Christmas 2010

Christmas came and went so fast this year. Things were pretty quiet around our house - but the excitement of Santa's arrival was not lost... Getting Hannah to go to sleep was pretty hard (I know! What's new?)

Hannah the night before in her new Christmas PJs

Santa's visit was successful... Hannah was so excited!

The GIFT of all GIFTS: A Mommy Walking Giggle Doll

(and it's not as obnoxious as we thought it would be!)

Ahhh... 29 again...

I just celebrated another 29th birthday. And as each 29th year in the past has ended up, overall, being a very good year; I'm going with it as long as I can! This year's celebration was very low key. Jinoo and Hannah took me to one of my favorite family dining restaurants, Varlamos. Where I indulged in a football sized calzone! Yummy!

Announcing Baby #2

This is the official announcement that we are expecting baby number TWO the first part of June. We are all very exctied for the arrival of a new baby and Hannah is very exctied too. When we told her, she gave me a huge hug and told me, "You're the best mom in the whole world!"

Thanksgiving 2010

We woke to a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. Cold, still with some snow on the ground, but sunny, blue skies! We were so lucky to have my dad and step mom with us this year. It was especially nice to have someone to help out (A LOT) with dinner preparation! I left early morning for the annual Jazzercise Thanksgiving Fundraiser. It's a lot of fun to teach this class because there are Jazzercisers from all over that come and it's always fun to teach a class of 100+ students! We always raise a bunch of money to help those who slip through the cracks and lots of food donation for the Greenwood Food Bank!

Hannah was kinda patient in waiting for the food...

We cooked our turkey in a bag this year. I was pleasantly surprised by how moist our turkey was this year... anything would have been more moist than last years, haha!

Our little Thanksgiving table just before we sat to eat... everything was so yummy and it was great to have some family in town to share with us!

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE

Hannah's favorite TV show is Yo Gabba Gabba. It consists of five characters and one guy, DJ Lance Rock. When we found out they were coming to the Northwest, we had to take Hannah. Our first stop was Nordstrom Kids Shoes, where three of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters were there to promote the new Yo Gabba Gabba Vans! A perfect up close and personal photo op for us!

Jinoo was more excited than Hannah. She was a bit nervous to see them in real life!

Brobee, Foofa (Hannah's favorite), & Plex

Mom & Hannah rocking the DJ Lance Rock glasses



Hannah & Dad's turn

The stage...

At intermission, they had this screen up that allowed text messages to scroll along the bottom. Jinoo sent in a text for Hannah: "Hannah M says Yo Gabba Gabba Rocks!"

Halloween Night 2010

I think Hannah was more concerned with running around with her friends, than actually trick-or-treating... but we did get some treats and a couple tricks.

Halloween - Ballard 2010

Hannah told me that she was coming up with her own costume this year. She made it with stuff she had around the house. She calls herself a "Princess Fairy." I think she did a GREAT job!

The Princess Fairy

Reese & Hannah enjoying a photo op

It's a lot of work walking around - she finally talked dad into carrying her!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

This year's trip to the pumpkin patch greeted us with sunny skies! It was a lot of fun running through all the pumpkins trying to pick the perfect one. All the kids played tag around all the pumpkins for a hour! There was a corn maze, face painting, gift shop and kids maze. It was a great time!

Sydney, Hannah, & Reese

Hannah & Mom

Pumpkin Patch Group 2010
Seems like less adults and more kids every year!

Doing it Pilates Style!

This month starts a special 6 week program called Fab Abs Pilates Style. This class is a mat Pilates based class. We will focus on increasing core strength. Come try out this special format that will kick your workout into high gear in preparation for the holiday season!

When: Six Sundays in a row, starting October 17th
Time: 8:15am
Where: Sonny Newman's Dance Hall - 201 North 85th Street
Cost: $60 ($10 per class)
Plus: In addition to Sundays, you can attend on Wednesday mornings at either Bitterlake or Lake Ballinger. So by going twice a week, it's only $5 per class!

Come try it out, you'll love it!

First Day of School

Today was Hannah's first day of pre-school. She was so excited and so cute about going. She wasn't nervous and didn't even care when I left the classroom. She was so ready to go to school and be a big girl. If this doesn't say it all.... Hannah: (Looks around and sees that me, Grandma & Grandpa are walking her into school. With a small shake of her head says:) "You know mom, I wish I could have just taken the bus!"

Aquarium

We spent the day at the Seattle Aquarium with Grandma & Grandpa. We had a great time exploring and seeing all the fish and sea life of the Northwest and beyond. We were lucky enough to be there when they were feeding the fish. There is a lot to see including fish, eel, seas, otters & octopus. My favorite part was the very awesome fish tank that shows what the waters off the Puget Sound looks like. While Hannah's favorite part was the Fur Seals that like to swim on their backs! We ended our trip to Seattle's downtown waterfront at the Red Robin at Pier 55.

