Beginnings and Endings

We leave Pullman on Monday, moving truck packed, cars loaded, waving goodbye behind us. It's hard to imagine taht we've lived in this house a whole year, and yet time has definitely passed. We are all feeling glad to be at the end of Aaron's doctoral program of the beginning. It's a gift that this season has finally come. But we are sad to leave dear friends here in Pullman, people we who become very important in our lives.

Last night I went back and looked at pictures of Maya and Sam when we moved into this house--And I can't believe how much they have both grown in the past year.

Here they are in August, just after we moved to Pullman. Maya was three and Samuel was just a few weeks old.


Now they are four and one--growing and changing every day. When I see the difference in their pictures, I am convinced that a full year has passed.


We have fun adventures ahead of us, but we will miss the dear friends we leave behind. This is a special place, and we are grateful for the opportunity to live in Pullman this year.

Down on Emily's Farm

Last week we took a special trip up to Chattaroy, just north of Spokane, to visit the family farm of my good friend Emily. I had been at the Nordhagen farm a few times in college, but it had been many years, and I wanted Sam and Maya to see it with me.

Emily was the perfect host--she showed us around, let Maya pet and ride on Fiona, the friendly cow, and introduced us to her grandparents.

Emily stands with Fiona, the friendly cow

Maya gets an up-close experience with a cow.

Here is Maya riding on Fiona.

The cows patiently graze as we look on

Maya gets a ride on the ATV.

Sam tries his hand at farm life.

Thanks, Emily, for a fantastic day! We love you.

Oregon

There's just something about Oregon

In mid-July, we traveled to Oregon for an overnight visit with our friends the Hanthorns, then headed out to the beach to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. The kids had a great time reconnecting with old friends. They also spent a little time being silly.

Sam's nose and mouth are white because he devoured a frosted animal cookie in the back seat. It was literally ALL over everything--his face, his hands, and his car seat. It was worth it, though--the kid was SICK of being in the car after our seven hour drive to Oregon, and the cookie consumed his time and focus for a good half hour.



We enjoyed a fun evening, overnight, and morning with our good friends Elizabeth, Claire and Andrew. Oh, how we miss our Canby friends.

All five of our kiddos!

Sarah and baby Andrew, who is 8 days older than Sam.

Two happy mamas with babies on our backs.

Three sweet girlies.

Andrew and Sam: Best Buddies Forever!

Pullman Happenings

The Camp Out

Aaron and Maya had this glorious plan to camp out on our neighbors' back porch (they moved out a few weeks ago). It was quite the adventure. They didn't make it out all night, due to some loud noises that scared Maya, but they sure had a lot of fun!

Canning

The next morning, my friend Kaitlin and I tried our first solo attempt at canning. We "put up" 17 jars of tomatoes (roma and beefsteak) and 14 jars of peaches.

Isn't canned food beautiful!

Fun In the Sun

We've been enjoying the sunshine!

Sam and Maya spent an afternoon in the pool at our house in Pullman.

A trip to Everett gave Maya the chance to play with her friend Amelia. They enjoyed hiding in the buckets and swinging on the backyard swing.

Then we spent Fourth of July with our friends the Dilleys in Spokane. On Saturday, we did a float together down the Little Spokane River.

Sam and Maya got to meet baby Madeline, the newest Dilley.

Sam's Birthday Parties

Sam was lucky enough to have three parties to celebrate his birthday. Here are some pictures from two of them. His cake-eating adventure was particularly hilarious . . . he LOVED the spice cake with cream cheese frosting and took a great deal of time to consume the entire piece. As time went on, he ended up wearing as much of the cake on his face as he actually ate. He gave himself a spice cake beard by the end.

Sam also celebrated his birthday in Everett with Bapa, Marmie, Aunt Amy and Uncle Colby. We had an Oregon Blackberry Ice Cream Cake.