Happy 2015!

Our original plan was to welcome 2015 to the world in style back up at our favorite San Juan Bed and Breakfast with Oma and Opa and the Grosch family.  Unfortunately, our first born - little Miss Zoe unfortunately threw out her knee joint on one of her legs on our journey home from Christmas.  This left slick, beautiful wooden floors such as those at the Sr. Wilhoit residence a poor match for our recovering pugaroo - so we day tripped up instead.

Before we left - it felt appropriate to take a quick sisters picture.  Zoe’s cute vest came from her best dachshund cousin Beanie...and it just so happened that Eila’s choice of clothes for the day was a perfect twinsie fashion statement.

Something tells me this is just the first of many coordinated outfits our two daughters will share.

Eila shows off her new car seat insert from Uncle Ron and Aunt Astrida.  The fuzzy cushion has it’s work cut out to protect our munchkin’s sizable noggin’.

While Zoe spent the day recovering at Camp Ellie at the Venables homestead, we enjoyed time back on the beach at Bowman Bay with the rest of the family.

Leya searches for beach glass.

Franklin’s looking for a good time and sporting his cute Boggs! 

Eila and her momma enjoy a symbiotic relationship where they cuddle together for warmth inside of Opa Steve’s incredible wold sweater.

The hat was inherited from cousin Eli - but was made by Oma Linda five years ago!

Speaking of Oma - here she is basking in the beauty of the glorious day with her Grandpup Mongo.

Party of three!

We put ourselves back on the road so as to be home well before the New Years revelers even headed out for the evening’s celebrations - and can quite honestly not tell you if/what the Jr. Wilhoit’s did to celebrate the New Year’s arrival.  Suffice to say that if we welcomed 2015 at midnight - it was only because Eila demanded it at the time.  Good thing she’s cute!

Did we mention Eila learned to smile over the Holidays?
Happy 2015!

Celebrating Christmas 2014

There’s no place like home for the holidays - particularly when you get to spend it with family.  The Wilhoits really know how to party this time of year considering the number of extra birthdays they get to celebrate between December 24 and the 28th.  We were so lucky to have the Grosch family drive over from Montana with three of their four munchkins (unfortunately Jimmy was busy celebrating with his Mom this year).  Considering their newest family member, a Great Pyrenees named Mongo was a 45 pound three month old at the time - I’m sure it was tight quarters in their car as they made their way across the mountain passes.  We're so glad you made it!

Mongo meets cousin Claire!

I’m not sure my lap is big enough for this puppy - but I don’t mind the squish one bit.

Cute as Mongo is, this little man is really the heart-throb of the bunch.

It’s hard to believe how big Mr. Franklin has grown since the last Christmas we spent together two years ago!

The Stimson family drove up to Anacortes on Christmas Eve to celebrate pre-Christmas and Happy Birthday time with Adam.

Adam gives his new Super Mario Bros. T-shirt a try.  I'm pretty certain he's worn it at least once a week ever since.

Meanwhile, Aunt Kay took her turn to play with Eila.  It’s a good thing our Bump is cute, because she doesn’t make it easy for anyone to eat at a table!

Eila had her own birthday song to sing to her papa.

Christmas morning came, and Eila gave her parents the best gift possible - a truly silent night and a full eight hours of sleep!  Even Zoe joined in the snooze-fest.

Sleeping Sisters

Once everyone was finally awake - it was time for "ripping and tearing.”

Eila’s ready for the day! (Actually - she napped the entire Christmas morning - another gift!)

Franklin’s first gift of the morning was definitely a favorite - a whole basket of colorful balls to collect, dump, and re-collect.  A toddler’s dream!

Franklin didn’t just enjoy his own presents - he got to enjoy Grandpa Steve’s Olaf, too!  While I'm bummed I didn't get a picture of the kitty cat coin bank that will forever live in infamy from this year - Aunty Aunt Kay managed to get a video - which really will better portray the joy that followed each and every coin snatch. 

Later in the afternoon, we ditched cabin fever by running off to the water for some beach combing and a spontaneous full family picture.  It was a truly gorgeous day.  Check out Lee’s short sleeves!

The whole family with a ferry in the background.  

Back at the house, it was time for some rest and relaxation.

Lee, Franklin and Zoe snuggle in together.

Eila enjoys some Auntie Leya time.

Oh no!  We forgot to open one of the packages!  It’s got a bow and everything.

“Don’t look so sad, Zoe.  Christmas bows come but once a year..."

The next few days were a whirlwind of visitors and quality family time.  It was so nice to just have time to sit, chat, and be goofy together.  

We somehow managed to give Eila a special Christmas gift of her first cold.  Here is her introduction to the Nose Frida - a miraculously disgusting contraption that allows Adam to suck the schnutz out of her schnoz.  While she was less than thrilled - I think watching us fumble our way through the process was plenty amusing for the rest of the family.  

Leya and Lee find their bunny ears as they show off their pointy fangs.

Special family friend Pat made Eila this beautiful quilt.  Eila, true to form, timed her sleepiness just perfectly so that we couldn’t get a picture of her with Pat and her blanket - so we had to settle for a cradle picture.  Rest assured the quilt has already received tons of love in the nursery at home.  

Here Eila was slightly more social for a visit from Steve and Linda’s neighbor.  A former daycare provider, she had a real special touch with our little fuss-pot.  

Then again, it’s possible I’d be fussy, too, if my Auntie Aunt and Cousin Melissa were trying to eat my toes! 

Hitting another jackpot, Eila’s modeling another homemade blanket made by another Pat!  We use this amazing hand-knit blankie as a “new-parent-proof” swaddle blanket.  Instead of needing the fancy folding - I just wrap Eila up in the long, skinny blanket like a pig in a blanket.  More often than not, Eila will just cuddle in to the snuggly yarn and go right to sleep.  Miraculous!

