So cool

Thanks G'ma and G'pa for the cool new sunglasses! I haven't worn the matching outfit yet, but I will soon, and I will make sure mom takes a picture. Thanks you!

Love,
Belle

Strawberry Pickin'

Andi called me just after 8 this morning to see if Belle and I could go strawberry picking with her. Of course I said yes! How could I turn down strawberries?! We headed out to Boxx Berry Farm and spent part of the morning picking fruit. The berries were big and plump and bright red. I picked over 10 pounds of deliciousness! Belle carried around her own little bucket. She picked the unripe berries that were still green, or she stole berries from my bucket.

Andi and I... should have taken a second picture since Andi's eyes were closed, oops!

The view of Mt. Baker from the strawberry field

The fruit of my labor! (pun intended)

I made 16 jars of strawberry jam and I can't wait to eat it! I also had a ton of leftover berries for us to enjoy throughout the week. Yummy! Now I'm looking forward to raspberry pickin' time!

Drenched

Peyton and Annabelle played at Baker Lake together and ended up completely drenched. Here is Peyton after getting on his hands and knees to try and drink the water.

Oops! Took a tumble in the water while fully clothed!

However, she didn't seem to mind being completely soaked.

Boys will be boys

While we were visiting Adam and Alanna at their campground (see previous post), we ventured down to Baker Lake to play around. At first the guys were pitching rocks to each other and seeing how far they could hit it into the water. Then they saw this big log on the shore. Now, I would look at it and think, "My that's a big log," and then I would move on to something else. But what Trev sees (and maybe most other guys) is something to play with and conquer! They begin by just standing on it...

Then Trev decides to push Adam out further into the water, while Peyton looks on wondering where his daddy is going.

Trev pushes Adam out further and further.

And Adam's solo ride ends with him in the water, pulling the log back to the shore.

So of course the guys decide to go out on the log again, because that is what boys do.

I was able to catch part of their tandem adventure on video. Haha! Better luck next time.

Camping... well, not really

We were going to go camping with Adam, Alanna and Peyton on Saturday night, but ended up just visiting during the day. We had a lot of fun going out on their boat, hanging around the campfire and playing by the water.

I'm thinking Peyton is wondering how Belle likes the little chair. Belle must really be pondering her answer... or zoning out.

AB kept carrying her borrowed sippy cup in the red sand bucket. She would even drink from the cup while it was still in the bucket. She was quite attached to it.

Peyton and his sweet orange bat!

Life

Hanging out with Annabelle and Charlotte. I'm glad they let me play with them even though I didn't have a pacifier. Haha!

On the motorcycle at a local playground.

Our silly girl... she put the blanket over her head and then took her shoes off, all to make it a more enjoyable car ride.

Our old stompin' grounds

This evening we ventured to Western Washington University to walk around campus, just like we did so many times years ago. Pictured above is daddy and daughter at the fountain in Red Square. Annabelle has a fascination with fountains, so she was a big fan of this one.

We found a random desk outside one of the buildings. So of course I had to get a picture of her in it.

One of Belle's new favorite things to do is to take her shoes off and then work really hard at trying to get them back on (which she hasn't successfully done yet). She can sit for 15+ minutes working on this task, not saying a word. All you hear is the occasional exhale/grunt of concentration. Haha!

My man, playing in one of the many big pieces of art that call the campus home.

Beach time with the Walkers

The Walker's came up for a visit over the weekend. We had such a great time with them! On Saturday morning we bundled up (even though it is June now, the Northwest is regressing back into winter-like days) and headed down to Boulevard, which is nice even when it is cold out. We enjoyed some tasty hot chocolate and walked around the rocks, turning them over and looking for crabs. Thanks to Shannon for pic of Belle (above), Belle and I (the next pic), and the one of Nate and Will.

I tell you what... this girl loves to climb, climb, climb!

Carrying around the empty cocoa cup.

Crab catching! Yay!

Belle around the house

Working on something very important at the computer.

I have these canisters on our kitchen windowsill. Belle noticed them the other day so I let her play with them. She played with them for quite a long time-- taking the lids off, putting them back on, taking them off again, dropping the lids through the hole in the middle of the stool, lining up the canisters and then playing with the lids again. It's always fun when she is entertained so simply!

Sweet little hand.

Always on the move

Able to eat and drink while walking. Such a talented girl!

Family

Dad, Bonus Mom and I while we were in Georgia two weeks ago.

Our buddy Will

We watched our buddy Will for four days last week and had a great time with him! It was fun to have a playmate around for Belle. They had fun playing together (most of the time, hehe). We had daily outings to a nearby park where they would run around wild. Will loved going down the slides, especially the long tube slide. Whenever he got off the slide, he would run (very quickly) back around the toy to go slide again. The whole time he ran he would look over at me and ask, "More? More?", to get permission to go on the slide again. Made me laugh every time. I would say yes, of course, and he would get so excited. AB loved to slide too but wasn't daring enough to attempt the tube slide. She stuck with the small one and the twisted slides. She spent a lot of time on the swings too. That girl loves to swing!

In the picture above, Will is with a lot of his favorite things... the car was by far his favorite toy at our place, as well as the phone hanging from his right hand (a little hard to see), the sunglasses that make him look oh-so-cool, and the sippy cup. I'm quite surprised he didn't have his pacifier and favorite blanket with him for this picture. Those were almost always attached to him. :)

We had a great time with you Will. Come visit us again!