Charlotte Walks!

Charlotte is full-blown walking now! She's a little wobbly but her little legs and arms try to keep their balance. It is fun to see how determined she is! We went to the aquarium for Father's Day, right before we dropped Eben off at the airport to head to the east coast. The kids are (clearly) way more interested in the touch tank than the camera. Charlotte is happy she can reach her fingers in the water all by herself now.

Examining the jellyfish tunnel.
The lights in the tunnel change colors and illuminate the jellyfish - making them look really cool.
At least we have six eyes looking at the camera.... Happy Father's Day, Dada!
Future astronaut?

JUNE - Outdoor Fun

I'm not usually a complainer. But I must say that this past spring was really lousy. So it is nice that summer is finally showing up. We have had a few nice days of sunny weather and have taken full advantage of them! Edison got those "rock star" glasses from Nana and the flag from Bestemor at Charlotte's party - he was pretty excited about them as you can see!
Nothing like bubbles! I think I've finally found one that won't spill - since this picture was taken we've already gone through two big containers that Edison accidently tipped over. He also added water to one of them and was surprised it didn't work when he filled it up...
We let Charlotte play with an empty bottle. She'll catch on soon, but for now she likes to practice getting the wand into the bottle.
I also bought a water play table for the summer. Let me me tell you - it has already paid for itself in the hours of entertainment it has provided for both of the kids.
What is it about filling up a bucket and dumping it down a water wheel that is so satisfying?
Yay - it is time for picnic lunches on the deck! I love eating al fresco!
She's not quite scooting on it yet, but she'll toddle over and sit on it for awhile, honk the horn and check out the basket in the front.
Keep your fingers crossed for more good weather for Seattle!

Charlotte's First Birthday!

Charlotte strikes a pose.

We had our friends and family over for a picnic on Charlotte's birthday. We actually celebrated on Monday, her actual birthday. Here she is with Nana in a rare picture sans pacifier.
She tastes the yummy cake.... she likes it!
Mmmmmmmmmm
Edison with his best pal, Grace.
Charlotte with her great-grandmother Bestamor. (Norwegian for great grandmother)
Two kids, one photo, zero eyeballs on the camera. Oh well!
As you can see, Charlotte is a pinky grip away from walking on her own.
She was really interested in her presents. This is a pin that says "Adeline" on it (Charlotte's middle name, named after her great-grandmother Bestamor). The pin was given to Bestamor Adeline on her fourth birthday in 1918. It is a beautiful treasure and was so special to receive. Thank you!
Charlotte liked reading her birthday cards! She also got some really cute clothes - you'll just have to wait for the pictures in the blog once she wears them!

Charlotte with her first doll - a present from Nana.

She is also really excited about this toy, a talking doggie. I had to go online to program it, but it can now say "I love you Charlotte" and plays a bunch of music that I selected, among other talents. Thanks Uncle Floyd & Auntie Kathie! And thank you to everyone for celebrating with us and for supporting us as we raise our kids. You are a wonderful bunch of family and friends!

Mall Rats & Play Time

On a rainy Sunday, we ended up at the mall. They have a nice play area that is perfect for Charlotte - here are the kids peeking out from the other end of a ferry boat.

Making wishes at the fountain.

I really like our stroller, but for some reason, the kids think these rental ones at the mall are way more cool.

Two kiddos in pajamas. It is wonderful seeing Edison interact more with Charlotte. In fact, Nana was looking at pictures with Edison from when Edison was 18 months old. He kept asking where Charlotte was. His whole reality now is that she has always been here - how cute.

We finally had a sunny morning!
The kids actually took turns in the car. Our yard is starting to have its beautiful summer fullness to it.
Charlotte really likes this dancing rabbit. Here she is wiggling around to its song.
Okay, couldn't resist this picture of her little bum in this dress.

Eben & Charlotte having some bonding time. Can you tell she loves her dad?

Just reading in the playroom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Eben and I went to a western-themed going away party for our friend Kathy. She is heading out to Wyoming to work at a fancy-pants dude ranch. What an adventure! We will miss you!

Charlotte looked a little more like a babushka than a cowgirl with the bandana. But she can still pull it off.

Charlotte with Dada.
Charlotte with Nana on Mother's Day. What a beautiful picture!Charlotte and her mommy on Mother's Day. She is now saying "ma-ma" but her first word (and those of you who are parents out there know that "first word" is a bit of a gray area) has been "uh oh!" accompanied of course by lots of dropping items off of the high chair.

MAY - Finally - Spring!

We're about one month behind in our spring. Usually our lilac blooms by Mother's Day - we're probably another couple weeks away. We just got the tulips at the start of May. We set rain record amounts both days this weekend. But... we're now ready for spring and the backyard!

Here's Charlotte with her Nana. Now that Nana is back in town, she comes up once a week to spend the day with the kids and also spends the night. Here she is feeding Charlotte a banana at breakfast.

So the big yard project this year is a retaining wall, new stairs, and eventual patio in the upper yard. Eben has been working hard on yet another wall. Edison is the big helper- but it usually involves moving dirt or rocks from where they should be to another place in the yard where they do not belong.... but what can you do?!
Off to the races!
Charlotte loves the car. And check out the woodpile - we still got lots of wood for next year.
Two kids in the bath- super fun. Took me about twenty tries to get one picture where they both look at the camera!

Easter

We woke up Saturday of Easter Weekend in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. We rode the inter-island ferry to Orcas Island to go adventuring on Saturday. As you can see from the picture below, the scenery is amazing - the ferry boat goes really close to a lot of small islands. On the inter-island ferry (for locals) just about every booth and table had a different puzzle on it. Locals spend the journey working on these puzzles - so cool.
We stopped for a bagel at the ferry landing on Orcas. Eben got off the ferry on his bicycle and rode around the island - we would meet up with him on the top of Mount Constitution.
On our way to Mount Constitution, we stopped at Moran State Park - low and behold there was an Easter Egg Hunt going on. Edison got to meet the Easter Bunny and received a purple egg with treats in it.
This is a view of Cascade Lake at Moran State Park.
This is the view from the top of Mount Constitution. It is nice that you can drive right up to the top. At 2450 feet, it is the highest point in the San Juan Islands and obviously has some amazing views. This is looking east. The two "finger" islands in the distance are Clarke and Barnes Islands. It was just off the north tip of them that we ran into the pod of Orca whales last year.
After lunch we went to a beach park on the south end of the island. It was sunny and warm and the sand felt great between our toes.
The ladies enjoyed the sunny day!
We went out for a wonderful Easter Brunch with my dad and our family friends, Tom and Jan. Unfortunately this is the best family photo we could manage.
But here's a cute one of Charlotte in her Easter dress. She got it as a Christmas present and has grown a little more than we anticipated - and ended up being an Easter shirt instead!
Edison and Charlotte were SO HAPPY that Floyd & Kathie sent them chocolate Easter bunnies! When asked how chocolate makes him feel, Edison answers "chocolate makes me happy." Isn't that true?!