Grammy and Grampy are Here!

Or, Gnammy and Nippy, as Natalie calls them, arrived here in the NW just a few hours ago! They drove all the way from IL. It took them three days and many tanks of gas ... and a few stops at places like Mount Rushmore and Missoula, Montana ... but they are finally here. We are looking forward to spending a full week being entertained by them, and if this evening's Hammock Ball is any indication, we're in for a real treat!

Here's how it's played ... Grampy launched the beach ball from the hammock - like a gigantic sling-shot with very little force. Grammy stood on the other side of the sandbox and did a fair job of "fielding" the incoming flying objects. Natalie stood in the middle and loved every minute of it ... and chanted, "More, more." When the ball rolled her way, she picked it up and gingerly handed it back to her Nippy. This went on forever, and we all had sore tummy muscles from all the laughter.

It is so good to have our Grammy and Grampy here with us!

FFF: Quiet, Sweet Time with my Firstborn

Here's my favorite photo from the week. Natalie and I sat in the hammock after dinner - while mommy was feeling oh-so-nauseous - and talked about all kinds of things. I am loving this new conversational phase. Of course she can answer my barrage of questions, but she is also getting so good at expressing her thoughts. Our chatter and giggles almost made me forgot how awful I was feeling. I was just loving every minute of our time together ... just the two of us. I am already realizing that those moments will be harder to come by this time next year. (Didn't see Natalie's special announcement? Click here.)

Thankfully, my sweet husband had the forethought to grab the camera. Who am I kidding? I totally shouted through the open window - into the kitchen where he was cleaning up the dinner mess - and suggested that he come take a picture :) He climbed the spiral staircase leading to the loft above our garage and captured this overhead photo. I love our expressions, the way we're kind of intertwined, and the textures of the hammock and grass below.

More than anything I love spending quiet, sweet moments with my first born :)

Want to see other "favorite" photos from the week? Head over to Kiss the Frog 4 Me!

Escaping the Heat

Temperatures reached a record high here on Sunday. And it was seriously HOT. Too hot, in fact, for my sweet NHV to nap in her room - even with the ceiling fan and a standing fan kicking it on high. It was like 88 degrees on the second floor ... crazy! The front two bedrooms take a beating in the late afternoon sun - despite blinds and curtains closed and ceiling fans on high ... it was still just too unbearably hot. If you're asking yourself, "Why didn't they just turn on the air conditioning?" You obviously don't live in the NW. We don't have AC; most homes in the area don't have central air ... can you imagine? As a girl from the Midwest, it seems a bit nutty to me! So it's not typical to have AC and it is rather expensive to have central air installed after your house is built - an expense that we would only really benefit from a few days out of the year - an expense that really doesn't make sense in the long run .... therefore no air conditioning and a temperature of 88 degrees inside our house, and in the short run, it's HOT.

What do you do when your baby can't take a nap in your OVEN of a house? Head for the hammock. Positioned in the shade. Where the slightest of breezes was blowing. You can tell from Natalie's rosy cheeks, it was still warm but it was bearable and she slept for about an hour, a much needed snooze!

Summer Snoozin'

Isn't this a precious photo? I love the way she's curled up next to her daddy ... with her little booty sticking out ... her hand on his belly ... soothie abandoned on his chest ... and her lovey nearby.