Loving the Outdoors

Every time we walk to the backyard, Brooke says, "Dow, dow!" for us to let her down. She walks over to the rock path, picks us two rocks and then carries them around the patio. The rocks get washed off in the baby pool, put in the dog door, banged together, brought over to show Mommy, and finally dropped in her Dora tricycle's basket. Lately she has been exploring further into the yard. One warm night she discovered the sprinkler and got soaking wet, another night she wandered all the way over to the garage before she was quickly redirected, and most every night she gets the dog's complete attention if she finds one of their balls! You can see from her stature that she loves the power she gets with this dog kneeling, begging before her. If she's feeling clever she'll throw... well, drop the ball for Cassy who quickly picks it up and runs it over to a more capable playmate, me.

Every afternoon Brooke and I wander over to the raspberry patch and we share a handful of ripe berries. If we are headed out on a walk we go over to the grapes and grab a bunch to snack on. Last night I was trying to pick a few tomatoes and Brooke insisted on holding one. Then I notice she was really enjoying it! What a nice juicy treat!

Best Pizza EVER

I was inspired by our favorite Italian restaurant in Leavenworth, Visconti's to make a pesto pizza. With so many homegrown veggies available right now it was a perfect choice!

Here is the recipe I used for the pesto:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Sauce/Detail.aspx

Here is the pizza recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Pizza-2/Detail.aspx

I love this recipe for pizza dough:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx

Kent and Caitlin thought this was the best pizza ever! The veggies I used were artichoke hearts, fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh onion, a purple bell pepper, and olives. Kent mentioned how he loved everything cut in smaller pieces, this way each bite was filled with flavor and it didn't all come off in the first bite.

Just seeing this makes my mouth water!

The Next Picasso?

How long does it take for those darn teeth to come in? Brooke has been teething for the last week and it's been pretty challenging lately! Our tough girl who hardly peeps when she falls down has been crying all the time. I believe she is working on tooth number seven and I hope it will pop through that skin soon!

Daddy started work on Monday so it's back to the old routine we know so well. We have been getting out of the house every morning by nine and taking a good walk to the library, swings, or the grocery store. By the time we have arrived home Brooke is completely asleep so all I have to do is carry her into her crib for her afternoon nap.

Today I picked up some Crayola TaDoodles First Marks at Target. They were great for Brooke to hold onto because she couldn't figure out crayons. The first drawing session was only about ten minutes but she seemed to enjoy it and I'm pretty proud of her first drawing! Maybe she takes after her Grandpa John?

Not sure if it's more fun to play with the paper or the marker!

More Water Fun

These two collages were from photos Jeff took at Emerald Lake.

Jeff and Marianne joined us in Cashmere for the afternoon and we took them to one of our favorite spots on the Columbia/Wenatchee Rivers.

It was over 100* so we all jumped right into the water!

What a beautiful day!

Kettle River

Day two was spent on the peaceful Kettle River swimming, playing in the sand and relaxing. Brooke had a great time being the official "lifeguard on duty".

Even Precious got to go swimming (not voluntarily though).


Brooke discovered sand and had a wonderful time putting it in her hair and dropping it.

Kent tried to find some fish but was not that lucky.

Kent swam across the river and picked an apple for Brooke. It was tart but she liked it! We were so proud of our little girl. She had no nap all day but was having the best time.

Emerald Lake

The first morning we went on a five mile hike into Emerald Lake. When Brooke got tired of the Ergo backpack she got to ride on Daddy's shoulders and even play "dentist"!

Brooke's uncle Jeff loves the water! She cried a few times because of the splash, but after awhile she figured out that diving into the water wasn't a bad thing.

Mr. Frog enjoyed the warm Washington sun.

Brooke loved spending time with her Auntie Marianne.

Kettle Falls Fun

With school quickly approaching we were excited to get a last chance to enjoy the warm summer days in beautiful northeastern Washington. To make the trip even more special, Kent's Uncle and Aunt were also visiting.

Kent and his dad try and get the motorcycle running...

Brooke and I enjoying all the entertainment!

Kent's parents have a new feature on their property, a beautiful gazebo and after a lot of logging, an incredible view. The gazebo was made by Kent's dad and his neighbor. They did a fantastic job!

One of the best parts was the fact that it was a baby-proof environment (except for the opening that I sat in front of).

We enjoyed a Danish meal with all the fixings! (Thanks for the photos Jeff)

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D.C. at Night

We spotted a free concert of "The President's Own" Marine Band on Thursday so we got on the metro and made our way to the grassy lawn beside the Washington Monument.

Kent and I enjoyed their selections especially their first piece Concord. I especially enjoyed hearing the great horn solo followed by a horn duet.

You never know what you might see when in D.C.. Right above us, President Obama flew in Marine One right by the Washington Monument to the White House!





I love D.C. at night!

On the last evening we walked all the way to the hotel from the Mall. We wanted to stop by the White House to hopefully get a glimpse of something interesting or pet the President's dog... that didn't happen this time! The evening before, Dad, Jennifer, Shaelynn and Taylor were at the White House and saw a security guard bring Bo outside. The dog ran up to the tourists at the gate and the crowd went wild! How fun!

Arlington Cemetery

Arlington Cemetery is such a moving place to visit. Very dramatic and touching.

We had heard the gunshots from a funeral but did not expect to see this sight. For my mother and I it was one of the most amazing sights we had seen the entire trip. These men rode the horses so stately and quickly up this hill; we were in awe.

The changing of the guard ceremony happens every hour of the day, 365 days a year at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Family Entertainment at the Zoo

While at the zoo we watched quite a disgusting act... After picking his nose and then eating it, this orangutan threw up! The video tells you the rest of the story.

National Zoo and Cathedral

Both the Zoo and Cathedral were north of our hotel so we decided to make it a trip. Took the metro up to the zoo and did quite a bit of walking. Brooke loved the giant pandas!

She enjoyed watching the orangutans until they got up to the glass only inches away from her. Luckily Grandma Carol was there to comfort her!


It was a really neat walk up to the Cathedral through some beautiful quiet neighborhoods.


Brooke liked the cross stitched kneeling pillows in the children's chapel because they had animals on them. She especially liked the kittens.

It's hard to show how magnificent the National Cathedral is from a photo. The stained glass windows are so unique, especially the space window that has a piece of moon rock in it! We got to sit back and enjoy an organ recital on one of the largest organs in the United States. What an experience!

Metro Friends

One of the best forms of travel in Washington, DC is the metro system. It's so easy to use, relatively inexpensive and usually pretty quick.

"We're going there."

My mother decided she had to get a tourist shot of us boarding the metro. As she took this photo the doors closed with us four inside and her outside! Woops! We all waited around for a few minutes and she arrived safely. Mom, was it worth the photo?! :)


Brooked LOVED the metro. Every stop she had new people to make friends with. She waved and said "hi" to everyone entering. Once seated she would make sure that all the attention was on HER by 'fake' laughing and staring at whoever she wanted to talk to. If the person did not look and smile she continued the pursuit by laughing louder and louder! Most people thought this was the cutest thing ever and just loved this happy outgoing baby... but after a few days of this we started to get a little embarrassed!