Putting on Shh...Shh..



You might think I mispelled shoes but that is what Ainsley is calling them these days.  Shh..Shh.  She absolutely loves to get her shoes and bring them to us to put on her feet.  Ultimately, I think she is just so excited to go outside!  Papa, Gma Paula, and Auntie Bethany came over for a visit last weekend.  Below are some snapshots of the Shh's!!!

Papa, the shoe goes on my left foot.



Pay attention Papa



Got it! Ready for church.  Oops, I need a shoe on the other foot.



More Swimming Lessons

Fun video to check out of Ainsley and I @ Swim Class!!

Back Stroke

Jumping off the ledge

Kick...kick...kick...

Auntie Bethany and Gma Paula came to watch Ainsley swim.

Practice makes Perfect

You might wonder why I put these pictures up other than how unbelievably cute she is.  Ainsley emptied every last tube, lotion and wipe out of her basket just to pull her cloth diapers out of her dresser and place them in the basket.

She decided to carry them around the house.  I am sure this is in preperation for hunting for Easter eggs (since she is the smartest baby ever)

Finally, she landed on the floor and decided to blow us kisses while we were trying to get her to smile for a picture. 

A Chance to Stop and Smell the Roses

Last weekend, Kasey and I headed down to Portland for a few days.  Kasey's parents were kind enough to come up and spend the weekend with Ainsley.  We didn't have to twist their arms too much!!  Everyone had a great time.  Nana and Grandpa spoiled our little girl.

Friday was a beautiful day so we took a walk around the neighborhood.  Ainsley made sure we took time to stop and smell the roses (more like dandelions) along the way.

A Closer Look

Let's go this way Nana

Even a closer look at things

Bathtime Fun

Wanted to share a few quick pics of our little cutie at bath time.  Her hair is really getting quite long so you can appreciate it well in these pictures.  Hope you enjoy!

Before

During

After!

HAPPY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Training

While the Mariners hit spring training in Arizona this last week, we dusted off our bikes and bike trailer (thanks Mom and Randy) for Ainsley and hit the pavement in the 40 degree weather.  Not the Arizona sun but the sun was indeed out!

Biking Fun!!!!

It was fun to get out for a ride and enjoy the fresh yet quite cool air.  Ainsley was quiet as a peep just like she is when go for a walk.  The super cute bike helmet (free thanks to my good friend Lori) was not a big hit with her but she managed to keep it on for the ride.  Of course, Kasey and I had our helmets on as well. 


Mommy and Ainsley after the bike ride





Daddy and Ainsley ready for bike ride



A New Way of Eating

For those die hard followers of our blog.  Ainsley eating with a fork.  A new skill for her.  She hasn't quite mastered the art of putting the food on the fork but definately getting it into her mouth.  What a big girl.  The following our a couple of action shots!

Mac & Cheese

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Last FPU class

Last evening we had our final FPU class at our church for the year.  It was very fun to lead another group on the journey and find ourselves with renewed strength every time around.  Our class (picture below) consisted of 3 couples and 1 single lady.  They paid off close to $16,000 and saved and gave away $10,000 in 3 months.  We are so proud of all their hardwork.

Sharon, Ryan and Jenn, Jim and Sylvia, Kevin and Melinda with daughter Gabie.

Next weekend Kasey and I are going down to Portland to see Dave Live.  We are very excited and will be a nice one night get away for us.   

Spring Fun

Today we all decided to get outside after the torrential rains we had this week.  It felt good to get out in the yard to do some mowing, weeding, pruning and of course playing in the grass with our girls.  Ainsley just loves it outside and I am finding every opportunity I get to get outside and love it as well.  Kasey was outside as well taking all the pictures for me to blog.

Thought this was a funny picture of the two of us

Ready Set Go!

Ainsley decided to play peek-a-boo through the slats on the deck. Very cute!

SUNDAY Adventures

Ainsley has been bringing her coat and shoes to me every hour so we can go outside and take a walk.  We finally got a break in the rain and as promised Ajax, Ainsley and I took a short walk (Kasey didn't come as he has been working hard on getting the garage into tip top shape).  I will be posting a blog on that as well very soon. 

Ainsley learned to fly with Daddy in our super clean office.

She decided she would take the car out for a test run.  It held up pretty well.  She had fun running the car and herself into mud puddles, practicing walking over rocky surfaces and just enjoying the cool fresh air.

I know you it's hard to imagine but this is our office.  After finding this desk on craigslist and getting it for quite a deal, we moved it in and got the office cleaned up to be a much more user friendly area.  I told Kasey I feel like we finally have an adult looking office! LOL! 

Date Night

Kasey and I took a chance to go out on date tonight.  We had a great time in Seattle eating fish and chips, shopping at Penzeys spices and just enjoying celebrating being a couple.

Beautiful daffodils and tulips all around us.  It even stopped raining so we could enjoy walking around the market.

The view was spectacular from our restaraunt table. 

1-2-3-SWIM

Ainsley attended her 1st swim lesson today!  After being on the waiting list since September we finally made it to the top of the list.  My good friend Tammy refered us to Tiger Mountain Aquatics and boy was the wait worth it.  What a great facility and wonderful teacher Amy. 

Ainsley was very excited to get in the water.  She clung to me for the first 15min not sure what to think of it all.  Soon she started to play and found holding onto the ball in the water and going 1-2-3 then jumping into the water was a lot of fun.  Teacher Amy said she did great for her first lesson! Can't wait to see how much she will learn.

