The One With the Seattle Trip Recap

Well, it all started a couple of weeks ago when Ellie said, "Can we pack our suitcase and go to a hotel?" That girl has a little wandering spirit just like I do. And I'd like to nurture it.

The last several months have been rough around here - lots of good, lots of bad, lots of busy. And then Steve took his belated paternity leave and was sick with strep throat a good portion of the time. It just seemed like maybe it would be good to get a weekend away, just our family, on a little adventure. So we cashed in some of Steve's Marriott Rewards points and booked one night in Seattle. We ditched our chores and left the lawn unmowed (sorry neighbors!), got our traditional Starbucks and hit the road.

The drive up was a little long because of traffic, but Olivia kept it light by singing her rendition of the little monkeys song, "Little monkeys jumping on the street. One fell off and bumped his feet. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said no more monkeys jumping on the street."

We made it to our hotel in the early afternoon and loaded up all the babies in a not-at-all-ridiculous-looking train of strollers and checked in. Ellie was really looking forward to the hotel room, but with the promise of adventure we were able to lure her away and into the beautiful Seattle spring day. We headed to Pike Place Market and just strolled around. It was a little crazy because everyone was waiting for the fish throwing, but we made it through and bought a little painting of the Seattle skyline for our collection. We actually ran into an old UP friend in the market (small world!) and she had just come from ice cream, which the girls had been asking for, so she pointed us in the right direction and we took a little break at Cupcake Royale. Ellie requested pink ice cream, so she got strawberry, and Olivia wanted chocolate (girl after my own heart). Steve and I split a scoop of the Orange Hibiscus Sherbert and Washington Hazelnut Brittle with Salted Ganache. Deliciousness. I would highly recommend it if you're headed that way.

While sharing our ice cream we decided to pick up some pizza on the way back and eat it in the hotel while watching TV, as this would make the girls very happy. We looked up Italian Family Pizza and spent far too much time discussing the geometry and economics of two smalls versus one large pizza. We eventually decided to go with the large and set off in the direction of prize. When I arrived to pick up our order, the chef, a real New Jersey pizza chef who runs the restaurant and makes all the pizzas with his wife, opened the oven to reveal a gigantic pizza. Yeah, we hadn't really taken that 2 foot diameter into consideration. When it was fully cooked, our pizza was placed in the largest pizza box I've ever seen and we had to trek the rest of the way to the hotel with it. Along the way we received multiple offers for assistance with our outrageous pizza. People called out from passing cars asking where we got the pizza, where the party was, etc. Basically, our pizza got cat calls. And it was worthy of them. It was delicious.

After dinner while watching TV (a very special treat), we got the kids ready for bed. Ellie got to sleep in a big girl bed, which was a tiny little bed that pulled out of a chair. She was too excited to sleep and we had to redirect her to her bed several times. The bed was so narrow that she actually fell off many times during the night and had to sleepily climb back in. Despite this, she still told us, "It is fun sleeping in my big girl bed that is a chair." Oh honey, I also have an affinity for beds that pull out of seating furniture.

On Sunday, we went to mass at St. James Cathedral, which was full of the nicest people. It's a beautiful church. After mass we went to see the Space Needle and then headed to the Boeing Museum of Flight. I had been there when I was in Jr. High and loved it. Since Steve and I share a love for airplanes, I've always wanted to take him there. It turned out to be just as cool as I remembered and the girls loved it, too. They rode in airplanes and checked out models of the International Space Station. We toured a retired Air Force One, one of the planes used by JFK, Johnson, and Carter. It's very cool. And we went on a Concord Jet. Let me tell you, those things were built for speed, not comfort.

We all enjoy museums so much. And explorations of any kind. Olivia has asked every day since then if we can go to the museum and see airplanes. And Ellie keeps asking if we can get her blankie and get in the car to go to an adventure. I do love those two.

It was a pretty perfect weekend getaway. The best combination of adventure and down time. The kids were all well behaved and funny and the food was delicious. Steve and I kept looking at each other and saying, "We have a great life." And we do.

