Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas from our little family to yours...

We had a very sweet Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Nana, Grandma and Grandpa helped make both days very special for our family.

Here are a few photos from both days ::

~On Christmas Eve~

For Santa: milk & cookies

For the reindeer: carrots

Mama loves the "E"

Our animal tree - our yearly tradition.

Our stockings were hung...

Santa Claus

Our card tree.

~On Christmas Day~

Rocko

Sassy

Sienna and Sassy on the "old" sofa.

(Nana bought us a new sofa for Christmas! Thank you, Nana!)

Nana and Sienna

Mama and Sienna

It was a very happy Christmas for the girl.

(P.S. This is the new sofa. Promise to take a photo of it soon!)

Love,

Our little family

Wee One * 9 weeks

Hello, friends.

We are now 9 weeks pregnant.

9 weeks, 4 days - Taken 12/3

Sienna putting her Lucy dolly under her dress.

9 weeks with Lucy.

Feeling/Experiencing: lots of morning sickness/nausea, sleepiness, very sore milkies

Wee One: the size of a grape

Weight Gain/Loss: I haven't really been weighing myself, but I will when we see the midwife.

Our little family goes to the midwife on Wednesday for my first real examination with this pregnancy and to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Wee One

Well, hello friends!

It's been a few weeks since I've last blogged, but I have a little news to share with you all. We will be adding a wee one to our little family come this June/July. Our estimated due date thus far is July 4th.

One of my regrets during my pregnancy with Sienna was not journaling and photographing each week of pregnancy. I would really love to do that this time around. I may or may not be able to blog every week, but I will try.

8 weeks - Taken on 11/23

Feeling/Experiencing: lots of morning sickness/nausea, sleepiness, very sore milkies

Wee One: the size of a kidney bean

Weight Gain/Loss: None yet. I do feel very bloated (I feel like I'm already showing!)

Sienna Belle

On Halloween, we took Ms. Sienna Belle trick-or-treating to about five houses and then spent the rest of our evening passing out candy. We drank hot apple cider and got cozy on the sofa to watch Hocus Pocus. Every time the doorbell rang, Sienna ran over to the door to be Daddy's helper and give out candy.

In Washington, one must dress warmly to trick-or-treat.

Sienna convinced Daddy to dress up like a California park ranger.

Princess Sienna Belle

Sienna has big plans to be Merlin, the wizard next Halloween. We'll see if she changes her mind!

Pumpkin Carving Night

On Tuesday, Sienna went on an extra special field trip with her Mama and Daddy to the Pumpkin Patch. It was Mama's field trip for her kindergartners and they met us there!

At the Pumpkin Patch

Choosing the "perfect" pumpkin.

Our little pumpkin at the patch.

Then, we went over to Sienna's preschool on Thursday night for Pumpkin Carving Night. We carved pumpkins together, drank apple cider, watched Sienna and her friends sing Halloween songs, and at the end they lit the candles in everybody's pumpkins and turned the lights out. Spooky!

"It's pumpkin carving night

It's pumpkin carving night

We'll sing some songs

And have some fun

It's pumpkin carving night"

Mama and Sienna at Pumpkin Carving Night.

Sienna's spooky pumpkin carved by her Daddy.

Sienna and her pumpkin.

Ready to sing!

Singing Halloween sings with her friends.

We also videotaped the performance and promise to get a copy out to our family very soon!

Love, Our Little Family

Well, Hello Fall!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Fall here at the little cottage...

One afternoon, Sienna helped make Mama's pumpkin bars. Mama wanted to take a few photos of her girl baking. Of course, Sienna wanted to take some, too!

Sienna put all of the dry goods into the mixing bowl.

Self-portrait. Love her chippy-toothed smile!

Baking - taken by Sienna.

Pumpkin Bars!

One of Sienna's other favorite things to do is polish her wood toys with beeswax. We are trying to incorporate this into our rhythm more, since Mama didn't properly care for Sienna's wooden baby bowl and it split into two pieces from drying out.

It's a fun indoor, cozy activity when it's rainy and gloomy outside.

Proud of her work - taken by Sienna.

Of course, so is taking photos.

Mama and Sienna

Mama - taken by Sienna.

Spooky eyes - taken by Sienna.

Hope you're enjoying your Fall, too!

Gordon Skagit Farms

On the first of October, amidst all of the sickies brewing in the little cottage, we took a journey north to Gordon Skagit Farms. This was our favorite farm from last year's Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms and we knew that we wanted to visit again.

We had planned to take Sienna Ballerina to her dance class, but she was not feeling up for it. So, we stopped by the Co-op for some vitamins for the girl and on the way back home let her pick out a few favorite pumpkins from the farm.

Visiting with the chickens.

We can't wait to have our own little chickens!

Pumpkin Love

Our pumpkin, Sienna.

Nana and Sienna

Picking her "cinderella" pumpkin.

Mama - taken by Sienna.

Farm - taken by Sienna.

Ghost Pumpkins - taken by Sienna.

The pumpkin count this year is up to 3 homegrown pumpkins + 3 Gordon Skagit Farms pumpkins. I'm sure we'll be making a few more treks to the pumpkin patch, since we have a pumpkin-lover in the little cottage. Now, all Mama needs to do is make some of her yummy pumpkin bars!

Oh, and yes, Sienna is feeling quite better. She is back at preschool and playing with her friends, again.

Back to School

We've been very busy over here at the little cottage with the pink door.

On Wednesday, Sienna started preschool and Mama started working again. It was a very emotional day and week for this Mama. Sienna is doing great and she seems to love school with the exception of today. She had a very "tearful" day. Hopefully, it will just be a one day occurrence.

Here are a few photos from her very first day of preschool ::

Eating breakfast in the morning.

Ready for preschool!

Mama & Sienna

(Sienna's cubby is the one with the cute little owl lunchbox on top!)

Daddy & Sienna

(Sienna's teacher Ms. Leah loves frogs! Can you tell?)

Mama is hoping to get into a better "groove" with her kindergartners, so that she can devote more time to her girl again.

The Be Good Tanyas

On Wednesday evening, our little family, Nana, Grandma and Grandpa headed to the Woodland Park Zoo for a concert. One of Mama's very favorite bands, The Be Good Tanyas were playing a concert. Mama tried to go see them the summer that her and Daddy met, but she wasn't able to and this was the first time they started touring again. There music is a mixture of folk, country, and bluegrass.

The Be Good Tanyas were opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an old-time string band. This was our first time hearing them play and we really loved their music, too. Our little family plans to buy some of their music very soon!

The Be Good Tanyas

Grandma and Sienna

Our little family listening to The Be Good Tanyas.

The little photographer took a few snapshots of everyone at the concert ::

Grandma

Grandpa

Nana

Mama

Daddy

It was another very eventful night for Sienna! She loves dancing and listening to live music. But, her favorite event of the night was riding the carousel for the first time.

Sienna's very first Carousel ride!

Going around. Yes, that's Daddy riding a horse, too!

It was a beautiful evening!