The Dan Show

Confession: I've been feeling kid envy. Yesterday I went to an open house for my cousin's third daughter (she is so cute and tiny--even more so in his gigantic, tattooed arms!) Then I hopped over to Tara's blog and read about K-Lady's first day of school.

It's official: the biological clock has begun to ring.

Unfortunately I have to hit snooze bar for the time being. Happy substitute? I'll share photos of my brother's adorable kids!

Here's my niece L-Pie, who observed Dan very closely as the first step to learning how to cross her arms. (And you've gotta love the Northwest look my brother's sporting--we're the only region that wholeheartedly endorses socks with sandals!)


And here are all the kids in the Alaska shirts I got them on my trip this summer (yes, they'd just woken up from a nap--can you tell?):


Woo-hoo! Doesn't my brother have a gaggle (posse?) of cute little ones?

Do the Puyallap!

Yesterday, we took a trip to the Puyallup Fair. Mike and I had a great time. As always, my favorite part had to be the barns full of animals (especially the piglets!) and we really enjoyed the food. It's a truth universally acknowledged that fair-goers must overload on all things fried. In addition to elephant ears and Krusty Pups, we snacked on fair scones, barbecue, and curly fries.

This was also the year I finally had the courage to do the Extreme Scream--what an adrenaline rush! The guys had wobbly knees for quite some time afterward. I was fine, though my palms were sweaty for the duration of the ride!

The best part of the fair, though, had to be hanging out with friends. T & K are our closest pals from my graduate school program. Seeing them, and watching their daughter A enjoy the fair, was totally awesome. A loved the petting zoo, and she really enjoyed the carousel. I can't wait until she's old enough to go on more rides!

(Very) Belated Holiday Cheer

Since I just bought my first round of Christmas presents for 2009, I figured it was high time to post a collage of last year's festivities! As you can see, it was the year of the baby. For the first time ever, all of the great-grandchildren were under one roof (and that roof just so happened to belong to my Grandma G).


A good time was had by all... but I'm guessing the triplets enjoyed themselves the most. After all, it's not every day you get to strip down and play with Swiffers!


I really enjoyed getting to see my cousin Rose. She's a chef (as is her boyfriend) and they live most of the year near Yellowstone, working the big resorts. When they're not in Montana they're off traveling to an exciting new job opportunity (last time it was a stint in Las Vegas!) Needless to say, it's always a bonus when I get some face time with Rose.