Crawling!

Oliver has been working hard on his crawling lately.  Here is a little video!

Welcoming 2012!

This is my second week back at work and I already find myself reflecting on the days when Ollie and I could sleep in and snuggle, take our daily trips to Fred Meyer, and having time to cook every night.  However I must admit that the last couple of months of my leave I was starting to feel a bit antsy especially as the weather got colder and we weren't able to spend much time outdoors.  As much as I love being home with Oliver I also enjoy having a well-balanced life that I suppose includes work.. I say that a bit indifferently because I don't feel as though I have found my 'dream job' yet but I also can't complain about my current gig.  I'm actually really pleased with my new project and the fact that it's been a super slow start with a holiday last week and a few snow days this week that have allowed me more time at home.  We've had a good start to 2012 thus far as Rhett and I enjoyed a fun date night, we had the Hill-Stach's over for dinner and we celebrated Oliver's 6 month birthday!

Getting dressed up for date night

Waiting for the babysitter to arrive

Rhett and I at Jazz Alley - my flash was not working..

Ollie and Otto!

Playing with Stella and Otto

Oliver at 6 months - it's so fun to watch him change and grow.  I used to think he looked exactly like Rhett but now I can see both of our features in him.

Happy 6 month birthday Ollie - we love you so much!!!

Hats Hats Hats

While I must admit that dressing a boy is probably not as fun as dressing a girl which is mostly due to the lack of retail options available out there.. I compensate by having fun with hats.  Here are a few of my favorite Ollie hat pics :)

Dinosaur hat from Auntie Hyeonju

All bundled up for a brisk fall walk

Lumberjack hat that Daddy picked out

The first hat that I knit for Ollie

Ah so - me looky Asian here

Hand me down hat from cousin Alex

My precious boy with his favorite toy Sophie

Rhett's 'mini-me'

The Holidays 2011

We had a quiet Christmas and New Years at home this year.  We feel so blessed to have Oliver in our lives now and to share this special time of year with him.  It also feels a bit bittersweet for me since my maternity leave is coming to an end and I am gearing up to go back to work.  I have cherished the time I have spent with Oliver, he has enriched my life in so many ways.  When people ask me how I have adapted to motherhood it doesn't really feel like I have had to adapt - it just feels so natural and I feel like I have been a mom for a long time already.  But Oliver makes it easy, he is such a sweet and easy going baby.  Rhett and I feel so very lucky and are so happy to have Oliver in our family!  Here are some photos from our festive December:

Spending some quality time with the girls at The Nutcracker

We think we're still hot stuff

Yay - first night with our little Christmas tree

I decided to get this photo with Santa on a whim since there was no line at Northgate mall.  Not surprised since this Santa seems to be a bit "B or C list" (lol) Doesn't he look like Vizzini from The Princess Bride?

Presents!

Oliver's favorite thing was playing with the wrapping paper

New activity center from Grandma and Grandpa!

We had some friends over for Christmas dinner and I decided to make Beef Wellington.  It was so yummy!!

Rhett and I on New Year's Eve

I made a smaller version of Beef Wellington for our New Year's Eve dinner - I am addicted to this dish!



Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as I love being with my family and gorging on delicious food!  This year was extra special since it was our first Thanksgiving with Oliver and we also got to spend it with my brother and his family who made the long trek to Portland.  It was so fun hanging out with everyone - playing with the boys' Dance Central game, playing music, going on walks, giggling at the awful but entertaining acting at the latest Twilight movie and eating lots of food!  Thanks to my mom for hosting all of us and working so hard to always make everyone so comfortable and happy.  Thanks also to John and Iris for hosting a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!  Can't wait for next year!

My dad trying out Dance Central - I love those moments when you laugh so hard it hurts!

John and Iris the Thanksgiving hosts with the mosts

Ollie's first Thanksgiving!

The lovely table

The Han/Godino/Bickford clan

Entertainment

Solo time!

Blessed to hear Hyeonju's angelic voice

Date Night!

Rhett and I had a wonderful date night in Portland this weekend.  We decided to live it up and booked a hotel downtown.  Iris was kind enough to volunteer to take Ollie for the night with lots of help from Lia.  While it was hard to leave our little guy we knew we could not have left him in better hands.  We had a lovely dinner at the City Grill and really enjoyed getting a full night's sleep - the first time since Ollie was born!  Oliver had a wonderful time with his Auntie, Uncle and cousins!

Here are a few pics that Iris took for us:

Fall 2011

Fall is our favorite time of year and always seems to come and go in a blink of an eye.  We also love Halloween and typically get all dressed up to go out but this year we enjoyed staying home for the first time to hand out candy.  Since this was the first year in our house I wasn't sure how many trick-or-treaters to expect.  We only had about 15 kids show up most of whom were tween boys.  Note for next year that kit kats were definitely the favorite. 

 We loved the Fall colors in the trees in our yard and thought it would be a good backdrop for some family pics for our holiday card.  Here are a few of our favorites: