New Camera!

 This is the inagural flight of my new DSLR. The girls broke the old one as you could probably tell by some of the most recent pictures. I'm excited to learn how to use it--already I think the colors are just beautiful inside and outside!

 Two teeth at ten months and lots of red hair.

 Sophie usually wears at least two necklaces around the house but she almost always removes them when we leave to go somewhere, ha ha!

 Queen Claire playing a cooking game at Girls Go Games.

 Eloise can wave (and clap). She can say "Momma", "Dad," "Thister" (which means both Sister and I Want This) and "Mum Mum" (her favorite cracker brand).

 We played at Bob Creek Wayside (best tidepools on the Oregon Coast!) and then went hiking at Ten Mile Creek to escape the heat.

 Claire loves to pretend she's discovering new species of plants and likes me to document them.

 Sophie does absolutely whatever Clarie does :)

 Practicing with mushroom species. These are otherwise uninteresting agarics.

 Sophie was pretending she had lost her first tooth.

Pretty Ladies.

Claire's Preschool Graduation

This past year, a few of my friends and I took turns teaching a preschool curriculum with an eye toward kindergarten readiness for the older ones. We held a graduation for Claire and Karlee, who are both entering kindergarten, but I made little diplomas for everyone for peace's sake and we had cupcakes to celebrate.

 I took this before she was ready while she was coughing--Sophie is allergic to many tree pollens (and we live in Oregon...).

 Okay, ready with the million dollar smile.

 Claire and Karlee

 My Smartie Girl, in an outfit designed by herself. Photobomb supplied by adoring little sister.

 Claire carefully observes the cutting of the cupcakes to make sure Kristy isn't shorting her.

 Soap and Kiya created an auxiliary party in the corner.

 Eloise was there too and she wore shoes for the occasion!

 Amalyn thought that was some delicious frosting. She looked like George Albert Smith!

 Soap is becoming famous for her angelic curls. Wonder if they'll last?

 Cheese Ball.

 Crawling like Mayasaurs.

Running like maniacs.

May Hikes

 Along Davies Road in the OSU Research Forest. We probably hike seven or eight miles a week--basically running to the forest each time we are all together and it's remotely dry--but I took pictures this time as a representation of how we roll these days.

 Sophie holds my hand because it's suddenly a "Spooky Forest"--there could be elephants ya know.

 Dad and Eloise are often a team.

 Claire finds walking sticks which need to be abandoned each time they become Sophie-Hitting sticks.

 The cheese face which always accompanies the request for snacks.

 The girls found a lavender color variant of Oregon Wild Iris (usually deep purple--but that's why it's a research forest!).

 Summit shot--the whole Willamette Valley is laid out behind us.

 Sophie in an attitude of adoration.

 The girls found a mutated twin daisy. They called it the "Sharing Together Flower."