Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish everyone out there a Very, Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a great day and remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Thanksgiving, Finally!

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So I know it has been a while, but I am finally getting around to posting about our Thanksgiving. For the big Turkey day, we packed up the Volvo and headed down to Utah for a week. The trip went really well and Ellis did wonderfully...she only protested a couple times and then realized all of her protesting was not going to get her out of her seat, so she finally gave in! We made it to Utah in great time...I think we averaged about 11 hours total for the trip. So our first stop was to visit some of Loni's childhood friends Dan and Kyla Stevens in Logan, UT. We stayed with them from Saturday to Tuesday and the entire time was filled with fun. We started out the week by going to Park City where we shopped outlets, Dan and Loni went to a play while Kyla and I babysat the kids in the van and then visited old Park City. The next day was Sunday so we enjoyed a nice church meeting at thier building then went to Sariah's house for a wonderful dinner. On Monday and Tuesday we did a lot of driving around and ended the day by going to the Logan Zoo...it was actually quite fun. Tuesday afternoon, Loni and I decided to head down to West Jordan to visit my uncle and his wife, so we bade farewell to Logan. That night, we had a nice dinner with my Uncle Bert and Aunt Vicki at Chilis...it was a lot of fun. The following day Loni and I decided to go to a place which had little elves and shops and we met up with Dan and Kyla and Marcus...it was a lot of fun but then Loni, Dan and Marcus all decided they wanted to got to the auto auction and, once again, leave Kyla and I to watch the kids. We (the girls) ended up spending 3 hours walking around Target...which I guess wasn't so bad with us. Thursday (Thanksgiving) we headed down to Pleasant Grove to go to the Opfar family reunion Thanksgiving Dinner. That was a lot of fun to see all the family I don't get to see too often. Friday we headed home and that made our vacation over! It was great to see Dan and Kyla and thier family. They really are some of our greatest friends and I always enjoy the time we spend together (except when the girls (Kyla and I)are left to watch the kids all the time). :) I really wished they lived closer to us. It was also great to see my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Bert...I really had fun catching and reminiscing with them. All in all it was a great trip!

Bathtime for Ellis!

So we have finally (sort of) moved Ellis from bathing in the sink to the bathtub. Here are some pics of her enjoying it. Don't worry, they are safe! :)

The 'Stache!

So Loni decided to harness his inner trucker-ness and sport a mustache for one day. This thing was amazing. I have always wanted him to grow a mustache just to see what it would look like - and now I am glad that he doesn't have one. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. It was very hard to take him seriously with the 'stache looking me in the face all day long.

Hidden Text

So I changed the background to my blog and it made my text disappear because my text is white and now the background is white. If you need to read any of the older posts (since my life is so interesting to you all), just highlight the box and the text will appear! Voila!

U Village

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A couple of weeks ago we had nothing to do on a Saturday night so we called up Pasha (Loni's sister) and decided to go to UVillage. For all of you non-Seattle-ites, UVillage is a really nice outdoor shopping area located in the UDistrict, hence the name UVillage. In the last couple of years they have really done a lot of remodeling to the area to make it very nice. It is a fun place to go walk around and they have an outdoor, covered area for kids to play. Anyways, it was a fun night: we started out at the kids playground where Donnie was running around and going crazy. That kid is not afraid to try anything and would run around, fall down, get back up and start running all over again. I don't know how Pasha keeps up with that boy! :)

We ended up just walking around and window shopping with our Starbucks Hot Chocolates. Donnie and Staci (Pasha's two boys) had a blast playing in this little fountain area (it was in the 40's, so don't ask me). Donnie of course ended up soaked as most 2-year old boys do, but he had fun anyway. Once it got a little late we decided to call it a night, but it was a great way to get out of the house!

New Background!

I hope you all like the new background I just uploaded. I decided I am going to be more festive during the Holidays and change the blog to reflect the holiday (if there is one). We are doing well. Loni is getting over bronchitis (again) and might have to go in for a CAT scan of his sinuses to figure out what is wrong with him...I could give them a list :) Just kidding! Ellis will be 7 months old on Sunday and is SO cute. Next Friday we are heading to Utah to visit my Dan and Kyla for a couple days and then my dad's family for another couple days. It should be a lot of fun, though Ellis has never stayed in the car for as long as she is going to so I think that will be the most interesting part of the drive.
Oh, for all of you bookies out there, I just finished reading My Sister's Keeper - a book I totally recommend. I am searching for another book to read, so if anyone has any suggestions (that aren't Science Fiction - Kyla ;)), please let me know.
Anyway, that's it for now!

Happy Birthday, Kristy!

