what a weekend!

Last weekend was a full one - we started off with my 28th birthday and Riley's first rice cereal experience on Saturday, a visit from Tyler's grandparents on Sunday, a visit from Claire on Monday, a neighborhood BBQ Monday night and then finished with the birth of my nephew Henry! Whew! The weather was great most of the weekend, allowing us to spend some time in the yard, some time on the patio barbecuing and some time out and about in Bellingham. We enjoyed the visitors, being able to spend time together as a family and most of all meeting Martha's baby for the first time. I'll let her tell all the details, but I will report that he is healthy and Martha is doing well. I think she is in love! And I know I am too. I can't stop thinking about him and am eager to hold him again, hopefully soon! He is perfect and Mike & Martha are a proud Daddy & Mommy.

san francisco

We are back from our trip! We had a wonderful time. It's always so refreshing to get away, have time together and see new sights. We did not mind having Riley along on our anniversary trip. It was fun to all be together as a family, but we definitely do look forward to next year when we can leave her with Grandma and have some time alone. Riley is a great traveler! She had her first plane, train & taxi ride and didn't seem to mind any of them. We pushed her around that city in her wonderful Bob stroller and she played, chatted and slept while we explored and ate at every possible moment. Some of the activities included: ferry ride across the bay to Tiburon, shopping, walking, eating, morning at the beach (Tyler surfing and Riley and I hanging out) and a nap each afternoon in the cool hotel room. It was actually pretty hot down there, so we welcomed the rest and the shelter from the heat each day. We also had a date, sans Riley, at a fabulous Italian restaurant. Our friend Brian watched Riley so we could have a few hours away.

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary on Saturday, the 17th, by sleeping in, breakfast out, some shopping in Union Square and a long walk and dinner out that night. May 17th also marks the day Tyler's Dad passed away. It has been two years already, hard to believe! We miss Dave and think about him all the time and appreciate the great inspiration he was in our lives, as well as many others. We had tacos and a beer for lunch, with a cheers to Dave. It is becoming more and more special to share our wedding anniversary with the passing of Tyler's Dad. A true example of the complexity of life: pure joy and deep, deep sorrow, all mixed up in one day. And now some pictures...

salem, or

What a busy weekend! We spent the weekend in Salem, OR for Rachel's graduation from Willamette University. Not only was it her graduation, but also Martha's 26th birthday and Mother's Day. Andrew and Lindsay flew in from St. Louis, so the whole Moritz clan was in attendance. What a lively bunch we are! My mom about had a heart attack when Andrew, Tyler and Mike all thought it would be funny to take their shirts off when Rachel's name was called and run across the stage. This did not take place, but Andrew did, however, convince us to cheer loudly for an extended period of time when Rachel's name was announced. Apparently Rachel sat back down at her seat and the girl sitting next to her said, "Your family is crazy!". She could only reply with a smile and a look of, "That's only the half of it...". Needless to say, it was a busy and eventful weekend, with some of the activities being: lunch at the Salem Country Club with Rachel's 3 other housemates and their families, a birthday dinner and cake/ice cream for Martha, a Senior Breakfast at Rachel's Pi Beta Phi Sorority house and then finally the graduation ceremony. It was really fun to see Rachel graduate, knowing she truly worked hard for the last 4 years. Side note: she graduated Cum Laude, with a 3.6. Pretty impressive!

Oh! This is also why I did not participate in Ten on Ten this month. I fully intended to, but somehow it slipped my mind on Saturday. Sorry!


Riley also turned 6 months old on Sunday 5/11. I just took her in for her apt. today and she is 16 lbs 9.5 oz and 27 1/4 inches tall. A very tall girl - in the 90th% for her age. She checks out beautifully and was squirming around, smiling, cooing and sticking everything in her mouth, including her toes when the doctor was trying to examine her. What an active girl! She is starting to sit up on her own for several minutes at a time and is cutting her bottom two front teeth. We can feel them cutting through, as well as see the holes on her gum line. It's hard to imagine our little baby is already 6 months old! I will start her on rice cereal next week after we get back from our trip...which leads me to my next bit of news. We leave tomorrow morning for San Francisco. We will spend 4 nights in the city to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary this Saturday May 17. We have a few things we'd like to do, but mostly we're excited to be together, walk and eat our way through that lovely city. Oh! And catch some sun too. The weather forecast looks wonderful - 70's and 80's the whole time we're there. I'll be sure to post some pictures and report on our time there.

vancouver half marathon

Yesterday was my half marathon and I am very happy that it is over! The race went really well - the sky was clear and the sun was out and I felt better than expected. I was running a very steady pace the first 5-6 miles and feeling good. Then my knee started to hurt and it really slowed me down for the next 5 miles. I hobbled along but still was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Stanley Park and views of the water. The last 3 miles or so my knee was feeling good, but my spirits were low. Thankfully a girl that was running right next to me struck up a conversation and we chatted the rest of the race. It took my mind off my sore body and was exactly what I needed to help me finish strong. Tyler and Riley saw me at mile 5 and then at the finish line. I was so happy to see their shining faces each time! All in all it was a great race and we also had a really nice time in Vancouver the day before hanging out together.

So today I am trying to recover and have been icing my knee and walking gingerly down the stairs and around the house. I took a walk this morning to try to stretch my legs out, but I realized that wasn't a good idea while pushing the stroller and trying to manage Doc. Not very much fun with a bum knee!

Not sure if I'll have to retire my running shoes for a while and focus on other forms of exercise -but I do know that each time I wake up early for a race I always ask myself, "Why do I do this???" and then each time I cross the finish line with hundreds of people cheering and music blaring I am always reminded why I do it!

baby activities

I meet the moms from our birthing class the first Thursday of each month to swim with our babies. It is so much fun! This is definitely one of the perks of being a stay at home mom with only one child - I have time to do little activities with Riley and plan my whole day around just one outing.

I took Riley to story time at the library on Monday and she loved it. I was quite surprised by how much she loved it. She smiled, laughed, babbled and seemed to really enjoy the stories, songs and dancing. We will continue to go for sure!

I also started a Mommy & Me Yoga class. I have been going the past 5 weeks and have 5 more to go. Riley lays next to me on her own little yoga blanket and she plays with her toys while her Mom tries her hardest to perform the poses and regain her strength back! It's great because if any of the babies get fussy, the instructor will pick them up, or show us how to hold our baby while doing the pose. I'm taking this class with two other girlfriends, and we often grab lunch or coffee afterwards...ahhh...the life of a mother!

Do you have favorite activities to do with your baby? I'm always looking for more ideas!