The One With Garrett Kent Rall

My sister-in-law, Annette, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy one week ago today. Garrett Kent Rall was born on May 8, 2013 at 9:32 pm, weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. His dad, Ethan, is deployed in Afghanistan right now, but he was able to see the whole thing via Skype. Also, he's the tiniest baby I've ever held.

He's exactly seven weeks younger than Henry - which I think will be pretty fun when they are older. Right now, of course, it seems like such a huge difference! Henry all of a sudden looks ginormous compared to a brand new tiny one. 

Annette showing Ethan his son. 

 Carly meeting her baby brother.

Congratulations Annette, Ethan, and Carly! He's wonderful!

The One With Annette and Carly

My sister-in-law, Annette, had a baby boy a week ago. And my other sister-in-law, Emily, is having another baby boy in August. There will be three new Waters boys this summer! I think that will be fun!

A few weeks ago Annette asked me to take some pictures of her and her daughter, Carly, before her baby shower. She's just about the tiniest pregnant woman ever, so believe it or not, she was 34 weeks when I took these!

We went to visit her in the hospital when her son was born and were there when Carly met her baby brother for the first time. It was very sweet. I'll share pictures of that tomorrow! (Two posts in one week? What???)

The One Where Henry is One Month Old

Henry is already one month old. As crazy as it seems that a month has already flown by, it is also difficult to remember what it was like with just two girls. It makes me think of a song lyric, “I’ve loved you for so long I can hardly remember what it was like without you here.”

Henry is the perfect addition to our little family. He is pretty calm and patient so far. This is good because Ellie and Olivia haven’t been too keen on giving up any of the attention they require. That being said, they just love him to death. Ellie likes to come in and check on him first thing every morning and says lots of things like, “Oh hi Henry. Did you have a good sleep? Do you need your mommy?” She says this all in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. She also likes to call him “Little Cheek.” I don’t know where that nickname came from. When she first said it I thought it was just one of those nicknames you try out and then abandon when you realize it doesn’t quite work. But she’s stuck to it.

Olivia is always asking him if he needs some milk. And sneezing in his face. Because they insist on being thisclose to his face at all times. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to mind too much.

And he’s already sleeping through the night in his room. Which is very nice for mommy and daddy. And probably Ellie and Olivia because we are much nicer people as a result. I hope this lasts.

Things I enjoy about having him around include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Calling him, “My son.” It feels so different. And important.

2. Thinking of the name Henry Campbell. It just seems so regal. And maybe just a size too big on such a little guy. But he seems like the perfect type to grow into it. I should suggest it to Will and Kate. It would be a great name for a little prince.

3. Almost being able to see him grow. It is just crazy how much they grow in these first few months.

4. Imagining what he is going to be like throughout various stages of his life. He seems like he is going to be very cute and quite dapper. One of the wonderful things about having other kids, is that it makes me excited for all the things I didn’t really know about the first time around. I get excited to see what funny way he will try to crawl. Or imagine how his voice will sound. Will he have a little belly? Will he love to eat? Will he laugh all the time? Will he be thoughtful and collected?

5. Kissing his face and seeing him get all surprised since he can’t really see it coming.

6. Reading him stories. He really likes to listen to me read to the girls. Which is good because it is a good family activity everyone can enjoy. And we like books around here quite a bit.

7. Wrapping him up in the Moby and adventuring all over. I’m glad I discovered baby wearing with Olivia. It means I don’t have to be trapped in the house for 6 months with a baby that can’t do much. He’s already been to a few food carts. And to Target about 30 times.

8. Seeing Steve with him. I’ve got my girls and I love them to death. And so it is fun for me to see Steve have his little boy. He is so excited. And content. They just love each other.

Dear Henry,

It's been so wonderful to have you here. You're just perfect in every way and we all love you so much. We've had fun introducing you to everyone this past month.

