Holiday Brunch

This year we decided to start a new holiday tradition...hosting a brunch for our friends in the neighborhood. After much planning and organizing, it turned out wonderful.

Here is Gandalf getting comfortable the night before....YES! That is where the bagels go. But don't worry, we turned over the purple napkin before we put the bagels in :)



Here is the food all ready the next morning. The blueberry blintz souffle was the big hit (thanks for the idea MOM, its making a come back).




From left to right - Laura's latkes, ham and cheese mini frittatas, blueberry blintz souffle and Hillary's cinnamon rolls. (not shown - Mimosas!)

Not to be outdone, Lavi put on her own show. Here is Robyn working her training magic.



She is our own red-nosed reindeer.



We love hosting brunch because it is informal and it allows you to enjoy the rest of the day.

One more picture of the group.


Left to right - Matt, Robyn, Hillary, Bumper, Susan, Doug, Laura, Marv, Suzanne and Rex.

We are very lucky to have such a great group of people in the neighborhood. Especially since Lavi is friends with all of their dogs - 7 to be exact.

Gandalf goodies

He is about 6 months now and he is a hoot. Here are some gems.

Playing...





Sleeping...







Pooping is the other thing he does but you probably don't need a picture of that :)

On the first night of Hannukah...

...my parents gave to me



Yes, a New Jersey Devils snuggie :)

What's been going on

I did not realize it has been so long since I updated the blog...sorry to all my loyal followers..all 3 of you :)

I have been working a few days a week on the Oregon state H1N1 hotline helping the nice people of this state locate vaccinations - when available. Most people are very nice and appreciative but there are always a few exception who can ruin your day. I am also working on my holiday cards and will post them once they have gone out in the mail.

Matt is doing better and getting stronger. He even helped out our friends Bumper and Hillary lay some ceramic tile in their new bathroom. Here he is with Bumper showing off their handy work.



Little Gandalf is growing so fast. He is an active teenager right now and we have been forced to pull out the squirt bottle. He never knows what hits him. Here he is "nursing" on his favorite green blanket. Anytime we sit with this blanket, he is up in our lap purring and and sucking the blanket. Weird but cute.



Lavi is still the best big sis ever, even with the little guy chewing on her jowls.



One last thing - YEAH MARTY BRODEUR! and his 103 shutout tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, which ties him for the most ever. It was very nerve wracking. You can't imagine how slow the clock goes during the last 5 minutes of the game.

Quick video of the kids

A few gems

Gandalf's love obsession with Lavi is still ongoing. Here he is in Lavi's arms purring. She gets bored quickly.



Lately we have been wondering where Gandalf goes to settle down. We sometimes see him coming out of the bedroom area. Here is where I found him this morning - hanging out in the closet in the sweater cube.



He is really a fun, easy going kitty. Last night I found him climbing the shower curtain. By the time I got him, he was above my head! He doesn't really favor one of us and shares the love equally. I am glad Matt was home for the first month with him.

Another Happy Halloween - 09

Lavi sportin' her Poochahoundas costume with pride! (until the end of the night when she was over it)





Gandalf wore several costumes...some more successful than others. Bumblee Gee was a bit small - maybe next year.

Here's G $MONEY$



And to go along with Poochahoundas - CHIEF G!



We also took the time to dress up for a dinner party. I was a vampire hunter recently returned from battle. Matt was the Grim Reaper!



Here's Matt with our friend, Bumper, dressed as "Static Cling"



Bumper and Hillary!



Another good Halloween in the books...

Gandalf loves Lavi

If Little G could, he would proclaim his love for his sister, Lavi. He chooses to sit with her just as much as he sits with us. It is very cute. Lavi would never go and sit with him but she is tolerant of him being with her.

Namir's legacy lives on

Namir's Catain Jack Sparrow photo was picked as the winner of the Moxie Fab World Fashion Show for Fido!! It was fitting since he was very much like a dog!



