Good-bye Seattle...

To top it all off, there was a lady in Sarin's ward who invited us over to have an amazing ribs dinner & go out on the lake in their boat & jet-ski (my first time driving it, spectacular!). Wow, I haven't been on the water so much in a long time! Bye bye Sari & Jeri, we love & miss you! Thanks for all the amazing food, entertainment & good family bonding time!!

Forever Friends!

While in Seattle we visited our friends & look what they fed us...

Honest-to-goodness brick-oven pizza!

(See the oven in the back behind us?). Spence & Megan (& baby-girl Cobia-to-be) came too since they had JUST arrived in Seattle the night before so they can sell pest control for the summer.


Ari's first boat ride...this lake is right in their backyard!

And let's not forget the rock wall that was her favorite :)

Parks We Visited (So gorgeous!!)

Seattle Trip to visit Sarin!

"Come on babe, just go to sleep before we get on the plane, we'll all be happier..."

Seattle skyline (not bad for it being a picture through the window while driving)

I love this statue at the temple

Spiritual rejuvenation. Thanks go to Jared who watched Ari. When we called him on the way home Sarin asked him how long she'd been awake he said, "48 minutes." But don't worry, he had the secret weapon--sweet potato puff snackies!

Sarin was the ultimate hostess. She took us to see so many awesome things, including this awesome olde-time jazz n' eat place. They were fantastic & we had front-row seats!

July Catch-Ups...IDAHO!!

Tony was able to go to Idaho for a week & then I stayed a bit longer since only the house awaited me at home & I'd had enough projects for the year...

First stop, Grandma Laretta's:

We love what her hair is capable of...

Twizlberry visits (yes plural)! I just love the build-your-own yogurt places (as long as they have cheesecake bites, that is). This is Andy & Dina's family w/ grandma (Tony's oldest sister).

Tony's family reunion/visit for the 24th of July

These are pictures Tony's brother, Brett took...thanks, they're great ones!

After being mortally afraid of everyone for months, she decided Uncle Devin was the first 'stranger' she'd warm up to. After that, she grew her social butterfly wings & loved everyone!

3rd grade, we have arrived!

My big-boy darlings on their first day. I remember how pregnant I was on their last year 1st day of school...wow, has it been that long?!

Positive Discipline, let us all convert!

Here's my plug for something I'm sharing with you for 2 reasons:

1.) I would love to share with all of you the most awesome thing that has changed/is changing the way Tony & I parent so you can feel even more hopeful, happy, and encouraged about your lil' darlings too! Just go to my blog HERE & check it out (feel free to leave comments to tell me what you think or if you've ever heard of it before, etc, I'm curious how main-stream it is out west compared to here). Here is my Positive Discipline testimonial (& I've read a bazillion parenting books & loved them all for some reason or another but this seems to encompass it all!),

---I feel so much better (less guilty, less naggy, more positive, more happy!) and I feel like the boys really are learning long-term, positive behaviors. Some moments are better, some are worse. They're not cured of all misbehavior--that's not the point, they're still kids after all, but I feel like a new person in the way I handle them! Spread the glorious word for all those frustrated parents out there who are open to new ways of handling the same old problems :)---

2.) If you have any websites you'd think are awesome that I could add to my list on the side that have to do with parenting, relationships, fun activities for families, etc. I would really appreciate it, I'm hoping to start teaching here in our little community in the next couple of months (we'll see if they're receptive to this sort of thing, I haven't seen any parenting classes advertised previously...)

11 months

--This picture sums up where she's at right now!

--Walks along furniture, stands for longer & longer, took a step while in Idaho to her cousins!

--Does the "Bonsai!!" trick: when I am lying down she stands right by/above me w/ her arms above her head, eyebrows raised until she's good & ready & then...belly flop on my stomach! BAmmo!

--Anyone who feeds her pretty much has to trick her or hold her arms to get her to eat more than 2 bites! Even with food she loves, honestly I think she just gets bored (like her daddy she is)

--Totally developed the 'social butterfly' within her while on vacation (the first time she waved was to a total stranger on the plane), also a defintite affinity for her daddy..."Daddy's Girl" awww, cute...especially when it's poopy diaper time

--Has developed the copy-cat skill & now does her own version of blowing kisses, clucking her tongue, 'all gone', & closing/blinking her eyes

--Has a total of 3 teeth (they're growing at last!). I guess she will graduate to non-pureed food sometime his millenia after all!

--Favorite book: Colors (a bold difference on every page)