Tracking the Wolfes

Ruby is 5 months old

2012-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

We love you sweet girl!!!

Check out Lyla's new "Cool Trick"

2012-01-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Ps. Forgive Lyla's outfit and hair...we were playing out in the snow. :)

SNOW!

2012-01-20T13:58:00.001-08:00

It's been snowing for nearly a week straight at our place. We have over a foot of snow...lots of fun for snowhouses...

and snowmen

The whole family got out to play.

Girls Day Out

2012-01-20T13:47:00.001-08:00

Last week the girls took a trip down to the Seattle Science Center.

Lyla especially loved the butterfly house...

...and the water station.

Ruby was a really good sport and hung out in her pack the whole time.

Fun day!

Thank you Santa!

2011-12-27T15:19:00.000-08:00

These are the Christmas moments that parents hold onto in their hearts! I love my little family!!!

Ruby is Rolling Over!

2011-12-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

Check out what our little gal can do!

Baby Ruby

2011-11-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture...we love our smily little thing!

Fall Update

2011-11-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

I accidentally uploaded these pictures in the wrong order... so here's looking back at August through October in reverse...

Carving our pumpkin

Bubbleface

It's cool to have a science teacher dad...here Lyla and dad are blowing up bubbles filled with CO2.

We were so excited that Lyla is old enough to enjoy Halloween.

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch turned out to be another amazingly beautiful fall day!

Grammy B came too!

Who cares if it's freezing, I'll take ice cream over hot chocolate any day!

Baby Ruby came too, but stayed wrapped up tight.

Sweet sisters

Ruby's baby blessing...lots of family got to come! Thanks everybody!!!

Ruby is super smiley!

Enjoying our yard...

First bath

Lyla likes to take care of her own babies too.

At the fair

We are all doing really well. It has been a wonderful first 3 months with Ruby. We sure do love our little girls!

Welcome Baby Ruby!

2011-08-14T16:20:00.001-07:00

Ruby Christine Wolfe was born at 3:43 am on Wednesday morning, Aug 10th...7 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long. Everyone is healthy and doing great!

Ruby's first shampoo

Getting all clean and settled

Getting more acquainted with Mom...

...and Dad

Big Sister Lyla comes to meet our new addition

She is gentle and sweet with her baby sister

Our first family photos

Getting some extra rest our first morning home

Lyla gets home from her stay with Auntie Kate while we were at the hospital...she is very excited to see Ruby again.

Here's our little one in action:

Lots of family came to visit...in the hospital and at home:

Uncle Mark

Aunt Katie

Grammy B

Auntie Kate

Grandpa Wolfe

Aunt Rindy

Aunt JoJo

Papa

Aunt Kathy

Ruby's first doctors appointment confirms that all is well.

We feel so blessed to have another beautiful, healthy girl. Welcome Baby Ruby!

2011 Catch Up!

2011-06-29T10:22:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, high-speed Internet has not made it out to our new house in the country. Dial-up and blogging just don't get along very well. So, I'm finally getting around to updating our family news...here you go!

JANUARY

Lyla loves helping in the kitchen...here she is licking the bowl with Grammy B.

First ponytail

Helping frost birthday cake for Grandpa Wolfe.

Yum!

FEBRUARY

Trying on Mom's shoes

Sharing a Valentine cookie with Dad

One of many snowmen this winter season

MARCH

Just goofing around

Nature journaling with Dad...documenting our new blueberry bushes.

Snuggling with Grampy

Lyla loves her swing set...especially ladder and slide

APRIL

Dying Easter eggs...notice Lyla's plastic garbage bag dress.

Family Party...Easter egg hunt

Working in the garden. Lyla LOVES to dig!

Dad and Lyla working on the tractor

Lyla turns 2!

MAY...

Trying on glasses at the mall

Doughnuts with Auntie Katie at our favorite sweet shop, Frost

Dad brings home his next homestead project...the Wolfes now have three little pigs!

So there's our new year at a glance. We are happy and healthy and loving our new place!

What a Merry Christmas!

2010-12-31T12:45:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you to all of our families for making this Christmas truly magical! We loved spending time with you and Lyla had an awesome time playing constantly with all the new toys.

Lyla "helped" mom decorate the tree. Somehow mom managed.

Dad stole a kiss Christmas morning as Bella looks on jealously.

Lyla is in a big baby phase right now and it is really cute to watch her take care of them. She is going to be a big sister in August--Yahoo!

"Yaya" loves to snuggle with her Grampy, especially to watch some tuners like Yo Gabba Gabba

What a big kid negotiating the stairs with a backpack and Grandpa's help.

You may not have known this, but Playdoh is very effective for earmufs--try it, you'll see

Auntie Laura had to work on Christmas, but she got up to see our house and made sure to visit with Lyla, reading a book with Grandma Bell. We miss you Auntie Laura!

Swim goggles was one Christmas present we had to try on right away :)

Auntie Kate got "Yaya" a horse, and "Yaya" makes sure to say thank you.

Playdough Girl

2010-12-09T19:59:00.001-08:00

This gal LOVES playdough!!!!

Halloween with our little monster

2010-11-04T18:59:00.001-07:00

Lyla was so upset about getting into this furry monster costume that we almost gave up and put her in a tutu. She decided she was okay about it when we let her have her pacifier. Here we are on our way to visit family.

Visiting Great Grandma Greta

On to visit Nanny and Gramps...

Lyla patiently waits for cookies

Thanks for the money Gramps!

At Grandma and Grampy's house she got a pumpkin book!

Nick trying on Lyla's new gloves.

Happy Halloween everybody!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-11-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here's Lyla's second visit to the pumpkin patch.

Check out how much she's grown since last year!

Grandma and GG (Great Grandma) joined us at the farm.

We had delicious hot buttered corn. Doesn't Lyla look like an elf in her Grandma's hat?

Another great family adventure!

New Wolfe Den!

2010-10-18T21:05:00.001-07:00

FINALLY! We put in our offer at the end of July and just last Wednesday Nick signed for both of us (power of attorney while Em is away in Maryland) and we got keys. The yard is in progress and there is a long list of "Honey-do's," but we are thrilled to have a new den. It is out in the sticks, near Storm Lake, technically a Snohomish address. 3BR, 2BA 1982 built, 1980 ft2.

Another New Trick

2010-10-17T18:15:00.002-07:00

Sunday Afternoon Walk

2010-10-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

The weather was beautiful again today. We all took a walk to this riverside park.

Lyla especially loved picking the flowers.

Our hosts...the Kristiansens.

Lyla ran and ran and ran on this walk.

Lyla lets Mom have a little snuggle...

2010-10-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Turtle Park

2010-10-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we visited a park with a nature center, turtle pond and play area near my sisters home here in MD. The weather here is amazing...this Maryland fall is like a Seattle summer, perfect blue days in the comfy 70s. It feels great!

Feeding the turtles:

Lyla finds the courage to do the slide ALL BY HERSELF!

On the ride to the park Lyla and Noah held hands.

Maryland Trip

2010-10-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Emily and Lyla are visiting Holly in MD. We are missing Nick like crazy...here's a quick peek at your little girl, dad!

Big Girl

2010-09-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Being cute for Dad

2010-09-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

Dancing

Blanket Cape

Reading all snuggled up

Taking pictures

Trip to Jetty Island

2010-09-20T11:10:00.001-07:00

I think this was the last really lovely day of summer. It was the last Friday before Nick had to go back to work. We decided to really make the most of it.

The Jetty Island Ferry is free and shuttles people to and from the Island.

We brought a picnic lunch with us. Lyla shared her goldfish with Dad.

Playing in the water.

On the ride ferry ride home...

Another great Wolfe family outing.

Zoo Adventures

2010-09-02T10:57:00.001-07:00

The cave girl went to the zoo, rode the lizard, and pet the goats.

Aloha!

2010-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Lyla got a new dress from Aunt Lonnie and Uncle Randy upon their return from Hawaii.

Young Rocker

2010-09-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Lyla loves music. We gave her an opportunity to check out Rock Band--not too much interest in wearing the guitar, but give her a few years...

Family Farm Day

2010-08-23T14:12:00.001-07:00

This weekend we attended the Klesick Family Farm Day with several of our friends. There were farm tours, demonstrations, tractor rides (although we didn't get around to that), and several fun stations for kids to play.

Lyla is saying "bock, bock, bock" (maybe without the "K" sound at the end though).

