Happy Birthday Kurt!

Kurt's birthday was on Sunday.  Hattie and I surprised him with Mariners tickets for Saturday night!  The M's are Kurt's all time favorite team and we hadn't made it to a game yet this year.  I knew we couldn't leave Seattle without Kurt seeing them one more time and Hattie for the first time!

Hattie was too cute while walking in to the ballpark and to our seats.  I had her in the Bjorn; she was kicking her legs, flapping her arms, smiling and laughing.  She enjoyed the bustling crowd, new sights and sounds.  One thing about having a baby- you have to get used to strangers talking to you.  We had several park employees speak to us as well as other spectators.  One lady even sat down on the stairs next to me (we were on the aisle) just to say what a cute baby I had!  We also went to guest services (at the suggestion of an employee) and got a Hattie a first Mariner's game certificate!  How cute! 

Even though the Mariners lost, it was lots of fun!  We made it through 6 innings before heading home.  Hattie was happy for most of it.  She was startled by the sudden clapping and cheering of the crowd and had to get used to it.  But overall it was a successful outing.  We'll miss (major league) baseball games!


The birthday boy!

 It was a little sunny when we arrived.

Me and Hattie in our cool hats!

Thankfully the sun moves:

 

Outside the ballpark:

Felix!

Happy Birthday Kurt!  33 promises to be an exciting year. Hattie and I are so lucky to have you!  We love you so much!

Gasworks Park

Before we leave the Seattle area, we wanted to take Hattie to some of our favorite places!  I had never been to Gasworks Park before moving to Seattle, despite growing up in Western Washington.  It's such a unique place, has a great view, and I love it!  Not only was this Hattie's first time going, but they also had the gates open so you could go in and wander around the gasworks.  I have never done this before!  I didn't know the gates were ever open to the public.  It was awesome!

Entering the park:

View of the city!  Also, how cute is Hattie riding on Kurt's shoulders?

Other side:

Inside the fence!

Elliott was here!

 

View from the hill:

And it's a great place to fly kites!

We also stopped by Red Mill for lunch!  We'll definitely have to go again when Hattie can actually eat.  This is my favorite burger place!

We're Moving!

To Utah! 

In two weeks. 

We have a lot to do.

Kurt was accepted to Weber State University in Ogden, UT and will be getting his masters in teaching. (The only drawback to attending Weber?  The school's acronym is WSU.  Very unfortunate.) He doesn't start until January, but we decided to move sooner rather than later so we can begin getting residency and eventually pay less in tuition.  The plan is he'll teach high school French!  And hopefully coach some baseball too.  We are extremely excited for this opportunity and I can't wait for Kurt to start the journey to a new career!   

I'm  also excited to live near the Roths!  My sister Megan and I haven't lived in the same state for several years now.  And when we did we were in very different places.  I was 13 when Megan graduated high school and left home.  We have grown much closer over the past few years and have much more in common; we're both married and have little girls.  Hattie and Olivia are only 8 months apart.  I'm so excited that Hattie has cousins her age! 

Also, Sarah Hammond...err...Fletcher!  My best friend and housemate from college.  She and David live in Salt Lake, about 45 minutes south of Ogden.  And I'll be much closer to my grandparents!  Hopefully we'll be able to visit them often. 

I'm also excited to explore a new state.  I've never been to Arches, Zion, or any other national park in Utah.  That's all I've got off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are many more things for me to explore :)

But moving is bittersweet.

Kurt and I have both lived in the Pacific Northwest our entire lives.  It's the only place we've ever called home.  Our families, friends, everything we're familiar with is right here.  I'll miss the ocean, the trees, the mild weather, the culture, but most of all the people!  It's so hard leaving those we love; we will miss them tremendously.  And they will miss Hattie :) 

I will also miss my job!  Even though I didn't want to go back to work, I'm glad I did.  I work in a great office with wonderful people!  Since going back to work, I can't tell you how excited I am at the end of the day when I get to come home to my beautiful, wonderful baby girl.  As they say, separation makes the heart grow fonder, and this has definitely been the case. Someday when I am able to be a stay at home mom I know because of this experience I'll appreciate it so much more.