It was my birthday on November 2 and for it, Loni surprised me with an overnight trip to Victoria, BC on the Clipper (a boat that travels between here and BC)! I was so surprised and excited because I had never been to Victoria before (only Vancouver) so it was a great gift. Plus Loni's parents had graciously agreed to watch Ellis for us, so we could go without her. So on Saturday morning we woke up at 6:00 am and drove to Loni's parents house, picked up Lanae and she dropped us off at Pier 69 for our 7:00 boarding, then drove off for her overnight with Ellis. We got our boarding passes and our seats and then settled in for the 2.5 hour boat ride. The trip over was pretty uneventful except I was trying to get Loni to take pictures with me on the boat and he accidentally switched the camera mode to camcorder mode and ended up taking a funny vidoe of the guy who was sitting next to us. He was pretty much giving us the evil eye. It makes me laugh, so I will try and post it if I can.

Anyway, once we arrived in Vancouver, we went through customs and started towards our hotel which ended up being only a block away. We stayed at the Grand Pacific (or Pacific Grand...I always get it messed up), the only 5star hotel in Victoria and I would definitely recommend it. Surprisingly, when we arrived at the hotel to check in, they actually had our room ready (it was only 10:30am) so we got to go drop our bags off at our room, which was a trendy King Suite. When Loni booked the trip, he got the romance package which included a rose petal turn down at night, with chocolates and a rose, plus breakfast in bed the next morning. It was all very exciting. So we checked in and then started our day of walking. Victoria is so small you can pretty much get anywhere by walking. We went to: the Parliment Building, The Fairmont Empress Hotel, Chinatown (though it should be called China Block), Christmas Village (not for the faint of heart..they had probably thousands and thousands of ornaments), Market Square (reminded me of a square from the midevil times), their mall there and up and down all the streets. We had lunch at this place called Earl's (reminded me of a Joey's here in Seattle). We spent about 4 hours exploring the city then headed back to the hotel (both of our feet were hurting). At the hotel we decided to go swimming to relax. The hotel we stayed at is one of the only hotels left that has a pool and hot tub in them, so we spent time doing that and Loni spent the majority of his time in the steam room and sauna hanging out with creepy old guys :). After that we decided to get ready for dinner and went to the Concierege to ask where we should go. The concierge suggested a place called Barkleys, which was where we decided to go. I should have known not to trust an old man with recommendations because when we got there it was almost completely dead...as were the people there. The patrons of that restaurant had to all be in their 60's! So the waiter sat us and as we were sitting there looking around, we decided we didn't want to eat there, so we bailed and caught a cab right outside. The cab drive was not useful at all with suggestions, so we finally had him drop us off at an Italian place someone told us about earlier called Pagliacci's. It was a very "hip" place where they make you wait in a line outside and let you in according to party size and place in line. The food wasn't that great..definitely not worth the hype, but oh well. So then we came back to the hotel (we were both EXHAUSTED) and walked into our room which had been turned down with rose petals, drinks, chocolates and music. It was very romantic! We ended the day by watching Superbad on the TV. A great first day!

For the second day, we relaxed for a while in the hotel room and slowly got moving. We finally made it out, checked out of our hotel and decided to go to the museum. The Royal BC Museum was filled with exhibits ranging from animals, to early BC inhabitors to Old mining towns. It was very interesting and cool to see, but nothing different from any other museum. I did take a pic of a Wooly Mammoth they had on display, so that was cool-that thing was HUGE! After the museum, we decided to walk around and find some lunch. Well, lunch got put on the back burner when we found a spa that had an open avialbilty for Loni to get a massage. So while he got a massage, I walked around, bought some chocolates and then headed back to wait for him. After his massage, we went to find lunch for real and then stopped by 7-11 to pick up some items for the boat ride back. All in all it was a GREAT birthday...probably the best one I have ever had. This trip to Victoria was great and plus my mom and dad gave me some cool gifts, so next year's will be hard to beat this one. The pictures are from the Victoria trip and the Video is is of the weird guy on the boat ride to Victoria. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

So I know Halloween was almost a week ago, but I have been busy, so here is the update:

This year, I basically had to beg Loni to get Ellis a costume because he feels it is a big waste of money, but one day we were in Childrens Place and they had their costumes on sale for 75% off, so he finally gave it (I know, he is a saint). So we bought Ellis a turtle costume. I think it was originally meant for a boy, but she looked so cute in it, that we bought it. It is green, complete with a shell, booties and a hat, plus there is actually a tail on the shell! She hates being in and everytime I would put her in it, she would fuss and be unhappy. The funniest part is when she tries to roll over in it, but the shell stops her from completing the roll - she gets SO frustrated! Anyway, on Halloween, we stopped by my dad's house to go trick or treating and take some pics of her with him (he was her first trick or treat EVER), which was fun. They are remodeling their house, so that is what the insulation is you see in the background. After that, we went over to the Weaver's house to meet all the Renton cousins to go out with all of them. Since it was so cold out, we ended up not putting Ellis in her turtle outfit (so it did end up being a waste, score one for Loni), but instead put her in this purple monstrosity of a full body suit that we have for the winter. It is still a little big, so she just swims in it, and we ended up calling her the Purple People Eater, so that is what she was on Halloween night.

