Cousin Time

This kid is all smiles!

We were so happy that we got to spend some time with Tara and the kiddos. Zeke was ecstatic to be in the middle of so much energy and fun. And Calder is the sweetest little dude. All smiles.

Robb had been anxious to try out this fire idea. It was pretty cool.

Sheila tries to beg some water.

Lincoln Love

Baby Lincoln is obsessed with Sheila, so Robb let him play on the floor with her while we painted eggs. Lots of laughter and a few Sheila kisses ensued.

Leaving the Park

Glorious double chin bubby.

I know that this post should be about the fun times that we had at the park today. But really it was mayhem. Thanks to the Crawfords for putting up with our crazy brood. As it continues to warm up around here, there will be many more attempts to make it to the park.

Long Overdue

It's been cold and wet outside lately. And Sheila has been spending some time out in it. Robb has been wanting to give her a good warm bath, but she is big enough that it was almost impossible to get her into one of our showers.

And then we finally got around to taking off the very dated etched glass doors. (Wait, did you have an ulterior motive there?) Robb still had to pick her up and put her in the bathtub. She is now glossy and smooth and much better smelling.

Lady Sheila

Sheila strikes a pose.

Reading to Sheila

Today while I was tidying up the kitchen, Zeke was contentedly reading books over by his bookcase. I guess he decided that Sheila would probably want in on this, because he scooted over next to her and started sharing his story. It is a book that Colleen Crawford gave us and it has the sounds of Alaskan wildlife. Sheila was, indeed, very interested.

Meanwhile, Back in Walla Walla...

Sheila was lucky enough to have Shayla looking in on her. In fact they even took a leisurely excursion to the park. I don't even think we've taken her to the park yet.

Celebrating Sabbath

The newly expanded Coffee family.

Zeke and Sheila have a pretty cool friendship.

Robb rocking his pink bow-tie. (He tied that in only one try!)

After a couple of weeks of leaving the house only for doctor's appointments, it was nice to make it to Sabbath School. Lincoln slept the whole time, which was perfect. When we got home we decided to try some family self portraits.

It was pretty hilarious cause we are still running on very little sleep and we were trying to use the camera timer and tripod and the baby was really hungry and the toddler was really wiggly and the dog wasn't sure she wanted to pose with us. (She actually did really well, but those photos were out of focus.)

My Summer Boys (and Sheila)

When Zeke got this water table for his birthday, I imagined hours of good, clean fun on hot summer days. He had other things in mind. First, he threw the cups and boats over the railing. Then he went and found a dirt pile to add to the water. Finally, he climbed on in.

Sheila is still not sure what to make of him, but she certainly enjoys watching his antics.

Hello and Good-bye

 Ezekiel and Grandma Gale get in a little light reading.

Our good friends, Rusty and Gale are headed to Australia in a matter of weeks! We are pretty excited for them if not a little jealous. And we firmly believe that we'll be making the same trip eventually.

But for now, we wish them well and welcome a new member to our family—Sheila. She is a lovely, two-year-old Great Dane. I fear we will never have another pet that is so well-behaved. She and Zeke seemed to have the same reaction to each other. They are very interested, and very curious, but a bit cautious. I can't wait to see how their friendship will develop.