Our little watermelon

Just a sweet picture of Eliana.

Mommy-Daughter Date

Avery's hair has grown so much this year and was particularly unruly on top of her head. I decided to take her to a local salon and spend some of the "girls' haircut" money we had saved on a good cut for her. Little did I know that it would become a fun mommy-daughter date. The girl who cut Avery's hair was a delight and great with kids. Avery enjoyed every minute from the parafin wax on her hands, to the hair washing, to the cut and watching herself in the mirror. It was sweet to watch her delight in having such a special time with mommy. She was the center of attention for an hour and it brought her so much joy. The highlight of the time was when she got to choose straight or curly hair (she obviously choose curly, as most girls her age would) and had glitter sprayed into her hair. We walked out of the salon and she was beaming. She said to me, "I look like Emily" (our 4 year old next door neighbor with curly hair). She also said, "Cambria's going to be jealous." She was right.

VBS

This past week our church held VBS. They do an amazing job and our girls had a blast! This was Cambria's last year if we weren't moving, however, I'm not sure to what age the VBS goes at our new church. This was Avery's second year and she did SOOOO much better than last summer. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities my girls have to learn about God's love for them and the world.

Sisters.

Cambria and Avery with their good friends, who we will miss so much! :-(

Cambria and her Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Diane (she's dressed up as a Roman soldier). Cambria loves Mrs. Diane so much and we're thankful for the example she and her husband have been to our daughter.

Our family with Cooper the Super Dog!

My love affair with Mt. Rainier

My love affair (or some might call it an obsession) with Mt Rainier began 8 years ago when Jeff and I came to Seattle on a vacation. One day, during our vacation, we visited Mt. St. Helen's. While driving North to Seattle after St. Helen's we decided to attempt a visit to Mt. Rainier. Suffice to say, we never made it. Traffic and rain made us turn back and postpone our trip to "the mountain."
Five years later we moved to Maple Valley and my obsession picked up right where it left off. Everywhere we drove I was looking for a mountain sighting. I love how Mt. Rainier can look so big from one angle and more "normal" from another. I also love how it can be hidden one moment and right in front of you the next. Lastly, I'm intrigued by the fact that friends of ours recently climbed a mountain in Colorado that sits about the same altitude as Rainier (about 14,400 ft) yet has no snow or glaciers all year round.
Well, we're moving to Virginia in 2 1/2 weeks and decided that today was the best day to pay our last respects to "the mountain." A year ago Jeff went on a climbing expedition to Rainier and made it to the Summit. Today, we took a 1-mile roundtrip hike up a small portion of Rainier with our entire family. We drove to Paradise and found a parking space, which was a miracle in itself since the weather was absolutely perfect and the whole world wanted to visit Rainier. Our girls would disagree that the weather was perfect. Avery cried her eyes out until we moved our lunch from the sun into the shade. They all whined about the heat (about 80 degrees) and bugs. Our girls are in for the shock of their lives. It's WAY hotter in VA and there are WAY more bugs, as well.
I was a little disappointed in the lack of wildflowers this weekend. There was so much snow at Rainier this winter and such a cool spring that the snows are melting later and the wildflowers blooming later this summer. We saw a few but nothing like I've seen in pictures.
Basically, I'm certain that my "obsession" with Rainier is not over. Jeff and I have Rainier in our blood and will be back to hike/climb it once again. I'm fairly certain that I'll never go to the summit -- it's a little daring for me -- but I might be convinced to climb to Camp Muir.

Cambria, Avery, Jeff and Carys (on his back)

Carys really wanted the water bottle -- that's why she's frowning.

Cambria and Avery by one of the many small water falls we saw.

We really wanted a family picture with "the mountain" but had no idea (until several hours later) that Carys is not in the picture. She's on Jeff's back, trying to peak her head around. Poor thing.

Myrtle Falls -- beautiful!

A little snow for the girls.

Crossing a bridge. On the other side of this bridge is where I thought, "This must be like hiking in the Swiss Alps."

A few wildflowers.

Eliana was an angel, as usual, today. She sat in the car seat or Bjorn for hours and hardly complained. In this picture, she is thrilled to be out of both.

Finally, a great family picture with Mt. Rainier.

Another lost tooth

Cambria lost her fourth tooth today -- second one on the top. She's SOOOOO excited and now talks with an interesting lisp. It really is funny to see this tooth loss thing from the parent perspective. She's transforming into an older child right before my eyes. Guess I better get working on that tooth fairy thing. :-)

Day at the beach

This past Saturday we visited Seahurst Park. Cambria and I went there on her first grade field trip and wanted to take the rest of the family. Unfortunately, I forgot to check the tide schedule and the tide was in all the way. We were unable to see starfish, etc. It was still a very nice, relaxing day (after all the insane packing and work on the house).


The tide was out way past the rocks last time we were there.

Caught red-handed.

I love this girl!!!

A sweet sister moment.

More cute girls.

The next step in our journey

Well, our road is taking another twist and our family is leaving the Northwest later this summer. Jeff has received a "call" to another church in Mechanicsville, VA and we feel that this is the next step for him and our family. We are excited and scared out of our minds. Moving with four young kids, not to mention selling our house in this market, is a daunting task. However, we do feel that God has placed this job before us for a reason, and so, we are trusting that He will take care of our steps. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we get our home ready for the market, put it on the market, find a rental in VA, pack up everything, say goodbye to dear, dear friends in the NW, and transition back into East Coast life, once again.

More on this transition will follow.

Ballet recital -- catch up

Cambria had her third dance recital in late June. She's been in ballet for 3 years (4 if you count the YMCA in Princeton). She loves it and does amazingly well. I never took any type of dance as a child, so it's interesting for me to learn about the dance world. I'm not sure how far I want her to go with it...the classes and costumes become quite expensive down the road...but, for now, it's a lot of fun for her and we enjoy watching her blossom.

Here is her sea anemone costume:


She comes up with these poses, not me. :-)

Proud parents on night #1 of the recital.

Cambria and her best bud.

One last pose. :-)

Cheese smiles

Everyone has squinty eyes, except Eliana, however, I love the joy in their faces. They are sweet little sisters.


This picture is precious of Avery holding Eliana.

More birthday pics

Here are a few more pictures from Cambria's birthday:

Here is the Dolphin cake I made her. The back tail did not turn out like expected, but otherwise I was pleased with the result.

The day began with donuts.

Cambria's coupon book, including Jamba Juice, Slurpees and donuts. (The coupon book is definitely her "love language").

Books from Grandma. It's amazing that this time last year, Cambria could read basic, basic books. Now, she can read all kinds of chapter books. First grade really was a big year for her.

Here's our angel baby. Cambria's friend told her today, "You're so lucky that Eliana is a happy baby. My sister wasn't that happy when she was little."

Carys on Coulon Beach (Lake Washington)

The Bald Eagle that soared right over our heads. Incredible!!!

7th birthday!!! (part1)

Today our Cambria turned 7! I can't believe it's been 7 years since I gave birth to my first child. I knew so little about babies (though I thought I knew a lot since I was the oldest of 5). The learning curve with her was high. She was coliky, spit up a lot and didn't nap the first 4 months of life. However, she eventually grew out of her high maintenance state and turned into an intelligent, adventuresome, artistic, God-loving young girl. We are incredibly proud of her and can't wait to see what the coming years with Cambria will bring.