Stella on the slide!

Okay, Now I Get It

Do you see that little hand in front of Brian. It's the little hand attached to the little arm that's linked to the little body that is so determinedly marching up a steep and narrow set of stairs in the midst of total carnival chaos.

That's our girl.

I love this photo. Stella and Brian are climbing the long flight of stairs to reach the top of the giant slide at the local county fair. In order to ride the slide, you must be able to climb the stairs. And nothing is gonna stop the 35 inch Big Kid Scout, right? So up they went. Twice.


Here they are, about to brave the elements...


The thrill has set in big time...

Stella's wings were soaring and flapping with pure joy. (These photos sometimes make her look a little nervous when, in reality, Stella was squealing with blissed out delight.)

This slays me. So fearless and so alive.

Brian and I are not Fair lovers. In fact, we've spent a good part of our adulthood avoiding big rides, greasy food and animals penned up in stinky barns. It's not that we don't appreciate the whole the scene. It's just that the whole scene ain't exactly our scene.

But now I get it. I totally get it.

Brian, Grandpa Harte, Grandma Jannie, Stella and I soaked up all the goodness a Fair has to offer yesterday morning before the heat and crowds hit. I must admit that we had a blast. While we didn't rush back that evening for the Foreigner show - ??? - we laughed our tushes off watching Stella fearlessly tackle the big girl rides for the first time. Oh, and the bunnies were pretty cute too. We realized that attending this kind of gig is actually a whole lot of fun when you're with a kid. Sure, I can see the appeal to a kidless fair. But there's nothing like watching your wee two year old fly down a gigantic slide with a look of fearless joy on her face to make you appreciate the whole deal.

Here Stella contemplates the value of patience. Waiting in line again for a ride that nearly knocked your socks off just moments ago is tough for a two year old. But she handled it with great poise.

Getting to hold your own tickets helps keep things in perspective. (I love how she was so serious as we waited in line. She reminds me a lot of her Papa in that she is a quiet observer at times, examining and observing from afar and then diving in with passion.)

Stella loved riding the carousal with Grandma Jannie. It's so fun to see Stella enjoy her grandparents to enthusiastically.

And we scored big time with the Jalopy Junction ride since Stella is always asking to drive the car these days. It's great to see her be able to enjoy these fantasies with Papa close by and Grandma and Grandpa watching adoringly from the sidelines. Lucky kid.

So thank you, Grandpa Harte and Grandma Jannie, for such a surprisingly delightful morning. What fun.

Stay tuned for a hysterical video of Stella and Brian on the slide...

(Belated) Birthday Pics

Man, have we been busy! It seems like we've been on "GO" since we returned from our trip to Cannon Beach. So I'm just now getting to posting Stella's second birthday celebration photos. We started off the celebration in Seattle with the Burns crew. Stella loves hanging out with her big girl cousins and couldn't get enough of the bubbles.

We then headed back to Bellingham, on Stella's actual birthday, to celebrate with the Bressler family. Stella had a great time making ice cream with Grandpa Harte and savoring her birthday cake with Grandma Jannie.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Stella's birthday so lovely. Our girl is so ridiculously lucky to have so many wonderful people who love her. (Of course, we believe she deserves every bit of this fabulous love, but there you go.)

Old & New Pals

On our way home from Cannon Beach, we dropped in on our pals Nathan, Sara and their son Everett. It was great to see our old friends in their 'hood and to watch Everett and Stella figure out this whole playing together gig. Of course, they mostly kept to themselves, simply playing along side one another...

but they eventually recognized their shared coolness and independently reached out for each other's hands as we walked back from the park.

It's so great to catch up with dear friends who, despite having not really seen one anther for about a decade, are so obviously on the same page of life in terms of parenting philosophy and values. Disregard any Quayle-like implications here, Nathan and Sara, and just know that we appreciate your hospitality and loved getting to see you and your beautiful boy again. We hope to see you soon!

Cannon Beach

Ah, the beach. There's nothing like it.

And while we love the obscenely beautiful shores of Washington state, there ain't nothin' like good old fashioned soft sand.

