Will it happen soon?

Nic has been pulling his knees up and almost under himself for the past couple of days. He sure looks happy in this picture! I think he's ready...I'm just not sure if I am :-)

Favorite Pastime

Golden Garden Park

Nic enjoyed his first sand experience,














Nora and Uncle Eric made a sand castle,














and Nic got some lovin' on the beach!

Big Boy Sleeper!

Nic is officially falling asleep on his own without the Miracle Blanket! Jessica was right...babies that sleep through the night will continue to do so with or without swaddling.

Oregon

Oregon

Trip to Oregon with Uncle Eric

We spent the last few days hiking through the Columbia River Gorge, Portland, and the Oregon Coast with Uncle Eric and his friends. We saw some incredible scenery...lots of waterfalls, beautiful mountains, acres of hop plants (ok...maybe beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder), and a spectacular sunset over the Pacific at Nehalem Bay.

Nora impressed all of us with her stamina...she made it through almost 2 miles of hiking on the first day completely on her own feet.

Lots of great pictures...more will be posted soon.

Big HUGE Fishies

Jay and Brian were extremely proud of their catch!









Look at those bass!










And the best part? Eating them, of course!

Company Picnic

On Sunday we went to the Microsoft Company Picnic, which is held every year at a farm near North Bend. It's not really accurate to call it a "picnic" anymore, since the event is now attended by tens of thousands of people over three days. It's more like a carnival.

This was our first year at the picnic. April and I were stunned by the sheer scale of the event. The site is easily over 100 acres, with an incredible view of Mount Si. There was a huge variety of activities for the kiddos, everything from pony rides and a mountain bike trail to a dozen of those inflatable bouncy structures. There was even a circus tent where a group of clowns and trapeze artists put on a show every couple of hours.

The food court was incredible too...in addition to the traditional carnival fare, they served yakisoba noodles, a variety of curries, ribs, vegan hamburger patties, kosher and halal food, and even protein shakes from the health club for those who wanted to stick to their diets.

Needless to say, Nora was in heaven. She ran from one ride to the next, and became quite proficient at taking her sandals off so that she could dive into the bouncy inflatable thingys with reckless abandon.

The only ride that disturbed me was the inflatable crocodile, where the kids crawl into the croc's mouth, through its throat, bounce around on the inside, and then get pooped out the back of the beast. I'm not sure what the attraction was but Nora seemed to love it.

Nora and April also rode the tilt-a-whirl. April told Nora a story about the time that her, Auntie Pea and Uncle Drew rode the tilt-a-whirl at the Jones County Fair...and Auntie Pea puked all over both of them. They had to be hosed down at the site and walked home soaking wet. As Nora and April spun around on the ride, Nora looked up and said "Mommy, I'm not going to puke on you! Look!" True to her word, Nora held it together.

She's already looking forward to next year's picnic.

8 Months Old!

Nic is eating just about anything put in front of him right now. He LOVES green beans, carrots, and applesauce. He's started gnawing on Cherrios every once in a while, but they are mainly to play with and push off the tray. It is so much fun to see him develop and grow!










His new ability to sit up has made life around here feel a little more normal. He joins us at the dinner table, sits in a "big boy" car seat and plays on the floor with Nora and his toys.









The biggest change in Nic has been in the sounds and faces he makes! He is now forming some consonant sounds and uses them at strategic moments such as when we lay him down for the night: Mamamama and Dadadada. He has already figured out how to tug at our heart strings! He has also found his tongue and is able to curl, point, and turn it all over the place which makes for some funny faces.

Summer

The past four weeks have been filled with a lot of exciting events for us and the kiddos.

Week One:

We flew back to Milwaukee, where we got to reconnect with lots of friends and family members at Auntie Nessa and Uncle Dan's wedding.

The ceremony took place in Milwaukee at Villa Terrace, a beautiful 19th-century art museum which sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Nora was the proud flower girl, waving to the crowd as she walked down the aisle with her bouquet.

Similar to her previous flower girl engagement, Nora kept the guests entertained late into the evening with her dancing at the reception. She also had two eager dance partners--her cousins Ethan and Logan--who kept her on her toes.

We were really grateful to have Grandma and Grandpa there to keep an eye on Nic during all of the festivities. He had lots of fun meeting many of our friends and relatives for the first time.

Week Two:

After the wedding we all headed separate ways...Nora spent the next week with Nana and Papa in Wisconsin, and Nic went to Iowa with Grandma and Grandpa (and Auntie Pea, who was passing through Cedar Falls on her cross-country drive to Maine). April and I headed up to Hayward with some friends for a traditional "up north" vacation. We spent several lazy afternoons fishing on a pontoon boat and drinking beer.

It has been several years since I was last in northern Wisconsin, and I remembered the marathon Trivial Pursuit competitions we used to have with the Millers in our cabin on Squash Lake. Not much has changed, except the version of Trivial Pursuit (90's edition).


Week Three:

Back to Seattle. We're experiencing the most beautiful weather the Pacific Northwest has to offer...temperatures in the high 70s, blue skies, no rain, and stunning views of Mount Rainier. We had wood floors installed in the living room while we were on vacation, and after re-arranging all of the furniture it feels like our house has doubled in size.

Uncle Eric is coming out here to visit us tomorrow. We are going to spend a couple of days in Oregon, with stops planned at the Columbia River Gorge, Portland and the Oregon coast.

Sorry for so few pictures, more will be posted later.