I'll miss my ward!  Kurt and I have loved being in the Bothell Stake.  I feel like it was within this ward that Kurt and I grew into a family.  When we moved to Bothell Kurt and I had only been married 11 months.  We've now been married 3.5 years and have a child!  I've learned much about being a wife, mother, and how to be an adult in family ward (it's much different than being a kid in a family ward!).  I've learned from my callings in Relief Society and Primary- from the callings themselves and from those I've worked with.

I've grown up here.  From infant to child to adolescent to adult.  A young adult anyways.  Washington is a part of me and it's scary leaving.  Especially when we don't quite have everything worked out.  Kurt still needs a job, we need our apartment here to be rented out, and we'll need a place to live in Utah (we're staying with friends initially).  But I trust in the Lord.  So it's with a leap of faith that we leave home and embark on a new adventure.    

7 month pictures!

Smile!

 

 

Looking at the octopus

Neck rolls!

 

Scrunchy face!!!

Looking at her toes

Big smile!

Close up!

Sad face!

Fun fact:  If you put something on Hattie's head she just sits/lays there completely frozen for a few seconds.  See how this one isn't blurry?

Gosh I love this girl!

7 Months!

Hattie is super smiley!  All you have to do is look at her and she'll smile.  It's adorable.  She now does a scrunchy face which is equally adorable.  She continues to grow and become more mobile.  She's wearing a combo of 6 and 9 month clothes!  She started army crawling and can get up on her hands and knees for a few seconds.  She can also get herself into sitting position.  The first time I saw it I clapped and cheered and Hattie smiled and laughed.  She can sit for a long time and enjoys standing.  Hattie has tried more foods including carrots, peas, watermelon, broccoli, and apples.  Bananas and apples are the only things she really likes so far!  She can eat half a banana in one sitting.  Hattie now takes naps in her crib instead of her bassinet.  She's too big for it and started trying to crawl out upon waking up!  She also sat in the cart at the grocery store for the first time!  She's still a bit small and I ended up putting my bag behind her for support, but it went ok.  And I could definitely fit more groceries in my cart!  Other firsts (already documented) include: teeth (two in the front on the bottom), playing with the spring door stopper thing. 

At the grocery store:

 

 

Chilling on the floor, waiting to go outside:

 Scaring mom...don't fall out of the bassinet!  If you can't tell, she's on her hands and feet.

Getting big!!!  Look how long she is!

 

 

 

And here's an example of how smiley she is!  All I have to do is get her attention.

 



Mondays with Moppy

Hattie spent today with Grandma Cally (Moppy).  They had lots of fun together!

Hattie tried out a new hair do:

 

 

And worked out her little legs!

 



Look what Hattie found!

Art

Recently I've been doing art.  I'm kind of surprised with myself, but I've been enjoying it.  Nothing fancy whatsoever, just cheesy things that I either think up or see on the internet and want to try.  It also makes TV time seem a lot more productive. 

This idea is from Pinterest.  Pop art based off your own photos!  Here's the website if you want to know how it's done.  Kurt's is my favorite!  Hattie looks like she has an illness.

 

 

 

 

I say the quote on this next one to Hattie on occasion. It's stolen from Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. The actual quote is:

 

I will eat them here and there.

Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE! 

 

I do so like

green eggs and ham!

Thank you!

Thank you,

Sam-I-am!

 

 

 

And here's my Seuss-y drawing and quote!

 





Ballard Locks

Kurt had the wonderful idea of taking Hattie to see the Ballard Locks on Saturday.  The locks connect Lakes Washington and Union to the Puget Sound allowing boats to go through.  They keep the salt and fresh water separate and also help to maintain the water level of Lake Washington.  The lake must stay within a 2 foot range or else it will be bad news for the floating bridges. 

It's fun to watch the boats go through and also to see the fish ladder!  Lots of salmon were climbing- apparently it's peak season for viewing the fish. 

At the locks

Viewing the fish ladder underground:

Not sure what to think...

Big fish!

Then we took a little walk down toward the bridge:

And finally we had to stop for pictures with some of Seattle's weird sculptures.  I happen to like these ones though!

Hattie was fascinated.

Hattie was amazing for the entire trip!  She was totally hamming it up for strangers.  She would smile at people and if they smiled back she would laugh and/or flap her arms in excitement.  She's an adventurous little lady- enjoys seeing new sights!