We are staying very busy and enjoying the nice weather. :) We hang out in the back yard a lot of evenings, go for runs and walks on the trail, etc.

Austen update: I weighed her last week, and she weighs...wait for it...15 pounds!! She's not even 4 months ;) (She will be on Friday.) She's definitely our chunky girl! But we wouldn't trade those thunder thighs for anything. :) She just started reaching for and grabbing toys this week. It's so fun to actually watch her turn into a little "human."

Kaitlyn: She continues to be our little sponge, and says new words and phrases every day. We often look at each other and say, "Did she really just say that?" Right now one of her favorites is "There it is!" when she finds something. :) She also hears Mama say "Oh, thank you!" when she hands me something, so now she says, "Oh, Teetoo!" in a little high pitched voice. Cracks me up. :)

I think I mentioned before that I joined a mommy group, so we have been going to a lot of play dates. It's fun for Kaitlyn to meet and play with other kids, and it's fun for me to meet other moms in the area. And, it gives us something to do in the mornings!

Now the pictures :)
Kaitlyn and some of her little friends:

Grandpa Roger's birthday was on the 10th, so they had a get together at their house. Kaitlyn had a blast in the back yard with the neighbor kids:

Out at dinner, stylin' :)

Kara has Mondays off, so we get together sometimes on her days off. Kaitlyn and Paige were a little tuckered out:

Our little scholars:

At Sliver Lake Park down by the water:

Does this need an explanation???

Bouncy house play date - Kaitlyn loved it!!

This is blurry, but you get the idea. :)

Austen hanging out in her "Bumbo" chair:

The girls. Austen looks almost as big as (or bigger) than her big sister!

Happy 4th!

Reading with Dada:

Kara and Travis just moved into a new house, so of course we had to invite ourselves over. :-)

Kaitlyn talking to two of their three dogs:

Kaitlyn and Paige are about 3 months apart. It's so fun to watch them together.

Snack time!

The girls exploring the back yard:

Jeff and I went to the Space Needle yesterday to celebrate our 4th Anniversary. Thanks to my bro Rob, we had a gift card to use for brunch, hence the venue choice. :-) We walked around for a bit afterward, and of course I'm a huge dork and had to go touch the fountain. Such a dare devil!

Kaitlyn found my Halloween wig. We couldn't resist the picture, of course. Raggedy Ann is my annual teacher costume :-)

Kaitlyn with her first whole apple. She started out great, then gagged on too big of a piece, so we'll wait a bit longer for her next one. :-)

I had the idea (well, stole the idea) of putting half of Kaitlyn's toys away since there are so many, and it would make them seem "new" to her after a bit. I put them in the chest in her room while she wasn't looking because she had no idea that it even opened. It worked great for about a month, but this is how I found her the other day. Time for Plan B!

Sweet, smiley girl :-)

Gina is a close friend from college (Central), and her little girl, Brinnley, turned one last Monday. We got to go to her "Beach Party" last weekend. It was a great party!

Kaitlyn was a little tuckered out afterwards:

Austen and Campbell (friend Erin's little girl) snoozin' at the party:

Brinnley tellin' Mama all about her new toy:

They had a pool with beach sand in it for the kids to play in. So cute!

Kaitlyn concentrating on building:

Three Months Old!

Lots o' Pics

I haven't updated in a while, so there are a few pictures. :) We are all doing well. Jeff is super busy at work, but hopefully that will slow down a bit by next week. Kaitlyn, Austen, and I have been staying busy on weekdays going to play dates, shopping :-), going to the park, etc. We are excited for the weather to get better!! Mama gets a bit exhausted from outings/socializing with two kiddos, so we try to stay in by ourselves one day a week and just relax. :) However, I'd go crazy if we didn't get out and do things (and so would Kaitlyn, which adds to my craziness:-)), and I want Kaitlyn to continue to be around other kids/people.
There isn't too much news to report. We had a nice Father's Day at our house with our families. Kaitlyn is as busy as ever. She is now saying "please" (peeeeease) and "thank you" (tay-too) on her own quite a bit, but I would too if I knew it was going to get me something. ;-) It's pretty cute. She also says "bless you" when you sneeze. However, no matter who sneezes, it's usually "bless you, Autee (Austen)." She continues to be our climber. If there is something to get on top of or into, she's there.
Austen started to laugh a couple of weeks ago. :-) Not consistent yet, but we've definitely heard it and love it! I can't believe she will already be three months old tomorrow. Before we know it, she'll be climbing with her big sister. :-)
Enjoy the pictures!

Playing in the sprinkler today for the first time:
Austen lounging in her papasan while big sissy plays in the water:

Annnndddd...she's in.

If she's not smiling, she's scowling or looking concerned. :-)

Watching sissy:

Grandma Bonnie got the girls a water table a little bit ago. Kaitlyn LOVES it:

She's not crying here, she's laughing :-)

We are now hanging out with Michaela every Monday during the summer. For those who don't know, I met her when I worked at a day care when she was 4 months old. I have babysat/nannied her off and on ever since. She is now almost 10! She and Kaitlyn have a great time together. :-)

Father's Day with Great Grandpa Allan:

Oops! There are a few duplicates. I can't delete them!

Austen has found her hands in the past week or so, and likes to suck on them. She's sound asleep :-)

Yep.

Ready to go out. I left the room for 30 seconds and came back to this:

This pictures cracks me up...

Watching Dada mow the lawn. Again, left for 30 seconds...

It's not quite as fun if you aren't IN it.

We went over to Meagan's a couple of weekends ago. They have a garden, and Kaitlyn LOVED picking strawberries and eating them. She also got to help water. Meagan and Kerry (Megs' sister) helped. :-)