For trick or treating, we went to the Mt. Baker area of Seattle and walked around for about two hours. At the beginning, Loni or I would take her up to the doors to get candy for "her", but all of the houses knew who it was really for and made a point of saying it! After about an hour of this, Ellis reached her breaking point, so we put her in the stroller and gave her a bottle. I really think that was her most favorite part of the night - her bottle. After the bottle, she stayed in the stroller, but do you think that detered Loni from going up to the doors? No way, Jose! He would take the stroller up the flights of stairs and go straight to the door. That man will go to great lengths for his candy! :)

After a while of doing this, we all packed up and went home. With her first Halloween under her belt, Ellis is officially growing up! We took a picture of her with all of her loot..not very impressive for being out there for 2 hours, but she was in heaven. She would put one piece of candy to her mouth (wrapped, of course) and then throw that one down and pick up the next one closest to her. She was pretty much in heaven until we took them all away from her!

All in all, it was a fun night. It is always fun to see things through the eyes of a child and Ellis gets excited about almost anything, so she makes life fun! The slideshow is just of that night...Enjoy!

Sightseeing in Port Townsend!

One day Loni and I decided to get up early and go over to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State because we had never (to our knowledge) been there before. So we got up and planned on going across the Kingston Ferry and heading to Port Townsend from there. Well, Loni got his directions mixed up and we ended up driving in to Mukilteo (I believe) and caught the ferry from there to Whidbey Island. From that dock, we had to drive another 40 minutes to catch the ferry at Keystone, that would take us to Port Townsend, which we did. The ferry ride was cool...I remember as a kid that taking a ferry was one of the coolest things. Both of the ferries weren't very big, but we had fun. We took Ellis outside and to the front of the boat. Every time she would get hit with the wind, she would suck in her breath and then smile from ear to ear. She really enjoyed it.

At Port Townsend, we just walked around the town. I was actually kind of disappointed with the town...all the shops there were either overpriced bookstores, hippie-hang outs or shops with a bunch of junk in them. We had lunch and stayed there for about two hours and then decided to drive to Kingston to catch the ferry back to the Seattle area- but the only catch was the ferry left in about an hour and we had about 45 miles to drive. So, as life goes when you are in a hurry, we ended up behind the slowest people possible but did manage to make the boat. All in all it was a fun day...it is cool to see the beautiful scenery that our state has! The slide show is pictures from that day! Enjoy!

I Got Tagged!

My friend Kyla decided to "tag" me on her blog, so now I have to fill out all this information about myself and my family. Look at it as a way to learn more about the Weaver family from Renton. I will fill out preferences for Loni as I feel they are needed, but mostly, this is about me. ;) Enjoy:

A~Attached or Single: Attached, both of us as far as I am aware.
B~Best Friend: I would have to say Loni because of obvious reasons but I have other classifications of best friends: IM buddy BF - my dad, Loni's friends' wives BF - Kyla Stevens, Gossip BF - Kandy Weaver, etc. Loni has a bunch of BFF's, all childhood friends: Dan, Deloy, Aaron, Marcus, Ben, etc.
C~Cake or Pie: Neither. I prefer frosting, but if I have to choose, pumpkin pie.
D~Day of Choice: Friday late afternoon: it means work is over and we have two days of bliss together!
E~Essential Item: Cell phone and chap stick...seriously, how did anyone live without them?F~Favorite Color: Blue or black - Because I look best in either color! :)
G~Gummi Bears or Worms: Neither...I prefer chocolate covered raisins or good & plenty's.
H~Hometown: Renton, Washington
I~Indulgences: Food - I have no qualms spending money on food. Loni's indulgences are massages, which is no surprise to anyone who knows him. :)
J~January or July: July most definitely. January is depressing because the holidays are over and there is nothing to look forward to. July means sun, fun and tanning!
K~Kids: 1 little girl - Ellis, or more affectionately known as Chuney. She is almost 7 months and is more and more grown up everyday.
L~Life is Incomplete Without: Laughter and my family.
M~Marriage Date: October 9, 2004
N~Number of Siblings: 3 brothers: James, Reggie and Tyler
O~Oranges or Apples: I prefer oranges but apples seem to be in season more often.
P~Phobias or Fears: spiders, heights, escalators, etc.
Q~Quotes: "An unsanitary outhouse is more deadly than a loaded gun" Dwight from The Office.
R~Reason to Smile: Ellis and Loni...my life
S~Season: I like summer, but really enjoy fall (my anniversary, my birthday and holidays)so i am always glad when it comes!
T~Tag Two: Lauren Candland and Michelle Blanchard (basically the two out of three poeple that read our blog)
U~Unknown Fact: I am deathly afraid of escalators. I have to hold onto the rail each time I ride one.
V~Vehicle You Drive: 2002 Mazda Tribute, though we also have a 2004 Volvo s60 T5. My dream car is a Mazerati or Infinity FX45.
W~Worst Habit: Not exercising and induging on Oreos.
X~X-Rays or Ultrasound: Ultrasound because most of the time it means you are having a baby!
Y~Your Favorite Food: Really anything, but I love hot wings, especially Frank's Hot Sauce chicken wings made by ME!
Z~Zodiac: Scorpio...I am very stubborn and emotional. Just ask Loni. I think Loni is a Gemini. Whatever that means! :)

