whoa. where did the year go?

i can't believe it has been almost a year since i last blogged. scary, really scary how time is flying by! so much has been going on. where do i begin? the beginning of the year is a blur. literally. as per every year i am awaiting the summer or even better my anticipated trips to california, which usually happen right around spring time. march was the time for us to head south and blow this wet town for some needed family time and sun. ahhhhh, my two favorite things {why am i not living in ca you ask? good question!} sadly while in ca aunt hope passed away. this was just the beginning of a year full of emotion!!



maya got to meet many family members for the first time. i got to see family who i adore again. we just never get together enough. and we got to spend time with jameson. lets see, what else? in may i started training for my first sprint triathlon. i was approached by a friend of mine to join her and i just don't say no to athletic challenges. plus i could certainly use the workout program. the triathlon date sept. 4th!! the pierce's, van gelder's, and ready's all went on vacation together for the first time to park city, ut. we drove from wa to ut passing through oregon and idaho. first family road trip for the ready's. i would do it again in a heart beat. i understand the convenience of the plane, but to see the beauty of our land and enjoy the simplicity of traveling in a car {even with a toddler} is so much more relaxing. it really is, you should try it sometime. while in utah i visited a family genealogy place that set in motion kenny's new obsession. genealogy and family history. it is so amazing. like a mystery to be solved. i am totally thankful for it though. there have been too many times where i wondered where i came from, and what is MY family's history. questions that i never knew to ask. questions we think of when the people can answer them are no longer with us! such cool stuff. so if you are reading this and feel like you can help with our family history mystery please let us know. we welcome anything you feel the need to offer!!



i made a quick trip home for uncle manny's funeral {told ya, emotional year here} i must say this was the most shocking news. everything was beautiful. both my cousins did such an amazing job with the words they wrote and spoke about their father. it made me realize how much we don't know about a person, even someone as close as family. sadly, i will never get the chance to know him the way i would have liked to. lucky for us he left behind some wonderful boys who can pass along some wisdom to me and my children!!



summer was wonderful. the best i have had yet. we spent most of it outside {yes, that does happen here}. we had many wonderful evenings bike riding as a family, going on walks, hikes, and even swam in the lake a few times. for our anniversary we went on our annual kayaking adventure on lake union and for dinner decided to restaurant hop. we picked a theme {spanish food} and tried out as many spanish restaurants as we could {well that was the idea}. we did have a nice line up, but only hit up 2. ha. the first one was amazing, we really didn't want to go anywhere else! a nice time all around. did i mention it was our 6yr. again, where do the years go?!



sept. was triathlon time. 41/2 months of training. i could not believe it was finally here. i was ready. wasn't nervous at all. it was my first one so no pressure. just had to finish it. i completed it in 1hr 57min. i even had a bike crash. and still did it in that time. i am very proud of myself and my training partner. this is probably the biggest accomplishment for myself i have ever done. i will definitely be doing it again next year!!! more life lessons through setting goals and staying the course. it has been an eye opening year. can't wait for more:)



i am hoping to stay on top of this blog better. i don't know what happened? i have been saying that often lately. but i promise to add more posts, i love sharing my life with friends and family! so until the next blog.



xoxo

Future Soccer player???!!

Sunshine and Pool time!

Baby Playdate

A visit to Stacey's so the girls can play! I can't believe they are only 3 1/2 months apart. So far their playing consists of Maya swatting at Gabrielle and Gabrielle smiling and looking a little nervous. We are working on Maya's heavy hand, I must say she got that from me! I am looking forward to many more play dates with these two! Here Gabrielle is 5 months and Maya is 9!!

Maya, Maya, Maya!!!

Girls Rule :-)

It has been so wonderful to have the girls together. Having been raised with so many boys, I can't believe all the girls. They are great. Isabella has been so much fun to watch around Maya and Gabrielle. She is always eager to hold Maya when she is over and Maya is equally enthusiastic to be held by her cousin.

These photos were taken at my house during Bella's spring break. They came over for the day and we colored Easter eggs and hung out, thats what spring break is all about!!

Push Me Daddy!!

Although I have taken Maya to the park many times before, this was her first trip that we actually tried out some of what it had to offer! The bucket seat swing. I think every childs first. We placed her in the seat and stuffed a blanket inside so she was stable and off she went. I of course pushed her very slowly and was really cautious like any first time mother. She liked it ok, but she LOVED it when her daddy pushed her. He grabbed the back of the seat and pulled her back to waist/mid chest high and let her go. Thats when her smiles, cooing and babbling came. Dare I say she is a thrill seeker like her daddy??

She spent a great portion of the time on the swing. She also went down the slide with some help. She enjoyed watching the little kids running around and playing, I swear I can hear her think to herself "when can I do that?".