Putting the pioneer babies to bed.

The wheat thresher was really cool.

Lots of time in the dirt on the tractor toys.

It was a beautiful sunny day at a lovely farm. It made us excited for our own homestead someday. We can't wait for gardens, goats, bees, wheat fields, fruit trees, and tractors of our own!

Seattle Aquarium

2010-08-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

Our little family spent several hours at the aquarium yesterday. Lyla was very excited about the whole experience and started squealing with delight from the moment we got out of the car downtown.

The diver in this HUGE tank had a microphone in her mask. She gave a great presentation while she fed the fish. Very cool.

Lyla has learned to pucker-up for kisses.

Another fun summer outing for the Wolfe Family!

Mmmmm Corn on the Cob

2010-08-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

Back to the Skagit County Fair

2010-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

We couldn't help but return to the Skagit County Fair to get our fill of fair food, animals and fun. Lyla loved petting the goats and guinea pigs, squealing at the pigs, mooing at the cows, and gobbling raspberry shortcake. Em researched bees and goats, and Nick played sherpa. It was a wonderful trip back to our old stomping grounds. Oh the joys of summer!

Banks Lake Vacation

2010-08-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

We just spent the week with family at Banks Lake in Eastern Washington. This is an annual vacation with lots of relaxing, sitting on the beach, playing in the water, and eating good food.

We have just arrived and Lyla is ready to hit the beach.

Enjoying the water.

Eveyone loves Otter Pops!

Lyla climbed up on the steering wheel, then looked at me as if to say "I'm stuck! Now what!"

Having dinner...she looks like such a little boy in this green outfit.

Our friends shared their bubbles.

A friend had this cage for his dog...Lyla decided she wanted to check it out. She went over to it on her own, got in and shut the door.

Playing with bubbles and goofing off with dad.

Lyla came with us on kayak rides around the lake.

We hiked to the top of Steamboat Rock.

We went for bike rides almost every day, although we didn't take any pictures. On our last ride we found this strange bug and brought it home to investigate...it looked like a grasshopper/spider/bee thing. Lyla thought it was very interesting.

Our last morning we went out for one more trip on the boat. Nick took a swim.

Lyla is much happier in her life jacket this year...last year, when she was only a few months old, she was very upset by it.

Another great family vacation!!! Yahoo for beautiful, relaxing summer days with family!

Lyla's Friends at the Library

2010-07-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Lyla has been to the Mukilteo library several times and we finally caught her cuteness on tape. She loves her friends even though they don't move or talk. You have to check out the videos. If you do not say the word "cute" I think you might be broken. :)

Lyla's Serenade

2010-07-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Lyla likes to play the piano, and now she sings sometimes too!

The Trials of Chicken Raising

2010-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

So...the Co-Op says that the chicks are "95% female" when you buy them for layers. HA! We got 3 out of 4 ROOSTERS, which now reside in our freezer.
Luckily, we found a really nice lady out in Monroe that sold us 3 new HENS about the same age as Pearl. They will make their debut on the blog soon.

Slurpeeeeees!

2010-07-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

On the way home from Leavenworth, Em needed a Slurpee and the Monroe location had exactly the flavors we were hunting. Lyla got into the act too--she seems pretty relaxed.

Throwing Rocks in the River

2010-07-27T13:37:00.001-07:00

The wind up (no she's not pooping) and the throw. (only a few actually leave the hand)

Ahhh Leavenworth

2010-07-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

With Nick on summer break, the Wolfe pack headed out East and settled up the Icicle Creek Rd. for a couple nights. We got an awesome site at Lower Jonny Creek campground. We loved the warm weather, playing in the river and the Leavenworth pool. Ahh vacations! Lyla especially liked playing with the rocks in the river, the campground faucet, and checking out the fish hatchery. We were constantly entertained by our little gopher.

Olympic Peninsula Camping Trip

2010-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we packed up Grandma and Grampy's truck (THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!) and headed west to the Olympic Peninsula to camp.

Our first stop was Solduc in the Olympic National Park.

Just relaxing around camp

We did a lot of campfire cooking. Our first meal was foil dinners and corn on the cob. Yum.

That hole in the trees is the path to our campsite! It was an amazing location. We loved being right by the water.

