Goodbye 6, Hello 7!

The last of the six year old faces. . .

Hello seven. . .

 The girls woke up to presents.  This is the first time they have asked for dolls.  It is because they have an older sister who is very into American Girl Dolls.  The Target knock-offs were completely satisfactory for the twins.  They love their new dolls. 

After presents, we went bowling.  They both agreed that knockin' down pins was a great way to spend their day.  They were very cute!

 After bowling we went out to eat.  The waitstaff sang to them and loaded them up with birthday treats. 

 These girls are miracles.  They take my breath away when I think of the road they traveled to get to where they are today.  They will never fully understand the magnitude of their successful outcome but they are comprehending more each day.  For example, Lila thought it would be a good idea to wear their "baby shirts" on their birthday.  These shirts have their baby footprints and birth weights.  We wear them when we do the March of Dimes walk.  I thought Lila's idea was very fitting.  All day long I was reminded of how far they have come. 

 No birthday is complete without cake.  (Our camera was doing something weird with the candlelight.)

8 Inches

For all of Adeline's life, she has had long hair.  Her hair is fantastic.  Thick and wavy.  She couldn't care less.  She HATES having it combed, braided or put back in anything more than just one ponytail.  Each morning, she fights and complains when I comb her hair.  After seven years of long and beautiful hair, we chopped it. 

Eight inches later. . .

Home!! But Not for Long.

After living out of suitcases for five L.O.N.G. weeks, we came home and quickly unpacked stashed the suitcases into the closet. HOME! We made it. While it is good to get away, it is GOOD to be home.

This year's travels proved more challenging because of Miss E. It was nice to be back home where we have multiple pieces of plastic that occupy her for a good 15 minutes at a time. Even better, she was back in her own room! I don't know how people sleep with their children. Let me rephrase, I don't know how people sleep with their babies. I never, never ever, wake up to a childless bed. But older kids are much easier than babies. They are quieter too. In a nutshell, we were all happy to be back.

What do you think was at the top of our vacationed-out, road-weary, and over traveled list? Why camping of course. Five days post vacation we packed it up again. There is much more to pack when camping! It was unreal. We stuffed it all in the car and headed to the Poconos. Why we decided we needed to check the camping box now, I don't know. A year or two ago would have been much easier. That's not how we roll. We like to keep it interesting. Camping with a four month old is definitely interesting.

In all honesty, we had fun. The girls were thrilled to cook outdoors and sleep in a tent. Evelyn wasn't horrible and our campsite was fantastic. We went swimming, climbed our way through a boulder field and spent hours playing in the wide open space. It was all good for one night. I have no desire to repeat it until Evelyn is walking and sleeping soundly through the night.  I am pretty sure we are more of a Marriot family anyway.

 Daddy gets the cute pictures. 

 I always get this!!!!

Riding her Bike

Adeline learned to ride a bike while in Washington.  She is pretty fearful of falling and hasn't expressed interest in learning. The Belle is quite good on a scooter and rather content that way as well.  We pushed her to learn and it only took one night.  While she hasn't mastered turning, she is pretty good in a straight line!

Washington 2013

We headed out west for another summer vacation.  It was amazing weather almost everyday - 98 degrees and sunny.  Our desired temps!  I could be at this computer all day blogging about what we did.  Instead, I am going to pick some highlights and favorite pics.

The most notable adventure, was hiking Mount Rainier.  We made it a little more than half way to to the top.  Most of that was done by car but the last mile and half was straight up on foot.  It was tough going.  Lots of run off from the snow made the rocky climb even trickier.  The girls really ponied up.  I was so proud of them. We made it past the timberline and up into the snow.  The pictures are at a lower elevation because I had my hands full trying to get the girls up the mountain once we really started to climb.  

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One of our best days was on spent on the river.  Uncle Adam was generous and rented a boat!  We had a blast.  We spent hours on the water and the girls were in heaven.  What a gift he gave us!  Everyone rode the tube behind the boat and Alex and I got to revisit our roots and water ski.  No one skis anymore because wake boards rule the river.  Savannah was brave and gave it a try.   She didn't make it up but she gave it her all. A big thanks to Aunt Amy for staying back at the house to watch Evelyn.  She made it possible for me to join in the fun.  Just imagine if I had to miss all this!!!

 Adeline and Papa on the tube.  I never thought The Belle would ride. . .

Other fun and memorable times. . .