Ryan, Steph, and the Boys: Summertime

July in the Pac NW is beautiful. The rain is gone and the sunshine is here! I was extra happy this July to actually be able to get outside and do something. It was a vast improvement over last July, when the kids spent their days watching PBS while I laid face down on the carpet trying not to throw up. Anyway, as you can see, we were outside often and had a fabulous time. Get ready for the picture dump!

4th Festivities

Grandma Susan and Grandpa Jeff made the trek up to spend the Fourth of July with our family. We had a lot of fun going to the park, taking a day-trip to Cannon Beach, and going a little crazy with fireworks. Sam LOVES fireworks. Austin is still not a big fan, but he did like the poppers. Eli didn't have much of an opinion this year :)

My Birthday Gift to Me! (I'm sooo happy...)

This month I joined Ryan in the 28 year old club. It was a weekday and Ryan was at work until the late afternoon, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I gave myself the day off and took the kids to a play cafe. The kids played in a fun, clean, and contained area, I read a book, Eli napped, and we all ate a delicious lunch that no one had to prepare or clean up. It was glorious. Later Ryan fixed a yummy dinner and bought a death by chocolate cake. Best. Day. Ever.

Power Ranger Playdates

By now it is pretty obvious that every day is Halloween around these parts. So, clearly, all playdates must include at least one costume change. It is an unspoken rule. Sure they usually start out with playing with toys and eating cookies...

...but beware...the Power Ranger Ninja is just waiting for a chance to bust out his warrior stance.

And do not fear...gender is no barrier. The Power Ranger Ninja challenges all. (Good thing Cat is a good sport and very tough!)

Super Babies

One afternoon, as I was wrapping up Eli and getting him ready for a nap, the big boys came in with their bears. They both requested help swaddling their "super babies" and then proceeded to gently rock their babies and put them to bed. I put Eli in a safe place and sprinted for the camera. With all the macho-man-wrestling that goes on here, I wanted to proof of the sweet moment :) These boys are going to be such good dads someday!

Eli turns 4 Months

Our little Eli turned 4 months old this month. At his checkup, he was 15 lbs and 26" tall. This month Eli was busy flashing those dark blue eyes, grabbing his toes, and squealing with delight at anyone within his line of sight.

First time finding his toes

Always does this with his hands. Pretty sure he is saying, "Please Mom, can you pick me up?"

Some of his babbling...

Hood River Saturday

We keep hearing raving reviews about Hood River, OR so one Saturday we headed down the freeway to see what it was all about. We were not disappointed! We spent the bulk of our time at Waterfront Park. It has a super fun playground and a nice little beach area where you can swim and watch the kite-boarders and wind-surfers. The only drawback were the constant gale-force winds. Okay, maybe they weren't that strong, but it was definitely windy.