Our Little Angel

The last month has been filled with so much newness its crazy. Maya has really taken off with her development, its unreal. Everyday, she is doing something new. At 5 months her interest started with sitting up. She at first needed a little assistance like me or a pillow to help her from meeting the floor with her head, but literally that lasted all about 3 days before she just did it! I was quite impressed. She prefers sitting up to rolling around, which she still can do with out!!! I am certain she will be crawling in no time at this rate.

We began teaching her about foods. Rice cereal was the first food introduced to her, and she loved it. I think she enjoys everything about eating. She likes to use a spoon, tea cup for her food, her own seat and most of all she likes that she is doing what her mommy and daddy are doing. Next we tried peaches, pears and prunes, not a fan of any of those!! We have chosen to make our own food, so I think it is a matter of getting the food at the right consistency and temperature for her liking. Its hard when all you are used to is milk, but she is catching on nicely!

We bought her a jumparoo. Its like a johnny jumper only its attached to four posts by bungees with a seat. By far this is her favorite thing yet. She gets in it and jumps, and jumps, and jumps! We all get a kick out of watching her little legs move. She sure does get a great workout and is always pooped out when we get her out, its great.

We are also trying to figure out ways to soothe the terrible pains of teething. Its awful, she is so sad, and just wants some relief. I have a whole slew of things I have been doing. All have worked to some degree, but ultimately she is teething and it hurts! Who knows when those teeth will pop out, if she has my teeth we could be in for a long time waiting!!!


On Wednesday we took her to Pike's Place Market downtown and had a great time. She very much enjoys people. And if someone looks or smiles at her she is beside herself with excitement. I personally enjoyed the trip, there is something calming about looking at a place through the eyes of your little one. I took many moments to stop, look and appreciate all the things they had to offer, it was wonderful. She was particularly interested in a street performer who was singing the blues and clapping. Ahhhh clapping, how she loves for someone to clap! She was smiling and kicking her feet while he was performing. When he opened his eyes at the end of the song there she was smiling at him, such innocence. He mentioned that we were blessed with an angel and I completely agree. That moment touched my heart.

We also can't believe she will be 6 months on Tuesday. She will be going to the doctors and getting more shots, weighing in and measuring out. We are coping pretty well, she is a great baby. And when she isn't, she just smiles and all is usually forgiven......Uh-oh, we are in trouble!!!

Mommy and Maya

This is such a great sequence of photos, I never realized how animated I can get. He really captured the playful moment in these photos. They are by far my favorite :-)

Maya 4 months

Here are some amazing photos of Maya that her daddy took with his fancy camera. I can't believe how big she is getting. At her 4 month check up she weighed 17.14oz (95%) and was 26 inches long (75%), the doctor was cracking up at Maya all chubbed out in her diaper on the table and commented on her looking like a 9 month old (have I mentioned her great aunt is like 6'??).She has finally turned over from back to front only to get stuck on her tummy and scream for help. She is reaching and grabbing things so much easier now and I swear she is days away from sitting up, she practices her crunches everyday!

Maya also knows her environment really well. She knows when we are getting ready to put her down for her nap half way up the stairs. Its hilarious! She starts to get anxious and as soon as I walk through her bedroom doors........ here come the water works. I find it particularly funny when I am only in there to change her diaper and she snaps out of it and is good time Maya again. I also find it amazing how much she misses her daddy when he is working. This morning I was nursing her in her room and she kept pulling away and looking at the door to see when her daddy was coming, it was so sweet, so I whispered to her " I miss him too!".

Everyday comes a new challange, but I am up for it. Sometimes I am in a hurry for her to do those milestone things like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, but at the end of the day I look at her and think " you better hold on to these moments and not be in such a hurry because she is only this small for a second". Needless to say I LOVE being a mommy!!!

The Family :-)

Finally, mommy and Maya! I think this maybe one of our first close ups together?!

Matthew and I don't get pictures of us very often anymore...they are all of Maya! This must have been a good night of relaxation if Maya isn't in it!!!

Watch Me Grow!!!

Maya is almost 4 months. I cannot believe it! Here is a nice sequence of her growth. Here she is 2 days old, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months! This month on February 11th we were very excited to welcome Maya's little cousin Gabrielle into the world:-) We are hoping they will be the best of buddies. We have yet to meet her, due to me feeling under the weather. I am certain she is a little angel!!!

Four Generations of Family

A four generation photo doesn't happen very often anymore, we are very lucky we have the opportunity to get it on digital!! Here is G'ma FraNa, Daddy Matt, Great G'pa J, and Maya! What an awesome moment.

Great G'pa & G'ma Jones

This was a great day and visit with the Grandparents and Great Grandparents. Maya was her usual social self. Here are a few more photos with the Greats!!! Maya is about 3 months.....and we have her in a dress!YEAH!

Good Times!

Maya always enjoys visiting with her Grandparents. Here you can see why....G'pa is so much fun!