Nick and Lyla went to play on the riverbank, but Lyla was SO excited about the water that we decided to put on her swimsuit and really let her go for it. THE WATER WAS FREEZING!!! But she played in it until we made her get out.

Time to take a break

We took a hike up to the Solduc waterfalls. Nick found this great backpack on Craigslist a day before we left. What a lifesaver.

Remind you of anything?

We made it!

Lyla checking out Solduc Falls

After a big spaghetti dinner (messy face!) Lyla wants to hold ALL her sippy cups.

After 2 days at Solduc we headed to the beach and stayed at Kalaloch. They weather was amazing and we hit the beach as soon as we were set up. These are the beaches right in front of the campground.

Lyla LOVED playing in the sand!

"Beach 1" near Kalaloch has a cool hike through these strange trees with lots of burls before reaching the beach.

At Ruby Beach Lyla found this old rope and was happy to be led around by it. Somehow that rope even made it home.

Lyla put my hat on top of her own. Check out that sandy face!

Tide pool view

On the way home we stopped at Rialto Beach near Mora Campground just to check it out. We are planning to head back to stay there later this month...if the weather holds.

This was a terrific family vacation! What good memories we made!

Chicken Scratch!

2010-07-02T21:10:00.001-07:00

I was chasing the chickens around the other day trying to put them in their coop when one of them frantically flew away from me...it flew across the yard straight to the tallest thing to land on...Lyla! She was a trooper and and got over the fright quickly and didn't seem at all afraid of the chickens afterward. I must have said a million prayers of gratitude that her eye is okay. The chicken is lucky it's still got a nice roof over it's head!

Right after it happened:

The next morning:

The Chicken Coop is Finished!

2010-06-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

The chickens have officially moved outside! Hip hip hooray! Three cheers for an amazing husband who was able to build such an amazing coop without any plans...he just started building and this is what we ended up with.
I LOVE IT!

It only took them one night sleeping on the floor of the coop to realize the stick was for them to roost on.

They will start laying in September. Here is our entrance into their nesting boxes.

Here are our 4 little ladies all together.

They love eating the grass...good little lawn mowers.

Now we just have to decide on names. We'll let you know as soon as we decide. Yahoo for chickens!!!!

Lincoln Rock Camping Trip

2010-06-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Lincoln Rock in Eastern Washington to camp with friends. We really enjoyed the incredible sunny weather...it has been a long, cold, wet spring.

Here's Lyla trying out her sunglasses. They did not stay on long.

Sitting in the shade with Grandma.

Out on the boat

Grampy let Lyla drive.

Lyla really loved kicking her feet in the water.

Eating dinner...check out the cool picnic table baby chair!

Playing in the pool...

Little Lady in Red

2010-06-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

It poured rain all weekend...but the sun came out long enough for us to make an outdoor visit.

We miss you Dad, Grandma and Grandpa!

The Mobile Child

2010-05-31T09:06:00.001-07:00

Not only do you get a walker here, but being the movie star that she is, Lyla throws in a little dance for you as well.

Walking Breakthrough!

2010-05-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today Lyla decided that she's ready to take walking seriously...no more holding on to the walls, furniture, people...she spent the evening wandering all around the house and seemed very pleased with herself. It's after bedtime and she's getting worn out, but she's still going!

No Rest for Mom

2010-05-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

As cute as our Lyla is, she is also persistent and doesn't think Mom should be able to rest on the couch.

Watch Out, She's Walking! (a bit)

2010-05-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Lyla has been slowly working up her walking, stepping out more each day. She seems to have an uncanny sense for when we are trying to capture it on film though, so it is like trying to catch koalas mating on film.

Our Little Monster

2010-05-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Lyla makes this "monster" sound all the time...here she's keeping herself occupied on our long trip home from Alta Lake.

Alta Lake Family Vacation

2010-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Every year Nick's family takes a trip to Alta Lake in Eastern Washington. This was Lyla's first official camping trip. Here we are in our tent the first morning. Lyla was a champ and slept great in her pack-n-play in our cold tent. Here she is having a morning snack with Dad.

Dad's got sleepy eyes. This is his attempt at opening them up wider to look awake. :)

Saturday morning fishing. The fish were all EXTREMELY small this season. We eventually felt too bad for all the little babies we were catching and gave up fishing for the weekend.

