Sweet Home!

Rory and I ended our ten days in Washington last night! After a much anticipated reunion with Blake at PHX (where he was conveniently ending a week of training), we hightailed it back to Flagstaff. After a plane ride that can only be called a horrendous nightmare (thanks, Rory), driving through the pleasant southwest scenery at sunset with my love was bliss. It's good to be home! We had a wonderful time with family and friends in Seattle though. I'll tell you all about it through pictures...

We had a super nice pilot who invited Aurora to see the cockpit!

Meeting her new (long suffering) cousin Evelyn!

You can sort of tell they're related

My sister and her brand spankin' new baby girl!

Growing up, every Friday evening was Thomas Family Reading Night (I thought that was normal). Rory fits right in!

Dragon baby with all her teeth!

Her principle act of defiance: putting her dirty hand on her head when instructed not to. This is an ongoing battle...

The weather was supposed to be gorgeous everyday. It wasn't. But this particular day was!

Baby cousins are great for ear-pulling!

Better ask her daddy if it's okay first though (after she was hit in the face with the dog's tale, woken up from a nap, and got her finger clamped in a chip clip while under his watch, Uncle Matt could hardly protest the ear-pulling).

They wish they could spend more time together. Blake and Matt, that is. Rory's not too sure about Jetson...

My darlings

Getting dressed with Grandma!

We went to the park with Sam and Hannah, our Flagstaff friends who are home in WA for the summer!

Lounge.

Vintage WA: Ivars with Lake Washington in the foreground and Mt. Rainier behind

A (hideous) picture of the three original Thomas kids- Joe was passing through on his way home to AK, so we had a family breakfast, though it was a bit morose since we were all spouse-less.

Pretty Evvie!

Aurora and Grandma Ducky!

Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which is very kid-friendly. As soon as we got there, they brought Rory and Hannah butterflies made out of bread and banana slices!

We had such a great lunch with Alicia, Sam, and Hannah!

Rory enjoyed all the toys my mom got out for her, especially the obnoxious noisy ones.

She had such a great time with her grandparents, and I know she's already looking forward to backpacking in a few years.

homemade waffles with whipped cream and berries! My mom's strawberry plants are insane- we got tons of fresh berries everyday!

Enjoying a non rainy afternoon on our favorite walking trail with Grandma.

"I'll take that camera, Mom."

Goof

When I miss Blake, my baby's blue eyes make me smile, since they're just like her papa's.

Me and my very first niecey!

Wow- that was a lot! I think that sums it up pretty well; we enjoyed quiet damp days at home, visits with good friends (Blake's best man and his girlfriend, former coworkers from That Summer, Flagstaff friends in WA, and my lifelong mentor) accompanying my parents to their new church, A gorgeous hike on Mt. Rainier for Blake and my dad, my dad's first babysitting venture (nerve wrecking for both of us) while I went to Bible study with my mom, fresh salmon, mom's meatloaf (don't knock it till you've tried it), and awful traffic that made me miss Flagstaff. I'm sure I'll write more on our trip this week, including the Plane Ride of Doom- stayed tune!