Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays! This year we are staying in Seattle for the holidays, and although we will not have any family members joining us, we will be celebrating with our closest friends. On Christmas Eve we are having our first party in our new home. Christmas day we will join up with the Nelson’s at their house with their visiting family. For Tom’s birthday this year (a few days before Christmas) we will take a day trip to the mountains to play in the snow.
This morning we made our Christmas cookies. I say that like we do it every year…the thing is, this is the first time we’ve ever made Christmas cookies. Tom was a bit overwhelmed with the colors and sprinkles, but of course I reminded him that indeed, we are in America and this is how we do things here (the English don’t do Christmas cookies, they do things like minced pies, which actually don’t have minced meat in them but things like figs…go figure). Jacob helped make the dough and cut out the majority of the cookies himself (hence the very ‘homemade’ look). He also iced about half of the cookies (this is where I admit I gave the broken ones to him to ‘practice on’). His cookies actually looked about as good as mine did, with a few exceptions.
Even daddy helped out by icing a few cookies.
We also went downtown to Macy’s and Jacob sat on Santa’s lap and told him what he wanted for Christmas. Evie wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with that. Hence Jacob flying solo in the photo.
On the way home we stopped at the top of the Children’s Museum to check out the massive train display. I figured I can bring my laptop here next week and get some work done while the kids watch the scene. Really, if it was just Jacob I could probably get away with it. It IS in a food court…with bathrooms.
This year we got our Christmas tree at Swanson’s Nursery. It is a living tree and we are keeping it nice and cold on the balcony until a few days before Christmas when we will bring it in the house to stand tall above the presents. After the holidays we will donate the tree and it will be planted in Carkeek Park. I believe this is a start of a new family tradition.
Fall has been lovely in the new house/neighborhood. Our street and nearby Judkins Park have many mature trees and lovely fall leaves. We’ve enjoyed exploring the new neighborhood and have met many friendly and cool neighbors.
As Evie is now talking and walking, the kids are starting to play together more. Evie will pull trains along the track with Jacob and they both will play with their babies.
Near the end of Fall, we had a family photoshoot at Gas Works Park. Some of the pics are a bit dorky, but all in all we got a few cute shots. At least now we have a few photos of all four of us together.
Other Fall activities included a trip to the pumpkin patch and, of course, Trick or Treating on Halloween. Grandma Charmian was visiting from England just before Halloween and was able to come along with us and the Nelsons to the pumpkin patch.
We went Trick or Treating with our friend Isadora and her mom Katie in Columbia City. Isa and her mommy were pirates, and Jacob and Evie were monkeys (I was a banana, but the costume was pretty short lived). We got home just in time for it to be dark and for daddy to take the kids on a neighborhood Trick or Treat with our adorable neighbor Bryn and her daddy.
2011 rounded out to an eventful and busy year. We are looking forward to all the wonderful things that 2012 brings, hopefully to all!
New House and Summer Recap
It’s official- we just bought a house. We are getting the keys at the end of the week and will be moving this and next weekend. We are really excited, although sad to leave our Columbia City neighborhood. The new house is in the Judkins Park neighborhood, in the Central District not far from Madrona. We were drawn to the area as it is just as diverse as Columbia City and it has beautiful parks and great schools.
The house is a modern three-story 4-star Built Green house sharing a wall and a city lot with a single-story 1900 bungalow (we will live in the new dwelling, another family lives in the small farmhouse). It sits in the space of the old driveway, its new walkway reusing the broken concrete from the driveway. The house has solar tubes for hot water, dual-flush toilets, heated floors, and was built with locally-sourced and reclaimed materials.
Here are some news articles written about the house when it was built in 2007:
This all comes at the end of a lovely summer here in Seattle. We had a lot of sun and warm nights which is a big change from a San Francisco summer. We took a trip to Orcas Island for Evie’s first birthday at the end of June. Jacob was so excited to take a ferry.
And Evie thought it was pretty great too.
We stayed in Judd Cove, near Eastsound. It was a beautiful weekend.
The kids and the dogs had a blast playing in the water.
