Henry's Birthday

Wallowa

We had the wonderful trip with the O'Claire family to Lake Wallowa in Northeastern Oregon. This is where Ed would spend his summers with Boy Scout camp. He took us all back to show a piece of his life. We love it- a beautiful place.

 

Many highlights - the tram, the deer up close, biking the entire time, family games, hiking, seeing the old scout camp, swimming, ice cream, and of course horse back riding. Lilly loved the horses and was able to go two times!

 

 

New Rooms

This move has been stressful for all of us, and it is so great to have the kids back in their own rooms. Henry is so excited to be out of a crib. Yes we left him in a crib till almost 3 years old (but he was happy). He really wanted bunk beds- and we thought it would be great for sleepovers with cousins and friends. The best part is that Henry does not get out of his bed till you go get him. It makes our life much easier for bed time and morning. :) Lilly loved having a few sleepovers in his room the first few nights.

 

And Lilly's room - luckily everything fit well. And matched the beautiful green rug! She is loving the new space and being next to her brother.

Hen Man is 3!

Henry is doing great! He is growing into quite a cute man. He is 90% for weight and 70% for height. So still growing like a bean. Fun thoughts about the little guy - or now we call him "big guy".

1. Opinions- finally we are hearing from Henry (and not just his sister).He is starting to tell use what he wants to do and not do. And at times he gets frustrated, but everyone does.

2. Potty Training- This may have been a year of trial and error. And now he finally got it. We call it "stinker tinker" time. He is taking the action. Just in time for the Bug Room.

3. Giggle/smile- Henry still can stop anyone with his giggle. It is contagious. And everyone smiles when they hear Henry giggle.

4. Lover- He is the lover. He gives slobbery kisses. Hugs and tons of snuggles. He is quite a lover.

5. Night Owl- Henry is going to be the teen ager that stays up late and then we will not be able to get him out of bed till noon. This past Sunday he slept in till 10 am (he may not have been feeling well).

6. Puzzle and Book man- he is a man that likes his games, puzzles and books. He continues to wow us with his spatial knowledge.

7. Routine - He is a man of routine. He love the same book. The same songs every night. He likes to know what is next.

8. "The Henry" - at NannaE's birthday Henry was the star of the party. He was so cute - he made a dance move called the Henry. We loved it. Everyone was down an upside down yoga pose "the Henry".

9. Soccer- he is trying to keep up with the big kids with soccer and other ball sports. He still looses his balance quite a bit when he is running- but we love our "our drunken soldier".

10. Rough play - Lilly and Henry are always wresting with each other. Dad kicks in quite often.

We love our "big guy".

Exploring the new home

New Home: Yes we moved. We cannot believe that it happened. It was a crazy summer. We were not planning on moving. The kids did a great job living a NannaE and Grandpa's house for the summer. The best part of moving is exploring the new places. We have had some great hide and seek games.

 

 

 Hope you are loving Henry's bare butt as much as we are! He is so cute.

Graduation

 

The day has come - GRADUATION! I cannot believe it. The wonderful teachers at the Mount have helped raise our little girl. She now solves her own problems on the play ground- understands how to wait her turn - knows how to clean up and care for her self. We have loved the program and how it has focused on the social emotional aspects of raising children.

 

 

But it has not just been the teachers- also all the families that we now know through the Mount. Parents that have helped us raise this little gal- all looking out for each other's kids. Luckily- we will all stay connected being so close in West Seattle.

 

 

And now- Lilly is ready for Kindergarten. She "can't wait to sit in a desk" and "try out the new centers". She is ready to meet new friends and learning new things. 

Some Like It HOT!

After Disneyland our real "vacation" moved to Palm Desert at Mariott's Shadow Ridge Resort.  Great place- very spacious accommodations and right across from the pool and kids center.  Pool has a great waterslide that both kids love.  The weather has been awesome - started in the high 80s and has moved to low 100s as the week progressed.  We did a lot of fun things in between pooltime- the Living Desert Museum (think of a zoo) complete with giraffe feeding and a wildlife show; exploring Plam Springs and going to a movie (Epic); and lots of quality family time.  On Thursday Dad went exploring Joshua Tree National Park and later that afternoon cousins Jessica & Lawrence and the twins Eloise and Andersen came to visit (they coincidently had a work retreat at a nearby hotel!).  We ended up hanging out all day Friday and did the Palm Springs Tram up to Mt San Jancito State Park.  This was a highlight- takes you up to 8500 ft to a beautiful and mountainous pine forest with hiking trails.  We ended up doing a 1.5 mile hike with gorgeous views of the Coachella Valley followed by burgers and beer when we got back down to the valley.  The Jepson family joined us Friday night nad enjoyed a relaxing pool day on Saturday before reality rearing its ugly head and heading back home Sunday.  Speacial thanks to Bobbie and Larry for taking us to lunch our first day and letting us borrow so many fun toys for the week!!!