And Now We Are Four

Welcome to the world, Noah August!

Fall is here, but first a summer recap!

Photo 1: Back in September we visited Snoqualmie Falls. Now that we're in Redmond it's a short 25 minute drive. We walked around the grounds and admired the Salish Lodge, which is situated right above the falls. Would be a fun place for a romantic getaway if we were independently wealthy.

Photo 2: We spent many evenings at the park this summer. Since it stays so light so late here, we'd head over to a nearby park with dinner and just hang out--hoping to tire Aidan out a little early! Usually worked!

Photo 3: It was Thai take-out this night.

Photo 4: And now that summer is officially gone, we're sad that "baby hot tub" days are over too. Instead of Aidan's usual indoor nighttime bath (how boring!) we did many afternoon outdoor baths in our trusty cooler. Saves water and makes the dragging afternoon seem to go by a bit faster.

Photo 5 & 6: And yes, Ruby is sad summer is gone too. The dog park was an almost daily destination when the weather was dry, but sloshing through the mud with a dog and a stroller is not my definition of fun. But we had a good run while it lasted! Alex is trying to convince me to sign Ruby up for a flyball team. Sounds interesting!

Photo 7 & 8: Along with many a picnic, we managed to get to the water quite often too. In the last two pictures we took a walk down to Lake Washington via the trails at St. Edward's State Park, which is the park that surrounds Bastyr University (where Alex and I both went to school).

Good bye, summer! We'll miss you around here! But you have one very satisfied customer in me. With sunny days from May until early October, this was for sure the best summer ever.

The New Bike Trailer

Needless to say, Aidan was just a little excited to hop into his new ride. Since we live just a block from the Sammamish River Bike Trail (which hooks up to the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle) we decided to find a way for us all to go biking together. Sorry Ruby!

On our first excursion, we rode a few miles down the trail into Woodinville and had dinner at the Redhook Brewery. This place is a great place to take kids. Read: it's really loud. So Aidan can yell his head off and nobody seems to notice.

To our dismay, Aidan wasn't as excited to get in the trailer to return home. He cried the whole way back. Darn! Next time we'll try getting out of the house a little earlier in the day in hopes that the timing will make all of the difference. Otherwise, maybe Ruby will have a new mode of transportation.

It's Been Too Long

Last week I took Aidan to the park in the early morning. We were the only souls up at that hour, and the only people at the playground. Aidan decided to take a walking tour around the whole place and since many of you haven't seen him in action, I made a little movie of him walking.

It's a little long, but worth it! More pictures to come--we've got lots. It's been a good summer here with amazing weather, many outdoor adventures, and visits with friends and family.

How have you all been?

What We've Been Up To

In the order they appear:  Enjoying the sun and music at the Folklife Festival over Memorial Day Weekend, getting into all kinds of trouble, visiting friends, and catching up on our sleep. What have you been up to?

Lazy Boy for a Not So Lazy Boy

Aidan received this chair (one of his many presents) for his first birthday.  Alex and I got the idea from a friend who also has this very same baby-sized chair at their house.  Aidan sat in it the whole time we were visiting our friends, so we knew we NEEDED this chair.  The boy rarely stops moving, let alone sits.  But, as you can see, there is something about this little chair that brings out the lazy in Aidan.

Important Business

Aidan had some very important phone calls to make, as you can see.  He's quite enthralled with the phone lately.  Anything can morph into a phone: shoes, toys--even food.  As soon as something makes its way up to his ear, Aidan starts "talking."  Does this mean I'm on the phone too much? Maybe I should start doing the dishes more often and see what happens.