Save The Date

The St. Catherine School Auction is May 2nd, 2009. We'd love it if you'd attend the auction or consider sending a donation to our incredible, little, Catholic school. www.stcatherineschool.net

Starting an Annual Tradition

This year, we took a chance on a "new" idea and visited Warm Beach (http://www.warmbeach.com/) to witness their Christmas celebration. It was remarkable. We saw over a million lights, listened to live carolers, danced to a soapbox band, watched the ponies, and laughed as the trains rode by. I think we'll make it an annual tradition. Join us next year.
Happy Holidays!

Pomeroy Thanksgiving

It was a memorable Thanksgiving celebrating with Kimble / Thomas / Crandall family. We are very grateful for such a loving group. Steve and I were very sad to say good-bye and head back to Seattle. We hope to see the Thomas family in Wisconsin very soon, perhaps for Anne's 40th birthday!

Everyone Says She Looks Like Steve

Downpour at Stanford

Ok...so we're out of our minds! We spent an entire day, in pouring rain, cheering for our beloved (and terrifyingly horrible this year) Cougs. All in all, it was a terrific trip to SF and a good time for Steve and I to reconnect, but the game...well...it s-u-c-k-e-d. Turnover after turnover.

Now, we're back home and looking forward to basketball season.

Tori had a big day today. We went to JC Penney for Christmas photos and spent two hours waiting, only to end up with NO usable photos. Hilarious. After that, we went home for naptime, we headed to Children's for the second of her tests and now she is sleeping. Oh...and Steve came home with a *new* car tonight. We're not really "car" people so this is kind of a necessity rather than a "hey, look at us" posting. We are now an SUV family...argh.

Looking forward to the holidays. I am spending way too much time on the computer right now...should go enjoy Friday night with my husband.

x o

Halloween on Greenwood Ave.

Thanks to new friend Amy Hall, we met a crazy "kid" crew at Herkimer Coffee and trolled for candy via Greenwood Avenue. Please join us next year; it was an absolute riot.

Unbelievable Views & Scenery, Catalina 2008

We didn't dive, snorkel or sail...and it didn't matter. We had a relaxing couple days, enjoyed some delicious, fresh seafood, and took a gorgeous hike into the nature conservancy beyond Avalon. I recommend Catalina for anyone looking for a weekend getaway. It's probably more of a "romantic getaway" place than a raging girls' weekend locale, but I recommend it nonetheless.

Ironically, we found a Catholic church named St. Catherine. Not St. Catherine of Siena like the school I work in and church I attend, but St. Catherine of Alexandria. Maria and I enjoyed mass Sunday morning and Julie enjoyed what she called "church of the deck" while sunning herself on the porch.

Lots of laughs and a good time had by all last weekend. Now, it's back to reality. Tori is walking like crazy and we just celebrated my dad's 68th birthday at Maggiano's. I made an angel food cake with some rich mocha frosting and it was h-i-t. Steve's been calling me Betty the last couple

days and the sad thing is, I'm prideful of this new nickname.

On a completely unrelated note: The Cougs absolutely blow this year. Oh well. It's a "building" year. We'll head to Pullman mid-Oct for the USC game. Not sure what we were thinking when we made that selection. The over under will probably be about 90.

Waiting for Catalina...

It's approximately 10pm and I'm spending another evening in front of my computer. What the heck? Some work, some play - - mostly catching up with friends and browsing various sites, trying not to look at the financial news, etc.

Tori got her first pair of Stride-Rites at Nordstrom today. It was a fun production as they took her picture, gave her a balloon & Nordy stuffed animal, and we picked out some pink and brown size 5 shoes. I will always remember my "back to school" shopping days with my mom & sister so it made me a bit nostalgic buying Tori her first real pair. Now that she's walking, it's time to protect her curly little toes and sweet feet.

A few minutes ago, I checked the weather in Catalina and found out it'll be mid-70s while we're there this weekend, which is basically the same as it is here right now. Not exactly a "sunny" vacation we've planned, but it's a vacation and I am grateful. As of today, I've made some time to begin getting psyched for it. My good friends Maria, Julie, and I are headed there for some fun, food, wine, walking, and whatever else. It's not so much the beautiful views I'm looking forward to as it is the adventure, adult conversation, the uniterrupted shower, a good night's sleep, midday nap and everything else that comes with being kid-free for a couple days. That doesn't mean I won't miss my little (and big) cherubs, but it does mean I'm looking forward to it. Everyone needs a little break from time to time.

Tori in West Seattle Park

We've visited parks and done the Puyallup this past week. Ah...there's nothing like a Fair Scone and a view of Puget Sound from the top of a swingset.

Chelan 2008

We celebrated Labor Day weekend in beautiful Lake Chelan. It was excellent spending quality time with the Muccilli and Gerlitz crew. In the photo above, Tori strutted her stuff inside Campbell's Lodge. She's "almost" walking now and it was fun taking turns asking her to "come" or "walk" to each other.

