I'm on a Boat!

Ezekiel tries to decide if he likes boating.

Taking turns at the wheel.

Wild boat hair!

Showing daddy how to drive.

Today just got warmer and warmer—by this evening we were all anxious to get to the water. So a boat ride on the beautiful Clark Fork River was the perfect ending to a wonderful Sabbath day.

It was Ezekiel's first time on a boat and he seemed to love it. We all got to take turns driving and Zeke did some bird spotting. Thanks Ray!

Trout Creek Sabbath

Zeke shows off his mad skills.

The girls gift us with their version of Peace Like a River.

We can't seem to resist the siren call of Montana this summer. We got in pretty late last night, but were excited to catch Jeremy's third sermon in a row. Ezekiel's Sabbath School class was canceled so we spent some time outside in the sunshine and clover.

For lunch, Tara and I tried out some recipes from the Craik Family Cookbook. We dined with relish on Margaret and Natalie's Green Chili Rice and polished off a double recipe of Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding from Zara. Amazing!

Curtains at Last

A couple of old shots of the kitchen.
This was before Robb put in the new flooring and light fixture.
And before Johannes made our window seat box.

I almost feel guilty that we've lived here since 2006 and I finally got around to making some curtains for the kitchen. It took me so long to find an idea that I liked and then procure the right fabric. By the time I finished clipping threads and ironing them out I was so anxious to get the curtain rods up. I actually made Robb put them up before he even had dinner last night.

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

Thanks for being one of the coolest big brothers a girl could have. We can't wait to spend the weekend with you, Tara and the girls. Until then, Happy Birthday!

A Mahurin Evening

These kids have the cutest antics.

Meeting a new kitten.

This is going to be some yummy corn on the cob.

Guilty face from eating rocks and dirt.

Trying to get the last drop of Adrianna's drink.

The summer weather has finally arrived in Walla Walla. It is super hot and we were pretty excited to go try out Gene and Adrianna's swimming pool. Zeke took a little while to warm up to the idea, but was soon having fun and trying to blow bubbles.

We stayed out in the glorious sun just about as long as we could, then headed in for snacks. I think Adrianna's spring rolls are better than any I've had in town. She even makes the peanut sauce! I dream about knowing how to cook like that, and complacently eat her food.

Mechanic in the Making

It was time to replace the batteries on Ezekiel's airplane toy, but when I was finished what did he want to do? Play with the screwdriver.

I'll give him a few years then set him to work on the Jeep. And the lawnmower. And I'll probably think of more things by the time we get there...

Walking!

As of this afternoon, we have a little walker. Maybe not all the time, but he has definitely figured out how to take four or five steps without holding on to anyone or anything. So cute and wobbly.

Eat Pizza

You don't have to tell me twice. Over to Sweet Basil Pizzeria for a slice of the Margherita.

Baby Buff

Robb has been shopping for a buff recently. (If you don't know what one is, you really just have to see the demo video.) He originally wanted to have me sew him one, so I did a "rough draft" in some leftover material. This is Zeke modeling it for us on the way to the fabric store to look for some cool, manly fabric. (We didn't find any, so Robb is just going to have to order one.)

I can't decide if he looks more like a little denizen of Tatooine or a baby shepherd from a Christmas play...

Zeke's First Baseball Game

I got to take Jess and Zeke to see our local baseball team The Walla Walla Sweets play. The boy was so excited... about the lights. But that's okay, we can start small and work our way into the majors. Good ballpark food, a somewhat good game and my fam made for an awesome time.

We may have forgotten our camera and lifted the photos from here.

Lil' Grouch Face

Our poor little man has been having quite the time with those new teeth coming in. We were trying to distract him by taking photos. It didn't really work.

Sprinkler Mischief

Yum!

When Zeke spotted the sprinkler, he tried everything to get close to it. He is really intrigued by anything with moving parts, but he couldn't factor in the spray of water that kept getting in his eyes. He got so frustrated, I had to rescue him. Next time, little man.

Singin' in the Rain

And dancing, and running and laughing. We've been having so much more rain than usual, so it was time for Ezekiel to check it out. Based on his shower obsession, I guess we could have guessed that he would love the rain as well.

Play Date With the Davamonys

Smiles all around.

Walking around with Pati.

One tuckered out little man.

Some of our favorite people were in town the other day and of course we had to take every opportunity to go and see them.

Ezekiel Photo of the Day

Grandpa, why are you sleeping?

Mom, can I wake him?

Zeke woke up from his nap and found Grandpa fast asleep. After being startled a bit by the snoring, he wandered over to investigate a little closer.

Poor little guy has been having a rough week. I had no idea teething could take this long. He started up again a few months ago and has been drooling, biting and mildly grouchy ever since.

Baby Emmarie!

Sherisa, thanks for sharing this picture!

Bright-eyed, beautiful little girl.

Zeke back at the controls.

We got the happy news about Emmarie's birth just before our weekend getaway, but had to wait all weekend to see her. On our way back through Spangle, we got the chance to drop by and cuddle the beautiful little one. For the first time ever, Ezekiel seemed interested/jealous of a smaller baby. We look forward to keeping our eyes on this little one.

Epic Weekend Finale

Ford Commercial Wannabe

Using our specialized scaffolding to frame a better shot.

A parting family shot.

As we say a sad goodbye to a happy weekend, we paused to do a fun little photo shoot. It was inspired by the fact that way too many members of this family drive large Ford vehicles. Okay, every one of us drives a Ford of some sort with Robb and I being the only exception. For fun, dad and Pat jumped in the plane to do a little flyby.

Love to you all! Thanks for making it the best Independence Day weekend yet.