Christmas in Seattle

To start off the Christmas season, we decided to check out downtown Seattle. To avoid the crowds we decided to go on a Monday evening for family night. It was perfect! It wasn’t raining, no lines to wait in, everything was within walking distance, and we found parking!



First, we checked out the annual gingerbread houses at the Sheraton Hotel. Every year the Seattle Sheraton invites some of the top architects in the area to design gingerbread houses based on a theme. This year the theme was super heroes, so as you can imagine there were lots of Batman themed houses. They were pretty cool. They don’t beat the old candy windows at ZCMI, but they were worth seeing.



Next, we rode the carousel at Westlake Plaza. Ethan got a bit nervous once the carousel picked up a little speed, but he really enjoyed the ride. I enjoyed it too! I can’t remember the last time I rode a carousel.




Last, we headed over to The Fairmont Olympic Hotel to visit the Teddy Bear Suite. Each year they invite an interior designer to decorate one of their rooms with teddy bears, Christmas trees, and other holiday décor. The room was loaded with teddy bears of all sizes and teddy bear-themed books so you could stay awhile and read. Of course Ethan was in no mood to sit quietly and read. He just waddled around the room and would dive head first into the bears. Yes, the room is for play not just for looking, so Ethan just ran around checking out all the bears. It was hard to get a picture of his face because he kept burying his head into the bears. Again, thanks to Monday night, we had the room almost to ourselves so he just played until his heart was content and exhaustion set in. We really enjoyed the evening, and of course, we finished it off with our favorite Gelato!

Now that snow has settled into the Northwest, it really feels like Christmas. Jairo even received a few extra days off work because his office closed due to bad weather. So, Ethan and I are getting spoiled with all the extra “Dad time.” Although Ethan is still getting over a very bad cold, he’s tired of being cooped up in the house so we took him out for his first play in the snow. Of course, we forgot the camera. However, the white stuff is sticking around and it looks like we have more to come, so we’ll have snow pictures soon.

What's a Yurt?

Ethan enjoying a ride on Dad's shoulders.

Westport lighthouse. A short drive from Grayland Beach.


Inside our Yurt. Messy, but dry and warm!

Chillin' at Grayland beach. A 3 minute walk from our Yurt.

Maddie enjoying the surf. She's always up for playing in the water.

Ethan helping with clean up.

Yurt from the outside.

Ethan taken life easy on the porch. See how dirty his pants are!

Two weekends ago Jairo was able to take an extra day off work so we decided to spend the long weekend "camping". I say "camping" because our accommodations were a step up from our usual tent camping. We went to Grayland Beach State Park where we had flush toilets and showers nearby and stayed in a yurt. This was my first experience in a yurt and for those who are new to yurts here is the official definition: "A circular, domed, portable tent used by nomadic peoples of central Asia".

Thank goodness we had the yurt because the weather that weekend was rainy and windy for the most part, so the yurt offered a cozy, warm, and dry spot to hang out in when the weather was too much. It reminded me of a trip to Jackson Hole with my roomie Lena and Jairo, before we were married. We had to hold the umbrella over the fire so the coals could stay dry long enough to cook our foil dinner. I think the meat was quite rare that night!

Anyway, this time we had a heater, electricity, and a cool sky window to star gaze at night (when the clouds broke). Grayland beach was pretty cool. This was the first time we've been to the coast line in Washington and it was nice to have large open beaches. Hopefully we'll make it back in the summer when the weather is nicer. While the weather wasn't the best, it was nice to get away. Ethan loved spending time chasing birds, picking up leaves, rocks, pine needles, etc. and didn't mind the wet weather at all. He would have stayed out all day if I let him. Maddie of course loved it too. She ran all over the beach chasing the seagulls and getting in the water, despite the temperature.

Next, once it snows, I think we'll try out a cabin and spend the weekend snow shoeing and playing in the snow. You're all welcome to join us!

