Last outing - Zoo day!

Today, Tristan and I decided that we wanted to have one last hurrah before our little girl is here, so we asked Grama, Papa and Lincoln if they wanted to accompany us to the zoo. And it turned out to be perfect weather for animal viewing! I have never seen so many animals out and so active - it was the perfect trip for our last outing before the little one arrives tomorrow!

On our way to the zoo!

Like I said, perfect day for animal viewing. I've never seen any of the bears up close before!

This is the first time I actually saw the sun bears up close - what crazy, wrinkled faces they have!

Whenever we went into a cove or place with water, T had to hold onto my mom very tight - not sure if he was afraid that the fish/sea creatures could break through the glass and get to him, but either way he was pretty terrified :)

We even got to see Packy right before his 50th birthday this weekend! T seemed more impressed with the "two fans" (his favorite number to say right now) that were above him in his cage, rather than this enormous animal, but I thought he was impressive!

Happy Easter!

Today, Brian and I hosted Easter for both of our families at our house. It's not like we didn't have enough going on already with trying to prepare for a newborn entering our lives in a few days, right?? It turned out to be a beautiful day and it was so much fun to watch the boys get together and hunt for Easter eggs at the nearby park.

I know I said the last pic would be the last side shot you'd see of me, but I have an identical picture of me from two years ago that my mom insisted we repeat. Can you say...done??

Parent Night Out

Last night, Brian's parents watched T so that we could have a night out before our next little one is here. Coincidentally, we also went to the same place we went to almost two years ago when we were awaiting the arrival of Tristan. I don't think we've been back since that night, so it definitely felt like deja vu to be back and celebrating our next one, too! Trac, Dave, Jaime, Jenna and Sam all met us out as we took advantage of a few of the restaurants/bars along Mississippi to help us celebrate our upcoming arrival. Can't wait for a few days from now!

Trac & I at Casa Naranja

We have a picture of the two of us at the same place two years ago. Now we're about to become a family of four!

A very special lady

The world lost a very special lady today and I lost my beloved Grami. My Grandma (or Grami, as we always called her) was special for so many reasons.

My brother and I got to grow up with her just 15 minutes away from us for most of our young lives. She was always there to watch a school musical or support us in any other way. One of my first memories of her was when she and my aunt took me on my first shopping spree. I still remember the Guess jean skirt they helped me pick out. I remember it fondly because it was a rare treat to be able to buy something so extravagant (in my parents' opinion). Although my Grami was a nurse by trade, having grown up in North Dakota, but also lived in Seattle, Eugene and Phoenix, she would have much rather have lived in New York as a Broadway singer. She loved to sing and especially loved to watch others perform.

A very special memory I have of her was when she came out to Portland for Christmas 2010. Her health had been back and forth for quite a few years and a long trip such as that was always hard thing for her to do. We were so lucky that she was able to travel from ND (where she had lived since helping to take care of her mother and then stayed after her death in '04). She came out for about a week and got to meet her great-grandsons for the first time. That is when she got her second nickname - GG - for great-grandma. We had such a great time going to the Grotto to see the Festival of Lights, baking sugar cookies together (a tradition I do each year that actually comes from her own mother's recipe), having Christmas brunch, etc. She also got to travel to Las Vegas after Portland and see Celine Dion perform - one of her dreams in life!

I have so many memories of this special lady that it's hard to contain them all in one blog post. I feel very happy to know that she and I both share the same middle name which will be carried down to my own daughter very soon. She was a loving and caring grandma who loved all of four of her grandkids and two great-grandchildren dearly. It's sad to think she was my last living grandparent and Tristan's last living great-grandparent. You will be missed, Grami XOXO



Very special four generations picture

Baby showers!

We were lucky enough to have two baby showers for our little girl. I wasn't expecting anything as this is our second, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that my class wanted to host a shower and our friends wanted to have a celebration at our favorite restaurant for Erin and I. Here are some pics that show their generosity and thoughtfulness!!

The parents beautifully transformed our classroom into a shower for a baby girl - it was amazing!

Even Tristan and my mom got to come and celebrate! And no surprise, the girls in the class LOVED T and would follow him around like a swarm of bees :)

Again, not the best quality pictures, but they capture the moment :) Also, I've forgotten to mention an interesting fact about this school year that relates to my first pregnancy with Tristan. This class of first graders has six of the ten students that I taught two years ago when they were Pre-Kers and I was pregnant with T!! These six often refer to themselves as "baby fairies" since they think that every time I am their teacher, I end up having a baby! I cracked up when I heard this term and now will always lovingly refer to this group of students as my "baby fairies" :) They've also tried to convince me to teach them again in second grade, third grade, etc. Ummm, we'll see how this goes. Not so sure I'm ready for the baby fairies to do their magic again so soon :) It's also pretty neat that Tristan got to come to this shower with the same students who threw a shower for me (and him) the first time. So many similarities and coincidences - we've come full circle!

The beautiful spread at Meriwether's restaurant

Amelia & Tristan with hands on "the belly"

Love these two!

All the girls outside the restaurant. I knew I should have worn sunglasses - I have the worst sunshine-in-the-face look - yikes!

Spring Break or Winter Break??

Well, it's official - I am on my spring break/maternity!! There were a few times a few weeks ago that I thought I would never make it to this point, but here we are!! I still have a few school items to finish up on, but am pretty much ready for my maternity time! The first day of our break brought close to four inches of snow - what is going on with this winter weather?? We've had so many snow days up here, the most out of any other year. So glad we are on break so that we could enjoy watching it fall, but I'm hoping for sunny and 60 degree weather soon!!

22 months!

Our T Man has really been acting like a big boy these days. We are amazed each day at his vocabulary and the things he understands.

Things he really likes to say are: "Mom, mom, mom" (in a man voice until I come right away - for some reason this is the only word he says that is a few octaves lower than all of his other words :); "B" which stands for bird and Lincoln (for some strange reason); "poop" in a sideways-mouth kind of way - he especially likes to point out the poop in the backyard or if he has some of his own and then makes a "eewwwww!!!" sound right after that; "pirate" in a very pirate way whenever he wants me to find a YouTube clip for him; "cheeeeese" whenever there is a camera around; "pease" & "dank dou" please & thank you; "Mom, all done" any time he wants me to take something away from him, whether at the table, in the car, playing in the playroom, etc.; "truck! bus! train!" any time we're driving and he sees one of these on the freeway; "bye, bye boon" whenever we drive by a certain car lot on the way home that always has balloons floating around; "ball" & "bat" a few of his favorite things; "keekees" (kitties) which he is in love with right now; among many other words/phrases.

Things he really likes to do:
Navigate YouTube on the iPad to find clips of Jake and Never Land Pirate Band, Choo Choo Soul as well as kitties.
Playing with trucks, buses and trains.
Playing with his big cousin Lincoln who he so admires.
Playing with the saxophone or other musical instrument he has.
Riding Bella.
Reading stories, especially about dogs, kitties, or trucks.
Giving high fives and knuckles.
Brushing his teeth!

T with buds Nick & Leah Zervis watching a kids band at Mississippi Pizza

True story

Trying to convince that he's ready for a big boy bike for his birthday :)

Love these videos, but please excuse the cut-off shirt and very messy playroom. Super embarrassed by the outfit and mess, but had to share the videos because they are super cute :)