Lacey Life: Fun Times, Travel News, and Randoms....

We have been loving life these days. Well, mostly. We've had some challenges with Ella, but even those challenges I'm learning to be thankful for. Ella has been teething and had several rounds of being sick this month, and just has generally been needier. I'm not sure if its related to development, or discomfort, or just a stage, but it's been a lot of work. Ella even had her first trip to the ER in an ambulance this month!! I'll have to post about that soon as well. She's totally fine, but did have pretty scary allergic reaction/reaction to a virus....we won't ever really know what it was for sure.

Have I ever mentioned one of my most favorite things about Ella is that she is incredibly cuddly? Many times during the day she will crawl up in my lap and wrap her arms around my neck and give me a hug and pat me on the back. I'm also guessing she gives me about 20 kisses a day - just go straight for my face with a wide open mouth for wet baby kisses. She is a snuggler, and if she is being held she is pretty happy. I do like that about her so very much.

One of our new favorite stops is a bagel shop on Broadway, a quick walk from our home with the Youngs. Ella happens to love bagel munching while teething, and Jason and I love their breakfast sandwiches and the Stumptown coffee (Amy). Here is Ella on one of our trips there...

We are really enjoying our new life here at the Youngs. It's been suprisingly easy to merge 2 families together like this. It's fun to cook together, tag team the kiddos, have friends around, share stuff....I can hardly believe it's going to be ending so soon, actually. We love this location of portland as well. Even though its only a mile from our old home, we feel so much closer to friends and to some of our favorite spots. We are 2 blocks from the store, a wine bar, a coffee shop, a few more blocks and you hit a lot of restaurants, pubs, cafes....it's fun.

The big fun news is that we are headed to Australia on March 8th!! We are really excited. Jason has a 6 week sebbatical from work and we are headed to Sydney for 3 weeks, and then fly back through Honolulu and will probably spend 4 nights there on our route home. We feel really fortunate to have this opportunity, and really just can't wait to have six straight weeks together as a family. This is our home office (grin) where we set up our laptops and look at travel books and get ready for the adventure.

And the randoms....Ella has a lamb that she completely loves. For many months now, she falls asleep sucking her thumb and rubbing lamb's ear. On Valentines Day, I went to get her another one as a little Valentines gift/backup lamb, and you wouldn't believe it....Jason did the same thing!! We hadn't even talked about it....but now, we have a little troop of lambs! Hehe...we even rotate them through on occasion so they each smell the same and are evenly soiled. :) We realize we are a bit over the top....but this lamb is important.

Also, I turned 32 this month! Jason gave me my very first computer....my very own piece of technology!! And look at how tiny it is. It's the Android version of the ipad called the Galaxy Tab. It's wonderful. I feel so cool.

And Ella playing a whistle in her wagon with Miriel close by.....

I feed Ella a lot by having a floor picnic. Maybe it's convenient, maybe i'm lazy, but this is how I feed her quite a bit. And here she is standing on her own while eating squash!! What a big girl....