Elise is 2!

sunflower!

We planted a few seeds this spring, and got one sunflower. Lindsey is excited she can see it from her window. It's pretty tall!

new maps

Here is a shot of our new map of the states. It is hard to see the pins, but we each have a color for the states we have been to. Lindsey wrote the legend. I am ahead of Chris by one state after we confirmed that I have actually been to Oklahoma.And our other new map in the guest bedroom fits perfectly above the bed. It is from an old school, and has great, vibrant colors.

a recent hike

It was just a mile and a half total, but Lindsey thought it was tooooo long. Her legs started hurting while the car was still in view. The photos were all taken before it started to rain....and don't really capture that it was actually pretty chilly.

We made it back to the car after lots of drama. Chris asked if she had fun, and she immediately replied yes. Her favorite part was the fishing (2 or 3 casts). It was an interesting day.

first day of school

camping!

We took our first family camping trip this last weekend. We went to the east side of Mt. Rainier, hiked to and into a cave, ate s'mores, explored a river, saw friends, met some new people, and ate great food.

Artistic Sisters

Lindsey loves to color, draw, and paint, and Elise loves to do whatever her big sister is doing. They make a pretty cute pair!

island wedding #2

Pre-wedding visit to the lookout tower at Mt. Constitution - a view of Sucia Island, where Chris and I kayaked to on our honeymoon

Senior flower girl

Junior flower girl carrying her bear!

island wedding #1

Princess Rocket Launch

Recently Lindsey got the idea that she and Chris were going to build a rocket. An actual rocket that they would take to outer space, while wearing space suits. They would need strings to connect their space suits to the rocket so they wouldn't fall on any nearby planets. Her enthusiasm was exciting.

Chris told her they'd have to start a bit smaller, with a rocket that pretend people could ride in. So, he found a kit that requires a 2 liter bottle and some water. Today we assembled, decorated, and took the rocket to the park, and launched it a few times. I took some pictures, and Lindsey dictated some captions for a book. Enjoy!

hand me downs and dollhouse preview

Elise this week, 14 1/2 months. Lindsey, February 2006, 9 months. And, a couple of dollhouse photos. I had planned on finishing the top (water-based black stain that Lindsey will help with) before posting, but realistically, it might take us awhile. The girls are both having a lot of fun with it. Lindsey picked the orange and pink - well, sort of. I talked her down from pink and purple - it's my family room too, right?