For Grandpa's Father's Day present, he mentioned a bit back he would love to have ringtones made by the kiddos. Luckily, Daddy D is capable of working such magic, and I arrived home on Friday from work just in time to hear what Sebastian, Eloise & Daddy D had been up to all day. I will try my best to post, but not sure how that will work. If you want to hear a few, shoot me an e-mail and I'll forward them to you. Highlights include "Bebe Bebe bo Bebe", "BBBBBBRRRRIIIINNNNNNGGGG" and "GET YOUR PHONE GRANDPA!" Not sure they'll work as ring tones (they're just reg mp3s), but they are hysterical. It was so much fun calling Bebe & Grandpa this morning and hearing them howl at these little hams....
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Music Hour with Daddy D
They still just LOVE going in the studio to play with Daddy D. Sebastian is getting quite good at the drums (for just turning 4...) and they both love to sing....
My two little birthday presents
What could be better than getting up on the morning of your birthday, and baking a batch of cupcakes for the school picnic with these two little helpers?! Needless to say, there was a little batter sampling. Followed by frosting sampling, then frosted cupcake sampling. All in all, a most fabulous 34th birthday weekend, with LOTS of cake, just how I wanted it. We had a nice dinner Saturday night at the Deschutes Breweries latest outpost in the Pearl, which has quite a fantastic halibut fish and chips! Can't wait to go back and have it with a tall pint of beer! Sunday we had cupcake making and a school picnic to celebrate Sebastian's first year of preschool, then Daddy D & Grandpa took the chocolate monsters to see Kung Fu Panda, while Bebe & the Aunties took me out to see Sex & the City. I can't remember the last grown-up movie I went to and this was a great one! Quick dinner & more cake back at home, and it was off to bed for all. What a weekend! Thank you everyone!!!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
The Carrousel!
Dave has been wanting to take the kids on the carrousel forever. We never seem to be able to get over there! Today was the day. Sebastian was a little hesitant about riding at first, but as soon as we started going, he was all smiles! Eloise, Daddy D & Bebe had a blast as well, with Grandpa taking pics from solid ground, and Mommy G collecting rings from Bebe for Sebastian to throw at the clown. Unfortunately, we only had time for one ride, as we had to hit the road for Portland, but it was well worth the stop!
Spokane Falls walk
After a cool rainy weekend, Monday came, and it was warm. And a little sunny. The pool? Still too cool for a swim, so we thought a nice walk to the falls would tire the kids out sufficiently for the drive home. The record spring rain made for a spectacular, and wet, walk across the falls, and we were able to tire the kids out MORE than sufficiently. Eloise barely made it back to Bebe & Grandpa's for lunch! They were asleep within 10 minutes, and slept half way home---Sebastian until we crossed the Columbia, Eloise until our first stop in Arlington. NICE!
Drummer Available, needs band
Her shirt says "Mom's Little Cupcake" but Eloise is all Daddy's girl. Don't you just love the look of mischief on her face? TROUBLE is coming....
Getting cleaner....
Sofia and Auntie came to dinner, and there was just too much dirt after a day in the yard to send Sofia home without a little soak. Don't think these three will fit in the bath all together for much longer, but they sure were cute!
Taste of the Nation 2008
Just a quick photo now, or I'll be here forever...I'll add a link to more pics soon. Taste of the Nation Portland is the event I've been involved with for nearly a decade now, and recruited Jen & Jacqueline, Bebe & Grandpa, Daddy D and Uncle Ashley for as well...It is a food and wine tasting featuring over 100 of the regions best, with proceeds all going to organizations working to end childhood hunger. I participated with Assaggio back in my pastry chef days, and always had such a great time meeting customers, other chefs, and just getting out of the kitchen for the evening. After Assaggio, I was asked to join the steering committee as their entertainment chair, and quickly recruited Dave and friends to perform. The next year I stepped up as overall chair, and have since managed to recruit Jen for the website, Jacqueline for volunteer coordination, Bebe and Grandpa for photographing the event, and Uncle Ashley for some heavy lifting and schlepping. Watch out! You might be next...www.portlandtaste.org for more info. BTW--we raised just under $100,000 this year! Not the $3m Classic Wines Auction brings in, but still a good deal of money for our worthy beneficiaries!
A visit with the Rudds
Memorial Day weekend took us up to Spokane for Marissa Rudd & Sam Breeze's wedding at the Davenport Hotel. We had a lovely time at the wedding (thanks again to aunties for watching Sebastian & Eloise!), and it was so nice to visit with Courtney & Kelly and Karl & Brandi (yes, we had to go all the way to Spokane to get an evening out with friends!). Courtney, Kelly and Jacob popped over to Bebe & Grandpas for pizza night on Sunday. The kids all had a blast hanging out on the rug with Jacob, watching him scoot around, mostly backwards. [[sorry this post is a little out of order...it goes with the Spokane Falls & Carrousel posts!]]
