the end of 2008... yay 2009!

fun holiday times have kept me from posting for awhile, but now we're back! so, quick re-cap of the last month and a half, in mostly chronological order: we were in washington just before christmas, right in time for the first of the big snow storms. we even braved the pass (snoqualmie pass, part of I-90, the main connector between western and eastern washington, for those of you who are not from the area), driving directly under a big snow storm, to visit grandma hartley. poor adam had to put chains on about 14 miles short of the summit, and we had to keep them on through cle elum, halfway to ellensburg. on the way back, bryn finally decided that she had had ENOUGH of being cooped up. long story short (except to say that we reached the nadir when bryn was crying herself hoarse in the backseat, i was sobbing in the driver's seat, and adam was attempting to reason with both of us), i take back all those disapproving looks i ever gave other parents driving with their children on their laps.

bryn was showered with presents at two pre-christmas christmases. one of our favorite presents is the mini purple armchair, hazel the hippo:


thanks, leah and brian! most of bryn's other gifts were either fashionable or educational... not nearly as fun, for her anyway. we flew home on christmas day, and a few days later my parents came out to visit, help out, and spoil bryn, of course! adam and i got to go out for a nice, adults-only dinner (i didn't have to get up or put my meal on hold, not even once!) and see a movie (love that new bond - he's such a bruiser). all told, my parents did lots of babysitting and tons of cooking, while we relaxed and transitioned gently back to work. thanks, mom and dad!


and, the biggest news around here is that bryn has started walking (and, lately, running as well)! she took her first steps in mid-december and showed off a little bit of walking (mostly assisted) during our trip to washington. and, by the time 2009 rolled around, bryn was off and walking pretty much everywhere on her own, even brushing off (literally) helping hands from us or grandma and grandpa chen. she currently enjoys walking around holding objects that are much too large or heavy for her, as evidenced by the video below.

oh, and i got a great new lens for christmas so, hopefully, you will notice a marked improvement in our photos!