Westward Ho!

With Summer Programs over, we headed West to see some water and mountains - and we were not disappointed! Will spent the first week out in Colorado at a conference and the kids and I settled into Seattle life.

Teaching (with) kids

I taught a Conversational French course (with only two students!) in our Summer Programs. The students were great and I really enjoyed the experience. In our final week, we had an outdoor class with piquenique and game of pétanque. Ella and Liam joined for a bit and Liam showed particular fondness for the Petit Écolier cookies...

Love these faces

Boy, I wish Liam would still sit in his highchair! Those were the glory days... Now meals are mostly mobile and quite chaotic.

More sibling bonding

Awwww...

Faces and hair

This kid has amazing expressions. Though he is still not talking, he is more than making up for it in his facial acrobatics. And these are not just miracles of modern photography, he holds these looks for long periods of time.
And he still has his obsession with hair, which has finally moved to his own. He runs his fingers though it, twirls it, loves it - especially when he's tired. It's pretty cute.

Drawing

Ella drew a dolphin (complete with fins and blowhole) and then allowed Liam to scribble all over it with her - thank goodness I caught a picture first! But I am so glad that she is willing to share her creative space...

Ella and Liam bonded a lot this summer. Liam really enjoys tackling and snuggling his sister and sitting on the couch with his hand in her hair. She tolerates it, encourages it and sometimes rejects it, but most of all, is a great big sis.