I love to snuggle you in the middle of the night and feel your soft body pressed against me. I love to smell your new baby smell and kiss your tiny lips. I love your fingers curled around mine. And I love to see you cuddled up with your dad. He is just so happy to have you around.

I'm excited for the months ahead, baby boy. To watch you grow and learn and become the amazing person you're going to be. I'm happy to be your mama.

I love you forever.

The One With the Girls and the Cherry Blossoms

I love it when Portland starts to bloom. I'm obsessed with the pink and white cherry blossom trees all over this city. The obsession began back in college. Whenever we came back from Spring Break we returned to a campus in full bloom, the quad covered in the "snow" of cherry blossom petals. It looks just as romantic and wonderful as it sounds and so I make a point of going back to my alma mater every spring to see it. (Admittedly, it's like a few blocks away... but still... it's a treat to see how pretty it is.)

So naturally I had to take the kiddos there to take some pictures.

The girls weren't actually very in to having their pictures taken. They much preferred to run around in the fields and play in the petals.

Pretty girls. Pretty pink trees. Pretty wonderful world. 

The One With Henry Campbell Waters

O hello.

We have a new little snuggle bug in our family.
Henry Campbell Waters was born March 20, 2013 at 5:46 pm, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long.

He's the sweetest little boy and absolute perfection as far as babies go. He's eating and sleeping like a pro... letting us sleep through the night and enjoy plenty of company all day. He's really wonderful.

I didn't know how I'd feel about having a boy. I've been enjoying living in a very pink world with my two sweet girls. But this handsome guy won me over in no time. I'm helplessly in love with him.
And his big sisters are big fans, too.

They are always trying to hold him and help with him and informing me quite often of his needs. If he gets a little fussy Ellie asks him, "Do you need your mama?" Usually that is just about the only thing he needs.

Also, look how cute:

I love them all so much. And I'm very, very grateful.

The One With the Double Chocolate Silk Pie

For Olivia's birthday brunch, pie seemed more appropriate than cake. Although I also made her a cake for the sake of cuteness and blowing out the candles. But this pie is so good I couldn't resist making it. It's adapted from a Mrs. Fields recipe, so you know it's good. And by adapted, I mean I opted to bake the crust, which seems like a pretty good idea.

This is a great pie to make up to a few days ahead of time so you have less to do at the time of the event.

 

Double Chocolate Silk Pie

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush chocolate wafers to crumbs (I like to use Famous Chocolate Wafer cookies, found in the cookie aisle of most grocery stores). In a small bowl, pour the butter over the crumbs and use a fork to mix until all the crumbs are moist. Press firmly into a glass pie plate, beginning in the center and working in a circular pattern towards the edges. Bake for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool.

Filling

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Chocolate bar for chocolate shavings
• Whipped cream for garnish

Place your chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a double boiler, scald the cream (heat until bubbles just begin to form around the outside edges and a thin film has covered the top). Stir in the sugar and salt. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Pour about a 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the yolks to warm them. Transfer the warmed yolks to the double boiler with the remaining cream and cook over simmering water, whisking constantly, until the custard just begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, about 5-8 minutes. (I like to err on the side of cooking the custard just a bit longer and making it thicker, rather than run the risk of it not setting up.) Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until chocolate melts and the custard is smooth.

Pour the custard filling into the pie crust. Cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place plastic wrap on top of the pie and gently press into the filling to keep it from developing a crusty film. Place pie in refrigerator and chill overnight to set. Or, if you are in a rush, you can freeze the pie for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, removing about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Use a vegetable peeler to shave off chocolate scrolls from a chocolate bar at room temperature. Sprinkle over pie just before serving and garnish with whipped cream.

This pie is seriously so good.  And it keeps well, too. So go ahead and make a double batch so you have some on hand for guests. And don't be intimidated by all that double-boiler and custard stuff. It is really pretty straightforward and much easier than it sounds. And it sounds very impressive when all your friends ooh and aah over your delicious pie. Because it's just that. Delicious.