Salsa Dancing

I had my first experience with Salsa dancing last night. My friend Jamie (who used to be a salsa instructor) took me out to Century Ballroom for a salsa lesson and dancing. As I have danced my whole life and feel confident with anything that has to do with music and moving - I was feeling great! Until I found out dancing with a partner and being LEAD to dance is a whole other ballgame! Although I am not an immediate pro, I am very intrigued to learn to ROCK the dance floor. I am addicted! I dreamt of Salsa all night last night and I can't wait to go again! Love, love, love it!

One Wedding & An Anniversary

Jinoo and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary in Portland, Oregon. We were there for one of my closest friend’s wedding. We had a lot of fun spending an important day with so many close friends. Here are a few pics of the evening… funny enough, there is not one photo of Jinoo and me together! Probably because he was taking all the pics!

Busy bee...be

I have had a crazy week. I have taught 10 classes in the last week. I love teaching this many classes, but my body is wondering what the hell I'm doing to it. Anyhow, if you haven't checked out your local Jazzercise class, get there! It's a great total body workout and so much fun!

Softball 2010

Every summer Jinoo plays on a softball league with friends. But it ends up being quite a family event as all the dads play ball and all the moms and kids sit in the stands and cheer. As many of our friend's familes are expanding, this leaves our Western Ventures Team with the biggest cheer group each game. The kids love yelling for their dads and 'uncles' - Hannah especially loves yelling "GO TEAM." That's after she yells "GO HUSKIES" a few times. Every year the team does better and they even made the playoffs this year!

At the end of the softball season, there's a BBQ. It is always fun to have a reason to get our big group of friends together to visit and eat. The good ol' times of Summer in Seattle.

Accident

On my way to Jazzercise this morning at 7:45, I was in a car accident. Someone ran a stop sign right into me! I was going about 30mph & they were going around 40mph. I was not badly injured, but had the typical sore thumbs & wrists from my airbag going off. And sore back and neck from being jarred. I was so lucky to have been in my big, NEW :( H3 and sorry to say that the other car, a Ford Escort, did not fair so well. The couple in it were pretty hurt. The firefighters actually had to crowbar the driver out of his car. Both were taken to the ER. My car doesn't look that bad, but last I heard, estimates for repairs were close to $20K! For example: None of the windows in my car were broken, but most have to be replaced because the guys car hit me so hard, his glass from his car etched into all my windows (and paint too)! The other driver was sited for failure to stop at a stop sign and their insurance is accepting liability. I should have my car back in 4 to 6 weeks!

All I have to say is...

Seattle, you can flip me off, spit on me, call me names; whatever! While your Hybrids are saving the planet, my Hummer was saving ME!

Phoenix in July

We've spent the last couple of weeks in Phoenix visiting family. We always have a great time and really enjoy the sun and heat the 'valley of the sun' has to offer. We spent lots of time at the pool, jumping on the trampoline, and playing the wii. Hannah says she's having so much fun, she like a "ROCKSTAR"! She kills me!

Grandma's Visit

My grandma (Joan) was here over the 4th of July weekend. She lives in Salt Lake City, and we only see eachother about once a year. We had a great visit and I loved having her her. We mostly hung out, went on walks and ate. We had a great time visitng and the more we talked, the more we realized that we have so many things in common. It's crazy! It feels so great to have family visiting. Makes me so happy! I love my grandma and have so many fun memories of her. And it's great knowing we are creating fun memories for Hannah to have of her Great Grandmother. FUN!

39 Months

Hannah is such a big girl now. She loves to help me out with everything I do. Anything I tell her to do, she says she can do "By MYSELF." She asks me several times a day for a baby sister and tells me that she 'just had a baby in her tummy', then brings me one of her dolls and tells me the dolls name and that she already taught her to walk. Then she has to tell me all the things to do or NOT do with a new baby. She is not very interested in letters (she mostly just likes the H the A and the N, you can guess why). But she loves numbers. She is great at adding and subtracting. I am continually in wonder of all the things she tells me and she makes me laugh so hard, every day! She is a total nut! I am so proud of her and as Hannah would say, she makes my "heart happy"!

The month of June

This is a busy month for me. I am teaching 20 classes this month, which so far has felt great - 11 more to go! I have really enjoyed teaching Jazzercise the past 5 years and would love to see you in class someday!

I have also started my first home improvement project. Now that our house is a year old, I feel I have things I would like to do to personalize it a bit more... I have ripped apart our powder room. I am painting it (purple!) and putting in a new vanity, fixtures, hardware, etc. I'm even doing the plumbing. Adventurous? Yes!

A weekend trip to Spokane

One of our closest friends got married this weekend in Spokane, WA. We took a road trip to Eastern Washington and spent two nights at the Davenport Hotel where all the wedding festivities took place. We had a great time and we danced the night away, Hannah included. She loves a good dance party!

