Happy 4th of July

Hot, lazy days of summer...

We have had beautiful weather this summer (with a few cool, cloudy days in between). But on those sunny days, we head for the beach. Millie and I live pretty close to Sammamish State Park. It is really fun for Millie to play in the sand, meet some new friends and splash about in the lake.

We pack a picnic lunch and spend the whole morning to early afternoon outside. Everytime we go, we have been lucky enough to spot bald eagles flying overhead, although they are usually too far to get a good photo of!

Millie getting ready to take the plunge!

My sandy crab!

Now this photo is taken practically in our "backyard." It's about a 4 to 5 minute car ride to the other side of the Snoqualmie river and a short walk thru the woods to get to the rocky beach in the photo. The water here is MUCH colder than the lakes. We've walked in the water up to our knees but soon start turning numb after that.

Strawberries and Birthdays!

Millie and I took a trip to Carnation, WA two weeks ago to go strawberry picking. Millie ate so many berries right out there in the field. Then she went running off and made some new friends. We picked a whole box full and then enjoyed homemade strawberry rhubarb muffins and fresh strawberries on top of vanilla ice-cream all week long. The season has ended, but raspberry season starts in a few days! I love this time of year!

Millie turned 3 years old on June 24th! She calls herself a "big girl" now. Can't wait to go to pre-school in September, rides a scooter all by herself, and does lots of pretend reading and writing in her room. We are so proud of her.

Favorite toys: Playmobile farm set, rolling backpack, new books/CD (esp. Puff the Magic Dragon!), Marbulous Marble maze set, Sleeping Princess game, and recorder.

Happy Birthday, little one!

Deutschland

We spent 3 weeks in Germany and returned mid June. We spent the time with my mom and her husband, Detlef. Mike was with us the first week too, but had to return to work at the end of the week. My sister, Jamie joined all of us the last week. In the above photo, we have just arrived and go into town for a bit of shopping.

Millie loves animals. So our visit to the Wildpark (petting farm/park) is a favorite of hers. They have lots of cute farm animals to feed and then you can spend the rest of the time playing in the amazing playground.

Here we are on the bouncy "Kopfkissen." (pillow)

Later in the week we all take a trip to Marktheidenfeld to visit Oma's gravesite. Oma died in February and we miss her a lot. They have very beautiful cemetaries in Germany. Millie is helping me plant a flower for Oma.

You can always find an ice-cream shop and a bakery on every corner in Germany. Delicious!

Millie and Mike having a toast at the Greek restaurant in town.

Family shot taken on the staircase at my mom's new apartment.

Tante (Aunt) Jamie and Millie enjoying the flowers alongside the river.

Millie and mommy at the end of their vacation...