Keeping Up With the Joneses

On the way home from Waterton we decided to take 2 days and drive over Logan's Pass and explore a little. We had a great time and it was nice to extend our vacation a little bit. Three boys hiking. Do you know how hard it is to get these kids to pose? Trail of the Cedars. Little hiker. My boys. King of the Mountain. The next generation of tree huggers . We stayed in a hotel in Missoula on the way home and the boys had a blast in the pool. I was a little worried about how Max would sleep in the hotel, but as long as he had Elmo and Mickey Mouse he was happy!

Marshall spent most of his time in Waterton behind the camera. Here are a few of his favorites: Pictures

On the one rainy morning in Waterton we headed out to a Blackfeet Indian craft activity. We sat in a tee-pee and beaded eagle feathers. Hike to Blakiston Falls Late night hike up Bear's Hump Bear's Hump Funny story. We were playing on this beach when all of a sudden Marshall says "bear! Get the kids in the car" and starts setting up his camera to take pictures. It was proof that the kids never listen to me. I was yelling at them to get in the car and they completely ignored me until I picked all three of them up and carried them to the car as fast as I could. The beach so good they wouldn't leave even though there was a bear coming towards them! A pretty spot on the way to Bertha Lake, where we hiked one day. 12 KM! Marshall and my dad doing a little work on the cabin. Removing the antenna. Hiking to Bertha Lake. Bertha Lake ...

While we were in Waterton we got to camp overnight in a tee-pee in the mountains. The kids were entertained by grandpa's "Indian stories" and when they came home said to my mom and I "do you squaws have our breakfast ready?" Max proved he was not quite ready for camping and so I ended up bringing him back to the cabin for the night.

While we were in Waterton Mason learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! I think thousands of kids have learned to ride their bikes in this alley behind the cabin. Perfectly paved, straight, and flat with very few cars. My dad had a great handle thing for the back of his bike that we could hold onto until he got the hang of it. He was so very proud of himself when he figured it out! Mason had a lot of supporters as he was practicing!

My little Max had his 2 year check-up a few weeks ago and did great! He is 23 lbs (4 th percentile) which is awesome because it is up from the .29 th percentile 6 months ago! He is 33.5 inches (27 th percentile) tall and his head is 18.5 inches (24 th percentile). He is meeting or exceeding all of the developmental milestones and is doing great! We sure love this little boy! While we were at Max's check up we also got a blood test for Mason because he had been low on energy and complaining of headaches and tummy aches. Turns out he is pretty anemic again so we are back on a lot of iron and already in 2 weeks it is making a ton of difference!

On of the very best things about my trip to DC this summer was getting to see many of my friends and professors from graduate school. My graduate school years in Maryland were some of the most formative of my life and these people were with me through it all! I wish I had taken more pictures (I didn't get any with my advisor Clara), but here are a few. Me, Wonjin, Heather, and Jess Add in Penny--a good friend from my year in the program. Late night Hagen Daz. Yum!

Mason with his new school clothes and Batman backpack ready for his first day. So whenever anyone has asked Mason about going into first grade he has responded "yeah, my mom worries about it a lot but it will be just fine." It is true that I have been worrying constantly and excessively about this day all summer. The thought of him being gone from me all day, eating lunch without me, interacting with people I don't know, walking home from school, etc. scares me. But the kid is so happy about first grade that it makes me feel ridiculous about worrying. Mason is in French dual immersion so he has Mme Villareal in the morning for french and math, and then Mrs. Garner in the afternoon for everything else. I'm planning on brushing up on my French and volunteering an hour or so a week in the morning to see how it goes. His French teacher is from France and ONLY speaks French so it should be interesting. A very enthusiastic Mason at his desk. In the back co...

So this is DC Part A because I want to post more pictures that my good friend Penny took of my friends but she forgot her camera in DC so it will have to wait. It was so wonderful to go back to DC and to remember all the great times I had during the 4 years I lived there. I was a little worried that I would be too nostalgic of the single days of feeling like a sophisticated city girl, independent from family, etc., but that wasn't the case at all. I loved visiting my old favorite neighborhood and hang-outs but was also very reminded that I am so happy with my life now and that I feel so much more whole and complete as part of my own happy family. I missed my kids terribly and as I was reminded of the "old days" I was just so grateful that they led to me to what I have and who I am now. While I spent most of my days at the conference, I utilized every square moment to visit my favorite things in DC. I didn't quite make it to Silver Spring or my old apartment, but I ...