Pumpkin Patch!

On Saturday, October 13, we had our annual "Day at the Pumpkin Patch" with the Opfar side of the family. Loni and I decided to bring Ellis' cousin Donnie along. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a blast! We went to Maris Farms in Buckley and they had a ton of stuff to do. Donnie and Ellis had a blast in the corn kernal room. They also rode tractors, played in the inflatable jumpy thingy (the scientific term, I know), saw the animals and played around the pumpkin patch. There were also pig races and Donnie held the sign for the Red Team's piglet - which won! My parents and brothers and their wives/fiance's did the corn maze, which Loni and I wanted to do, but then we realized that it would be impossible with a six-month-old and an 21-month-old. Everyone else had fun in the maze and it took them about 25-30 minutes to complete. We had hot dogs, roasted corn, lemonade and lots of fun! All in all, it was a great way to kick off fall!

On to Solids!



Now that Ellis is over 6 months old, we have started her on solids. These pictures are from the first couple times she tried to eat...yet more got on her clothes than in her mouth. Now that we have been doing it for a while, she has the hang of it and loves peas, green beans and squash and is warming up to bananas, applesauce and sweet potatoes. She doesn't like peaches at all. I think she still prefers her bottle to anything else, though. :)

Take Me

On July 31 it was LDS night at the M's game so a bunch of us Mormons all decided to go. It was a big group of us including Mike, Amanda and Austen, Staci and Greg, Sam, Mary and Mia, and a bunch more. Amanda and I decided to try and get Austen and Ellis acquainted with eachother. :) Austen pretty much got to first base with Ellis and they can't even crawl yet. He's a cutie :). I was a lot of fun...it was Ellis' first baseball game. She did well but then ended up falling asleep in Loni's arms.

Bling, Bling!

Last week we got Ellis' ears pierced. Here are some pictures of it. She did really well...she just screamed right when the piercings happened and then she was over it. Look at how sad she looks one of the pics. They look good on her...we got the biggest size they would allow her to wear so she would be BLINGIN! Gary and Lanae came with us because they went when Jaida got hers pierced. Then we went to the Dillatante after that on Broadway. It was a fun night.

This was the actual piercing. We have it all on video...

Look at how sad she is. Her bottom lip is out SO far. :(
This is the guy who pierced her...he was awesome.

This is a picture one of the earrings. You need sunglasses to look at her bling!

Last week in Washington was incredibly hot so we spent most days after work at Marie's apartments swimming and trying to stay cool. The slideshow is a combination of those pictures and some random pictures from Sunday dinners at the Weavers.

The day after we got back from Hawaii was Loni's birthday so as a present, I got him an authentic 1940's biplane ride down at Boeing Field. He said it was spectacular...his mom ended up taking the ride with him as I had Ellis to attend to. They flew (at sunset) over Seattle to up by Everett. As an additional birthday present, Loni's brother Jesse persuaded him to get a Mac 10 Airsoft Rifle so there are some pics of him and my dad playing "guns". Also included in this slideshow are pictures of Ellis around that time.

In late May we took a trip to Maui with Loni's brother Jesse, his wife Kandy and thier two kids: Avery and Preston. For two weeks we enjoyed the sun, pool, sights and spectacular views there. We tried to stay away from the sand as much as possible. I think the highlight of the trip was the drive to Hana. (haha). We stayed at the Maui Hill condos - very nice- which were about 1 block from the beach. Each morning we would hit up the beach where Loni and Jesse would go snorkeling and Kandy and I would talk about how much we despised the sand. Once we had enough of the beach, we would head back to the condo. In the early afternoon, Ellis would go down for a nap and Kandy and I would get our alone time. Overall it was a good reunion for all of us (we all went together about two years ago). Hawaii is absolutely beautiful.

On April 11,2007 Ellis Lyn Weaver was brought into the world. She weighed in at 6lbs 10oz and 19.5 inches. The labor went well (thought long: 20 hours all together) but both mom and baby recovered well.