Catching Up

I suppose summer's almost through, since schools start up here in the next week. It's monsoon season but we're getting very little rain; lots of awful, awful bugs though! Just to summarize because I'm lacking time and motivation, we went on a ginormous roadtrip through eight western states, saw lots of wonderful friends and family, saw lots of beautiful mountains, daydreamed our way through the cities we really want to live in one day (Bozeman! Coeur d'Alene!), and made it home with a looming transmission replacement (thanks for nothing, stop and go traffic in Reading). The following weekend Blake and I got to get away for three GLORIOUS nights for our anniversary! We rented a little place in Munds Park on a canyon. We figured we'd be close in case of an emergency but it still felt like a destination. We love vacation rentals; they're so much cozier than hotels and there aren't annoying people everywhere and we get to do our own cooking. And there was a dishwasher! We didn't leave the cabin the whole time! We stopped at our favorite Indian restaurant on our way out of town, then read, played Yahtzee, watched HGTV, watched a couple movies, and just relaxed for the whole weekend. It was heavenly.

At a park in Missoula

Playing in the Pend Orielle River

Enjoying the deck!

Pretty in her cowgirl boots in Bremerton on the 4th of July!

Updates on the kiddos:
Rory- four years old, affectionate and inquisitive, quite the little negotiator. She's also bossy as all get out :) Listening to her talk is both entertaining and exasperating! She's enjoying her little dance class and loves to play imaginative games; favorites are hotel, neighbors, getting married, and ferryboat. She is a terrific big sister and usually is a kind friend.
Bashy- He's definitely got some two year old whineyness going on! But he's grinny and tussle-haired and loves trains and dirt and tractors and balls and firetrucks and everything else boy. He plays with Rory a lot and amiably goes along with her little games but he also plays way better on his own than she does. He's a great observer and is so snuggly and affectionate! He's talking more and more, which is so fun. New words and phrases include: Awe-some!, What daaaat- what dat dere?! and Wuv you Mommy. He's the only kiddo that calls me Mommy- I totally get that mom-son thing that people talk about :)
Rad: Walking!!! Voicing his opinions quite loudly (We now call him the pterodactyl). Getting into EVERYTHING. Climbing on everything. He wants to be outside nonstop, but he requires supervision in our yard, so he has to spend lots of time squawking at me. He's got sweet curls in his hair and an expressive face and he thinks he's hilarious! He likes to do his "tricks" and then cracks up with us! He has different laughs for different events: a satisfied cackle when he escapes to the backyard, a hooty giggle when he performs his comedy routines, and a particularly gleeful laugh when his siblings bring him toys when he's supposed to be sleeping. At almost 14 months old he ways a meager 17 pounds and he's quite fair skinned compared to the others- fitting since he's named after my Scandinavian Grampie! He also loves the water way more than Rory and Bash do (and they love it too) and splashes joyfully in the bath.
That's about all!