Dinner Out

Thanks to some friends....Megan VanDerPuy for having a birthday and Megan and Colleen Nelson for babysitting.... Tad and I had dinner out. We went with 3 other couples to Benihana in Seattle to celebrate Megan's birthday. It was fun to go somewhere (other than work) with only grown-ups. It was Tad's first time to Benihana. He had lobster and enjoyed it. Hopefully we'll get out just the two of us soon.

Molly starts to walk!!!

For the past week or so Molly has been taking steps on her own. She is a bit wobbly, but she can go 6 or 7 steps before falling to the ground to crawl. Crawling is still much faster for her, but I don't think it will be too much longer before she is a "walk-about baby." The past 9 months really have gone so fast.

Nana comes to visit

Nana was here this week. She was a lifesaver. She watched our girls for three days while we were busy leading inservice days and preparing to open school. It was wonderful to have her here and Clare and Molly loved playing with her all day long. Each day as Tad and I would leave she would take the girls to the porch to wave. Mom and I really didn't get to visit that much, but I know she really loves me....she cleaned our refrigerator! It looks great. I probably should have taken a picture of it to add here. You'll just have to imagine a sparkling clean fridge with only fresh food (she threw out all of the expired items:) and homemade peach crisp from Grandpa Ed's peaches. Pure Heaven.

Krista's birthday!

My friend Krista...one of my oldest and dearest friends, turned 35 this month! We went up to her and Kevin's house for lunch. It was fun to celebrate together. We took this picture in the kitchen...Molly was being silly and turning her head.

Daddy Marches in the Good 'Ole Days Parade

I took the girls to downtown Auburn for the annual Good 'Ole Days Parade. Tad walked in the parade along with the other Auburn School District Administrators. Clare had fun at the booths for kids and enjoyed practicing boat safety and fishing. Molly watched it all and clapped and yelled at the folks in the parade.

California Visitors

Helen and Dave Riel along with Marianne Low and family came for dinner last Thursday night. After a long drive from Southern California and a swing through Yakima they arrived in the Seattle area to spend a couple of days before boarding a cruise ship for Alaska. We enjoyed having them at our house for dinner and s'mores. The girls all played dress up and ran around the house laughing and squealing (most of the squealing was done by Clare). Molly and Nicholas, only 20 days apart, became fast friends. It was fun to see them all. We are looking forward to a visit down there next July.

Girls' Weekend in Las Vegas

I headed to Las Vegas with my sister and some friends. Even though it was 110 degrees....that's right 110 degrees...we had a lot of fun. We walked the strip, wandered through the massive hotels, rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower, ate great food, and saw the Blue Man Group. Katie played the slots for the first time in her life....She didn't come out ahead, so I don't know if she'll play again. I mostly watched and only lost $2. It was my first trip without my girls and the first time I was away for two nights. It really was the best of both worlds. I enjoyed some time on my own and was ready to come home and play with them.

Clare rides on the inner tube!

We headed out to Dennis' house at Lake Tapps for some summer fun with friends. Clare and Tad rode on the giant inner tube with Lauren VanDerPuy. We weren't sure what Clare would think, but she LOVED it! I was on the dock and could hear her laughing and screaming all across the lake.