And many MORE>>>>>>>
Happy 4th Birthday to Sebastian!! Sebastian was very specific with his requests....rhubarb fish cake, not fish flavor but fish themed (we had to clarify all that...). For his actual birthday on April 24th, we celebrated with pancakes and rhubarb sauce, complete with candle and singing (Dave works late on Thursdays, so this was our shot at celebrating all 4 together--plus, who doesn't want pancakes for their birthday breakfast?!). Later that night, it was Rhubarb Pudding Cake, a stellar recipe I discovered in the waiting room of my oral surgeon's office while waiting for some hideous tooth extraction/implantation procedure a couple years back. That recipe is reason enough to have gone through all that (not to mention having a front tooth that not only works great but looks great too--did YOU know it was fake?). Anyhow, later that weekend, we celebrated at the house with a few of Sebastian's school friends, all the family in town, the Lisles, Bebe, Grandpa, and Oma. What a party! I made the prosecco cake (from our wedding!), layered it with a rhubarb compote & whipped cream, then frosted the whole thing with blue tinted whipped cream. Bebe and Grandpa supplied the playmobil fisherman, and Sebastian and I added a good deal of swedish fish as well. Tasty, cute and EASY! We lucked out again with the weather (the weekend in between Eloise and Sebastian's b-days we had rain & SNOW) so the kids had a great time playing in the yard while we adults stuffed our faces with sausages and potato salad, another birthday boy request. And everyone left the party with blue lips, teeth, tongues, and anything else that crossed the path of fish cake. Remember, click the "and many more" title for more pics...
Fashionista
Eloise loves to wear Sebastian's shoes, in particular, when she isn't wearing much of anything else. At least she's got a shirt on here. She is especially fond of taking pants and diaper off and roaming around half naked. When clothing is required, there must be pink. Somewhere.
Happy 2nd Birthday Eloise!!!
It seems like just yesterday we were heading to the hospital. We celebrated Eloise's birthday while Daddy D was on tour to California. Nonna and Nonno came to town and we had a lovely PINK party for our little princess. Sebastian remembered how much fun he had opening all her presents last year, and was not happy at all to have lost that job this year. MELT DOWN doesn't even come close to describing the abrupt end to the festivities!
Click here for Spring 2008 Highlights
We had a very very busy spring here at the Fleschner household! Grandpa came to visit one day while Auntie Jacqueline and Bebe were in Hawaii for a conference, and we spent a lovely time at the Children's Museum exploring their kid-sized grocery store, construction site, playhouse, and lots more! We went to the Zoo for an easter egg hunt with Sofia and Auntie Jen and Uncle Ajay, and generally got ourselves ready for the chaos that was April (Eloise & Sebastian's birthdays, Mommy G's big event, and Daddy D's tour to California--posts on all that to come soon!)
Tea with a Princess
Sebastian and Daddy D were having some hard times relating to each other, so Mommy G thought it would be a good idea for the boys to go to OMSI one Sunday and have some special time together. Eloise and Mommy G took advantage of their absence and had a lovely tea party with Eloise's special ladybug tea set from Oma. Eloise wasn't so sure what the whole thing was about at first, but quickly came to enjoy sipping juice from her little cups (and pouring a good deal of it all over the table...) and eating little snacks off the cute little plates. She even decided mid-party she needed a costume change and stripped out of her jammies and climbed into her new dress & skirt from Nonna and Nonno's latest Tahiti trip. TOO CUTE!
My Daddy is a Chicken Head
Portland's version of the Iditarod boasts grown humans attaching themselves to shopping carts, being "mushed" through the streets from bar to bar (apparently pulling a shopping cart around requires frequent refueling stops...), generally causing a ruckus and melee wherever all along their route. We met up with our dear Daddy D, Uncle Ashley and friends at one of their stops to check it all out. Sebastian was not impressed.
Floor time with Jacob Rudd
Eloise is still entranced with babies. This time, Jacob starts to check her out a little too...
Up to Seattle again...
Brunch for Auntie DeeDee's birthday, another visit with the Farmer family, and who can resist the warm, hot off the presses donuts from Pike's Place?!
RECORD SNOW in Portland
Sad, sad snowman, but what adorable friends he has! Dave took the kids out one morning to take advantage of what little snow we manage to get each year in Portland before it all melted away. TOO CUTE!
