Happy New Year!

As Madeline would say, "it's a huge-y!"

Some highlights of our year, it's late so I am sure I'll forget something big like the fact that we had a baby :-)

In January we moved back into our house, our furniture followed shortly after in May after being snowed in up at the cabin.

We found out in November that we would become a family of four. Allie Taylor Davis was born on 7.26.09

Our beloved Jilly Bean died in January of heart failure and cancer. Deciding that golden retrievers tend to die I adopted a black lab (they don't ever die right?) Kip promptly named him (much to my chagrin) Rudder. He says it's not a pilot dork name but instead a description of a lab's tail. Whatever.

Madeline turned two years old.

Kip turned 34.

I turned 28.

Kip, Maddie, Sophia, Chris and I flew up to Tofino, B.C. to visit my dad and Sam on the boat. We had a fabulous time. On the way home, in IMC (Instrument meterological conditions-now I am a pilot dork) we lost our attitude indicator (kind of important). Kip, cool and calm as ever got us home safely.

We went to Mexico for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful and I am ready to go back.

Madeline is still terrified of Santa and in LOVE with Thomas the train.

My BFF Siri and her boyfriend Yazid are buying a house down the street. Very excited.

Allie is waking up now so time to end my year in review. It was a good one, how about we leave it at that? :-)

Bronchiolitis

Although you'd never know it with the smiles this girl hands out. We're suppoesed to keep her upright as much as possible, give her some tylenol (we're up to a full dropper now that we've hit 14 lbs!) vicks vapor rub on her back (she might manage to get it on her face if we put it on her chest) and run the humidifier. Hopefully we're up and running asap. 12.30.09

Five Months Old

12.26.09 Allie is five months old! She remains a very easy-going baby that is quite generous with her smiles. She still loves her big sister. She loves to watch her, loves to be tickled by her (until the tickles become painful) and loves to take baths with her. Madeline also loves her baby sister. When Allie wakes up in the morning Madeline looks at me and says, "Allie awake!" And runs and climbs into the crib to hang out. Over this past month Allie has started "talking" a lot. When we are driving in the car she'll babble for the entire ride. Unfortunately she got a cold for her 5th month birthday so we're off to the doctor tomorrow.

On a funnier note unrelated to Allie being five months, Madeline has been working on her potty training and doing really well. We wore undies to kid's club the other day and Madeline had an accident. When I came in to get her to go home Kip asked Madeline where her pants were. She had worn some black leggings under her new fancy green skirt from Nonna. I initially did not notice that she wasn't wearing pants because honestly it would not be unlike me to dress her in just a skirt. Anyhow, the employee held up her wet pants and we found Kip's towel to wrap them in. As he was wrapping them he noticed that there was no underwear. Once again, not unlike me to forget something like that. So, I asked Madeline, "where are your undies?" She promptly walked up to the play kitchen and pulled them out of the microwave. AWESOME.

Forgive me, there were over 400 to pick from. Christmas 2009

Let's just start this by saying Santa has the best job ever. Allie woke up around 3:30 on Christmas morning. She was fed and quickly put back to sleep. Unfortunately the same did not hold true for me. Kip and I started our Christmas around 4:00 in the morning. I think he was pretty excited to open up an Xbox 360. He's been wanting one for awhile. The deal is he gets a maximum of 2 hours of play time. I was hoping to have the parental controls put in so that it would shut down after 2 hours but was unable to do it. Hilarious huh?

Madeline got a new Land of Nod tent. She was a bit weirded out that Santa managed to make it into her room and hang it while she was sleeping but LOVES her new tent and LOVES to invite Rudder in to hang out.

Not sure if you can tell but Rudder has his nose stuck in the window. This was not the first nor the last time he did that within a 5 minute span.

You'll start to notice a theme for this Christmas. THOMAS the Train. Maddie is quite infautated with Thomas this year.

Allie was pumped to open presents.

After gifts at home we went to Nonna's and opened more presents. These girls cashed in this weekend.

After Nonnas we went to Gigi's and Pop's house in Mill Creek. Hads got a baby that goes in the bath which was pretty neat. Madeline got a doll that has her own doggie.

Instead of having a day of running all over Washington to open gifts Zaide thought it would be more fun to have our Christmas on Saturday up at the cabin. Saturday morning we loaded up the car and headed up to Snoqualmie. We didn't come home until Monday mid-morning. It was a great trip as always and the scenery was gorgeous. Allie unfortunately isn't feeling well. She started Christmas with a temp and now has a runny nose. She's got the humidifier going full blast in her bedroom now so hopefully that helps.

The anticipation of opening gifts is killing Allie!

Zaide knitted Kip, Maddie, Allie and I all stockings. They are beautiful and I could not be more excited.

Apparently Madeline and I know how to put on makeup equally well.

My new metal rooster. I told Kip this rooster is going to be like the "elf on the shelf." He's going to wake up one day and it's going to be staring at him.

Making another meal at the cabin. I don't know how Zaide is so patient with letting the girls help her.

Thank you everyone for a very wonderful Christmas. We really appreciate all of our gifts and all of the time we got to spend with everyone.

Stainmaster

Have you seen those ads for Stainmaster carpet? As soon as I saw Allie in her PJs with our sheets that's all I could think about.

12.24.09

Cougan-Davis Dinner of '09

PURE PANDEMONIUM.

Every year (depending on whether it's odd or even) either that Davis' or Cougan's host a Holiday

dinner. This year Michelle Cougan made the dinner and we all met up at her daughter Melissa's house in Sand Point. It was a lot of fun and can't wait for next year...maybe we'll even get a picture of the kids actually looking towards the vicinity of the camera.

Merry Christmas to us from us

(Jason Eisenberg, Romie Lindsley, Julie Eisenberg, Lis, Chris Demco)

When we decided to remodel the house Kip had a dream of making a bay window in the living room so that we could creat extra seating. One year post remodel we've finally finished that project. Kathi, our friend from forever ago, made the cushion and pillows and her husband Chris made the bench. The bench has a huge storage area so now hopefully we can hide all of the toys that you normally get to trip over when you come in the house.

(couldn't get the top picture down below here but Kathi is Romie's mom)

Thank god for older cousins

Here's a bath for the day. Allie has been eating her "solids" and was quite the mess so we decided to go with the tubby. She, like me, apparently has a very ticklish neck.

Because they teach you the funniest things! I was sitting down the other day when Madeline came up to me and started talking. I said something and she responded, "oh snap" I had to ask her to repeat it a few times and then she told me that "Hallley" (hadley) taught her that one.

Sorry for the long video, I don't know how to trim it on this new computer. Soon, I promise.

Chatty Cathy

Fortunately she's started to play with the kitchen phone (i.e., it's not real). Sample conversation:

"Zaide/Nonna/Baba/Sophia/Jamie/Soneeeya/etc... where you at? You coming over? Want to play with my dog? What you dooooing?"

The Best

Best baby, best husband... life is good, except for those aforementioned cupcakes which were really, really, really good. I started circling the table for number two and totally got called out. I pretended to only be perusing what was left and not really wanting to actually be the fatty fatty two by four that I wanted to be but no one believed it.

Crack Kills

And these cupcakes are like crack to me.

The cutest little pink sweater you ever did see

Ahh, if only blogger could really show the true colors...of her sweater, of her eyes. Another fabulous Lavs creation. Thank you so much! With the weather we've been having this sweater couldn't have arrived at a better time.

baby blue eyes

Arts & Cratfs

For the girl who always seems to be dirty she sure does freak out about it!

"Uh-oh Mama, I messy. Mama, wash it!"