The weather in Chelan was perfect albeit breezy and a bit rainy Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed making sandcastles, taking walks & naps, playing in the park, driving Go-Karts, and eating pizza on the Campbell's lawn.

We got to spend some time with our Seattle friends Maria and Kim, too. Kim's family is from Lake Chelan so she's a local celebrity. Visits with Maria and Kim were planned, but we didn't plan on having a room next to Patty Brown and her two beautiful children. That was a strange yet cool coincidence.

Now, we are home and school / work has begun. Today was a mildly challenging day as sweet, little Tori took a "deuce" in the bathtub...whoa...now, how's that for TMI?

Steve is at Cooper's doing a football draft and I'm listening to Palin. Republican or Democrat, she's pretty impressive. Hilary was equally impressive when I listened to her during the Democratic National Convention and I'm not exactly a Clinton fan. This election is remarkable.
Stay tuned...

Tori Feels the Beat in Music Class

Taking a music class with Tori this summer has been one of my most rewarding mom experiences. While in class, Tori bounces to the beat of "Peekaboo, I Love You", hums, "sings", laughs, and occasionally screams.

We usually walk to class (in the U. District) from our Maple Leaf home. I love the stroll and get a bit of a work-out walking to and from in addition to lifting Tori (who is nearly 26 pounds) during partner dancing.

NOTE: Steve attended class with us this week and do-see-do'd with Jasper and his mommy.

*If you're interested in taking a children's music class, definitely check out Rising Song School in Seattle.

Seattle Aquarium and Pier Lunch

What a day! Tori turned 15 months and after getting three shots at her "wellness" doctor's appointment, we went downtown. There, we battled the Seattle heat with a visit to Seattle's newly renovated Aquarium. Tori touched a sea cucumber and we all watched the aquarium diver feed voracious salmon! We were so grateful spending time with cousins, Hannah & Austin, along with awesome Uncle Mark.

Boating on Elliott Bay

Our good friends, Eric & Alyson Munday, showed us a terrific Seattle evening. We had perfect weather, enjoying idyllic views and a balmy breeze. Midway through our boat ride, we had dinner at a Bainbridge Island pub. After the ride, we happily returned home finding Tori sleeping. Grandma and Grandpa Muccilli took care of her so we could safely enjoy Elliott Bay.

Tori Shows a Silly Sideways Smile

Great Summer Days

Summer in Seattle

It's fun being tourists in our own city. Here are some photos from an overnight stay at the downtown Sheraton, including: a trip to The Paramount Theater, dinner at Tulio, and a Sunday morning visit to one of our favorite Seattle spots, Pike Place Market.

It's All In Her Head

Tori began her morning as a subject in the UW Brain Research facility. After that, she had her very first haircut! Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Marc are right; there's RED in Tori's hair. Even the hairstylist agrees. After Tori's tiny trim, we had lunch at U. Village and, after all this excitement, she napped for no less than three hours. Baby was tired. We love her new little bangs and sweet noggin'.

In other news around the universe, the Beijing Olympics began today. 8-8-08 - I won't ever forget this day. We enjoyed the freedom of a summer BBQ and we're headed to the couch for a little chill time and Olympic inspiration.

Tomorrow, Aunt Victoria and the family are watching Tori while we head to A Chorus Line and the Sheraton courtesy of the St. Catherine Auction. Life and all it's gifts seem especially and perhaps embarrassingly rich today.

Pomeroy Harvest

Nana & Papa took such good care of Tori and they did it during Harvest! Tori always ADORES eating Nana's homemade rolls and watching Papa do his chores.

Stu & Danica's La Quinta Wedding

Better Late Than Never

Tori is nearly 15 months and it's about time we start digitally archiving her life. I'm not sure what's taken us so long as I've had the entire summer off for the first time since childhood and it seems there should be plenty of leftover time for such important things.

Of course, we've been spending time with our most important thing and well...she'd rather talk, play, and go to the park than watch me blog. That, and frankly if I let her do her own thing she'll unravel a roll of toilet paper in under a minute.

Lately, she says "no" even when she means "yes." This means she's her mother's daughter as her father never says anything he doesn't mean.

Speaking of dad and his side of the family, we recently returned from a visit to Pomeroy. While there, Tori pointed at the dog, cat, and horse calling each of them dog or cat, depending upon her mood.

Today, we had a HUGE breakthrough at Greenlake wading pool. It was 90-degrees and I couldn't stand it in the house anymore so I was grateful for an invitation to the pool from our PEPS friends, Fred / Ardel / Rocco & baby. When we arrived, Tori was quite hesitant to jump in the pool. She's more of a "bring the pool to me" kind of girl and when we walked towards the water, she began to C-L-I-N-G like the beads of sweat on mama's b-r-o-w. Fortunately, we ran into Gabby, a three-year old girl from Tori's daycare. Gabby shared her plastic pails and made Tori feel comfortable. Before I could wipe the sweat from my br..., Tori was seated and splashing away. Whew. Sweet aqua! After tonight's bath, Tori fell peacefully asleep. I hope she's dreaming of more days at the pool.