As my summer break comes to an end, I am starting to wonder what we will do with our days once the beautiful weather goes. I love knowing that I can pop J into the stroller and take a long walk along the beach. Although we were having a bit of a rough day yesterday, strolling along the water seemed to remedy everything.

We finally tried the new pizza restaurant, Pizzeria 22, last night and loved it. I wasn't sure if they were kid friendly because they look so tiny, but upon walking up to the front we saw some people with a baby sitting outside, so we figured we would give them a try. It is a small and narrow location, but they were so accomodating. The decor and atmosphere is great, the service spot on, and the food delicious!

The pizza is prepared and cooked in a wood fired oven right in the back corner of the restaurant.

They serve the pizza with scissors, which was fun, but what really stood out was the marinara and goat cheese. Very tasty! I am going back soon and plan on trying every single pizza they offer.

While having dinner at Donny and Megan's last week, J added a new word to her vocabulary list. Out of nowhere she started saying, "Dada." B wasn't there to hear it, so thank goodness for camera phones. (On a side note, I really, really need to get myself a flip camera!) And the best part is that now she is saying it more and more. When she woke up this morning, we could hear her calling from her crib, "Dada, Dada." It just makes my heart melt.

Hudson is four!

On Friday we celebrated H's fourth birthday, and my oh my, did Pauli outdo herself with the decorations! It was one of the cutest birthday parties I have seen!

Pauli and the boys made a sweet little happy birthday banner. I loved the photos of H on the wall because it is so fun to see how the kids grow and change.

Happy, Happy Birthday to our sweet Hudson!

After spending a good 2.5 hours doing some back breaking work in our jungle yard, we headed off to Green Lake to meet up with some friends. It was such a hot day, so it was a perfect opportunity to plop down in the shade near the water.

Juliet loved climbing into the bottom of her stroller. I think we definitely have a climber on our hands.

J loves babies, so of course was very curious about Max. She gently felt his arms and tummy. Max's onesie had a little dog on it and Juliet also kept touching the dog. It was so sweet.

I guess it is snack time.

Time to play house! When we go over to Donny and Megans, Juliet's favorite toy by far is their playhouse. She crawls into it and there she stays for much of our visit. On a side note, the reason for her funny expression is because she shoved a huge chunk of Sadie's Z Bar into her mouth. I didn't notice until she kept drooling brown stuff all over the place. Of course she refused to open her mouth until she finished the granola bar. It looks like my little chipmunk likes granola bars.

I've been dying to get a picture of Juliet using random objects as phones because it is just about the cutest thing ever. Remote controls, hair brushes, straps, Sadie's Z Bar, anything. I did get to snap a picture of her using her rotary phone and it makes me smile because there is nothing better than her starting to get into imaginative play.

After our walk around Green Lake I let Juliet roam in the back of the car for a few minutes. Who would have thought the trunk could be so fun! I just about had to pry her out of there.

Juliet used to just go right to sleep. We rocked her for a minute or two, put her down and that was it. Easy. I know we were supposed to let her fall asleep on her own, but I have always loved rocking her. It was one of my favorite times of the day. Now things have changed. I dread it because Juliet does not like to sleep. She fights it and gets upset when she knows it is nap time. If she wakes up she has to be rocked back to sleep and ever so carefully placed in her crib. Today she refused to take her afternoon nap until she fell asleep on my shoulder at 4:15. I know we need to sleep train, but I don't know if I can let her cry it out. We tried it once for two naps and it was one of the worst days in my life. Everyone tells me it is hard, but so worth it in the end. I am just not so sure it is right for us, so I don't know what to do. Sigh.

Idaho

We spent the last week in Sandpoint, Idaho visiting family and it was the most wonderful trip! We have spent many a night on the mountain during the winter, but this was my first summer visit. (The resort, Dover Bay, sits at the base of the mountain and is about 25 minutes from the top). We were so busy that I hardly took any photos of our actuall activities, but I did get some of the resort, so here is a little tour of Dover Bay on Lake Pend Oreille. (Warning: This is the longest post in the history of blogging.)

This picture doesn't really do the lake justice. It is huge! The second largest lake west of the Mississippi.

There are a variety of homes on the lake. You will find grand estates, condos, beach bungalows, and cottages (which is what B's parents have). It is a new community, so there are a ton of available lots for sale.

Jan and Lar's house on the right. They actually sit on a very narrow part of the lake, almost like a river, so that is how I am able to be across the water and photographing the house.

This is the house across from Jan and Lar. It is one of my favorite homes. The architectural detail is beautiful.  Apparently the outside doesn't even do the inside justice. Jan and Lar said there are five living rooms (it is huge).  That sounds about right for a vacation home, right? :)

The marina.

There is a small store and restaurant/bar, which surprisingly has really good food and Bethany's Skinny Girl Margarita. Holla! We had dinner there and I had avocado fries. Amazing.

One of my favorite parts of the resort are the walking/bike paths. The developer did a fabulous job on the layout and details. All these photos were from a bike ride on one path that winds all around the community.

Along the ride we stopped to check out this old restored barn that is used for weddings.

And here is where Juliet spent most of her vacay with her new BFF, Lucy.

J sitting in one of Jan and Lar's kayaks.

Playing with the boys.

Practicing some fishing moves with her brand new pink fishing pole from grandpa.

 Lounging at the pool. J didn't stay too long with us, but I didn't want to ever leave!

One day we headed up to Schweitzer to take a peak at the mountain without any snow. Here we are looking down on the Lake.

They have tennis courts in the village!  I was really curious as to whether the court (minus the fence) is there under the snow or if they lay it for the summer. They also have pony rides where the intertube park is and all sorts of kid activities. Kind of bazaar, but fun.

Initially we were so sad to lose our ski in/ski out house, but after spending a few summer days on the lake, we couldn't be happier. Dover Bay has so much to offer and it is very quiet and safe, so I imagine it will be a place our family will continue to love year after year.

Marathon blogging has now come to a close!

11 months

I am so late on J's monthly update. Although I took the pictures a couple of weeks ago, I have been procrastinating, and it wasn't until tonight that I figured out why. This is the last monthly update I will write before we celebrate the big one! It makes me sad to think our monthly photos will be coming to a close, so I think I will continue for a bit longer (at least in the photo department). I don't know if the novelty will wear off, but I can't help but smile every time I compile her pictures and watch how she changes each month.

Right now J is marching right along to all her milestones. Or I should say walking. She isn't walking solo yet, but feels confident enough to walk from couch to wall by reaching out her hands. She loves waving bye bye or really just waving in general. My heart just melts when I see her mimicking us by brushing her hair or holding the phone up to her ear. Juliet is quite the kisser too. She kisses babies and animals in most of her books, but real photographs of babies are her favorite. Digging through drawers and cabinets is her favorite activity of the moment. She is still very independent and social and is most fascinated by children.

Although it is more of a challenge to keep up with her now, it is also way more fun and interesting. There is nothing better than getting to peak on your baby turning the pages of a book or happily pushing her cart around. While these big girl moments make me smile, there is nothing I love more than to rock my sweet baby girl. "For as long as I am living, my baby you'll be."

Happy 11 months Sweet Pea!

11 months

10 months

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