Jacob collected a lot of rocks and shells.
And we were able to spend time at the beach nearby.
And we hiked up high for a view of all the Islands.
We celebrated Evie’s first birthday at a wonderful restaurant, which made her a special birthday treat.
In August and September Tom’s dad Andrew came for a visit.
We went to an Alaskan Salmon Bake party with Tom’s work friends.
Jacob was quick to make friends.
Near the end of August the weather was amazing and we visited friends in North Beach.
There is a train that passes through the perimeter of the beach.
And we were able to take ANOTHER ferry ride to Whidbey Island where we hung out at the beautiful Double Bluff Beach for an afternoon.
There was a lot of driftwood along the beach and we built a small shelter.
On September 10th our cul-de-sac had it’s annual ‘Dead End’ Block Party. There were 10 bands that played all day long. It drew a very big crowd!
Since September 11th is our friend Dave’s birthday, we also sang Happy Birthday and had cake.
The bands carried on throughout the night.
Our neighbor Dan, who MCs the event, let Jacob and his friend Aedan have a turn on the mic. They did not disappoint!
We visited the Museum of Flight with grandad, which was a lot of fun.
And we had a lot of fun playing by the water at Seward Park.
All in all, it was a superb summer. We were sad to say goodbye to grandad, but we should see him again in the Spring. Grandma Charmian is coming for a visit in just a few days now, just in time to help us move into our new house (lucky her!).
We are pretty sure that Grandma Charmian will witness Evie’s first steps. She is getting so close to walking. Right now she stands on her own and will walk with a hand, and occasionally will let go and take a step. Very exciting!
Spring Travels
This May was our first world tour as a family of 4! We started out visiting family in England, where we met Jacob and Evie’s new cousin Cora. Tom’s brother Sam became a proud papa in December. We couldn’t be more thrilled for him and Emily!
Jacob and Evie quickly fell in love with Cora, as did Tom and I.
We took a weekend away with Sam and Emily to these amazing Eco Cabins in North Yorkshire called Brompton Lakes.
On our way to Tom’s mum’s house we stopped at Big Sheep Little Cow farm attraction where we toured the farm and were able to pet and feed the animals.
Jacob and his Uncle Sam drove the play tractor combine.
Evie and Cora loved watching and hearing all of the animals.
Grandma Charmian was nice enough to let us ALL stay at her house. She got lots of time with Cora, Evie and Jacob. The kids were thrilled to spend time with Grandma!
We had a lovely, sunny afternoon at Newby Hall and gardens.
Next we visited Tom’s dad in Barnsley where Jacob helped him out in his garden.
Jacob was lucky that grandad had a park right next to his house!
And Jacob and Evie’s great-grandma Jean was able to come up for a visit. We had a lovely day!
It was time for us to continue our journey, so we drove down to Oxford for a quick stop at Emily’s mum and dad’s house who were very sweet in letting us stay the night so we could catch the bus to Heathrow very early in the morning. We also were able to visit with Vicky, Dan, Beatrix and Harvey as well as Mark who all came to Oxford for the afternoon.
We had such a great time in England and we were sad to say goodbye. But our journey wasn’t over yet! Next stop- Detroit where we met our great-nephew, baby Joey! Joey was nearly a month younger than Cora, but was born over 2 months premature so he was a little guy in comparison.
What a cutie pie! We spent the day at the zoo and had a lot of fun (except for the train- Joey didn’t like that part).
Since the Dugan family is SO BIG and so spread out, we had a few outings where everyone could come and meet up. Here we are at Roger’s Roost with my parents and the lower half of my family (Michelle, Shelly and Noah), and, apparently an annoying stack of chairs.
Jacob also had a small birthday celebration (again!) at my sister Jill’s house. Of course he was thrilled!
Here we got to visit with my sister Jill and Jacob and Evie’s cousin Brittanie.
We also got to see my sister Jackie and her daughter Shelby.
Do you think Jacob is getting tired of getting his picture taken? Well, yeah, let’s just say the rest of the photos didn’t turn out all that hot (sorry to my friend Heather- it was great to see you though!).
