Those wild woman eyes are looking up at the crazy Papa who is dancing and singing in order to get her still and happy. She wasn't so happy to start the process this week, as evidenced by the photo below.
Can you see a toddler in that face, cuz I sure can!
But Papa worked his dancing magic, and within seconds we had blurry giggly goodness.
And it only took 5 shots to get the one on top. We're getting better at this. And we've only got a few more weeks to go!
Do you remember last year? I was hugely pregnant and got two pairs of shoes in a larger size so I could actually have something to wear. And one of the pairs still didn't fit! It was a great day, but this year was MUCH better.
I've been battling a cold (some combo of lack-of-sleep and moving stress caused my immune system to take a break) and enjoyed sleeping in on Sunday morning instead of beginning the church hunt. Darin made breakfast and lunch, changed dirty diapers, and allowed me to do a little of this and a little of that all day long.
That evening we got dressed up, a babysitter arrived, and I was whisked away to a fancy Gig Harbor Restaurant: Brix 25. Upon arrival we were given a little "bubbly" and I was handed a 
purple bag with "Ben Bridge" written on it. Yup, I was totally spoiled with this beautiful pendant. I was told the large heart was mine and the smaller one represented Daisy. I love it.
We then dove into the menu. I had a glass of Snoqualmie Nearly Naked Gewurztraminer which was oh so delicious. Darin had some sort of fancy 
iced tea that he really liked. For starter we shared perfectly cooked prawns over a bed of polenta that just dripped of fatty yummy goodness. Salads followed that were okay, a little spicy dressing. Then Darin enjoyed a huge lamb shank with goat cheese mashed pots, and I had salmon with a rasperry pinot sauce and some sort of fancy 
horseradish. The horseradish was, once again, a little spicy, but the raspberry sauce tasted like jam. Yummy! For dessert I got to pick, so we shared some butterscotch pecan ice cream in a chocolate bowl. I probably could've eaten a whole carton of that ice cream.
Darin and I only go out to eat like that maybe once or twice a year. But when we do, we go all out. What's the point of scrimping at a fancy restaurant? You're there to enjoy. So enjoy already!
The conversation was great and it was nice to celebrate being a mom without actually having to be a mom for a couple hours. I have a great husband and a great daughter and I am so blessed to be a mom.
Now on to years of handmade gifts from the little Miss herself.
I'll be back with a full recap later, but for now, how's this for a great present?!
I happen to be lucky enough to have two great moms in my life: my Mom, Jackie and my Momma Too (Godmom) Julie. I love them both very much and have been so blessed by them over the years both as a kid and now as a mom myself. And I also was lucky to get two more moms when I married.
So to all of you: Happy Mother's Day. I love you.
And to all you other mom's out there (and Mom's-to-be, you know who you are!), Happy Mother's Day to you too! This motherhood thing is quite the kick, isn't it?!
Internet is up and running at our house, so tomorrow we'll have a new cute Daisy video to share!
We had to say goodbye to our millions of cingular rollover minutes when we moved to camp, as there is no cingular reception around here. So we moved on over to Verizon which has been good so far. And it's always fun to get a new phone!
So if you'd like my new number, shoot me an email (click "email me" on the right) with "new phone #" in the subject line and I'll pass it along to you. And let me know if you're on Verizon too, so I won't have to wait until after 9:00 to call you.
I'm posting today from the very slow computer in Darin's office. Internet should be in our house on Thursday or Friday and then it's back to regular updates from me.
For now, how about a little list?
Things I already miss about Bellingham:
Things I already like about being here:
We made it on the ikea hacker blog!
Packing day is Friday. Moving day is Saturday. I'll try to post one more time before the computer is packed away, but I can't guarantee anything. And since we haven't even called on getting internet in our new house yet, I have no idea when we'll be back up and running again. (I'm hoping I can sneak into Darin's office for even a quick "hello" but they've got strict internet usage policies, so we'll see.)
So I thought this would be a perfect spot to introduce a little contest. Give you some time to ponder things through and really get the creative juices flowing.
This little orange blanket has been a wonderful addition to our home. It was purchased for us by a high-school friend when Daisy was born. Seeing it's small size and super-cozyness (silk on one side, soft on the other) I decided to tuck it away for a few months. A while ago we really noticed Miss Daisy wanting to tuck something into her hand when she sucked her thumb. So I thought it was the perfect time to bring out the blanket.
At naptime and bedtime I would give her that blanket as I tucked her in.
It didn't take long at all and that blanket became the cue for thumb in mouth, time to relax. She falls and bonks her head, hand over the blanket and cuddle for a minute. She's tired of being in her carseat, hand over the blanket and she snuggles right down. She's ready for bed, hand over the blanket and there's nary-a-tear. And no matter where she is in the crib when we sneak in before bed (she is all over that crib of hers), that darn thing is with her. It is really sweet!
I emailed my friend asking her if we could get 10 more of these blankets. I'm now afraid of losing it!
Anyway, back to the contest. This sweet little blanket needs a name. I hate the term "blankie" almost as much as I hate the term "binky" so that one's out. And I know long-term that Daisy gets to pick a name, but I would like to call this one something other than "Daisy's orange blanket."
So that's it folks. Post below your name ideas. I'll pick a winner by Mother's Day (that's May 11 in case you've forgotten) and announce it as soon as I can. I have a great prize for our winner too. A prize that Darin even contributed to, but he doesn't know it yet!
Looking forward to your ideas!
