Let the voting begin!

Puh-leeze go VOTE for Miss Sarah Cobb!
Isn't she the cutest babyGAP model??

19 months.

Somehow we've arrived at nineteen months. Eighteen was kinda big. I mean, it's halfway in between one and two, which allows you to breathe a little, since it's only halfway. But now suddenly it's more than halfway and I feel some rumblings of a countdown again, although unlike last year, when I knew that from seven months to one would be huge, this has me feeling more like, this Alla will be two in five months. Does that make sense? This same Alla that I have right now, who won't look that different in five months. Last year it was, of course my six-month-old will be one in six months, and by then she'll be talking and signing and maybe even walking, but this year it's this Alla, this very one who right now is blissfully sleeping upstairs on my bed. She will be two eventually. So maybe that's why it feels a bit heavy. So what do I do? Take pictures. Lots of pictures. Maybe one day I'll find the attempt to freeze time has actually worked, and when she's nineteen (Will I ever be old enough to have a nineteen-year-old? I think not.), I'll be able to reach inside these snapshots and feel just what I'm feeling today. Love. Pride. Joy. Full. Very, very full.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Has anyone ever watched the entire parade? I don't think I had, in all my twenty-nine years of life, until today. Every minute. Alla loved it.

More balloons!
More dance!
More Elmo!
More march!
More Santa!

The Rockettes were Nanny's favorite, so I made a special point of showing her that performance, and she treated us to a little performance of her own. I think she's an aspiring high-kicker.

Ten on Tuesday.

Well been reading friends' happy thankful blogs today and decided on a thankful Ten on Tuesday of my own.

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. Jambalaya. When Alla realizes she likes something she just cannot get enough. And this is real far away from turkey, so that makes me happy, too.

2. Pomegranates. They have such a short season, and this is it, folks! And having found a no-mess approach to eating them, I am buying at least one each time I hit the store. Even Target has 'em.

3. Ron. Simple as that. He just is. Amazing.

4. Plane tickets to California for my 30th!

5. Gramma & Grampa's visit this past weekend.

6. Falling asleep next to Alla this afternoon.

7. Dark chocolate from Trader Joe's. Pound plus. Nothing like it, believe me I've tried.

8. Running. Even now, even when it's in the twenties. Thankful I can do it, thankful I crave it.

9. Coffee.

10. A holiday weekend. 4 days of family fun.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and don't burn your turkey!

Little Leopard, Gramma & Grampa, and the First Fire.

Miss Alla was lucky enough to get this coat sent to her last winter from the wonderful Tara, whose blog I am too lazy to link at the moment. It finally fits her and it gets worn everyday. Literally. It's her favorite. "That one" is what she says to me as we're getting dressed for the cold. And she means this very one. She's also into dressing herself, as you can see, so if that means capris with pink striped tights and three ponies, then so be it. Little girls, gotta love 'em.
Lucky for us, Gramma and Grampa came to visit this weekend and Alla had herself a grand old time reading every last book she owns with them, decorating their cheeks with paper stars, and kicking down towers of blocks, which resulted in fits and fits of giggles.Our weekend was topped off by our first fire in our first fireplace. So lovely. I thought it might be a weekend thing, but I'm really aching for Ron to get home and start another one. Isn't it pretty?

Flashback Friday: The last of 'em.

I really am posting the last of vacation pics from nearly a month ago. We will start off with Curly Sue herself, getting into mischief.
It is rare to have the whole Killins clan together, so we made sure to get some good pictures. (Mental note: do this of the Coburn-Fagan-Killins clan over Christmas.) Ron and his sisters, in case that wasn't obvious!Renee and Ronna...
And the whole gang...next time Ron and I will not be in our jammies for the family picture.Happy Friday, all!

Maple Mondays: I'm afraid this is the end.

Really, folks, it doesn't get too much more bare. So until we have a great white snow fall on our sad maple, this is the end for this season. Pray for snow, cause the little dusting we got this morning was too sad. A white Thanksgiving is all I'm asking.

Vacation pics: Pennsylvania, part one.

I know. I take an obscene amount of photos. I know this because I've been catching up on putting them into albums and adding journaling to them as well, and it's like I get a new album that holds 300 photos and in one fell swoop it's full. I still have one large envelope of at least 250 pictures to organize and insert. Then I guess I'll have to hit up Target again.

So, without further ado. Onto Pennsylvania. And, no, Amy, I just realized how sad it is, but we have not a ONE photo of Ron and I together. I'm terrible at that. New Year's Resolution time.

Alla and Grandma, digging in the sand, despite the cold!One of Alla's dress up things at Grandma's...fuzzy fish slippers that she loves. And Grandpa that she loves.My little one on her 18 month birthday. 18 months???
I have mentioned Alla's love of dress-up, right? Grandma got her bunches of Halloween dress-up stuff so we had an afternoon of tutus and kimono and can-can dancer!

Flashback Friday: Vacation pics, second batch.

Well since I'm so late getting to the vacation pics, I will use them as Flashback Friday. Since it seems so long ago that it really is a flashback, LOL.

Alla really thinks that you can't see her here. "Where Alla?" is what she says.Lots of fun was had at new parks. This is still Seattle. (Remember I said there are lots. So this is the last batch of Seattle, then we will move on to PA once you've digested these.)
I needed a shot of my brother AND Jenn, and this laughing one is a favorite. Happy ones.
Last but not least, Alla's first encounter with a totem pole was a pleasant one. Good thing. We should all have more experiences with totem poles.Happy Friday, all. You will be SHOCKED to hear we are not having pizza tonight. Nope. We are flexible. Going to a friend's for enchiladas and playing. And, Megan, I made your guacamole to bring. For those who have not tried it, hit her up for the recipe. It's divine, and the only guacamole Alla likes.

Oh, and it is no longer 70 degrees, nor did the snow show today. Double bummer.

70 degrees.

I swear. In the middle of November. Tara and I sat our little ones outside in the fading sun and just enjoyed not being cold. Toes out warm.
In that last one, the dialogue goes something like this: "Here, Ashby, try this leaf. It's much better than that other one you just ate." Love those two little buddies. Tomorrow they'll be singin' a different tune when the cold returns, and with any luck we'll be putting them in snow suits on Friday!

Did you?

Maple Mondays.

Almost gone, just as I suspected.

Only a few Maple Mondays left.

Vacation pics, first batch.

Yes I know we've been home for a week now. So here's a few to share, with many more to come. First, Miss Alla and me on the North Bend choo-choo train, which she loved and sat still for the whole hour and twenty minutes. Photo by John Fagan.
Another shot on the train. Alla with her Nana and Pappi. The whole time we were there saying, "Nana house!"Just her at Nana's house. A lucky shot by the window.

Go ahead and laugh, I know you all have your secrets hiding in boxes somewhere. It's just that Mom made us go through our boxes once and for all to see what was worth keeping and what was junk. Don't you even say this should have gone in the garbage. This is Raggedy Ann with all the marker 'make-up' I put on her years ago. Mom washed her, though, and she came out nice and clean. She's now taking up residence in the Twin Cities.