Family shot

Amazingly enough, our first take of this shot was the best. There are a lot of faces and expressions to capture here and it is incredible that everyone is actually looking in the right direction! We had a wonderful visit to Alaska and some great time in Seattle, but now are happily resettling into our place here in Wallingford. It has been a great summer and we're trying to enjoy those last few days!

Will on the glacier

Here's a quick pic of Will's adventure out on the Root Glacier just outside of Kennicott, Alaska in the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains. It was a rainy gray day, but he and Cynthia covered a lot of ground and got to see some beautiful sights.

Ella and Poppa

Here was a nice series of shots of Ella and her Poppa.

Me and the kids

Liam got on the trampoline a couple times with us and really enjoyed bouncing gently, while watching sister jump around. He laughs harder for her than for anyone.

Liam gets hugged

A lucky little boy, for sure - he got a lot of love on this vacation. There were always hands to take a smiling boy, which was a real help for us and a real treat for him. Here he is with his Poppa, Grandma and Aunt Cynthia.

Jump, jump!

The trampoline at the Shidner house was an enormous hit with our whole group. Their whole property was just amazing - such a beautiful, big lawn for running around, a prodigious garden and then all the incredible cabins. But really, the trampoline was 'le top du top'. When Ella first stepped on, she could only jump about two or three times before falling down, but by the time we left, she was bouncing around like an old pro. One of her favorite games was "popcorn" when she laid down and I bounced her. It was a lot of fun. She also loved having me chase her around. Great fun.

Goofin' around

So Ella has definitely found her sense of humor. She loves to play around, say silly things, make funny faces, and laugh. We love it, too. Here are some goofy shots from our adventures.

Alaska, ho!

So we finally made it to Alaska (14 years since my last trip and Will's first visit) and here are the first shots of our crew. After arriving in Anchorage, we took the train to Whittier and then the ferry to Valdez. It was a beautiful and relaxing journey - except that less than half of our party made the flight and the train, but we met up with the help of the ARR.
Here we're in Whittier, where Liam is being fed espresso by his cousin Robert and Poppa. Ella took a great three-hour nap on the ferry - whoa travel!

Peanut butter and seeds anyone?

While in Seattle, we finally made a pine-cone peanut-butter bird feeder that is so often recommended for little hands... Ella wanted to add syrup too, to give the birds a bit of dessert. But after hanging for only about two minutes, it was cut down and hauled away by this guy, with great delight. We had a good laugh. It was a ten minute project from start to finish.

Prince William Sound

Here is a view of the coastline of Prince William Sound.

Ella on the fish ladder

Here is Ella watching the salmon in the fish ladder at the Chittendon Locks in Seattle.

OMG

Can you imagine a more teenage pose than this? Oh boy! We're in for it! And by the way, her miniskirt (which shows her diaper, of course) is my fleece neckwarmer. What a character!

He's crawling!!

Ok, so maybe it's technically proto-crawling, because he is not really getting his belly off the ground, but he is getting his knees under him and propelling himself forward. He can cover a fair amount of ground, so we have to be careful about turning our backs!

Sweet, eh?

Sunshine

Liam has been so cheery lately. He just loves looking up at faces and smiling. What a fun guy to be around!

Ironfans again

We had a great weekend up in the Adirondacks for our seventh consecutive Ironman. Uncle David completed the race in an incredible 9 hrs and 50 mins. We were very impressed and very glad to be there to cheer him on, though you don't get to do too much cheering with a three-year-old and a five-month-old - they keep you busy!! But good weather and fun, helpful, loving family makes it all work.

Ella Rides Her Trike

Here's a clip of Ella riding her tricycle to the dining hall!