LOVE this bath tub

I've found a new place to hang my MadeByGirl lemon LOVE print. This tub is so comfy and I love having a heater in the bathroom. I should take another picture of the 2 windows. It's pretty nice soaking and looking out into nowhere.

Like mother, like daughter. My little girl loves a good bath, too.

"we're country y'all"

We've been here a little over week, and it feels  like we've been here a lot longer. We are enjoying life out in the country.

- We already have our new Washington Driver Licenses

- We've gotten yummy pears and honey crisp apples and a pumpkin from roadside fruit stands. There are a ton out here.

- Pearce loves swinging on the front porch. She can outswing anyone. I think she'd stay out on the porch all day, if she could.

- Squirrels are eating into the roof of the house, so Jeremy had to take care of business.

- All of our water comes from a well and taste so fresh. happy to say goodbye to bottled water.

- I eat fresh tomatoes from the garden.

- We hear coyotes sometimes in the middle of the night. And have yet to see the wild turkeys or deer on the lawn.

- I thought it was appropriate to get some new jammies for Pearce to fit in with her new surroundings.

-  I'm getting back into the swing of making meals at home.

- We still like a good trip to Costco, even though the closest is 50 miles away.

- Clear nights with lots of bright stars.

- Jeremy gave us a tour of Central Washington Univ, and it is a very pretty campus. Jeremy's commute is only 20 min! Wooohoo!!

- I like taking pictures around the ranch.

- Pearce is learning new tricks. Like how to stand. And, yes, that is a deer head in the background. The Den is one of my favorite places in the house.

- We went to our new little Branch (church) on Sunday. Very small. Kinda awkward when you walk in 30 minutes late.

- Still unpacking.


...and 10 points to whoever knows who i'm quoting in the title.

a little Bavarian town called Leavenworth

We went up to Leavenworth this weekend for a fun little time. It's about 50 miles north of us, and starting this time of year they have a different festival each weekend. This weekend was the "Autumn Leaf Festival". I'd been there once before a couple years back when we did our Washington Harley Ride. Check it out here.



Lots of street dancing


fun just walking around and going in little shops


Got a box full of yummy treats at the "Gingerbread Factory"


Had to get Pearce a "Catch me if you can" t-shirt to match one daddy got a couple years ago.




and had the best wurst dogs ever. i got the "bratwurst" and jeremy got the "bockwurst"

Sunday Family Dinners.

A huge benefit of moving to Washington was to be close to so much family. Jeremy grew up in Seattle (Mercer Island), and half of his siblings live in the Seattle area, too. We were just in time for Jeremy's mom's birthday/sunday family dinner. Yummy turkey dinner. I'm in good food company here.

lovely table setting


My niece Nicole striking a pose, and my sister-in-law Shannon showing off her "pink salad"


Bro-in-law, Dave, the Turkey man


Sis-in-law, Jenny, serving the green beans.


Pearcie-poo having a ball with her cousins, Nicole and McKay


don't work to hard now boys. hehehe


Smile! You're on camera!!


Leslie opening her birthday presents

Pearcie + Livi = BFF

Pearce finally got to meet her BFF, Olivia Kay, last week. 

We stayed the night at my BFF's  (Lindsay) house during the move, and

I was so excited to get our little girls together. 

They are almost 2 months apart.

Livi (7 1/2 months) & Pearce (6 months)

Me and Lindsay met when we were this age, and 

have stayed best friends even after we moved apart at age 8.

We became pen-pals, then roomed together at EFY, and 

then Freshman year at BYU, and post college in Huntington Beach.

Me & Lindsay at EFY '96

1/2 a year old already!

This 6 month stage is really fun. Little Pearce wiggles out of anything that she's not strapped in and has also started "back crawling". She reaches and grabs for anything in sight. She is chugging her bottles! Literally. I should time it. It seems like 8 ounces are gone within 1-2 minutes. She puts her mouth around the entire plastic rim of the nipple so that she can suck through where the nipple and rim meet. She is so smiley and happy and crazy and warms up to new faces fairly fast. She chats all the time and can get pretty loud. (I wonder where she gets that from?) And best of all, she's showing signs of being a good hair-player. (AKA, playing with mommy's hair.)

We took this picture yesterday on Alki shore after celebrating Leslie's birthday (Jeremy's mom) at family favorite Pegasus Pizza.

6 month check up stats:
(we went a week early in CA before we moved)
17 pounds 5 ounces (81 percentile)
27 1/2 inches (97 percentile)
43.5 cm head circumference 

from Mexico to Canada....well, kinda.

I followed behind this badboy for 1,200 miles (plus 1,200 little prayers) - San Diego central Washington. We started the drive Wednesday night and finally got to Cle Elum just before midnight on Friday night. OH what a ride!! We didn't have too many hiccups along the way... considering one of the trailer tires blew within the first 45 miles. But we bought 4 new tires for the trailer and were on our merry little way. We had some fun stops along the way -- we met my dad for lunch at Harris Ranch (in Coalinga/Fresno) and stayed at my BFF's house in northern California (El Dorado Hills) one of the nights.

Lots of Jeremy's family helped us unload the trailer. It goes so much faster with help. Considering it took us about 3 days to load, and about 1/2 day to unload. It feels really good to be close to lots of family. And I'm already giving my family sales pitches to move or visit here.

Now we have this loveliness to sort through and unpack. I really can't believe how much Jeremy was able to fit in that trailer. He is a master-packer. :)

so excited that it's beginning to look like Autumn here!! We are sooo HAPPY TO BE HERE!!!!!

We went on down to the [San Diego] zoo

There is a cute song called "They All Ask'd For You" that I remember as a kid growing up in New Orleans. i love the zydeco bayou sound of the song.  the lyrics start:

I went on down to the Audubon zoo
And they all asked for you.
The monkeys asked, the tigers asked
And the elephant asked me too.

They all asked for you
Everybody there
Wants to know where
They all asked for you

I digress... my dad came in town this weekend to see Pearce before we move and we went to the San Diego Zoo. We bought season passes when we first moved down here, and we still had not gone yet!!! So we felt obligated to go before we move. Glad we did, I actually loved it!!

some of my favorite things at zoo..

Big floppy humped camels:


pretty scenery:


loved the cute little panda eating:


family photo {with sleeping hidden baby}:


this cute little creature:


i think pearce's face in this picture is cute.


and P.S. --- it's my last day at work! yipeee!!! the big move is Thursday & Friday.