Fall days at home

Here are just a few pictures from this week at home. It has been a very wet fall, so we have spent some nice, quiet days inside, taken trips to the library and local children's museum and regular walks in the rain and splashing in puddles.

Liam takes some quiet time and reads to "Baby".

We found Liam a very cool (and random) used set of animals at a local second-hand shop. I also found a retro barn that he loves. Somehow the gorilla, tiger, poodle, sheep, wolf and pigs all seem to get along just fine.

Eating ice cream the day after his birthday.....a real treat! Forget the cake, Liam just wants the ice cream.

Arranging his "farm".

The Zoo

As part of Liam's birthday weekend celebrations, Gabe, Liam and I all headed to the Woodland Park Zoo last Saturday. It was a beautiful fall day (very much deserved by us soggy Northwesterners!). Liam loved the hippos who were swimming around in their large pool. Here is a picture of him waiting for a hippo to surface. He said, "Cow swimming mama!", which I think is a good observation when looking at a hippo in water. What a smart boy :)

Liam and Daddy watch the hippos.

Liam riding a Kamodo Dragon (sp?) - no, not real!

Woodland Park Zoo has many beautiful sculptures. Liam enjoyed them because he could get up close and touch!

Watching some monkeys "up high".

Liam turns two!

Wow...it has been a while since I posted anything and it has been a busy month. I will start with the most recent excitement. Liam turned two on October 15th and we had a nice birthday party for him the Sunday before. Liam got to hang out with his Auntie P, Uncle Rory and Uncle Reuben who pushed him around on his new tricycle. (Notice that his "safety conscious" relatives tied him into his seat with some ribbon! Nice - whatever works....)

Later, we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate carrot cake and ice cream.

Liam got a new horse from his Auntie P and was thrilled!

Here is Liam and his "Uncle Roo" having a sweet moment together.

Liam, Ashton, and Finn

Over the Labor Day weekend, Liam and I went out to Cypress Island to see his cousins, Ashton and Finn who were visiting from Montana. While there, they got to play in the new bunkbeds that Daddy and Poppy built the previous weekend. Very thrilling!

Liam and his cousins enjoy the new bunkbeds in the cabin at Strawberry Bay

Yoga and time with Mommy

Liam and I have had some very sweet time together this summer. It has been a busy summer, full of discoveries, growth, testing boundaries (as only toddlers can...and maybe teens!), lots of new words and new adventures like boats and hiking and more..... Taking a walk on Guemes.

Downward dog....Liam-style.
Modified boat pose (Liam's favorite)

Touching toes..whoops, lost our balance.

Eating lunch on the beach after a work-out.

Hunting for Geoducks

At the cabin on Guemes this past week, Liam and Daddy tried to capture some geoducks - those very large, elusive clams that live on Pacific Northwest beaches- to use for crab bait. Liam was very much "in the game".

He scoured the beach for signs of the holes made by the large clams.

Here, Daddy digs and Liam oversees his progress.

We got one! Liam inspects the specimen.

".....in MY bucket!!!"

On the prowl for the next marine discovery.

Time on Cypress Island

The next four days of Kevin and Gitta's visit were spent on Cypress Island, where Gabe's family is building a cabin. There isn't a store on the island, nor is there electricity and you have to travel there by boat as there isn't a ferry. We had a great time experiencing a different side of the San Juan Islands.Liam snuggles with Mommy in the morning and then declares it time to "get up!"

Taking a hike up to the top of Cypress.
Liam did most of the downhill part of the hike on his own two feet...with a little help from Mom and Dad.
Taking a tour of the San Juan Islands from the Mast's boat. Hana, Liam, Gitta and Sam.
On the boat.

More pictures from Guemes Island

Here are a couple more pictures from our days at Guemes with Kevin, Gitta and Sam. Sitting on the beach having some lunch.

Gitta, Sam, Liam and Hana

Liam gets a rock skipping lesson from Grandpa Schutz

Kevin, Birgitta and Baby Sam visit!

We had such a fun, full week with our good friends from Maine - Kevin, Gitta and their baby Sam. Kevin, Gitta and Gabe all went to Dickinson together and we try and get together once a year for a vacation. Liam had so much fun with Baby Sam who is 11 months old. We spent the first three days out at Guemes going on walks, picking blackberries, crabbing, clamming, talking, and just hanging around.

Liam loves all the summer meals outside.

Coming back from a little boating trip with Daddy.

Gitta reads books to Liam and Sam before bedtime.

Picking raspberries

Liam has been a big helper picking raspberries these days. We have been picking them from Mutti's garden and freezing them for winter.

"How does that one taste, Liam?"

Mama's big helper

Taste-testing.....too sour.

Yum....berries.

An evening with Mutti and Poppi

Last week, Gabe and I went out with some old friends for dinner. Liam spent the evning with "Mutti" and "Poppi". He had a great time.

First, Liam got to ride on Poppi's shoulders.

Then, Poppi let Liam drive the truck...with the dogs in the back...around the field (it doesn't get much better for a little boy toddler....)

Here they are.....precious cargo.

And at the end of night, Liam got to pick apples from the tree...and one for himself.

Liam and his chariot

The other night, "Mutti" took Liam for a little ride. She was out gardening and Liam wanted into her cart, next thing we knew, he was riding around like a little Roman emperor. They went around the house.....

...down the hill.....

...into the field....

....looking at the neighbor's horse....

...watching the horse run....

...riding back to the house with Mutti....

Washington

Sorry for the long blog hiatus. We are back in Washington and have settled into all things summer and family. After a few interviews for both Gabe and I and a couple of job offers, we decided to settle this fall in Bellingham, WA. about 30 minutes north of our parents. Gabe took a Biology teaching position and I am still actively looking for part-time employment. In the meantime, we rented a very cute little house in a quiet neighborhood. Liam has been loving all the time at the beach, time on the farm, and time with Grandparents. Here is a picture of Liam on Cypress Island (where Gabe's parents bought some land and are building a cabin.) Cypress Island is the island right next to Guemes (west). Liam is picking up words each day, new ones include: "shovel, bucket, boat, fast, bumpy, clam, bugbite and itchy" - words that come in handy when you are exploring the northwest! :)

Liam and Auntie Lenie looking out to sea and talking about boats.