Lahti reunion part 1

We had a pretty fabulous day 1 to the Lahti reunion.  We gathered at Jen's house for the day and played at the beach and just enjoyed each others company. It had been 2 years since we had been together and it was so much fun to see everyone again.

Enjoying a trip across the ferry (though not the almost 2 hour wait to catch it)

 Aunt Linda and Neil

Kate loves 'flying' on the ferry.

These two cousins were nearly inseparable

Adam, Clara and Cheyenne

Jaydon, Clara and Lucy

Clara and her Daddy

Getting all the cousins together.

When I first looked at this pic I missed baby Penelope down on the carpet. So cute in age order: Jaydon, Clara, Lucy, Owen, Etienne, Kate and Penelope (with one more on the way from Jen and L due to arrive at Thanksgiving).

Jaydon reading with Owen and E

Playing in the mud

Aunt Linda with E

Jaydon with Stephen

Chow time! (Kate didn't get the beer)

Lucy and Kate enjoy giant bathtubs.

Kate and Owen checking on Penelope.

Heading out for a kid bike ride.

There was a bunny down this hill and soon after the picture was taken, Kate decided she had to get to the bunny and rode her bike right down it.  She crashed, she cried and she didn't get the bunny, it was somewhat traumatic.

A trip in the canoe

Adam, Clara, Jaydon, Lucy and Grandma Susan

Cheyenne (holding Penelope), Marya, Nana Diane and Grandpa Don

Haha, unfortunately the picture I took right before this one didn't turn out but Grandpa Don and Nana Diane had to do the walk of shame after forgetting their dog Troy at Jen's house when they took off for the night. They didn't get far before remembering but it was still fun to watch.

Kids

Jeremy and I were talking one day and we looked at each other and commented how being a parent truly brings meaning to our lives.  Here are some pics from some random days of the kids just being themselves.  It is a joy to be able to be the parents of Jaydon, Lucy and Kate.

Pig-piling and wrestling, often leads to tears but this morning was more friendly than most.

Creating a haven for all the huge stuffed animals they own.

Kate has started playing quite a bit more with baby dolls, for some reason the top stair is her favorite baby bed.  It is cute but a little hazardous.

My bathtub goofs

Reading time!  Jaydon has spent the summer doing 30 minutes of reading most every day and the girls sometimes join in and read their own too.

Our weekend trip to Leavenworth

We love our Leavenworth weekends.  Aunt Mary and Uncle Phil are terrific hosts and we always have such fun.  This trip took us to nearby town of Cashmere to see the 9/11 memorial and walk around the town hunting for gnomes.  The kids had a great time on the gnome hunt and it was a pretty powerful memorial!  Then we hit the 59er Diner where we found another praying mantis bug to pester and enjoyed great burgers and shakes.  This trip included not one but two shows put on by Leavenworth Summer Theater, Beauty and the Beast was incredible and Singin' in the Rain was well done just not quite as stellar as the first.  We thank Mary and Phil for babysitting all the kiddos while Jeremy and I enjoyed the shows (no pics of them of course).

Taking part in the memorial

A piece of the tower

Onto the gnome hunt, they had little footprints leading all through town and a number of little doors for the gnomes to live in.

Finding our friend Mantie

Enjoying our meal and the shuffleboard

Kate found Uncle Phil's socks, while Keeloch watched.

Kate

My sleepy girl. She still loves her binky (the same two we have used since birth from the hospital, the others don't seem to measure up), she has started carting around her two blankets and she must have access to her belly button in order to rest.  She has just started trying to get her binky for use outside of her bed and will pretend she is going to sleep so that she can suck on it for awhile.  Pretty cute but we will have to nip it in the bud soon, no binkies out of the bed!

Pillow case fun

I can't recall quite what started the madness but I think it involved trying to spare the pillow cases on my actual pillow from the floor and kid feet.  Whatever it was the kids had a blast running around in pillow cases, jumping and playing.  It was a fun morning for hanging out at home and relaxing.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

As usual, the kids and I enjoyed celebrating Jeremy's birthday, probably more than he enjoys celebrating his birthday.  Lucy put together some 'gifts' from around the house and made a special card.  We enjoyed a nice dinner with Auntie Jenny and Cousin E joining us.

Everyone helped blow out the candles on his birthday pie.

Higgins and Lily love

We had the privilege of hosting our Goddaughter from Hawaii for 5 days while her Dad was at a conference in Seattle.  We had a good time cooking, berry picking, attending neighborhood events and playing with the neighborhood dogs.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to most everything we did.  The cats also enjoyed Cashel's visit and just having us home from trips.  Higgins snuggled with Cashel and Lucy while Kate loves to hug Lily, who is frequently found sleeping on her changing table.  We loved our visit with Cashel and our kitty snuggles.

 Ha, a funny pic of Lily sleeping while practically falling off the couch. She managed to stay in this position for quite some time, I was impressed.