Nick playing around with Emily's catch...the fish was still alive. Gross.

Lyla checks out one of Dad's fish.

View of the lake

Family Photo. Several more people showed up later...but here is most of the family.

Bella the Bulldog...she thinks she's one of the people. Here she having a seat at the picnic table.

Kisses for Mom

Exploring the lake

Tasting the rocks

Having a snack and saying goodbye. Here's Lyla smiling for the camera.

On the 3 1/2 hour drive home Lyla was a REALLY good sport. She took a nap and then ate lots of snacks and looked at books. No fussing though. What an angel!

A Mess

2010-04-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is for all you folks who were disappointed that Lyla didn't get to make a mess with her birthday cake. She has plenty of opportunities with her daily meals. Now that we have taught her how to use silverware, she won't let us spoon feed her her messy meals. She insists on taking the spoon...and this is what happens then.

Looking at her dad.

Riding Bikes in Mount Vernon

2010-04-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

We were hoping to take a bike ride around the tulips, but we didn't realize it was the big Tulip Festival weekend and the traffic was AWFUL!!! We ended up inching our way out of the tulip part of town back to our old neighborhood where we biked the old loop that we used to bike regularly when we lived up there.

After being stuck in the car for the commute and all the traffic, then being stuck in her bike seat for the ride, we gave Lyla a break on the grass before heading home.

This view from the back is so you can see all the hair she is growing!

Lyla found the pen in Grandpa's pocket. This is the face she makes when we wants to show you something she's found.

Riding Bikes

2010-04-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Lyla received this amazing bike seat for her birthday. Doesn't she looked thrilled!

It was a beautiful weekend, so we headed over to the Centenial trail for a ride. Grandma came too. Everyone wore their helmets!

She never got very excited about the ride, but she wasn't upset either...just hanging out.

Introducing Silverware

2010-04-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Lyla Turns One!

2010-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Lyla turned one year old on Easter Day! She wasn't particularly interested in blowing out her candle.

She did think her cake was good though...BUT you're not allowed to give us any grief for not going with a frosted chocolate cake. We know it would make for more entertainment, but she has hardly ever had any sugar and we didn't want to deal with the aftermath.

Hanging out with my Dad

2010-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever Dad is home he spends a lot of time with Lyla.

Dad is definitely a lot of fun...always coming up with fun games. Here's Lyla in a tissue paper cape.

Lyla loves to play with our phones. She has figured out how to open it and push the buttons.

Time for a nap.

Expressions

2010-03-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Chicken Coop! Day 2

2010-03-16T11:47:00.001-07:00

Nick had a little time to work on the chicken coop today...here he is constructing the nesting boxes.

Lyla tests out the boxes.

Nick got a good start on building the chicken run... when it is finished it will be enclosed in chicken wire so the chickens have a place to run around outside.

That's it for day 2!

Lyla Signs "MORE"

2010-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Lyla has learned the sign for more. This first video is a few days ago before she was consistent about the sign.

In this video you can see she has totally mastered the sign. She had just finishing eating her own lunch and was acting like she wanted down...but then decided she wanted to help me finish my lunch too.

Cama Beach State Park

2010-03-15T20:44:00.001-07:00

This weekend our little family took a trip to Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island. This location was originally established as a fishing resort back in the 1930s. It has been kept in it's original condition as much as possible...right down to the locks on the doors. It was a charming place to stay.

Getting settled inside.

Checking out our beach.

Lyla peeking out at Dad through the window.

Hanging out the next morning.

Time for breakfast.

Back on the beach.

All Lyla wanted to do was chew on rocks and shells whenever we where on the beach.

Here's proof that Emily was there. :)

Time to go home...all cleaned up, just like we found it.

Waiting for the shuttle. Here's our cabin, lucky #7.

The view from our porch.

We had a wonderful time and highly recommend this great destination!!!

The Chicken Coop! Day 1

2010-03-06T19:04:00.001-08:00

Today we spent several hours getting started on our chicken coop. We are planning on about 4 laying hens. Our newly hatched baby chicks will be ready at the Co-op on April 12th...plenty of time to finish their coop.

All the books say that chickens need 2-3 square feet of indoor space. Our coop is 3x4 and will have a caged-in run attached for them to be outside stretching their legs, scratching in the dirt, and eating bugs.

