August 2015 Odds & Ends

In the eighth month of '15, our family was seen:

Exploring the Portland Children's Museum.

Celebrating the marriage of Maria & Jay in Seattle. These lovebirds are truly two of the most generous, inspiring, caring people we've ever met. I feel so lucky to have met Maria (and many mutual friends) shortly after joining the sorority in college.

Ashley matches Maria in her compassion for people!

Playing in the "kitchen" at home:

Hunting for BIG maple leaves at Grandpa Murray's house:

Comments

Nathan, 18 months

Can you believe it? Can you believe that Little Man Nate is already 18 months? Nathan's Famous Hot Dog on Halloween. At 18 months, Nathan is 33.25 inches tall and nearly 29 pounds, but mostly, he is on the go. Nathan is curious about the world around him, spending lots of time opening doors or drawers, saying "uh-oh" when he finds something new. I know for certain I will have to buy a new set of measuring cups when we move again, as Nathan has adopted some into his toy collection, while others are just plain MIA. He loves pushing his cars, trucks and lawn mower around the house. He is quickly learning to match shapes with puzzles and point to his nose, ears and belly. He uses sign language to say "please" and "more" as well as ask for "help". We have just started practicing the sign for "thank you" and he seems to be grasping that one. Nathan will put his cup in the refrigerator or sink when he is "all done", and u...

Christmas 2020

Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles will be out of sight As a result of the pandemic, the model train festival we typically enjoy this time of year was canceled (thus no pictures with Santa). We missed family and friends this year. The fun energy of the last few school days before Winter Break was not quite the same over Zoom. I missed singing carols in church during month of December. As the season progressed, I couldn't help but reflect on other times in history where celebrations were small and often just a nuclear family. Times and places where travel was too difficult or too expensive to justify leaving home. For those generations of families, the traditions were as simple as reading the Christmas story together or baking a special bread. In so many ways that was our Christmas this year and by seeking the joy in each moment, we found our hearts lighter. We visited our favorite local tree farm to find THE TREE. We...

The Drive

I love our new home in Battle Ground! However, I am still a little unsure about living in Battle Ground. Battle Ground itself seems nice, just a bit further out than I ever imagined I would live. Six months ago we had a cute little NE Portland home, where we could walk to Breakside Brewery or Podnah's BBQ Pit. There were multiple parks close by and despite the energy of the city we had a peaceful backyard retreat to relax in. Now, it may seem strange, but having a 20-25 minute commute seems like an eternity for me. Not since our first year of marriage have I had to commute more than 15 minutes. It was the trek across Lake Washington from West Seattle to Kirkland that made me vow to always have a short commute. While I do not mind the extra time to make phone calls or listen to some talk radio, I can't decide if the drive is peaceful and relaxing or just a slog to and from the country. I imagine it will tu...

The Davolts

Search This Blog