After a long journey, we finally arrived at Cannon Beach ready for four full days of fun and rest. Stella was totally psyched about moving into our "new home" (aka our beach house rental) and immediately demanded that we head to the beach to build sand castles. Cannon Beach is gorgeous, and despite the summer crowds, we had a thoroughly wonderful time just hanging out in the small town. Stella's favorite beach activities included...

...digging ridiculously deep holes in the sand for her to stand in...

... running down the massive sand dune...

...and exploring the amazing tide pools at Haystack Rock.

She was such a little trooper during our trip, handling the inordinate amount of car and restaurant time like a pro and rewarding both of us with tons of "thank yous" and "I love yous" throughout our stay. And boy, were we happy we were at the coast that week! Temperatures in Washington and Oregon hit record highs while we enjoyed cool breezes at the beach. Hallelujah and Amen! We'll definitely head back to Cannon Beach in the future since it's such a family-friendly place to just hang, and it was a perfect spot for the three of us to celebrate Stella's second birthday as a tiny family.

Cannon Beach: The Journey South

The week of Stella's second birthday, we decided to head south to beautiful Cannon Beach in Oregon. Stella is obsessed with all things beach, and Brian and I were in sore need of a break, so we headed to the coast. On our way down, we were lucky enough to visit in Olympia with Auntie Tricia and cousin Amelia. It was a great way to break up the long (and hot!) drive, and Stella loves showing off for two of her favorite ladies. It was so terribly hot during our trip, that we literally hung out underneath a play structure in downtown Olympia just to catch a few cool moments of rest.

After saying our goodbyes to Trish and Amelia, we continued southward and eventually landed in Vancouver to stay with Brian's Grandparents. Stella loved hanging out with her Great Grandpa Paul and Grandma Peggy as well as Peggy's daughter Robin and her husband Jay. Stella happily entertained herself (and the rest of the crew) by thoughtfully rearranging Peggy's collection of decorative pigs in a long parade. But Stella was fascinated with Grandpa Paul's beautiful koi fish. Grandpa has an impressive backyard pond, and Stella spent a lot of time watching the fish - announcing delightedly that some of the fish were "bigger than La La!" - and flipped out when she actually got to feed the fish the next morning. What a treat.

We took Grandpa and Grandma out for breakfast before we headed south again, and Grandpa and Stella spent the whole meal making one another laugh.

Here's Stella cracking up as Grandpa made funny faces. It was hilarious and a total blast to watch. Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma, for such gracious hospitality. Staying with you was a great way to start our vacation!

Fearless

Tonight, before dinner, Brian and Stella headed down to the Tot Lot for some fun. As Brian turned around for a split second, he realized Stella was hanging from the monkey bars all by herself. Yup, she climbed up her normal big toy route and then took the plunge. Needless to say, he ran in a total panic just in time to spot her as she independently and successfully reached for the second bar. What a little gorilla!

Then, in true Stella fashion, she decided it was time for a rest. So she and Brian headed to a little tree in the park which serves as the perfect pedestal for her brave little bum. Stella is really starting to get into imaginative make-believe play, so this kind of thing is right up her ally right now. After she made herself comfortable in the tree, she naturally and calmly announced to Brian, "La La is loungin'."

Ah, yeah. That's our girl.

Stella is fearless. Sure, she has her moments when she sits back to observe, and she definitely knows when to use caution, but she also knows how to challenge herself. The photo above captures a recent moment where she simply grabbed our beloved Abby's hand and headed into the great Puget Sound to explore. Ruffled skirt and all, she was ready to dive in. And we love this about our Scout. I'm beginning to think this little one had a hand in choosing her middle name. It's like she kept whispering it in our expectant ears as we awaited her arrival two years ago. Seeing her fulfil such an accurate and deserved namesake is proving to be pure joy for both of us.

(I promise to update this blog more in the coming days. We have lots to share from our trip to Cannon Beach, visits with family and friends and, of course, Stella's birthday celebrations. Stay tuned...)