*DOCTORADO

BEN CATER, PHD!

I recently found this fun one on my phone - wasn't aware of it. I love it!! 

Crazy tired kids, crazy hat hair...

Vera and Rosie made this awesome banner. Vera drew everything - all the trees, mountains, surfer, trout, etc. Rosie just guided her along :)

The graduation was Friday evening, and earlier that day we went out for an awesome lunch at Pago with our families.

Saturday we had a party here at our house.  I feel like it went pretty awesome!  I remember when we first got to Salt Lake and were at the Farmer's Market. Ben always gets a pulled pork sandwich from a particular booth - in the very beginning he declared that's what he wanted at his graduation party. It seemed so far away at the time! It's so crazy that it's come and gone already!!  We did have some delicious pulled pork sandwiches and bbq chicken along with homemade salads and a big costco "Professor Ben!" cake.  

It was so fun seeing all the people who have supported Ben [and us] over this phase in our lives.  I do wish I'd got more pictures - hopefully people will email some on over ;) 

If you're curious about our plans...... we don't have any!!! Ben needs to finish writing his dissertation and will defend in the beginning of June.  After that we may have a clearer idea of what to do. He's waiting to hear about a couple temporary type jobs and we are also considering moving to Nevada if it doesn't work out here financially.  It's comforting to know God does have a plan and he will guide us through it!

*candyland

Things have been super busy with Ben's graduation (!) last weekend and family still in town.. Still I'm sad I've hardly put anything "cotidiano" here on the blog.

Last night Vera and I played candyland. She was very wistful at the end just *wishing* she could go live in the candy castle. I suggested she imagine one up and draw it - which she was SUPER excited to do. I updated the picture from this morning - here is the finished product taped up on her wall. She is so proud of it!!

More updates on the graduation soon...

*

Just some more of Edie lately. I forgot to mention she is just like her sister and is already determined to dress herself - spent about 15 minutes the other day trying to get this sweatshirt on as pants.

The one in the bike was the other day - our first family bike ride - well minus Ben who is working non stop :(. Before we left I told her to "show me happy" :)

*18+ months

A few weeks late, but want to get down what little Edie is like at around one and a half.  I love this picture of her and her beloved Puppy. She is so excited to see Puppy after even a little separation - it makes your heart melt a little.

At her appointment this week she finally had hit the 20 lb mark!  20 lbs 10 oz.  My printout says she is 12% for height and 22% for weight.  I still have her facing backward in the carseat since ours goes till 30 lbs. and she seems to not mind.  When she got her shot she just whimpered a little and I said, "are you ok?" and she said "yeah" in a shaky little voice - very cute :)  We just love our pediatrician - Dr. Katie. I should have got her picture with them as who knows where we'll be at the next visit??

My favorite things about her are how she says "yeah" to any and all questions.  Even if she doesn't understand the question, she always gets it that you're asking one.  I just love the way she says it - hard to describe in words.   Actually, yesterday I asked if she had a poopy diaper and she said, "yeah" - then she realized I think that meant I would take her inside so she changed her mind and said (wait!) no!  She is just in the last week putting 2 words together:  

Lola dish, Daddy dish - Lola's shoes, Daddy's shoes. Our dar! - our car.  New bopper! - new diaper.  Today on the way to church she said biiiiiii(g) truck!

Other funny words:
La - socks, trash
Lalo - pants (trying to say pantalones)
knee - hurt (I think bc it's usually her knee that gets hurt)
lellow - yellow (of course)
nu nu - noodle
dish - shoes, fish
nana - food (she has said this since she was like 10 months)
añana añana! - when she's really hungry

I also love how she just loves her baby friends - especially Fiona and Jubilee and loves to get real close to say hi and give hugs and kisses.  They are not quite as excited as Edie is to receive the lovin... however, her intentions are sweet :)

She is pretty headstrong and determined to do just what she wants.  I think I remember correctly that Vera was obedient as far as "don't touch that," "don't drink that," etc.  Edie has already pulled off all the tops to the marigolds we planted last week and keeps trying to uproot the peas as well.  Yesterday she started to take a swig of my corona when we were out gardening - I feel like Vera respected when I said beer/coffee was for mommies and daddies only.  Maybe I'm remembering wrong?

Her favorite books are Goodnight Moon and Duck in a Truck (she loooves to point out how dirty the frog is at the end).  She loves Signing Time of course - I really need to get a video of it soon. Some favorites are grow, tree, racoon, owl, bear, airplane, ice cream... 

She loves to be outside, like most little ones.  Loves the sandbox, loves Eloise, loves Boone, loves to feed them, likes to go for walks, loves to go down the little slide at the park by herself.  Sleep is normal - she takes a 1-1.5 hour nap in the afternoon, goes to bed around 7:00 and sleeps till 6:00-7:00.  She really started sleeping all the way through consistently once I weaned her about a month ago.  Well, except while we were in Seattle - traveling and also her bottom 2 molars broke through - ouch.