Piazza Italia
For Bebe & Grandpa's Christmas presents, we all got together and offered them all the things we always talk about doing, but rarely do: For Grandpa, that was a membership to the art musem, a trip to Ryan Birkland's studio (a local artist he likes...), and lunch at Piazza Italia. For Bebe, it was a spa day with her girls, a membership to the Japanese Gardens, and Tea Time. Here we are enjoying lunch at Piazza Italia. Or rather, here we are enjoying lunch until Eloise at all her pasta, and then, well, the girl doesn't like to run out of food, what can I say?!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Incredible sushi feast with the Ivanov's in Vancouver, BC
Apparently, the wait staff in Vancouver could care less if you're ordering enough food for a small army. They won't argue with you....Boris's sister intended on ordering one or two pieces of each type of sushi they offered, so we could order more of what everyone enjoyed. What came out, was one or two entire rolls of everything on the menu, cut into at least 6 pieces each. What a feast! Needless to say, we passed when offered the Korean BBQ, and when the waiter came around later to try and evict us (apparently they had only allotted us 2 hours for our meal and the next party had arrived...) Boris's sister let him know in no uncertain terms we weren't going anywhere until all that food was eaten!
Eloise checks out Noah Farmer in Seattle
No sooner had we returned from Spokane then we were back on the road again! Dave played New Year's Eve at the Crystal Ballroom with Soul Vaccination, then the next morning we were off to spend a night visiting friends in Seattle, then North for a night in Vancouver BC for dinner with the Ivanovs, and finally ending our trip in Whistler BC for some more SNOW and the best skiing Dave's ever had! If only we had more time! Here is Eloise, once again quite taken with someone else's baby. Noah thinks she's pretty sweet too...
Click for more Whistler, BC pictures!
Whistler was a blast! Luckily, not much morning sickness yet, and my energy was still kinda there (afternoon naps with the kids sure helped!). Oma, Eloise, Sebastian & Mommy G spent a couple hours one day cross country skiing around the lake; they have these terrific little sleds you can rent where YOU are essentially the dog, attached with a long pole to the sled, where the wee ones are all bundled up. Oma and I had a great time, while Eloise & Sebastian would have preferred a better view, I think! We also took some walks around Whistler village, and just generally had a lovely relaxing time. Dave & Ashley had the times of their lives, with Dave taking full advantage of the condos ski in ski out potential. We were all sad to leave and can't wait to return!!
Look what Santa Brought!
Yes, it is much bigger in person than it appeared on the box. But boy do they have a great time in the fort, tunnels & house!
Asleep at Bebe and Grandpa's
In addition to the main floor renovations, Bebe and Grandpa also redid the playroom. Gone is the icky carpet and cluttered desk. Now beautiful built ins hold all Bebe's books, and all our old toys, games, and books. The futon has moved out there as well, and here are Eloise & Sebastian curled up on it for a little nap. All tuckered out!
Eloise & Mommy G practice for August
Eloise is entirely enraptured with babies---then and now! Let's hope she feels the same way when August rolls around and it's her baby brother or sister that is sitting next to her on Mommy G's lap! Here we are in Spokane at the Rudd household, meeting 6 week old Jacob Robert who's come all the way from Lander, Wyoming to meet miss Eloise.
The glamorous gals at the Xmas party
Bebe and Grandpa's remodel was just done enough for some serious holiday parties this Christmas. Here are Aunties Jen, Barbara & Nat at the Duvoisin Holiday Soiree, sitting around the new "booth": a gorgeous countertop perched by the island of the new kitchen. Bebe's new "bar" is in the background...
Sledding at Manito Park
We actually had snow this Christmas! And Lots of it! Whether we were in Spokane for Christmas, Portland for some downtime, or our quick trip up to Whistler BC, it was all about the snow! This set of pics is from our lovely afternoon (make that MAYBE one hour...those kids get cold QUICKLY!) at Manito Park in Spokane, taking a few runs down a nice easy slope on the sleds. Why was it that Dave's sled always went straight for the trees?! Too funny....
Eloise Helps in the Kitchen
Eloise & Sebastian know to come running when they hear the kitchenaid turn on. Here's Eloise reaping the benefits of being the first one there....mmmmmm....whipped cream!
Our New Fridge!
Nonna & Nonno, having spent a few nights here at Camp Fleschner, realized the need for a new fridge and put in a request to Santa. The old fridge had no working lights, few working shelves, and no drawers (unless you count the bottom drawer in the fridge that held up the shelf!). To say this one is an improvement is a bit of an understatement. Yipee!! Thank you Santa!
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