Still pondering what Gandalf is going to wear (or if he will have the patience to wear a costume) this year. Lavi's costume is coming together....

Gandalf latest and greatest

He is still so small.



He loves chasing his tail and Lavi's.



He's a fan of Family Guy...but then who isn't?



Lavi has become a very good babysitter, except when she tries to flatten him like a pancake.



And what a personality...

This is is favorite spot...right next to daddy!!

Making friends.



Comfy in daddy's hood.



Fast as lightening!

Gandalf day 3

Closeup of the G-man.



Here's a picture of Lavi and Gandalf when they first met. He is so tiny.



And after only a little more than a day, the two actually sat between my legs . That was until Gandalf started purring and Lavi freaked out and jumped down.

Kitty update

Will post some new pics later...

We had an eventful evening with our little toilet diver. Yes, the little guy decided to jump into the toilet while Matt was going - midstream. It was hilarious. Not even 2 hours later, he managed to jump back into the toilet just as I was about to sit down! This little sucker is fast!! We think he loves water but we know he is not scared of anything!!

More later....

G-man working on his core muscles

IT'S A BOY!

After a week of waiting (I can't imagine 9 months), Gandalf finally came home.





He is a pistol, just ask Lavi. The original plan was to introduce them slowly, but after a few hours of switching them out of their rooms for playtime (Lavi-bedroom, Gandalf-bathroom), Matt was over it and decided to let them figure it out.
The little guy is very interested in Lavi and looks all over for her. When he finds her (usually behind one of us), he poofs up and jumps at her sideways. He growls a little and has hissed once or twice. Lavi just runs the other way. We are hoping that over time, the novelty will wear off. We'll let you know.

So far, our most commonly phrases are - "Is it nap time yet" and "He just farted again".



He really is an active boy that has already tried to climb every possible thing in this house. He really is not scared of anything.



But when he does sleep, he's out. Ahhh- we love nap time :)



I'll post some videos later.

6 days and counting...

Here's a sneak peek....

Petey book

Here is my latest minibook. I made this for Grandma Robyn and Grandpa Paul. They mentioned that he was growing so fast and now looks totally different. This is for them to remember how little he was that first weekend.







He was just so darn cute :)

Beach retreat and Pig'n'Fords

Things have been kind of hectic around here. You know looking for a job and all but also with a husband home sick from work for over a week now. Poor guy.

Here is a very delayed post of a weekend we spent at the coast and the Pig'n'Fords races at the Tillamook County Fair.

Of course Lavi's favorite things to do are run around like a nut and then dig a hole and sit in it.





Here is Matt and Lavi in front of the arches.



Lavi also had a great time playing with her buddy Roxie. It is still necessary for Roxie to be on leash at the beach (this is after a mile-long chase she led Doug and Susan on several months ago).



This is payback time. At home Roxie likes to play around and jump on Lavi and she jumps in our laps or the bench to get away. But at the beach Lavi knows her speed and that Roxie is still on leash so she can taunt her (much to Susan's shoulder's dismay).





Here are the two girls in front of the arches.



Another great thing about going to the coast is hanging out watching the sun go down. Lavi holding court with her buddy Doug.



And the two girls just chilling' after a long day at the beach.



We were lucky enough to coincide this trip with the Tillamook County Fair and the "World Championship" Pig'n'Fords races. Here's the rundown... The fords are old Model T's that were used on the farms. Many years ago they thought it would be a good idea to race the cars around the track while holding greased up piglets. Now a days the pigs are not as greased up as they use to be (darn Humane Society). The drivers must pick up a pig, crank start their car and drive around the track. Then they shut off the car, replace the pig with another one and start their car again. They do this three times. It was very entertaining but once you've seen it once, that is probably enough.

Here is one of the drivers coming around the track with a pig in his arms.



Me and Susan soaking in the culture.



While we were at the fair, I was looking for possible career change options. Here is one :)