A little side note about the trip...Hannah got car sick on the way over, but I made sure to give her some Dramamine on the way back. It worked great!

All the little girls started the dance party. They had so much fun!

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Kelly

Trip to see Ol' Gramps...

Hannah and I took a trip to Southern Utah to visit with Grandpa! As his health has been deteriorating for the last while, we felt it was a good time to go visit and spend some quality time with him. St. George, Utah is such a beautiful place with so many happy memories from my childhood. I would visit my grandparents every summer - and every summer I would have my picture taken out front of their house on a HUGE red rock that was there. Over the years, the red rock has gotten smaller (sandstone flakes) and I've gotten bigger. And MY huge red rock is not as big as I remember it. I can never pass up a picture opportunity on MY Big Red Rock. And it's that much sweeter to be able to take a picture of my little Hannah on that rock... I really enjoyed my time with my Grandpa, Dad, & Step-Mom. Here are a few pics of my time...

Hannah and Me on MY Big Red Rock...

Hannah and Great Grandpa hanging out

Hannah taking in some of the Southern Utah Sun while gramps naps ;-)

Mother's Day 2010

I had a great Mom's day this year. I got a gift certificate for a Day at the Spa at Spa Scotta. Including facial, Massage, Mani/Pedi & Lunch! Jinoo actually had two of my friend's husbands do the same thing - so we have a *girls* day at the spa. Now we just need to find a day when all of us can go together! I am so grateful for my family. Being a mom is the best thing I've ever done!

Mom & Hannah sharing a Hot Chocoate at Brunch

HAWAII 2010

Our family vacation took us to Maui, Hawaii this year. As we headed across the Pacific with 12 friends and their kids, we started our vacation on the airplane and didn't stop...We spent 12 wonderful days soaking up as much Vitamin D as we could handle.... Mornings running w/ the ocean at our side, days at the pool or ocean, evenings out at dinner or making dinner, and our nightly walk down to the gelato shop. And don't forget the shopping!!! Hannah couldn't wait to wake up in the morning to walk down to her friend's doors, knock and play for the day!

As this was Hannah's third trip to the Islands, she was well prepared and very excited for the pools, ocean, and gelato. We had a great time (except for when we left to go home. On car ride to the Airport - Hannah got car sick, REALLY car sick. My hands make a pretty good 'bucket'.) Good Times... Aloha!

Hannah had to pick out what swimsuit she was going to wear everyday...

Night out at the Luau

Easter 2010

The good ol' Easter Bunny made it to our house this year. He left fifty eggs hidden around the house and baskets full of toys, movies, and treats. Hannah has been asking for Barbie in a Mermaid Tale for the last couple of months - she was so excited that the Easter Bunny would know to leave that for her. She really enjoyed searching around for M&M filled eggs and wanted us to "be very quiet" so she could sneak up on them. She was so much fun this year!

We also got all dressed up and met up with a group of twenty friends for Easter Brunch at Anthony's. We had lots of kids running around (all girls) and it was fun to see how much different life is today in comparison to 5 years ago. WOW! Although like I would have five years ago, I did sip on a Mimosa and eat a yummy seafood omelet. A good time was had by all.

Next, we went home and tried to take a nice nap. Nap for Jinoo, check! Nap for Brandi, kinda... Nap for Hannah, ha ha funny! Hannah kept tapping me on the shoulder every two minutes asking if my nap was over. After a 1/2 hour of me saying just a few more minutes, we were up and playing and eating Easter goodies. Mmmmm! Peanut Butter M&M's!

Bunny Bounce

We visited the Woodland Park Zoo for their yearly Bunny Bounce/Egg Hunt. The kids got to run into a field and scoop as many eggs as would fit into their baskets. Now here's the kicker... ALL the eggs were empty! And if you were one of the lucky ones that picked an egg w/ a special sticker on it, you could turn it in for a treat. Hannah picked up about 30 eggs - none w/ a sticker. She was so confused that after all that work, she didn't even get a treat! LAME!

Hannah's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe that Hannah has turned 3 when it seems only yesterday I was pregnant with her. We had a girls day/night on her actual birthday. She spent the day wearing her "Birthday Girl" tiara. We went to the Nail Salon and got our nails done (she chose Glitter Pink for her nails), went out to lunch (Quiznos for Sammies), went shopping (my beaters broke and I needed a new one to mix frosting), and then to Red Robin for dinner where they sang and clapped for her. She loved it!

The next day, we celebrated with a huge Tinkerbell themed party. Complete with BBQ, cupcakes, presents, and lots of pixie dust. It was fun to see her enjoying her friends and being so determined in making a perfect wish and blowing out the candles (which is what a birthday is, if you ask her).