We also visited Jacob and Evie’s cousins Carly and Stephanie, where they were sweet enough to let Jacob play with a load of toys in their play room.
Yes, we really do have a big family and we were fortunate that my sister Julie and my brother-in-law Nick graciously let us stay at their house during the visit. We were also thrilled to have my recently graduated (double major- material sciences and astro physics I might add) nephew Thomas home from Michigan State. We somehow slacked on photos at their house- boo.
Close by Julie and Nick’s are our friends Jim and Nicole, who’s adorable kids Turner and Brolin are the same age as Jacob and Evie. We also met up with our friends Yuen and Clint and their kids Max and Mabel and even Yuen’s daughter Izze joined us later. It was toddler chaos at it’s best.
It was sad to say goodbye, once again. Tom had to leave for Grand Rapids a day before us for a work meeting, so my mom and my sister Julie took the flight back to Seattle with us and hung around for a week. It was so nice to have them around and to show them a bit of the city. We were so sad when they left!
Pretty sure we are going to stay put for a while….well, until the end of the month when we take a family trip to the San Juan Islands for our 10th wedding anniversary. Yes, we are bringing the kids. And the dogs.
Green
Spring has arrived in Seattle after a very wet winter. We are settling nicely into our south-end neighborhood and are ready to embrace the sunshine and green parks the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I love how much Seattle reminds me of Michigan– especially northern Michigan– with all the trees and lakes. Living in San Franciso for the last decade we’ve missed the anticipation for summer that spring brings. We have a neighborly garden growing in our cul-de-sac and we got a push mower for our small strip of grass. We even planted flowers along the fence and in our large garden pots. The clematis is flowering around our front gate and the greens and herbs we planted on our front deck are enjoying the sunshine and (shorter) bouts of rain.
Before the rain had settle at the very end of winter we took a trip with the Nelsons to Mt.Baker so the boys could get in some skiing, while the little men played with their trucks in the snow.
In March we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at our local community center- they had this amazing pre-teen Irish band. They were really good! They also had a sing-a-long with the local priest…not so good. Here you can see Jacob and Aedan stage diving on the right (for reals too).
In April Evie started scoot-crawling. She got the hang of it pretty quickly and is now charging around the room, threatening to take all of Jacob’s toys. They are learning how to deal with this new dynamic and it is equally sweet as it is a struggle.
Jacob is making new friends at his school (which he LOVES) and even though Tom is still working long hours at work, he is making real progress with his team and he is enjoying his job. Evie and I spend a lot of time hanging out on the floor, running in the jogger stroller with Beijo, or taking walks along Lake Washington. I’ve decided that I am going to apply to Bastyr University next Fall and will start talking prerequisite classes at the community college this summer. I will be applying for their Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Masters program and have a lot of math and science credits to cover before applying. It is a pretty competitive school, so I hope to get in and hopefully have my degree by 2016.
Last Saturday we had Jacob’s 3rd birthday party at our house. We invited all of his friends from preschool and a few from Tom’s work, and of course his best bud Aedan. It was chaotic, but a lot of fun and it was nice to get to know some of the lovely parents better. Jacob even has a friend at school with a little sister Evie’s age. They had great fun at the party as well.
The day after Jacob’s party was mother’s day, which started out with a rainy walk with the dogs and kids, and ended as a beautiful sunny day. Jacob made me a lovely card and helped with breakfast, and during nap time I met a friend for lunch and a mani/pedi. Then we went over the Nelsons for a bbq dinner. It was a great day!
Now we are heading to visit family and England in Detroit with the kids. Tom’s brother Sam and his girlfriend Emily had a baby girl in December, and my niece Nicole and her husband Mike had a baby boy in December. We are off to meet the new additions to the family, and to introduce our nearly one year old Evie to those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her.
Winter in Seattle
We left our home in San Francisco the week of Thanksgiving. The movers came and packed up all our belongings, and we sadly said goodbye to the home we lived in for over 6 years. We put so much love into that house and garden, but I am hopeful a new family will enjoy it now. So, we got into our car- the dogs, kids, and a car full of stuff- and started the drive up to Seattle.