Finally, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without a friends and family Christmas party at the Croswhites. The Wilhoits and Grosch family all headed south first to drop Lee off at the airport and then further down the road to Kent.  The first order of business was, of course, to play pass the baby.

Kristin took her rightful place as baby napping expert.  Eila pretty much just passed out with Kristin for the duration of the festivities.

Kristin and Rodney’s son Kaden gets a turn holding the babe.  

Darla’s mom, Evelyn was a regular baby whisperer.  

With so much fun and excitement - it’s no wonder that this was what we found in Eila’s car seat when we finally made our way back to our little home in Puyallup.

Sweet dreams and happy holidays!

Creating Christmas - 2014

I LOVE Christmas time - and I particularly love Christmas when you get to spend it in one of the world’s most beautiful parts of the world with some of the most wonderful people in the world.

We kicked the season off with the obligatory visit to see Mr. Clause.  In an effort to include both of our daughters in this holiday tradition, we waited outside in the pouring rain at Kent Station to meet the Jolly Old Elf.

Thankfully, both of our ladies were good sports and kept coal out of their stockings.

2014 was a Wilhoit Christmas, so we didn’t have far to travel this year.  A few weeks before the big holiday, we headed to see Oma and Opa in Anacortes.  It turns out that Santa enjoys the San Juan Islands as much as we do!

Santa meets the Jr Wilhoits at the Anacortes Education Association Holiday Bazaar.

Our wiser counterparts were also game for a picture. 

Eila worked to earn her place on the “Good Girl” list.

A few hours later found us all deep in the woods enjoying a Kiwanis sponsored Christmas Candlelight night walk.  Many of Anacortes’ finest organizations had set up booths and activities in Washington Park.  Families enjoyed everything from hot cocoa, to crafts, to storytelling - and even a trip to Whoville!

I’m not sure any of these characters are getting off of the naughty list..

As we made our way back towards home, we stopped in the Kent area to introduce Eila to a few more important family friends.

Eila made herself right at home in Darla’s experienced Grandma arms.

Proof positive that not all babies cry in Karl’s arms.  We think she particularly enjoyed the football hold.  

It’s no wonder we were too excited to sleep with such enjoyable pre-holiday excursions.  Or, perhaps the lack of slumber was more due Eila’s midnight caroling...  

Omaha = Home-aha

I think the best way to sum up our early December trip to Omaha is in the words of the well-meaning TSA agent as we wrestled our way through security with a three-week old and a pug pup, “I don’t know if you’re the bravest family I’ve seen today, or the stupidest!”  I choose bravery - but our successful jaunt Midwest-ward was certainly designed to be as easygoing as possible.

It all started with an investment in Alaska Airlines direct flights from SeaTac to Omaha.  Worth. Every. Penny.  Next step: Dress your newborn adorably so that everyone will ooh and ahh and forget about the fact that you’re traveling with an unpredictable screech machine.  

While we tried hard to follow the “cute dress” rule for traveling, Eila had different ideas about what she’d arrive in Omaha wearing.  During our flight, she decided both to spit up on her cute new Santa clothes and blow out the back, as well.  This sent Mom and Dad for a real loop - particularly as she chose to do so just as the flight attendants were bringing around the refreshment cart.  Poor Adam missed out on his Diet Coke as we maneuvered our way through an in-flight diaper and wardrobe change.  Thank goodness for being in the back row of the airplane!

Zoe was, as usual, a terrific flying companion, preferring to snooze her way through our chaos.

Nomi Ann and Papa Kay picked us up from the airport and took us straight home to wait for the cousins while they finished up at church.  

Talia was most excited to see her puggy cousin.

Our little Momma’ Brooklyn meets her new cousin who settles in for a snuggle.

Reunited!  Kara resumes her rightful place as Aunt-Extraordinaire.

Talia decides to put Zoe down long enough to say hello to Eila on her own.

“Don’t worry, Zoe.  I’ll still make sure you get plenty of snuggles!.”  -  Eli

Nomi Ann cooked us a delicious meal of clam chowder and salad to celebrate a very special baby blessing.  Eila’s Papa Kay, one of her namesakes, gave her the most beautiful baby blessing alongside her Uncle Jason and dad.  I have to wonder whether Nomi Ann had any idea how many of her grandchildren would wear the baby blessing dress she made for little Brooklyn ten years earlier.  What a special evening it was for our whole family.  

Kara’s looking awfully comfortable with another Bump in her arms...Careful,  Jason!

The cousins all together.  

Our visit in Omaha was painfully short, but full of lots of love, laughter, and cuddles.  Kara and Jason opened their beautiful home to our new family and showed us a great time in the Heartland.  We started with a tour of the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, an attraction I’d never visited in my many years in Omaha.

Annie led the way as Little Red Riding Hood.

Talk about a tree of Poinsettias!

I’m trying to learn never to pass by an opportunity for a full family photo op - no matter how camera shy  we might be.

Back in Wheeler-ville, it was time to snuggle.

Annika didn’t quite know what to do about this twinsy little bundle of babe - but they sure looked cute together.

Brooklyn knew exactly how to keep Eila happy.

And Zoe knows just how to keep littler hands warm and cuddled.  

No trip to Omaha is complete, it seems, without a trip to the Zoo.  While the weather was a bit chilly for walking outside for long, we were just in time to enjoy the theme for the weekend - babies!  We met a baby giraffe and a baby orangutan all with birthdays similar to Miss Eila.

The baby giraffe still looked plenty tall - until Mama stood up!

Momma and her babe.

Does anyone else see the similarities, here?

While it’s never easy to say goodbye - it’s always comforting to know that as long as there’s family around, we’ll always have a home in HOMEaha, Nebraska.