Friday, January 23, 2015

A Memorable Holiday Season

Happy Friday evening everyone!
I am catching up on the blog after a VERY LONG hiatus, I know we haven't posted anything in months! Before January is over, I figured I better recap the last few months of 2014 into one post to close out the year. 

Dialing things back to Thanksgiving...yes, Thanksgiving. All the way back in November (man I'm behind!). My sister Maggie came to visit for Thanksgiving this year which was great since it was our first big holiday here away from the family. Jamie and I did our best to re-create the Engstrom family holiday menu, even taking a stab at making my dad's gravy and stuffing. For those of you who have tasted it, know that this is no small task. 

I will say the food actually turned out pretty darn good. Travis and Mag both gave it their stamp of approval and said it tasted just like home, so Jamie and I passed this culinary test with flying colors. This was our first turkey, so we did have to get some over the phone advice from Jimbo on how to prep the bird. The best part of the conversation was him telling me to "reach in and pull out the neck"...you can see below what I found in there and how enthused I was. I was the only one brave enough to dive in and blindly shove my hand in there not knowing what I'd find. 



The turkey did turn out great though! It was fun to have a low key Thanksgiving where we could all just lay around, cook, enjoy a good meal and watch a movie in our comfy clothes. Although we did miss our big family gathering with all the relatives, it was a nice way to spend our first little holiday together in Seattle. 


While Mag was here we also got a few other activities in (besides eating). We even ran a 5K race, which happened to take place on the one day of the year that it actually snowed in Seattle. It was quite cold but we had a good time anyway. We also stopped by Snoqualmie Falls for a view of the waterfall and then went on a hike at Little Si. 











 Moving onto December...we went back to the Twin Cities to spend Christmas with our families at home. We were able to spend half the week with Trav's Mom and Step Dad, and the second half of the week with my parents. It was so nice to see the fam and spend a few relaxing days back at home away from work. Christmas was filled with lots of fun. As you can see below things got a little nutty at my parents' house Christmas Eve with a unicorn head appearance (that is my Aunt Mary by the way, my lovely God-Mother, wearing it oh so well). 



On Christmas Day it was fun to give my mom a fun surprise gift - all of us kids got Nance a ticket out to Seattle for a girls trip in April. We like to get creative with our gift presentation, so I put together a series of "Nancy Does Seattle" photos for her enjoyment. Here's one of my favorites...


Although that was a fun gift to give, I think our favorite part about going home for Christmas was that we were able to tell both of our families that next year at Christmas time, we'll be hanging another stocking up by the fireplace!

Yup, we're having a little Peterson, due in July : ) 

Yes, this little blob is all ours! Looks just like Trav don't you think? 



Today I had a doctor appointment and got to hear the little heart beat thumping away, a very nice sound to hear! We are 14 weeks in, and I will say I'm happy to be into the second trimester. I am hoping that I'll get some relief from the "morning sickness." You'll notice I put it in quotes, because anyone who's been pregnant knows that the term simply isn't accurate in the least. Clearly a man must have coined this term, because for me it has been 24/7 all day sickness, morning is just a portion of it. Anti-nausea medication has provided a little relief at least making the bus ride to work more tolerable (let your imagination run wild with Seattle city bus smells, sounds, movements...getting nauseous just thinking about it). 

Clearly it will all be worth it! Part of the equation has just been the timing - being in the first trimester of pregnancy during the holiday season. The craziest time of year at work with long days and lots of stress. We also decided to add another layer of crazy to all of this, by moving (AGAIN) in December. We moved into a townhome in a great neighborhood just north of Downtown Seattle. Now we are closer to Jamie (walking distance) and we LOVE our neighborhood. Overall it's a better fit for us and feels cozy like home. It will be a great place to bring a baby home to! 

So anyway, now that we've caught up on Thanksgiving, Christmas, moving, (oh and the baby thing), that should about wrap it up! Here are a few other random photos just for fun from the last few months:

The kitties enjoying one last head poke on the stairway in our old apartment before the move.

Herb testing out the closet and hiding in a drawer in the new place (since it hadn't quite felt like home yet the first few days). 



 Oh and I just couldn't resist to throw these two on the blog...these are my sister Molly's pups. Frankie (left) and Maybe (right). They stole the show Christmas Eve with the fam and it was so fun to see them : ) 

Trav enjoying some time with Engstrom family cat (and king of the house) - Murphy. This is a rarely seen image of his "tender" side that he only lets a few people see when he's not biting : ) He was getting his snuggle on with Trav. 



 We couldn't be more excited for 2015 and all of the excitement yet to come (especially once food becomes enjoyable again). We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have kicked off your new year with a bang! I'll try to get better about posting more regularly again, now that we've settled into our new place (third one in 9 months), aren't traveling or working crazy hours. Until next time...(hopefully by then I'll be able to stay awake past 9:00 without falling asleep on the couch). 

Cheers!
KP