The kids and dogs had a great journey, mostly sleeping and lazily gazing at the sites out the window. It had already begun to snow in parts of Northern California and Oregon but we were greeted with clear roads most of the trip.
We stayed our first night in Shasta, and Jacob and Beijo were happy to see the snow. Jacob was eager to build a snowman. Little did he know that the snow was well packed and a few days old and was only good for walking on.
We kept warm along the way, all through the snowy pass in Oregon. Our second stop was a brief stay in Portland. We were anxious to get to Seattle now as we were so close so we didn’t spend much time in this lovely little city.
It was certainly strange for me to arrive in Seattle and to see the rental house we were going to live in. Tom had made the journey up a month before to look at housing and schools for Jacob while I stayed behind with Evie and the dogs. So when I saw the house for the first time it was a bit overwhelming. It sits on the top of a large hill in the Seward Park/Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle. The large windows allow for a combo view of Lake Washington/Mt. Baker and also the backside of downtown Seattle. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac filled with trees and unique houses. There is a public access picnic area and stairs leading down the hill next to our home. Overall, it has the unique combination of a cabin-in-the-woods and a remodeled city home complete with a separate artist’s studio and four connected decks (oh oh and the massive double-head shower!!).
It was a bit of a challenge working out our furniture in the new layout, but overall the house makes being in Seattle so cozy and bright- even in the middle of the wet, dark winter. I can’t wait to see what summer brings!
We certainly miss our friends and communities in San Francisco. I am glad to have found a wonderful preschool for Jacob nearby our new house, and to have a small batch of very good friends already living here. Tom is happy at his new job at Teague. I’m doing bits and pieces of freelance and starting to work on a new business venture for 2012.
Tom’s dad Andrew came out for a visit and stayed for the holidays. He was really taken by Seattle and is looking forward to coming back so we can visit destinations outside the city.
Andrew had a lot of fun with Jacob and Evie- they just love having grandad around!
There is a lot for the kids and dogs to do right in our neighborhood. Down the street we have a decent sized park with a baseball/soccer field, playground and sand-pit. A short drive away is the beautiful Seward Park. They just renovated the playground here and it is amazing, complete with a view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day.
Tom takes the dogs on the Seward Park path and then through the wooded trails on the morning walks. We all go for a nice hike through here on the weekends. Once we found a giant nest (we named it the dragon’s nest).
We’ve enjoyed being tourists in our new city, even though we have spent a lot of time in Seattle in the past, a lot has changed here; we also changed, with our time now occupied by a toddler, baby and two dogs. So now we will learn about the city again. Of course this means a trip to the space needle. The last time I was in the Space Needle was 10 years ago so it was fun to come up with the kids, who seemed to really enjoy it.
(Obligatory free dork photo they take on entry- me, the kids and grandad).
We had the pleasure of spending Evie’s first Christmas in Seattle. Our friends Dave and Amanda were wonderful hosts cooking truffle oil risotto, scallops and lobster. The kids exchanged gifts and ran around after a bit of pie. It was a great holiday all around.
We started our New Year’s Eve celebration with friends from San Francisco! Matteo, Colleen and their son Julian were up here visiting family and came by for dinner. We made mussels and fries and seared Ahi Tuna. The boys had a blast but of course had to be in bed before the new year would pass. We rang in the New Year by watching the fireworks out our window (this year I actually stayed up until midnight…quite an accomplishment for me- I DO have 2 little ones who keep me up at night).
Now we are adjusting to our new life and routine- having fun along the way. Evie is rolling around and nearly sitting up. She babbles quite a bit (and I’m sure she has said all our names, including the dogs) and she is really starting to giggle at Jacob. Jacob loves his new school and his morning playtime with his friend Aedan. He has started swimming and music classes and soon we will enroll him in soccer. The boy still has major energy to burn! Tom and I are adjusting to our new lives, and taking it easy on the weekends to spend time together as a family.