Fall, 1st Birthday, & Halloween

I LOVE fall … especially here in the northwest. We’ve had a beautiful fall so far with lots of crisp, cool, and sunny days. On the way home from the store this morning I had to take a picture of our street to capture all of the beautiful fall color right here in the neighborhood. I guess one reason I like fall is because it is the start to all the fun holidays.

Ethan enjoying his cup cake, not his hat.

Ethan trying out his new riding car he received for his birthday.

First, we started off with Ethan’s first birthday! We have been told by so many that the time with your kids will fly by, and it has. I really can’t believe how fast the time has gone and how much Ethan has changed in one year. We had a little ‘combined’ birthday party with one of Ethan’s play buddies (they are 2 days apart). He had a lot of fun having a few friends over to play and cake was not so bad either. We also had our cousins over on his actual birthday for some more cake and ice cream. Can’t have too much of that!

Carving pumpkins ... oooey, gooey!

Trick-or-Treating at our neighbor's home ... they always decorate well for the holidays.

Checking out the finished jack-o-lantern.

Mr. Monkey, complete with a banana in the pocket.
Next was Halloween, which technically was not Ethan’s first, but last year he was only 10 days old so we just chilled at the house and gave out candy. This year Ethan was able to participate a bit more and had a blast, which of course makes it all the more fun for us. As you can see from the pics Ethan was a monkey. He loves monkeys so when I found this costume I figured it was perfect. We also carved a little pumpkin … a first for Ethan and Jairo. Pumpkin carving is not big in Colombia, in fact, Jairo says he’s not even sure if they have pumpkins in Colombia, and I guess I’ve been too much of a Halloween scrooge in the past initiate pumpkin carving. Anyway, Ethan had fun figuring out trick-or-treating. He just enjoyed all the social part of Halloween.

So last, we have the anticipation of Thanksgiving … one of my faves.

Pumpkin Pickin'

This past weekend the sun was shining and the air was crip and cool; the perfect fall day for visiting the pumpkin farm. We had our first visit to The Farm in Snohomish. They have all sorts of fun family activities. We picked out a pumpkin, ate fresh corn on the cob, visited the petting zoo, jumped around in the hay barn, and played in the corn kernel box. I think Jairo and I had just as much fun as Ethan. In the hay barn we piled the hay high and let Ethan jump and fall into the piles. The texture of the corn kernel box was cool on our hands and feet and fun to bury each other in. We didn't make it to the corn maze, the hay rides, or about a dozen other little activities. Needless to say, we were all spent by the end of the afternoon and Ethan was dozing before we finished pulling onto the main road.


We're getting excited to share in Ethan's first Halloween. We have a cute little costume (we'll share pictures later) which he loves to wear and he is already having fun checking out the Halloween decor that is popping up on the block. Should be fun!

Our Little Pauper

Ethan holding his first self-earned dollar. A new Warren Buffett? If so, he needs to work on his wardrobe! Seriously, how did this outfit come together?? Dad?

A few weekends ago we went out for dinner and as usual, Ethan was smiling and giggly with everyone that walked near our table. Only this night he was particularly 'flirty' with everyone because he was tired, which for him just amps up his playfulness. During our meal I kept trying to redirect his attention from the booth next to ours. He was just laughing and smiling and driving me crazy because I could not get him to eat anything - people were much more interesting than food. I was fearing that he was ruining the nice quiet meal of our neighboring diners. Finally, the people in the booth next to ours began to leave and one of the gentleman came over to our table. I was fearing a brief lecture about how to better handle our child. Instead, he hands Ethan a $1 coin and says, "We just had so much fun watching him during dinner. Go ahead and put this in his piggy bank." Then, everyone from their group proceeded to come over to say goodbye to Ethan - only fueling his clowning!! I guess I'll take goofing and laughing over a screaming fit. Although, we will have to teach him that a time will come when others will not find his two tooth smile so cute. For the mean time, we're thinking of hitting the assisted living facilities on the weekend to jump start his college fund.