Anyway, loving our little kona coffee bean [daddy's nickname for her] to pieces :)

♥ ♥ ♥

*Seattle - last one I promise

Just want to document the rest of our trip.  We got to spend some good time with Julie and her two little ones - it was so much fun.  I wish we could live around the corner from them and get to hang out + walk to coffee/icecream/donuts all the time!  

silly faces:

hanging out on their awesome porch:

Queen Anne is so awesome, so walkable... sigh.

I love these friends of mine:

Having some soup in Ballard with Tamara.  This was really the only rainy day our whole trip - a bummer because I've never seen Ballard and was looking forward to walking around. We still had a sweet time just catching up and being together.  Note Edie's cream cheese moustache :)

I feel so grateful that we were able to take this trip and that we got to spend so much quality time with these friends and George's family!  Next time maybe we'll have more time and be a little more flexible with naps/sleep and be able to see even more friends :)  and go to the zoo - every time we've tried to plan that it's been too rainy.

*Easter dresses

Whew - I had a hard time getting a picture of these two in their matching Easter dresses!  I also should have taken the pictures before church when they were nicely pressed and we weren't starving for Easter Brunch. 

I was really pleased with the dresses - the girls looked so sweet.  My mom made Vera's and I made Edie's.  Hers was a really easy $5 pattern from ManiMina on etsy and only took a few hours to make.

The cousins.  Tyler was born my senior year of high school, Jamesen my senior year of college and Marie a week after Ben and I got married.  Look how big they are now - makes me feel old!  I love these kids so much.

We love her funny little smile  :)

*Seattle: parte dos

For some reason my computer will only download the first half of my pictures from my camera... I'm worried - there are a lot on there!  Here's some I did get:

This was our first night and Vera's first [successful] sleep over.  I can't tell you how enormous her smile was here - she was beaming.  Earlier, George had given her a marshmallow peep and warned her that she wouldn't be able to keep from smiling.  When I commented on her huge smile here she exclaimed, "It's because of the Peep!!!"  She then talked non-stop for the next half hour or so to her cousins, "and guess what? and you know what? ..." It was pretty sweet. Jamesen and Marie were so sweet, generous and patient with her - really wonderful.

At the neighborhood Easter egg hunt:

Edie spent a good while at the egg hunt down here by the water throwing pebbles:

The weather was incredible.  Both days we sat out on the front yard and just hung out or read.  

Tyler is the best big cousin ever:

Edie loved him, "Hi Tie-ta!"

such great girls:

Mexican Train:

*Seattle

I can't find my camera cord to get all the pictures from our trip to Seattle, but I wanted to post something! We had a really amazing time up there this year. The forecast had said it would be rainy and cold, but we were treated with some pretty beautiful weather. We stayed with my brother George and his family except for one *spontaneous* night where we stayed with Julie. Here's a few pictures I got with my phone:

Out in the city with Tamara:

Putting on a show for the cousins.  They kept handing her markers and she would make the funniest face trying to get the cap off:

Tuckered out.  She didn't sleep through night once and usually woke up extremely early.  Like 4:00-5:00 early.  Naps were ok if we were home to take them...

Marie did all her "required reading" with Vera.  Very sweet:

Beautiful Easter Sunday:

Eva's front yard.  It was fun to see how these two have grown into big little girls.  They got along really well!

 

Julie [Eva's and Kate's mom] and I:

*por la mañana

Mornings with little ones is fun - all the snuggles, wrestling on the bed, jumping on the still sleeping parent, hiding under the covers... We've been pretty lucky - until recently Edie would get up around 7:30 and I usually have to wake Vera around 8:00.  This last week, Edie has been waking up at about 6:00 which isn't as fun - especially since I have been so bad about getting to bed early myself!  She's so cute though in the morning - we usually watch some Baby Signing Time together while I have mate and then she putzes around while I empty the dishwasher or straighten up a bit.  By 8:00 we are ready for the rest of the family to be up :)  [I will say Ben is awesome about sometimes getting up with her and letting me sleep some more, then trading off so he can get another hour or so too]

The other morning here she had a little plan: took all the cups to her little kitchen, filled them at the pretend sink, lined them up on the tray and then served Vera and Daddy in their sleep.

*

Edie took the baby doll out for her first walk down the block yesterday. It's funny how you do things differently with the second - Vera and I used to do this all the time!  Anyway, Edie thought it was a fantastic idea.  She immediately turned right up Tia's walk which was cute.  She also picked a few lavender leaves for the baby to smell - she must associate that with her walks with me :)

She also had two wittle pigtails for the first time ♥