, it was Hani's first and last carousel ride. I am going to remind Sawyer of this night when he is a few years older and he is begging me for a ride on that stupid carousel. Well at least the lights were pretty and we got to meet the reindeers.

My perfect fall morning

What a perfect morning I had today. First off, Sawyer let us sleep in until 6:30 a.m. today! I know, pretty amazing. Then I made yummy pumpkin pancakes that turned out delicious, and then the best of all.... Sawyer helped clean up my mess.

It doesn't get better than this on a chilly fall morning. Enjoying pumpkin pancakes with my two boys!

No longer a baby

Today was a sad day for me. I picked Sawyer up from daycare and he WALKED from the classroom out to the car. I bent down to pick him up and he just started heading down the hallway and around the corner. He led the way out saying "bye bye" to everyone, with just a brief stop to look at the fish in the tank, and a quick hug for Jill. He even blew Julia a kiss. Oh it was so bittersweet. I love watching him grow and master new skills, but I don't want to have to give up my baby in the process.

Sawyer's first trip to the pumpkin patch

Sawyer met up with his friends Nala and Hazel at a pumpkin patch on the Eastside today. He wasn't that interested in the pumpkins, but he loved riding in the wheel barrow with Nala. And he really thought it was hilarious when Nala was trying to put her pumpkin headband on his head. It was a gorgeous day and 70 degrees. What a great day to be outdoors celebrating fall.

First Kiss (Seabrook weekend)

Sawyer and I had spent a little time over the last week working on him giving me a closed mouth (read slightly less drooly) kiss on the cheeck. No real success after a few days. Then we left for Seabrook. We rented a gorgeous house on the Washington coast for our annual summer weekend with the Timms and Powells. Saturday morning I wake up and we are all in our pajamas, getting breakfast ready, playing with the kids, etc... When from across the room I see Sawyer plant one on Ashley cheek and then 3 seconds later say "Muah". Seriously kid. Your mama should be the receipient of the first real kiss you give out. If it hadn't been Ashley on the other side of that kiss boy would my feeling really have been hurt. Oh Sawyer you know not what you do. Only 15 months old and already breaking your mama's heart.

Although the weekend was way too short we had a great time. Rachel showed up on Saturday evening in a Santa like fashion handing out all kinds of toys and goodies and added lots of entertainment value that night as we played Apples to Apples. Day one was windy on the beach, but day two was sunny and gorgeous. We went for a bike ride, hiked down a trail of gnomes, celebrated Hani and Nathan's birthday, went swimming at the pool and just enjoyed being together. Next year we definitely need an extra night, and some how we have to fit in roasting marshmallows and making S'mores.

The Saliba Family Reunion

After months of research and planning with Chandra, our hopes were dashed when we could get no one to commit to a summer get together, even with more than a year notice. So we gave up and decided to just meet each other over Labor Day in San Diego. We even convinced Nabil and Libby to join us! We stayed at a fun hotel with an elaborate pool and water slides and it was only a few minutes from Sea World. We spent one day walking around La Jolla, one day at the beach, and one day at Sea World, and of course every afternoon at the pool. Sawyer didn't really get into the pool that much but he did love eating bananas and playing with Nicholas on the lounge chairs. Sea World was my favorite part of the trip. Sawyer loved watching the killer whale, dolphin, and dog shows. I couldn't believe he was able to sit through all three. His eyes were glued to the animals and it was kind of adorable. I had no idea that something could hold his attention for 30 minutes. Highlights: Watching the boys play together Seaworld Family reunion t-shirs Fish tacos Afternoon sight seeing drives while Sawyer napped in the car

Meeting Abigail Owens!

What an exciting weekend. We headed down to Portland for a "Welcome Baby Abbie" brunch. Followed by a few days at the beach with my best friend and her family. Sawyer did great in the car and at breakfast, especially because Grammie was there to distract him. Right after breakfast we headed over to Rockaway beach. Grammie followed up and brought Sawyer a huge basket of sand toys to play with. Wow Grammie is the best! Then we "moved in" to our beautiful condo on the beach for two days. About 5 trips to and from the car later I was wondering just how much stuff could we possible need at the beach. My weekend highlights: Meeting Abigail Relaxing and hanging out with Katrina and her family. The gorgeous view from the living room of the ocean. Flying a kite with Sawyer and Tori for the first time. Sunshine on day two. Yummy lunch in Cannon Beach on the way home Sawyer's highlights: Digging in and eating sand!

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First Hair Cut

I have known my hair stylist for 7 years now. I met her the year before I got married and she did my hair on my wedding day. So it was only fitting that she be part of another big event in my life...Sawyer's first haircut. Annie was really excited and honored to be able to be the first to cut his hair. Sawyer did a great job sitting on Hani's lap and entertaining himself with hair cutting utensils, and Annie did great being quick and flexible as Sawyer rotated around on Hani's lap. He certainly didn't sit still. Nice work Annie!

Happy Birthday Sawyer!

Sawyer's First Birthday! I can't believe a year has gone by. It has been so fun, with new changes every few days. He has definitely kept us smiling. In order to celebrate this huge milestone we had 3 birthday parties for Sawyer. The first was with our nearest and dearest friends the Timm's, Powell's, and Owen's. It was just a simple lunch with a few decorations, and one fun dragon cake. The kids had a great time playing together and were really excited to try the big green dragon cake that I had made. Sawyer really got into the cake, using both hands he ate the whole dragon head.

The second party was with Nala at a park in Redmond. We had lots of decorations, lots of food and name banner's. I made Sawyer another green dragon cake and Dana made Nala a beautiful white castle cake. The sun came out at the last minute and we were so happy to have my mom and sister as well as Hani's parents there to celebrate.

The final celebration was at the Seattle Children's Museum with all of his PEPS buddies. It was fun to see how much all 12 of the babies had grown since we met 9 months ago. We explored the museum and ate cupcakes together. Hopefully we will be able to celebrate the babies 2nd birthday together too.

First Family Vacation

Sawyer is so lucky! Not only did he go to Maui for his first family vacation, but he also got to take his best buddies: Otis, Macy, Nala, and Hazel. It was a little chaotic lining up the schedules of three babies and a toddler, but we sure had a lot of fun. Sawyer LOVED the beach, or should I say the sand. He really liked getting dirty and putting the sand on his face and in his mouth.