Summer Vacation 2011

We headed to a cabin on Lake Wenatchee for four days, and we had a great time.

all packed up and ready to go

stopping for lunch, after some concrete blocks fell off a truck and slid in front of us...the truck is damaged but we are all just fine!

lunch at Uncle Uli's in Leavenworth

Henny trying to share lunch

After lunch, we headed back to Peshastin to go to a farm. Jill LOVED it there!

tractor time!

silly girl!

barely tolerating us

the bee swing!

in the teepee

leaving us behind

right after a tantrum

After Peshastin, we headed to the cabin. It was raining a bit, but still very beautiful on the deck.

view from the cabin

Dirty Face Mountain

On the 2nd day we went to Plain to get coffee, and then to Leavenworth so Henny could swim in the river, and we could walk around. Jill LOVED going into the shops, and she wants every Christmas ornament she saw there. She said she's going to "tell Santa about this place!"

on the swing at Plain Hardware

stylish girl

Jill and Henny on Red's bench

Back at the cabin, playing Don't Wake Daddy.

The third morning was Saturday, so we had pancakes and went for a canoe ride, but Jill was bored on the ride. It started to rain so we headed back to Peshastin for more farm fun, and then later when the sun came out we went to the fish hatchery and then on a nature walk there.

strawberry pancakes!

outside Smallwood's Harvest in Peshastin

By the cow train...sadly the rain prevented her from riding on it. Just before this she was in the mercantile pushing her shopping cart. Steve had gotten us some honey sticks the day before, so we were looking at honey. The next thing we knew, Jill had taken the top off of a jar of it, ripped back the paper, and was licking the honey. Guess which jar we bought?

speaks for itself

at the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery

at the Fish Hatchery

this black bear totally reminded us of going to history museums as kids

inside the Hatchery

just after peeing in the woods for the first time...Daddy was so proud

taking a break

the reluctant hiker

Henny was tired

squirrel in a nest box on our Hatchery hike

Daddy and all of the things that were irritating him, including my Diet Pepsi

Candyland before bed

ready to head home

the best family photo, too bad the flash didn't go and we had to overexpose it to see ourselves. :(

July

On the 4th (Great-Grandma's Birthday) we headed to Dee and Pop's house to celebrate for Jill's birthday too. We had a fabulous time.

opening the birdhouse she painted for Pop's Father's Day gift

playing in the sunshine

she got a tee ball set

cake time!

sitting with Pop

Then we did some hanging out at home.

all dressed up as Snow White with the accessories Dee and Pop gave her

new Tiana dress

painting in the driveway

"baseball time!"



This is the game Steve and I must endure each time we go out to the swingset. Her it is for posterity.

blowing out the candles on MY birthday cake (9 days after Jill's)--she said I should have 2 candles for my 32nd birthday

We spent a LOT of time at the zoo.

Jill rode a new horse--Dancing Queen

a Mama/Jill shot on my birthday picnic lunch at the zoo

Jill fed Bamboo, the elephant--we waited in line for 35 minutes to do this, and she was an ANGEL. I am thrilled for Disney World now, more than ever.

in the African village house

riding Smoky this time

riding Dancing Queen 2 days later at the Firefighter Family Picnic

with Lucy and Alice, her two favorite friends in the WORLD

face painting...she really did like it, I promise

butterflies on both cheeks

We went to Lucy and Alice's house afterward to open Jill's birthday present...this lovely princess dress.

At a concert at the library.

The next day we made some homemade ice cream and headed to the Family Pet Expo.

yummy ice cream

riding Star the pony

petting a llama

petting a pot bellied pig

petting a baby deer

riding Twinkie the pony

face painting again...a unicorn and rainbow

Finally we got back into the swing of things. Though I didn't get a picture, we went to our first story time without Miss Sandra, and Jill had a blast. Thank goodness! A funny story about her first dance class...all the way there she was nervous about not having me in the room. We talked about what would happen, and when we got there I showed her the exact chair I'd be sitting in just outside the classroom door. All went well: she took her shoes off, ran to the circle and started to warm up with the class. I went to my chair and before I even had time to open my book, the teacher came out clutching Jill by the hand saying, "This one has to go potty!" Jilly confessed that she didn't really have to go, she just wanted to see what would happen when she did have to do it. When I went in to pick her up she was crying because they hadn't been able to go under the parachute. Too many kids were being crazy and unsafe, the teacher said. In her true drama queen fashion Jill was wailing, "Some boys and girls were not following directions and they RUINED it. This day is WRECKED. I need to go to sleep and get a NEW day!" Poor baby.

clutching her "Mad Bird" in the crazy getup she wore to her first solo dance class...notice the purple socks?

dancing with an elephant at the museum