It's crazy to think a year ago we discovered on Christmas day that we were pregnant and now we are making our first trip home to the states with little Miss Teia! Three weeks of family, friends, cabin, farm, good food and shopping - this will be wonderful!
Teia was such a little trooper. She did really well on the 11 hour flight and enjoyed some little naps in her special bassinet! Passengers nearby commented on her being a good little lady!
Touchdown in Seattle we headed straight for Treasure Island (also known as Reach Island) where my family has a cabin. I stayed there for the week with Teia. Kirk could only stay a couple days then had to head off to Portland for a few days for work.
Kirk's time in Portland was mostly spent working, but he did manage to get out a little. One night he caught a Blazers game, another he went bowling, and he was even lucky enough to have dinner at Ryan Bukstein's new house with his lovely wife, Sarahbeth and the Knodles! On his way back Kirk stopped by Voodoo Donut's and picked up a particular donut I've been talking about for years now - my favorite type of donut - maple bar and this donut has a a tasty addition - bacon. Thanks for finally bringing such a tasty treat home and into my belly!
Next stop, Seattle! There was not one second we didn't spend with out our lovely friends and family. We made our way to Ryan and Nicole's for an evening and then spent the remainder of the week with Emily and Kai - THANK YOU! And they threw a nice gathering - a lovely Christmas party and also wine with the girls! Our friends Bryce and Brooke also thru a big reunion gathering - tis the season!!! We always feel the love when we come home - making it harder to leave every time!
Meanwhile Indiana stuck around in chilly Amsterdam with her new friend Sammie. Thanks for taking care of our furry friend, Janna!
My cousin Joseph and his wife Maria met us for yummy bites at Oaxaca in Ballard. I think they fell in love with Miss T - she behaved pretty well for a jet-lagged baby! Hope to see you out in Amsterdam soon!!!
I am realizing more and more this post is all about Teia - but we have a lot of special first's for her during this trip including sitting on Santa's lap for Christmas pics!
She also met the Snyders for dinner - not the best night for her - jet lag finally caught up, but at least we captured this picture with Hunter and her sweet smile!
Back at Emily and Kai's we were entertained by all the new additions - baby Finley, Nile, and Vincent!
It's been years, but we finally managed to get some old school girls together - my best friends from childhood - Amy, Alyssa, Kelly, Candace and Lisa! It's been far too long!
The Slothower's hosted Christmas and managed to feed 25 of us - I don't know how they handled it, but dinner was a success and the evening was filled with fun and new memories! We sure are lucky to have such a wonderful, fun, loving and supportive family!
It wouldn't be Christmas without a showing of Christmas Vacation. I think Teia really enjoyed herself - definitely her favorite Christmas movie!
Teia was such a little trooper. She did really well on the 11 hour flight and enjoyed some little naps in her special bassinet! Passengers nearby commented on her being a good little lady!
Touchdown in Seattle we headed straight for Treasure Island (also known as Reach Island) where my family has a cabin. I stayed there for the week with Teia. Kirk could only stay a couple days then had to head off to Portland for a few days for work.
So many wonderful and special memories happened at the cabin throughout my life so we are especially happy to create more with the McCoy family. Tyler, Erin and my father met Teia for the first time and they were naturals! Grandma Di Di stayed with us for 3 weeks in Amsterdam when Teia was born - so she was happier than ever to see Teia getting bigger and chattier! Ryan and Nicole also came out for the night - anxiously awaiting their turn with baby Teia.
My cousin Joseph and his wife Maria met us for yummy bites at Oaxaca in Ballard. I think they fell in love with Miss T - she behaved pretty well for a jet-lagged baby! Hope to see you out in Amsterdam soon!!!
Back at Emily and Kai's we were entertained by all the new additions - baby Finley, Nile, and Vincent!
Next stop - Thorp for Christmas with Kirk's family! Teia is officially the first great grandchild for the Harrel family; she met many of Kirk's (great) aunts, (great) uncles, great grandparents and cousins, and made sure to spend quality time with her Grandma Sharon! Sharon also spent some time with us in Amsterdam - she too couldn't wait to give kisses and hugs to her grandchild!
This year was especially wonderful with our family and friends. Home never seemed so different, but in a good way! Looking forward to the next trip home.
For New Year's we had a low key night with our friends Erin and Chad Rohrer. The night included a nice dinner, lovely rose champagne, and lots of laughs and good chats! Teia woke up in time for the fireworks craziness outside. Amsterdam sure knows how to throw a good New Year's - not necessarily a safe one, but a bright one!
Amsterdam still seems to amaze us - always something unique and wonderful around the corner - we are thrilled to bring up our little one in this fantastic city. More to come......finally finding some normalcy and routine in our life which hopefully means more posts!
