Picnic Time

On Wednesday night, we took Elana to a concert at the zoo. There were hundreds of kids running around the lawn while the adults listened to music. Elana was very entertained by the whole scene.



Last night we went with our friends Mark and Rosa and their little boy, Maddux, to Sunset Hill Park in Ballard for a picnic dinner.

Elana's first "words"

Elana has really enjoyed moving her jaw up and down that past few days. If you listen carefully, you'll hear her say da-da!

Singalong!

Today Elana had all of her boyfriends over for lunch and a singalong. By the time we took this picture, the kiddos were getting pretty cranky. In fact, by the time we picked them up, I think they were all crying! Next time we take the group photo at the BEGINNING of the party rather than the end . . .

Weekend festivities

We had a lot of fun this past weekend. Saturday was our friends Katie and Aaron's wedding. It was a beauftiful ceremony and Elana did great. She made it until about 9:30 pm.



On Sunday, we took Ryan, in from LA for the wedding, around Seattle. We hiked through Carkeek Park. As you can see, it was a beautiful day.



When I went to check on Elana at the end of her 2.5 hour nap this afternoon, I found her literally hanging out in her crib.



Elana's new ear muffs came in the mail today. Now she'll be able to go to rock concerts with us! She really seemed loved to them when she tried them on.

One Month Left

Well, I have been trying not to think about it, but I have definitely begun to get a little down about going back to work. I have been so enamored with this little girl that the thought of leaving her all day makes my gut sink. We are still working on childcare, which doesn't help. It is very competitive (and expensive!) here in Seattle. If only we were millionaires and I could continue staying home with Elana. That is my dream. Oh well. It is good to dream, right?

Anyway, here are some pics of what we've been up to lately.


Justin, Elana, and Frankie chillin' after a dip in the Greenlake Wading Pool:










Daddy and Elana at happy hour after the swim:










Elana flirting with Kai--man does she have enough boyfriends or what?!!!

Laughing Machine

We weren't going to post this video because we thought that some of you might think, "I can't believe that they left her sitting on a table." But don't worry, Taryn is standing right next to her. It was too funny not to share.

Special Clothes

Here are a couple of special outfits that Elana received as gifts.

First, from her Great Grandmother Bernice, a dress from Hawaii. And second, a shirt that arrived from Brazil.

More Madison pictures

Here are some shots from our last few days in Madison: hiking at Governor Dodge State Park, visits with Becca and the KGs, and bath time.

Elana's first trip to Madison

We have been in Madison for a week now and we're having a great time. We started off last Wednesday with meeting Andrea for lunch on campus.



On Wednesday night, we went to Concerts on the Square to hear the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. We had a picnic - it was a fun evening.


Uncle Lenny arrived Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend with Elana. We went to the farmers market, a Madison tradition, on Saturday morning.


Peter and Rebecca drove down from Minneapolis on Saturday to spend the night and meet Elana. We relived our college days with a visit to the Memorial Union Terrace Saturday



Sunday was the big brunch. Andrea cooked plenty of food for the 40 people who were there. We saw many old family friends and neighbors. We were too busy talking to take pictures.


On Monday we went to Indian Lake for a hike. It was a beautiful day to be out in the woods/corn fields.


Tuesday morning we walked around the neighborhood. Here's Taryn feeding Elana on the steps of West High.


Tuesday afternoon we went to Madison's new public pool. Elana wasn't so sure about it.




We head back to Seattle on Saturday.