The floor is in place...Nick is channeling his inner chicken.

Em and Lyla kept Carpenter Nick company and even helped out a little. This is Emily's pet project so she had lots of opinions about the construction of the coop.

Cutting out the wide swinging doors in front for easy access to clean out the coop.

The doors are cut, but they need a little hand sawing at the corners to get them to come loose.

A few more of the holes are cut...one above the door for an air vent, and one along the side which will be the chicken exit.

It's starting to get dark, so we'll finish another day.

11 months old and having lunch

2010-03-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Delicious Kiwi

2010-02-23T17:21:00.000-08:00

Family Trip to the Beach

2010-02-15T13:56:00.003-08:00

Howarth Park is a great place to visit. There's a bit of a hike through the forest to get to the beach...

You cross over the railroad tracks on this cool fenced in bridge...

Once of the beach we spent a lot of time walking on the sand...

and watching all the dogs that were there to play.

We sat on a log to eat our packed lunch.

Then headed back through the forest and past a playground to the parking lot.

Dinner with GG and Papa

2010-02-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

Dad is always so helpful demonstrating how to open up wide.

Great Grandma (GG) found one of Nick's old bibs for Lyla to wear.

My Dad Rocks!

2010-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Although people thought she was a boy everywhere we went today, Lyla just had to wear this great shirt.

And here's the man himself!

Nick is an awesome, amazing, wonderful dad!

Spring Walk

2010-02-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

I know it's only February...but LOOK! Spring is here!

Lyla and Mom go for a walk out in the spring air!

A Visit to Bellingham

2010-02-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

Emily and Lyla spent the day in Bellingham with Auntie Katie. She had breakfast ready for us when we arrived...check out Lyla sitting at the table like a big girl eating her first scrambled eggs.

eating the table

eggs on my face

great 'big girl' shot

After breakfast we went for a walk around Lake Louise.

Spring is here!

Our little Musician

2010-01-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

Reflections

2010-01-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

Dad caught these great shots.

Getting into Drawers

2010-01-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

She opened this drawer herself!

What a big girl...

At the Park

2010-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

Nick had the day off on Monday and so we all took a walk to the park. Lyla was pretty mellow in the swing...

...but look how white her little fingertips are.

She was EXTREMELY interested in all the other kids in the park.

Playing with Grandpa

2010-01-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

We made a quick visit to Grandma and Grandpa's today. Bella always has to get her licks in.

Grandpa helped Lyla with her walker...she is really getting the hang of it, but needs someone to keep the walker from getting away from her too quickly.

Playing with shoes...she doesn't wear them very often and would much rather have them in her mouth than on her feet.

Thanks Aunt Lonnie!

2010-01-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

This cute little strawberry outfit was handmade by Aunt Lonnie! Thanks!

2010-01-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Learning how to pull out drawers.

Having lunch with Mom.

Lyla's Beans

2010-01-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Dad's little cougar...

Will Lyla share her beans with dad?

Lyla's First Trip Snow Tubing

2010-01-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

We rang in the New Year with a trip up to Stevens Pass to go sledding. Lyla was a REALLY good sport, and although she didn't smile a lot, she didn't cry one bit...even though her cheeks and fingers got pretty cold.

Getting out our tubes and getting bundled up at the truck.

Heading up the hill to find a good place to slide.

Back in the truck, stripping off the layers and warming up.

First time ever down the mountain.

Bowling with Great Gramma

2009-12-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

This morning Emily and Lyla went to visit Great Gramma at her bowling league. Lyla was very excited to see Gramma and all the other ladies thought it was very fun to have a baby visit.

Patting Gramma's ball

Keeping Gramma company in between her turns

After Gramma was finished she treated us to lunch at the bowling alley restaurant. Lyla made a huge mess of breadcrumbs on the floor...but the waitress said not to worry, she's seen worse from the ground-ups that come in. :)

Thanks for lunch Gramma!

The Day After Christmas

2009-12-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas there were still a present or two to open from Mom and Dad at home.

She actually picked out this xylophone herself...we took her with us when we went Christmas shopping to see what she seemed the most interested in. :)

Lyla and Dad recoving from a VERY busy few days.

Christmastime with Family

2009-12-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas surrounded by lots of family. (Emily's family is all spread out though...she is looking forward to getting together with a lot of them for the new year.)

