Some recent videos of E

Future hoops star:


No trampoline needed:


A shirt is like a puzzle:

End of Summer

I'm back at work and Taryn will be back at school next week. It was a short summer, but we ended it with a bang last weekend with a trip to the coast with Charles, Joi, and Max. It was 95 degrees on the beach, which is a rarity in the northwest. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks including our trip to the ocean.

Camping with Elana 2010

We just returned from 4 nights of camping at Birch Bay State Park. It's a beautiful area just south of the Canadian border. Taryn was attending a string teachers' workshop while Elana and I were hiking, biking, and beach combing. We also went to a water park one of the days. Elana loved the water slides! When we were busy with activities, Elana had a great time. But she was a handful at other times. She suffered a scratched knee and face from falls at the beach and at the campsite. But overall, it was a fun week. Here are some pictures:

Elana Loves Corn!

Elana has been making all sorts of funny faces lately. I captured a few of her classic expressions over dinner last night.

Katie and Aaron

Our friends Katie and Aaron are back from Trinidad and they stopped by to say hi before they leave for Colombia (via Madison). Elana wasted no time reconnecting with them (she hasn't seen them since she was a couple weeks old).

Hiking in CT

Here is a little video of Elana hiking in the woods near my childhood home in Connecticut.

Summer in Connecticut

We just got back from a week long trip to visit with the Webbers in Guilford, CT. While Noah was in D. C. at a conference, we were sunning and playing at the beach pretty much every day. Elana sure loved all of the attention she got from Grammy, Big Poppy, Auntie Ali, and Uncle Lorin. She loved exploring my parents' yard, babbling brook and all. It was a very relaxing week. Our only regret is that it had to come to an end!!! if we didn't have to spend 12-13 hours in travel getting there, we would go more often . . .it makes for one LONG day with a toddler.


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At the beach in East Haven at Gr Auntie Joyce's condo:




Uncle Lorin and his girlfriend Alicia, cousins Elyssa, Dennis and Jamie




cousin Elyssa and Gr. Aunt Teresa




The cousins




Elana loved climbing all over the house




at the beach in Guilford Lakes with Grammy:








on a walk around the lake







on a nature walk in Stony Creek










E with Auntie Ali




Uncle Lorin and Alicia helping E get down to the brook to throw some rocks







Gr. Uncle David with E

Oh My Goodness

I have been trying to watch my language around Elana since she is pretty much a sponge these days. If I'm watching sports and my team does something to trigger a reaction (very common with Wisconsin sports teams) I censor myself and say things like "Man, come on" or "Oh my goodness." Last night, I turned on the last 2 minutes of the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals game after we got home from dinner at Grandie's and Grandpa Ken's house. As soon as Elana saw that it was a basketball game, she started saying "Oh my goodness" repeatedly. She was making fun of me, remembering how I react to disappointing Badger or Packer games. She repeated the phrase and then the two of us laughed pretty hard. I ran to get the camera and caught a second round of Elana cracking her hilarious joke:

Trip To Vancouver

This past weekend we all piled into the car and headed north to our favorite city that isn't seattle: VANCOUVER! We had a great sunny day on saturday--complete with some beach time and some ice cream--then I ran a half marathon on Sunday morning. It was awesome having everyone there to cheer me on. After runnin 21.1 kilometers, we all gorged on poutine. talk about gut rot . . .








Elana really needed to expel some energy . . .







are we in florida?




That's Spandy Andy to Elana's left . . .







Cheering Mama on!







Them some big taters




Ah, the food of the gods.

passover eggs

18, 17, 18...

Great Grandmom Bernice and Aunt Sally arrived last night for a visit. Elana calls her GG Mom.


Here is a video from a couple of weeks ago. As you can see, Elana has mastered counting to 18 or 17.

Adventures in the Neighborhood

We have been on many adventures since Elana's second birthday. I have been mostly enjoying following her around the yard and neighborhood while she inspects every living thing she comes across. Every plant, insect, rock, etc., is absolutely fascinating. It is truly magical to see the world through a toddler's eyes. It makes me excited about spending the majority of the summer outdoors!