10 Years

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary while we were in Texas. Has it really been that long already?! I feel like we really haven't changed that much, and yet I know we have. We in our thirties now. And parents! And almost not students! And right now we're on the edge of an unknown future as Dave starts to apply for teaching positions all across the country. This time next year we really could be living anywhere, and that is the place where we'll start to put down deeper roots and raise our family... After 10 years of a pretty transitory life style, the permanence is exciting, but also a little scary, and I know that there is no one I'd rather do it with than Dave. He is the best husband and father and I'm looking forward to whatever lies in store for us.

Our Engagement Picture

One of my favorite photos from our wedding day

We hardly ever get out on dates, so it was so nice to have Dave's parents and sister offer to watch the kids for us so we could enjoy some time to ourselves. We celebrated conservatively, since we're going on our 7th consecutive year of student life, but had a great time and packed as many dates as possible into one night. We started with the new Star Trek movie, then we had dinner at Outback, followed by glow mini golf, and then a snow cone treat, and finally we ended with the new Jason Bourne movie. So fun!

I won at mini golf!

These tasted as good as they looked

10 Years of Us

- 2 amazing kids -

- 5 beta fish and 1 plant (it died) -

- 8 years of school - 

 - 3 (almost 4) degrees - 

- 7 employers - 

- 5 addresses and wards -

- 3 cars, including 6 years as a 1 car family - 

- About 45 trips & vacations -

- 1,800 loads of laundry - 

-  3,650 dinners - 

-  No major illnesses or injuries! -

Texas Summer 2016

We spent the second half of July visiting friends and family in Texas. We missed Tim and Cindy's family, who had moved to Idaho just a week earlier, but were able to see everyone else a few times during our trip. I was sort of a failure when it came to taking pictures, especially of the kids with their grandparents and when we were together with friends, but know that we had a great time even though it's not going to be documented here. Sophie absolutely loved this trip because we went swimming pretty much every other day while we were there. What else are you supposed to do when it's humid and almost 100 degrees?!

I wish I could say Davey was pleasant on the plane... not taking a binky has really made things difficult. He slept for about 30 minutes and then spent the rest of flight being angry (aka loud). 

Sophie went to gymnastics with her cousin Emma the first full day we were there. She LOVED it! We are still hearing about walking like a bear and when she got in trouble for climbing up the slide. She also thought it was neat that no mommies came to watch them - it was just kids!

We enjoyed a lazy morning while Sophie had fun at gymnastics - double win!

We did a lot of evening swims when the pool was shaded and we didn't need to worry about sun screen. The kids both loved cruising around on grandma's rafts. 

Grandma also had this mask and it transformed Sophie into a little fish. She instantly lost all fear of going underwater and spent the night diving in to look for things on the bottom of the kiddie pool. 

On Friday we went downtown with Dave's mom and Liz to the Perot museum and then out to lunch. We got free admission thanks to my Thanksgiving Point membership. Sophie and I enjoyed the exhibits, while Dave hunted for Pokemon :)

On Saturday we had a pool party with friends. There are 10 kids between us now and it was pretty crazy! There has been another round of babies and it was fun to see everyone's new addition. We failed to get a picture of all the kids, but here is Davey on his first date with Jada, who is just one month younger. 

More swimming! This time we went over to Greg's house for dinner and then went to the pool afterward.

Dave had some rough nights while we were there, but always woke up happy

On Monday we went to see Secret Life of Pets. Sophie saw one commercial for it where a wiener dog uses a kitchen mixer to massage his back, thought it was the funnies thing ever, and decided in that moment she wanted to see the movie. It was fun to see her excited face when we saw that part in the theater. She was also thrilled to have a whole bucket of popcorn to herself!

Davey got lots of cuddles from Aunt Liz. She had the magic touch with him and could always calm the beast for nap. 

Swimming again!

On Wednesday Dave went to a Rangers game with his dad, brother, and nephew Jack. They sat on the first row and it sounded incredible. This is the picture of all the food they bought BEFORE realizing their seats came with an all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet. Hah!

Sophie has always loved puzzles, but really hit her stride while we were in Texas. She is a master (like her momma) and can now do 24 piece puzzles without help. 

