Hope, Idaho

We just returned from a wonderful vacation with friends! 6 adults and 6 kids at our friends' vacation home in Hope, Idaho. It was a little chaotic at times, but still really fun and actually relaxing for us too. The older kids are playing so well with each other now, it was great to let them spend so much time together. Highlights of the trip were: fishing and swimming in the lake (for the kids), the impending thunder/lightning storms (for Lloyd), and for me, I loved the amazing meal Barney prepared for us, which we were able to enjoy outside with ALL 6 kids sounds asleep! Yay, can we do that again sometime?

Happy 3rd Birthday Tristan!

There is nothing like pure joy that only a child can experience. And, to a 3-year old, birthdays are just about as good as it gets! We were blessed with a beautiful day, so we all took off from work early and spent the afternoon at a park on Lacamas Lake. It is hard to believe that in 3 short years, we went from a helpless infant to a very independent toddler who can not only carry on a meaningful conversation, but can also argue intelligently with you! Where has the time gone?

Dozer Day

This is what we do for fun, now that we live in the 'burbs and have 2 kids...we go to Dozer Day! This is an annual event sponsored by our local quarry construction group. It's the first time we've ever been, and it was actually a lot of fun for the boys! They bring out all the big machines -- bulldozers, cranes, diggers, garbage trucks, fire engines, ambulances, etc...it was quite a scene.

On Wisconsin!

We finally made it back to Wisconsin for a visit...it's been almost 5 years, and it was the boys' first time. Our airline experience was not entirely pleasant (I will try my best never to fly United again), and Tristan ended up being quite sick for a few days, but overall it was a fun trip. We lucked out and had beautiful weather while we were there. It was nice to see the old house again! I had forgotten how peaceful it is there, with so much space between the houses. My dad built a cute little birdhouse so that Tristan could fill it and watch the birds in the backyard. It was pretty cool, at least until the raccoons attacked it in the night...but actually, that was pretty cool to watch too :)

Walkin' and Dancin'

Austin took his first steps on March 10. Here he is 10 days later, walking back and forth between us. I had forgotten how fast this process is.



This is a typical evening for Tristan, lots of energy as always! Some parts of this video clip look as if in fast-forward, but actually it's all in real-time :)

Austin 1-year old!

Yay, we made it! This entire year feels like such a blur. It is hard to believe that Austin is already 1 year old, and Tristan is coming up on 3 in a couple months. It is always bittersweet to see our babies grow up so fast. Austin's birthday was a bit hectic, as it was on a 'school night', but we made sure to have time for cake and presents!!! Austin had his first bite of sugar, but it was carrot cake, so he got his veggies at the same time :)

Look at me! I ate too much cake :)