Here are a few things we did:

Grandma and her sisters prepare Christmas Eve dinner while Lyla hangs out with Great Grandma.

Lyla look on as family photos are taken.

On Christmas Eve night we open presents with the Strand side of the family...

Lyla got lots of great stuff, including this winter hat with matching mittens (still attached on top).

Lyla decided it was time to get up at 4:40 Christmas morning. Here we are killing time waiting for the rest of the family to wake up. (Dad is much better at Guitar Hero than Mom.)

This phone from Auntie Kate was a huge hit.

Santa brought this great walker!

Bella, the bulldog, enjoyed the festivities with us.

Here Lyla waits patiently for waffle breakfast.

In the afternoon we headed over to Great Grandma Greta's for banana cream pie. Yum!!!

Grandpa Wolfe brought Lyla several gifts including some blocks and a book. All were a big hit.

That evening we headed over to the Job family party. Lyla was showered with more gifts including this great car that can be transformed into a walker too!

Everyone was so generous!!! Thank you for everything!!! It was great to see everyone...What a fun first Christmas for Lyla!

Waffle for Christmas Breakfast

2009-12-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

Nick's B-day

2009-12-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

Grandma made a DELICIOUS cake for Nick's birthday (Christmas Eve)...the combo of extra moist cake mix and double frosting made a droopy, gooey mess...but it sure was tasty!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Christmas Dress

2009-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to celebrate Lyla's first Christmas!!!

Green Christmas Jammies

2009-12-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

Visit from Al and Lisa

2009-12-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks for coming up to see us! Always great to see you guys!

Winter Walk

2009-12-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

Mom and Lyla out on a sunny winter walk.

Reading with Dad

2009-12-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Lyla and dad frequently enjoy time reading together. Lyla's picks include "Little Hands Love," "My Favorite Pets," and "My Favorite Farm Animals."

8 Months and a Plate of Rice

2009-12-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

Lyla turned 8 months today! We figured that was big enough to play around with some rice mom made for dinner. This is her first big-girl plate of food.

Lyla's Shopping Cart Buddy

2009-12-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

Lyla's really figuring out that when we get the camera out we want her to smile. She got really excited for these pictures.

Tummy Tickles

2009-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

The unavoidable tummy tickling that all kids must endure...

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

While everyone else ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and more...

...Lyla enjoyed her pickle. She still doesn't have teeth so couldn't do much damage though.

Hanging out afterwards.

Napping on Family

2009-11-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

Lyla loves to sleep on her people. :)

Here she is with Dad...

and Aunt Katie.

Family over for Dinner

2009-11-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Rich and Great Grandma Greta came over for dinner. Here's another 4 generation picture:

Cowgirl Lyla

2009-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Thumbs up for Lyla's cool hat.

Watch out, she's lookin' like trouble.

Our happy cowgirl...

Lounging

2009-11-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

Now that Lyla is mobile she finds all sorts of cool places to hang out.

Family Time

2009-11-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

This trip was great because of a lot the family that was able to be together.

Emily and her mom both have three sisters...here you can see both generations.

(Holly trying a sliver of each of the pies she made for our big family dinner...peach, apple, blueberry and pumpkin.)

Surprise Party for Holly

2009-11-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

We wanted to find a fun way to thank Holly for being such an amazing hostess, so we planned a surprise party. We sent her to get a masage and then decorated the house with streamers and balloons. We had party hats...

and noise makers...

...and confetti poppers

...and cupcakes and presents.

We all had a really fun time! Thanks for a great week, Holly!

Pretty Girl

2009-11-07T20:25:00.001-08:00

I just can't get enough of this little girl in her polka-dot dress!

Binky Swap

2009-11-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

When handling their own binkies both of these kids are really good at maneuvering them into their mouths...notice how they struggle with these unfamiliar pacifiers.

At the temple

2009-11-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Neena and Denise (Noah's birthmom and grandma) came from Michigan too. It was so wonderful to meet Neena and thank her in person for the incredible gift she has given to our family. We are all so grateful to her and hope she receives a million blessings for this huge selfless sacrifice she has made. We love you Neena!

Babies chillin' in their PJs

2009-11-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

The cousins are getting acquainted.