Family Visit

The day after we got back from camping, my sister, brother-in-law, their two kids, and my parents all drove down to Eugene to stay with us for a week. We knew it would be a little wild, but it was the best way to see everyone for as long as possible, so we went for it. I threw all our camping stuff out in the garage, did a quick clean-up of the house, and waited eagerly for all of my family to get here. 

You'll notice that I was a bit myopic in my pictures... if any adults appear in these shots it's only because they're accompanied by one of the small, cute members of the family. But really, can you blame me? Look at this face!

And this one!

Lucy and David adore each other, and Lucy was even willing to sit in the stroller for longer walks if it meant getting to be near beloved Dee dee. 

We did a good bit of walking (it is Eugene, after all)

Cousin sandals:

And it was HOT so we filled up our kiddie pool in the backyard. Putting the slide into the pool made things extra fun!

Lucy soaked up Nana time:

William got passed around to all his adoring fans:

More pool time:

This shot just completely cracked me up. That's some fierce concentration on that face!

Lucy knows that the way to make friends is to get down on their level:

And then tell them hysterical stories!

Davey tries to pretend he's not impressed with Hayward Field (but he was, really. I know it)

And we visited the Washington Splash Park:

Which David adored

Run from the WAATTERRR!!

And of course, Lucy needed lots of Papa time too.

It was such a blast having everyone under our roof for a whole week! I think we'll have to make this a tradition!

A, B, C, D, Oooh, Eeee, Ooooh

Lucy has come down with a bad case of letter-obsession. Thanks to Leap Frog Letter Factory, the letter magnets on our fridge, and an etch-a-sketch, Lucy can now identify all the letters of the alphabet! And now she sees letters everywhere, and it's adorable. But now that she knows the letters, she's really interested in the alphabet song. So we've started singing it. Everywhere. In the car. At the park. And during lunch. She's got a good start on the song but we're working on the rest. :)

Camping Trip

Over the fourth of July we went camping down near Coos Bay. This was our first time camping with Lucy. And we camped for five nights. Call us crazy, right? But it actually went great. Lucy was a trooper, and she eased right in to the camping lifestyle:

We had fabulous weather, and fabulous beaches to play at:

Lucy traipsed around like a wild baby through the campsites:

And got along famously with her cousin Navarro. 

The weather at the coast is never exactly swimsuit weather, but all the kids still had a blast:

Some of the older cousins (and auntie "Mu-mu" as Lucy calls her):

Check out these views!

Cute cousin shot:

Even cuter cousin shot:

More adorable cuteness (there was a lot of this going on this trip):

We explored tidepool flora and fauna:

And Lucy wading in the water:

It was a bit of a gamble going camping for that long, but a few things made it much more doable: a tent with a divider inside (so Lucy had her own little space), lots of warm clothing, plenty of family (especially the cousins) to keep her entertained, and lots of advance planning. We're definitely up for another camping trip in the future!

Catch Up

Whew! It's been three straight weeks of vacation, so fun! I'll just start at the beginning, with one of my favorite house projects ever. 

My dad and mom came down for the last weekend of June and while they were there my dad and Joel built a fence on the side of our house that had previously been fence-less. I hated that kids could just toddle out of our back door, around the side yard, and out into the street. Not to mention that giant pile of tree debris from our yard projects. 

It involved some cutting:

Some post hole digging and post-placing:

Some measuring:

And then more cutting:

(And did I mention that they did a lot of this is in the rain?)

After a lot less time than I thought fence-building would take, they were finished!

It's not actually crooked in real life, it's my picture taking skills. Look at that fabulous door they built!

And of course, Lucy had to inspect it to make sure it was up to code. 

So there you go! The beginning of the fun! I'm beyond thrilled with this fence. Thanks dad and Joel!