Last days of summer....

We did our best to squeeze every last drop out of summer here!  Our last few "hot" days (in the 80's) were spent at the beach, soaking up as much vitamin D as we could. Good bye summer... until next year!

Had to add this hilarious picture of Ian!!!

the beach and other adventures...

 We had big plans to take everyone to the beach for low tide but instead when we got there, the tide was higher than I had ever seen it! Oh well, it was still fun.  Aren't the babies adorable? And that picture of Matt and Wesley is so cute. See that little dot in the water to the left? That is Gabe floating on some driftwood. (It looks like he is way out there but he's not - and it's pretty shallow.)

Later we also went on a hike. It was beautiful as usual but more fun than ever since we got to share it with family!

Keep a hold of that stick boys! That is all that's keeping that boulder from crushing all of us!!

date night!

One evening we went out on the town and really lived it up... well as much as you can with 2 cute babies in tow! ;)  We did have a fabulous dinner then went to show Matt and Amy our best view of Seattle from a park in Queen Anne.  Need I say again how much fun I had with my big brother and my sweet sis in law?  This night was pretty fun but the best night was when we put the kids to bed, went out on the patio, lit all the candles, tiki torches, and outdoor fireplace, and just talked til late.  Man, I miss those times of just being with family.

Northwest Trek

We spent the next day trying out something new... Northwest Trek. It was fun! It's like a huge zoo/animal preserve where most of the animals roam freely. We took a tram through and saw enormous antelope, elk, moose, mountain goats, mountain sheep, and bison. Pretty cool!  We also saw smaller enclosures of bear and wild cats and a myriad of other animals that live in the Northwest.

That's a huge bear between Amy and I in the background!

Matt and Amy for a visit!!

It was so fun having my big brother here for a visit!  I just love being with Matt and Amy and it was wonderful having all that one on one time with their cute family.  Gabe and Nyah had a great time with Wes and Logan.. and it was fun to see the little guys, Ian and Gage, together too!

Look at these two butter-balls! I can't stop smiling every time I look at this picture.

  Our first day we spent down on the waterfront enjoying the sunshine, water, and some Pike's Place clam chowder.  We swung by the aquarium too and let the kids touch anenomes and starfish and watch the sea otters get fed shrimp. It was a fun day!

First day of school

Look at our handsome kindergartener!!  Today is Gabe's first day of school and our whole family has been so excited!  Eric gave him a Father's blessing this morning and then he was off!  It felt really weird but really cool walking him into school this morning.  It's been a looooooong time since I walked the halls of elementary school but it felt just the same.  I love that smell of sharpened pencils and the organized chaos of it all. :)  I am so excited for our little man. This year is going to be a big adventure for him!

bye bye baby teeth!

 

Gabe lost his first tooth!  A few weeks ago I was shocked to notice two teeth sprouting up behind his bottom front baby teeth.  For some reason I just thought he was way too little... kids didn't lose teeth until they were bigger. Well, not Gabe. After all, he got his first tooth at 2 months old!  So now he has lost both of his bottom front teeth - one he literally lost.  It just disappeared one day! But luckily the tooth fairy is an understanding sort and still left him some money. :)

This is what happens when I take too many pictures:

no air conditioning....blah

Usually our summers here in Seattle stay around a pleasant (if un-summer-like) 70 degrees.  But we do have our few days of heat.  On one of those scorching hot days, I walked into the living room and found this:

both boys were literally melted into the couch watching the Olympics in complete lethargy.  Ian was totally limp and relaxed, just draped across Daddy - it was pretty darn funny!

smooth sailing

 Eric arranged for us to go on a sail for our 7th anniversary... it was fantastic weather and a really fun adventure! When I told him happily that I could now cross it off our bucket list, he reminded me that it had never been on his bucket list! He is not a fan of large bodies of water at all and was a super sweet hubby to brave the open sea for me. (I won't mention how he rummaged around the cabin underneath trying to get on a lifejacket before we set sail... or how he sat white knuckled, gripping the boat when the wind caught the sails and we were tipped probably 60 degrees - haha! What a good sport!)  Later that evening we got sushi and sat on the restaurant's veranda, enjoying our meal and reminiscing about how good our life is. What a fun date!

4 months old... seriously?!

Where has the time gone?! I can't believe our new baby is already 4 months! How can I explain our Ian... he is such a precious addition to our home that it's hard to imagine life without him now.  He is so very mellow and sweet, and yet lights up like a light when you give him attention! He wiggles and squirms with happiness and has the brightest smile you have ever seen! His body is getting chubby and round and I am loving watching the fat rolls deepen on his wrists, forearms, and legs! He has a round little face like his big sister Nyah but his coloring is definitely more like Gabe. I think he is a perfect mixture of them both.   I wonder what his personality will be like though? So far he has been a mild, easy baby like Gabe but I've definitely seen some silliness and spunk too!  He loves to experiment yelling and squealing and I can tell he really has fun with it! He just barely started rolling over and that can keep him entertained for awhile. He also just discovered his thumb (uh oh) and will suck and gnaw on it happily. Usually when I nurse him it's a quiet pause in the day and I am just overwhelmed with the strongest feelings of love and gratitude for this sweet baby.  He is truly a delight and a treasure. I am just loving every second with him!

 

 And my favorites....