Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Chelan Part Two (the rest)












And Austen collecting rocks...


And throwing them into the pool for Papa to retrieve while telling her gently, "Austen, we don't throw rocks into the pool."
"Well, that's why it's fun, Papa!"


Big Girl Bed

Introducing...

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Kaitlyn's big girl bed. :-) We were a little skeptical at first with the above reaction...we had resolved ourselves to getting little sleep last night. However, perhaps because she wore herself out with the jumping and excitement, she went to bed perfectly and slept until morning. I, of course, just jinxed it, and will be reporting on tonight at a later date. :-)

I'm sure I don't have to point out that this is bitter-sweet for us. It's so exciting and fun to see her growing up and becoming more independent, but it doesn't come without a bit (okay, more than a bit) of heartache. Wasn't she just a newborn? Wasn't I just rocking her to sleep and didn't she just need me to get up with her every few hours to nurse? We are finding that, as much as we miss past stages, there is always something to look forward to. Makes me appreciate the thousands of pictures we have taken!

Kaitlyn's bed may be new to her, but it's not exactly new. It was mine when I was her age, and it used to be yellow. While I did actually really like the yellow, it didn't match the new bedding so I decided to change it.





 Austen is excited, too :)


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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Chelan Part One

We headed over to Chelan for our annual end-of-July Lake Chelan trip with my family. It should be no surprise that I took what some may consider a ridiculous amount of pictures. I am taking a cue from a good friend and doing a two-part post. I am having trouble just picking the "highlights," and will continue to use the excuse that these posts go into books at the end of the year, so I can't leave anything out. ;-)
We had a great time, and didn't want to leave! The girls LOVED being outside for so much of the day, and literally did not stop moving unless they were eating (well, sometimes not even then) or sleeping. The weather was probably the most mild we've had, but we ended up with mostly sun, and it certainly beat July in Seattle.


This picture documents one of Austen's current obsessions: her belly button. She can be seen most of the day with her buddah belly hanging out and her finger in her belly button. She knows how to make us laugh these days. :-)

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We met two wonderful families from Bellingham during our many years at Darnells. As both of our original Chelan groups moved on, we got to know each other and now make the trip together. Jenn and Brian have a little guy, Quinn, who is just a few months older than Austen. They had a blast together!


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This picture cracks me up. Jeff was reading the girls a bedtime story (good 'ole Goodnight Moon), and he changed some of the words. This is Kaitlyn's reaction. :-)

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The three kids took it upon themselves to redo some of the landscaping by the water. They spent all week picking up rocks, one by one, and dropping them into the lake. They cleared a good few feet and made a respectable pile in the water. Amazing what keeps them entertained!

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Kaitlyn got this suit from my cousin Katryn, and requested to wear it most days. :-)

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A funny little story goes with this next picture: We put the girls down for a nap in the room, both in Pack-n-Plays. All was quiet, and we hadn't looked at the video monitor in a bit. Jeff decided to take a peek, and it looked like Kaitlyn had gotten out of her bed. He went in the room to check, and found that Kaitlyn had indeed jumped ship, and had put every single toy we had brought (if you know me, you know I don't exactly pack light - is that hereditary trait, Mom?) into Austen's crib, including the blown-up beach ball. Austen was standing at the edge with no ability to even sit down. And, the best part? Kaitlyn had helped herself to a beer from the fridge (luckily she's got a few years before she'll learn how to open one). We ended up barracading her in her crib with kitchen chairs for the rest of the trip - worked like a charm! :-)

Some of Austen's goodies (too close up, but you get the idea):
It's funny the little things that fill me with pride as a parent. Kaitlyn has been our slightly timid child so far (she's funny though, because sometimes she jumps right in), so when she tried to copy Daddy blowing bubbles in the pool, my heart swelled - I'm weird! The picture above is Austen trying, but she mostly just tried drinking it. :-)
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Can you see Austen's face in this picture? This is the funniest thing ever - she clenches her fists and makes this face to make us laugh. You gotta see it in person. :-)

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If Austen wasn't collecting rocks, she was doing this:
And this:

Austen and Quinn playing tag:



If you look closely, you may be able to see that this is not Jeff, and that this man has his own daughter on his lap, reading her a book. Kaitlyn inched her way over, until she was able to see the pictures and listen to the story, too. :-)
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More to come when I get around to it. :-) (The house doesn't need cleaning or anything. ;-))