++Milestones++

So maybe she didn't REALLY need a haircut quite yet, but those wispy curls in the back were about 4 inches longer than anything else. I'm particular about stuff like this. It looked messy. I don't do messy. I probably could have cut it myself too...oh well. Why would I deprive her of her first salon experience?

In reality, she hated it. Maybe it was just the cheesy bow. She was DONE. Good thing it only lasted five minutes.

She does look better now...I promise.

++A Celebration++

My sister's favorite new hobby is baking. Let me tell you it makes occasions these days all the better. For my birthday I told her to surprise me so she made white cupcakes with lavender whipped-cream filling and a citrus cream cheese frosting. All from scratch. I even think she harvested the lavender from her garden. Do I even need to say yum? I ate two.
The boys were much more interested in the IDEA of the cupcakes than they were in eating them. Perhaps the flavors were a bit too sophisticated for their palates. Too bad for them. It was my birthday after all. Did I mention I ate two?
Yum.

++Seventeen Months++

This month...

++Claire discovered she can grab our hands and lead us to where she wants to go. Most likely this is right out the back door to play with her "wa wa" table. I don't recommend resisting her, trust me, it isn't pretty.
++Claire has decided her favorite food is pickles. She even says "pickle." This has earned a new nickname: Picklepants.
++Claire continues to entertain us with her crazy antics. Lots of gestures and jibber jabber. Especially for an audience.

++Claire's second most favorite place to lead us is out the other back door to her sand table. She loves to pour and scoop. She is still mastering the art of keeping the sand in the table.
++She will still sit and ride in a stroller for a while. She even asks to be pushed around the driveway if we are out playing. We often have a new companion though, "Baayyybeee."

++She still loves shoes, sweaters, jackets and bows (for 5 seconds), stacking and pouring and bath time, swinging, babies and kitties. She loves to entertain her brother, tickles and listening to music.

++She doesn't eat much...unless it's pickles, or hot dogs, or some other obscure or spicy food--or ice cream, lollipops or cookies. What a picture of a healthy diet, huh?

++Her mommy and daddy sure do love her! (photo by big brother)

++Watch what you wish for++

I've been trying every trick in the book to get Wyatt to look at the camera and SMILE for me. He has finally started obliging. I now get this:
Lovely.

++One year++

It was a year ago today we packed up and left Memphis. Crazy. Mark says other than our friends he doesn't miss anything about it there. I am a bit more nostalgic. I don't miss the weather (the storms especially) or the snakes, or the crime. The nightly news was a spectacle like none other. I do miss our neighborhood and the pool! I miss Chick Fil A and Corky's BBQ and walking to TCBY (my waistline doesn't though). As much as I laughed about it when we lived there, I miss the over-the-top way that people dressed their kids--a stark contrast to Seattlites. I even sort of miss that sweet, slow, southern drawl. Just a little bit.

I guess that is one of the upsides of our nomadic lifestyle. We get to experience different parts of the country and their little eccentricities. Lucky us?

Oh--and for those of you keeping track, 33 years ago today my surprised parents rushed to the hospital to welcome their early (I like to think prompt) daughter #2 into the world. Happy Birthday to me!

++Life these days++

We don't have a big yard. We don't need one. We have a little corner of mulch...or should I say dirt. It keeps the kids busy for hours outside and me busy doing laundry inside. It's really a win-win situation.

++Blueberries!++

Some friends of ours started up a boys book club and we have had lots of fun as a result. This month's book was Blueberries for Sal. We had a picnic lunch at a local blueberry farm and then went out to pick some berries.
Claire got the hang of things right away.

The blueberries weren't quite ripe yet due to our slow (or should I say nonexistent) summer. It seemed to be taking forever to fill my bucket. I soon figured out why...
Don't let that innocent face fool you. She is a blueberry stealer through and through!

The boys? They pretty much did a lot of this all day:
We sure had fun! And made some super-yummy blueberry muffins with our bounty. (the link takes you to a blog that has the Barefoot Contessa recipe---I just googled it for your convenience, I got the recipe from the book. Either way, they are SO good.)

++Lucky?++

I'd like to think my parents are two pretty lucky grandparents...the one with the job of trying to get the crew to look at the camera and smile? Not as lucky. Actually, I think there were about four of us shouting at them at once. No wonder they look so confused. What a crew!

++Summer at the Lake++

No summer is complete without a trip to the lake. We drove East for the first time since moving here to the central Washington treasure of Lake Chelan.
As you may have noticed, I'm a little behind on my blog these days. In an effort to catch up on things I vowed I would post at most five pictures. Then I set in to pick which five and I just couldn't. So grab a drink and get comfortable...

The greatest part about driving to vacation is bringing treasures from home. We brought bikes, a HUGE hit with the boys (did I mention this was a true family vacation complete with my parents and my sister's family?)

We spent lots of time at the beach. Digging, and spraying water, and digging. Now while it looks all warm and tropical, Lake Chelan is a glacial fed lake. Think water after the ice has melted in it. Refreshing!
Beach babe #1:Beach babe #2:

My mom got the kids these boats. Cora couldn't get enough of them. They were popular at the pool too. I didn't get any photos there...too busy ensuring my kids (or my camera) didn't drown to worry about snapping shots. We were there for the 4th of July. Susan bought the kids these patriotic socks to wear. Also note which kid was up two hours before his cousins every day and clearly ready to hit the beach before they even had breakfast. Lucky us!
This photo just makes me laugh. Believe it or not, two seconds prior to this, Claire was holding the pink ball. To give Cora credit, it really was her ball.

We called a truce and had the girls sit ON their balls for a photo. The theme of the day was watermelons.

I just liked this photo. I've been working hard at catching the light in the kids' eyes and I think I got it on this one.
Buddies.
There's no better way to end a 4th of July than ice cream al fresco.

Thanks Nana and Bompa! We've definitely decided it's a place worth returning to.