I tried to get a good shot of her after she got out of the pool but she was not hip on taking more pictures.  I was lucky to get the ones I got.  No smiles....she is so serious. 






My little peanut fell asleep on the drive home.  All tuckered out! 

BIG SMILE!!!

Ainsley loved Grandpa tickling her ear.

Gramps and Ainsley hanging out reading books together.

Grandma, Ainsley and I hanging outside cleaning up the garden!  We even found some potatoes in the garden from last year.  Ainsley had fun playing with Ajax and playing peek-a-boo through the wooden slats on the deck. 

What a great shot of them both looking up to the sky.  So silly but I love it!

This has to be one of my favorite all time shots of Ainsley and I.  I told her to give me a really big kiss and she did it.

My good friend Crystal and her daughter Piper came for a visit today.  We had a great time visiting and sharing Mom stories with one another.  I was holding Piper (who is light as a feather in comparison to Ainsley) and Ainsley decided she should come sit on me to let Piper know that I am her mom!

Ainsley let Piper sit in her favorite adarondak chair for a short period of time before she took it back.  Here is the two of them and Crystal enjoying the afternoon sun. 

Top 5 List for 2011

Ainsley's Top 5 List for 2011

1. Ainsley loves to get her shoes and jacket on now because she knows this means we are all about to go outside and she is such a big girl now that she can walk to the car or the mailbox or down the street all on her own! Uncle Ben showed her how to get up on the stool next to the window to look outside anytime she likes. She spends a lot of time dreaming of the outdoors.


2. Singing and dancing to mainly the hokey pokey and whatever other music comes through the speakers. I am not sure she gets the entire concept but she knows to bend her knees, bounce and stick her butt out while she does the other two things. Very cute! She also has discovered how to turn on the radio on my alarm clock in our room. She turns it on every morning and starts dancing.



3. Reading, reading, and more reading. She loves to read books over and over again. I love that she likes to sit on our laps to read and nowhere else.



4. Ainsley knows it's bottle time! She even gets us the towel to wipe off the bottle just in case we forget how to do it.





5. Lot's of laughter and fun chasing me, daddy or Ajax around the room. She loves to play the "I'm going to get you" game.

Enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MAIORCA'S

The Christmas season is here and we can hardly believe another year has come and gone. 2o1o seems to have come and gone in a flash. I remember as a child, my parents saying where did this year go, and now I have the realization of what they were feeling. The days, weeks and months seem to have just flown by this year but they were filled with many wonderful times shared with family and friends.


After six wonderful years of marriage, as most of you know, Kasey and I welcomed our new little Miss Ainsley into our family. Like most new parents, most of our time has involved watching Ainsley grow up and become her own little girl with a big personality. It is truly amazing to see how much she has learned in this last year. Her favorite things include playing with Ajax (our 7 year old lab), pushing her little car around the house, helping me load and unload the dishwasher, and making goofy noises with Dada. A few weeks ago, we celebrated Ainsley's 1st Birthday. 1 year of age seems to be the time to start new things. Since her birthday, she started walking, her first two teeth started coming in and she is babbling much more than before.
She is a very easy baby from what most experienced parents tell us. We don't know as we have nothing to compare her to. I do know she is the light of our lives and can hardly remember what life was like before we had her.

Kasey continues to work at Northwest Aviation College and was recently promoted to a more senior level position in the company. He is working as the accountant in addition he continues to teach the high school students Introduction to Aviation course, ground school classes and stage checks (where he monitors the progress of students throughout their training). He is very excited to be doing something a little different after teaching students to fly for 4 years now. No need to worry, I am sure he will find opportunities to continue to fly and maintain his currency. He is also hoping to finish his associate degree by the end of the 2011 year. Busy indeed!

I continue to work at Valley Medical Center in Radiation Oncology. I feel I have really found a home in this area of nursing and I am so pleased to have found a place where my co-workers and I alike feel very passionate about providing exceptional care for cancer patients. As well, the hours continue to be a great bonus for my personal life.

When I look back upon this year, it seems like 2010 has been quite a year of transition for us. I feel older, wiser, and maybe a little more aware of the changing world around us. I suspect that is what having a baby does for one's outlook on life! We are looking forward to this next year watching our little girl grow, spending time with family and friends and making more wonderful memories.

We hope this letter finds you all healthy and happy. If you are ever in the Seattle area, please let us know, we would love to catch up.

Love,
Kasey Jenn and Ainsley

One Small Step for a Baby, One Giant Leap for Ainsley

So it finally happened, she took those magic first steps!!! We got some of them on film, not the very first but the second ones. She was on the floor playing with her mommy and she just stood up, mommy said come here and she did! Just like that; one, two, three and into mommy's arms. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen.



It's amazing to see her grow in these leaps and bounds. She is so happy I swear she's on Zoloft, but she is just my happy baby girl. I love to just sit and watch her play with the puppy. I also love that she is so interested in everything around her. She gets very serious when she studies something or someone. Everyone thinks that she is serious but i tell them they should see her at home, she giggles non-stop.

Her vocabulary has grown from "Mama" to include now "Baby". I have heard a few "Nana" and one "Dada" but that's all. She can say more with sign language and can clap at things she likes, but those are the only spoken words. It has been an amazing year and I can't believe how much these little ones learn in one year. I also feel like we just brought her home yesterday, and now she's shaking her head no and doing somersaults (with the help of mommy of course). What will the next year bring? I'm afraid to ask!

Kasey