Loving bath time

Playing some Wii

Nap time with daddy

 This is Sophie's kids meal - everything's bigger in Texas!

Clearly he didn't think "pants on your head" was a funny as we did

Sophie and Davey in their matching church outfits made by grandma, from one of grandpa's old shirts. I really wished they could have been sitting with grandpa for this picture, but he was speaking on Sunday and had already left for church. They sure looked cute!

On the way home... Adding another kid has made trips more difficult, but Sophie really is an amazing traveler. We just plug her in, give her snacks and don't have to worry about anything other than the baby until we land. 

Davey at Four Months

Davey is now four months old! Time seems to be going so much faster with him than Sophie, and I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing. We took him in for a check up (and shots, poor baby) on Monday and he is just thriving. Current stats are 26.5 inches (95%) and 16 pounds 15 ounces (80%). We really put him to the test with a road trip to Seattle and he did very well. I'm hoping our flight to Texas tomorrow goes just as smoothly. We are excited for him to meet our friends and the rest of the Howe family!

Davey at 4 Months

• He slept through the night for about 10 days in a row while we were on vacation and it was wonderful! He has since gone back to waking up one or two times to eat. I think he's getting to the point where milk doesn't sustain him, but we're going to hold off solids for now. 
• Is ready to move up to Size 3 diapers, but we still have a bunch of size 2 to use up. I had no idea he would move through sizes so fast and bought a few more than I should have. 
• Is wearing size 9 months, but I am still squishing him into a few size 6 month clothes that I'm just not ready to put away yet. 
• Loves to be carried in the front pack. I turned him around to face out a few weeks ago and he loves it! Unfortunately he's getting pretty heavy and I can only carry him for 30-40 minutes before I start getting tired. 
• No sign of teeth yet, but I expect to see them break through any day now. He's been pretty cranky, drools like crazy, and loves it when I rub his gums. 
• Has complete control of his head and neck, and is now working on strengthening his core. He sits really well supported, and can sit independently for brief periods before toppling over. Sophie was sitting by 5 months, and I think he might be on the same track. He can also roll onto his side, but doesn't really seem interested in trying to go any further. 
• Grabs anything and everything to try and put it in his mouth. I normally wear my hair up, but now I do it that way even more. He's always grabbing handfuls of it and it's really hard to untangle his little fingers. 

Took his first bath without the bath seat. At first he screamed, but now LOVES splashing in the water and his legs kick a mile and minute the whole time he's in there. 

Getting acquainted with the baby (and momma) in the mirror

My parents have a walker that we used while we were visiting. He did really well standing in it, and after a few days starting scooting along. By the time we left he was cruising both forward and backward all around the kitchen. 

Has discovered his toes! He is always curling up his feet now to try and grab them. 

Sammamish Summer 2016 - Part Four

DINNER & PUTTING AT SAHALE We always love to go have dinner at the country club while we're in town. These nice dinners are getting a little more hectic with each grandchild added to the family, but everyone was on pretty good behavior. After eating we went out to put around on the practice green. 

IDLYWOOD BEACH We actually went to Idylwood twice on our trip. The first visit was to just take the kids to the playground, but they saw the sand and went down to play by the water even though it was cold and wet. Since they loved it so much we decided it would be fun to go back again, this time prepared with swimsuits, sand toys, and towels. It was also July 11th (free Slurpee day!) so we made a trip to 7-11 on our way there and let everyone enjoy their treat down at the beach. The kids had a blast and could have played for hours. Sophie was the designated water hauler and made about 50 trips to the lake and back. She slept well that night :)

THE CABIN & GOLD CREEK POND The day before we left we went up to the cabin to spend some time in the mountains. In the morning Dave helped my dad cut down a huge tree in the back yard that had died. We went out to watch it "timber!" and then the boys spend the next few hours clearing away branches and cutting the tree into log rounds for fire wood. After they were done we took a walk around Gold Creek Pond. The water is perfectly clear and the wildflowers were in full bloom - so beautiful! For dinner we went to all you can eat Taco Thursday at a local restaurant and I was able to put away three before calling it a night. It was a good end to a great trip

My summer girl with band aids on both knees

Throwing big rocks

Yee haw!