To the Beach!

A few weeks ago we drove out to Long Beach, Washington to stay in Andy & Heidi's beach house. We'd heard so much about this special place and our weekend lived up to the hype. I want to go back right now!! We ate well, played well, relaxed well, and all-in-all had a wonderful weekend with our great friends.




Who knew that Cape Disappointment would be so exciting??










Despite Mathilde's two splinters and my lack of a first-aid kit, we all LOVED the beach and can't wait to go back. Yet another reason we love being back home in Seattle. Thanks Andy & Heidi!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Ummmm, where did June go?? I swear I just posted on here but look at that, I missed an entire month! Sorry about that! I will post one picture here that captures the June/father's day spirit:


Yes, Mathilde has her own golf set and that's her and JJ practicing on our deck. Yes, she's very good, and yes, she's a righty (despite both of her parents being lefties. Where did we go wrong?!)

As for this chilly 4th of July weekend, we enjoyed much downtime in our cozy home and tried very hard not to be depressed that the sun seems to have forgotten us over here in the Northwest.

Here are JJ & Mathilde (aka dada's little shadow) cooking up a storm:


And then proudly waving her flag - Yep, it's a Danish one but it's the best we could do!




A patriotic sandwich:


And finally having fun with cousin Will while JJ and Daddy Will grilled in the rain and Susi and I sipped mojitos. Happy 4th everyone!!

Mormor and Pop-pop are here!

Sadly, they're gone back home to Maine already, but we just spent two wonderful weeks with my mom and dad (aka Mormor and Pop-pop) here in drizzly, gray Seattle! I love seeing my parents, JJ has fun with his in-laws, and Mathilde ADORES her grandparents. She had so much fun these past two weeks, I am nervous about sending her back to day care tomorrow. What is she going to do without Mormor's oatmeal or a trip on the #11 bus to the aquarium? What are my parents going to do without their #1 fan?? Seriously, it's going to be a tough transition back to "normal" life. But pictures help and here are some from our fabulous two weeks together...

Mathilde being her cute, stylish self:







Riding on boats (on a ferry to San Juan Island & napping on the whale watch - we saw humpbacks!!):




We saw lots of wildlife on San Juan Island including these adorable alpacas:




And we saw some beautiful, fun outside art by some local artists (Mathilde was less than thrilled but is always happy to come along for the ride in someone's arms):




Mathilde and I are very happy to announce that we finally have matching shirts (note: it's ok to wear tourist t-shirts from a local destination for mommy-daughter matching purposes!!)


A few days before Mormor & Pop-pop arrived, we celebrated mother's day in a local japanese gardens and with a bbq on our new deck. I meant to post these few pics earlier but we've been busy!





I am one lucky mama!!

Happy Memorial Weekend everyone!!

Lazy Sunday

Scene: Cool, windy outside; cozy family inside. Mama folding laundry and paying bills. Babe and dada cuddling on the couch watching "Free Willy". Chili crocking in the pot and life is good, very very good.



End scene (for now).

Oh, one more thing. Here's a Guajardo deck update:
The contractors will be here tomorrow to finish our deck! JJ built a gorgeous planter all by himself this weekend (sans plans) so that we can grow our own vegetable/herb garden. I am so proud. Now if only Mother Nature would give us some sunshine...

Our deck is almost done!!

For those of you following the Guajardo family deck project, here are a few pictures of our almost finished addition to our house:




It's beautiful and better than we imagined!! We are so happy and can't wait to have you all over to celebrate once the deck is done!

"No, MY do it!"

We've hit the age where Mathilde very much wants to do things herself. Me: Can I pick out a cute outfit for you to wear today, sweetheart? Mathilde: NO, MY do it!

To curb this daily drama, we've started having Mathilde pick out her own outfits the night before so mornings are less rough. Our lives are much calmer now but you should see some of my daughter's awesome style! (Yes, I use the word "awesome" loosely, but no, there is nothing cuter than a two year old that has dressed herself.) Here are the pictures of Mathilde's do-it-herself outfits from this weekend:

Saturday = silly fleece hat was a must and really brings the outfit together.


Sunday = ummm no, she could not be wearing more pink!


You might think from these photos that 1) we let Mathilde drink too much juice and 2) we never do dishes, but here's the real story: Mathilde is also insistent about drinking from the same cup every morning and going through the very same routine. So I wash this pink cup often. As for the juice, she gets watered down oj every morning and then water or milk the rest of the day. Well, she also gets the same watered down oj (in the same pink cup) after school but that's purely a parent defense move so that she does not have a breakdown during the "witching hour". Me: You've got to pick your battles!

Sharing the season with friends

I love spring!! It's always been my favorite season for so many reasons, and one being that it invites outside playtime with friends and family. We have been embracing the sun as much as possible lately and soaking in the Pacific Northwest. I still can't believe we've been back in Seattle almost a whole year now and that warrants much reflection... Unfortunately, I am tired (in a good way) after a long, wonderful weekend and I can't reflect much now. But I wanted to post some photos since we've been busy and they tell stories all by themselves. Enjoy!

Here we are enjoying a spontaneous picnic on UW's quad under the gorgeous cherry blossoms with Erika, Jason, Felix & Annie (that's a long sentence). So fun and beautiful!






And my little girl just hanging out on campus. She's getting so big but not quite that big yet, thank goodness!


Also on campus: we give thumbs up to recycling! I have to send this one to my boss!


Last night we had an Americans-in-Denmark-back-in-Seattle reunion with Heidi, Andy, Heidi, Scott, Audrey, Bruce & Sharon. So fun & hyggelit!!










Today: HAPPY EASTER!! We invited Mathilde's friend Alice over for a little egg hunt in our backyard today. The girls had lots of fun together and embraced the egg hunt to the fullest. We enjoyed the yummy yummy brunch with friends too. (Soon our yard will be all "decked out" but that's another story!)




A farewell photo to start off another school/work week. Happy spring everyone, thanks for reading!