Last Stop: Tokyo

Scott arrived in Tokyo on Sunday and this is his final stage of his trip.  To say I am looking forward to his return is an understatement.  Belle is teething and we have had some sleepless nights and very early mornings, which has made for some very foggy days for me.  Thankfully I work from home on Fridays and didn't have to drive, otherwise I would have been a serious hazard on the road.  Here's to a new week with hopefully more sleep and having our family together again!

Belle up and ready to start her day at 4:30 am on Friday.

The week of not sleeping caught up with her yesterday.

Happy girl yesterday morning after letting me sleep in until 7am!

The Best of Portland, Oregon

Seoul, South Korea

Scott made it to Seoul, Korea this morning our time, late night for him.  He told me the city looks enormous, which is true since it is called a "mega city" per wikipedia.  He plans to do more exploring tomorrow and over the next few days while he tours retail shops.

Belle and I are managing during his time away.  She finally had a good night of sleeping last night and in turn I did not and woke up with a sore throat and a groggy head.  I am drinking Emergen C all day today so I don't get sick while he is gone!

The mega city

Scott on the move

Scott spent the day in Wuxi, China today (or yesterday for him now).  It is 87 miles west of Shanghai and took him two hours to get there driving due to traffic.  The photo below is from Scott on his walk back to his hotel.  Tomorrow he will take the "bullet train" back to Shanghai and the trip should only take 45 minutes.  Only one more week until he is home!

Where is the world is Scott?

Tracking Scott while he is on his ten day tour of Asia for work.

Current City:  Shanghai

Flight time from Portland to Shanghai:  PDX to Tokyo 11 hours + 2 hr 25 minute layover + 3 hr 25 minute flight from Tokyo to Shanghai = 16 hours and 50 minutes

Time Difference from Portland:  15 hours ahead (per my iPhone)

Total Population:  23 million

Time in Cab from airport to hotel:  1 hour 39 minutes (per Scott)

What did he do in the city?  Retail tour of stores in various malls

Other fun facts:
 - There are more people in Shanghai than in all of New Zealand
 - Shanghai has the largest bus system on the planet
 - It is the 8th largest city in the world
 - China's richest city, it is the leading trendsetter in fashion, design and arts

Belle at 7 Months

At seven months old you are letting us know the teeth are coming.  We have had a few sleepless nights with lots of tears of pain.  Miraculously, you still wake up in the morning with a smile on your face.  I love that you are babbling more and more and even say "dada" but not at your Daddy, just a general statement.  Scott and I spend a lot of time pointing at each other saying, "mama, dada and baby Belle."  You just smile back and keep babbling away.  We have learned from recent trips that you despise a pack and play and prefer to sleep in between us in the bed, usually with a foot in my back.  You are now a pro at eating and open your mouth and lean forward for every bite.  Applesauce is your favorite and sweet potatoes are your least favorite.  We are now working on having you master the sippy cup.  We had our first family photos taken this past weekend and you were absolutely adorable, for the first hour, then you lost steam.  I look forward to seeing you every morning and can barely remember our life before you arrived.  Thank you for bringing so much joy to us!

Bend in April

Last weekend we went to Bend to spend time with the Bulloch family.  It turned out to be pretty darn relaxing, which was exactly what we needed.  We found some Oregon sunshine and spent a lot of time going on walks and sitting outside.  Belle was also fascinated watching her cousin Logan run around the house.  Fingers crossed we get to experience sunshine here at home this weekend.

In front of the Church where Scott and I were married

Belle enjoying the fresh air

Belle's hand is becoming a permanent fixture in her mouth

Grandpa Brad telling Belle stories

Belle loves holding her feet and cousin Logan's ~ He was a rock star holding her

P&G Best Job Video

Scott showed this video to me last night and I couldn't help but tear up.

Recent Craigslist Purchase

I have been scanning Craigslist for months to find a similar chair to the one I inherited from my Grandma.  I love the smaller size and I am now considering using them as our head chairs with our new dining room table.  Lucky me, I found one just similar enough and I patiently waited for two weeks for the seller to bring it down to my price.  It now has an appointment at our local upholstery shop next week! 

Belle was my model this morning in her new Osh Kosh overalls.  Heart.

Easter

Precious Belle in another dress that was mine as a baby on Easter.  Grandma and Grandpa just ate her up!

Just kickin' it

Just some of our favorite photos from the past few nights together as a family.  Belle is staying up until around 7pm now, which allows us to have more time with her in the evenings when we get home from work.  Some day the rain will stop here in Portland and we can start going on family evening walks, we just have to keep being patient with Mother Nature.

Belle's new favorite perch, the chair in our living room corner.  From this point she can watch everything going on in the neighborhood.

Her new shoes for Easter Sunday.

Photos with Dad and Mom, Scott even captured a gummy smile!

Girlfriends

On Sunday my friend, Cheryl, was visiting Portland from Wisconsin and our group of girlfriends (minus a few that couldn't make it) met for brunch at Screen Door.  Now Cheryl and I go back, way back, circa 1997 back, actually most of us ladies do since we met our freshman year at Linfield College.  Of course I had to take a few snap shots to capture this moment since I hadn't seen Cheryl since 2007, pre getting married for both of us, pre moving abroad for me and pre babies for both of us.  Hopefully my girlfriends won't hate me for this, but I just had to scan in a few photos of us from back in the day.  I could have spent the entire night scanning photos, but decided to keep them G rated since we are mothers now.

Thank you ladies for a wonderful Sunday, I love you all and look forward to doing it again soon.   And Cheryl ~ you better move back to the northwest so it doesn't take us another five years to see each other!

Bloody Marys and Mimosas for all!

2012 ~ Older & wiser

Now here are the oldies:

1997 ~ Pendleton Round Up Concert

2002 ~ Sarah and Bob's Wedding, they will be celebrating ten years this August

2005 (?) ~ Lisa, Cheryl and I went to Vegas on a whim, the things you can do when you are single and care free!

Our New Favorite Breakfast Spot

We love going out to breakfast on the weekends, it is the Portlander thing to do, so much so that even an episode of Portlandia spoofed it.  Our new favorite breakfast spot is Alameda Cafe in our neighborhood.  It took us over a year and a half to try this place out, but in the past month we have been here three times!  Here are my reasons why I love it: (1) they don't blink an eye when you walk in with a stroller; (2) the friendly staff; (3) they serve Stumptown coffee; (4) the hot sauce (see photo below) and (5) the food is fresh and local!  Give it a try and call us, because we will join you!