Goodbye Three

Oh, gorgeous girl. I can't believe you turn four tomorrow. Actually, I can believe it. I feel like you've been with us for decades, amusing us to no end, challenging us to live our values and philosophy without reservation and loving us with unabashed passion. May the huge leaps of growth (and the giggles) continue. We love you, Stella Scout!

Island Adventure

For Brian's final day of vacation last week, we headed to San Juan Island. We walked on the ferry with our bikes and ended up having a total blast tooling around the island with the girls. We happened to stumble upon the Pelindaba Lavender Festival which was heavenly. Between absurdly gorgeous photo ops, delicious lavender treats and fun Marimba music, we were in heaven.

Stella is the most focused and serious ice cream eater, I've ever seen...

... until she shares with her sister. Then the giggles flow.

This profile never ceases to capture my heart. Oh, those cheeks.

There are no words that capture the divinity of these curls.

Here Stella gives us a pretty smile.

And here she gets her groove on.

And here she is hysterically upstaged by her little sister.

Phoebe literally pushed her way to the front of my lens as I took this photo. I think we have a theater major on our hands here.

Affection defined.

We rode to Lime Kiln State Park to see if we could spot any Orcas (we apparently missed them by an hour or so) and then started the trek back across the island to the ferry. (Do you notice how tuckered the girls look? They managed to sleep in the trailer on the way to the ferry, completely mushed together, bobbing about with their helmets on. And do you notice the slight look of fear on our faces? We had a brutal hill to climb on our way back. But we endured Sufferfest 2011 with surprising grace and speed and made it in time. Viva La Tour!)

Ferries are just so darn cool. The girls were totally smitten with the whole journey. We'll definitely be back for more.

Our trusty rigs.

I guess the trip was a success. The day after we returned, the girls insisted they wear their helmets as they played for about an hour in the house. The Burnslers are apparently a Safety First family.

Baker Lake

What's better than taking a dip in a pristine and placid glacial lake?

Coloring and snacking in the woods with your best buds?

Starting your day dressed like this...

... and ending like this?

Literally sinking into warm, soft sand?

Flirting?

And kisses'?

Goofy smiles?

Potty training in the woods?

(Yes, Phoebe has decided that she is totally determined to use the potty like her big sister. And this little whipper snapper is about 95% trained at 171/2 months. Yee ha!!!)

Sandy mountain lake beaches?

Her first foray with graham crackers?

A veteran with the s'mores?

Or this nightly scene?

We had a fabulous time camping at Baker Lake during Brian's week off. The girls were total troopers as we survived one of the most torrential downpours of my life. They constantly reminded us to be in the now. Any temptation to fret over keeping dry or adhering to nap schedules was thwarted as they would swiftly and comically remind us to drop everything in search of salmon berries (aka "yummies" as Phoebe says) or to throw rocks in the water. I used to think hiking and camping without kids was the only way I could really connect with nature and feel that silent solace only known in the woods. But I'm slowly learning that kids help me connect with that almost more deeply. You've got to just accept the good (bullfrogs singing in chorus as the sheets of rain kept us adults up all night) and the bad (well.... there really wasn't any) and smile at how absurdly beautiful this part of the world is.

The Depth and the Breadth

A friend once told me that having one child shows you the depth of love.

Have two children shows you the breadth of love.

And while I really do believe can know the depth and breadth of love without children or with only one, the statement resonates more and more as both Stella and Phoebe show us who they are as individuals, prompting (and yes, sometimes challenging) us to shift and grow and evolve as parents and as adults. It's fascinating to see what works with one child and what doesn't with the other. Parenting to their individuality is exhausting but also totally exciting. Dynamic. Ever-changing. Satisfying.

And then one of them will stun us with their beauty or slay us with their hambone smiles, and we're all reduced to giggles and hugs and all feels right in the world.

(And yes, I'm obsessed with little kids in stripes. It should be mandatory. Stripes, stripes and more stripes!)

Seattle

Recently, the girls and I headed for a long overdue trip to Seattle. We hit our regulars - the zoo, their favorite neighborhood park and ice cream parlor and Golden Gardens beach in Ballard.

Phoebe had a blast just sitting in and sifting through the sand. She people watched for about an hour, just singing quietly to herself and throwing me the occasional smile.

Of course, her big sister provided regular entertainment. Phoebe was thoroughly amused by Stella's sand angels.

Yup, these two are huggers. (And it really is the real deal. I rarely prompt them or ask them to pose for me. So sweet, heh?)

Summer, Where Art Thou?

So what do you do when it's the middle of July and summer still hasn't arrived? Well, in the lush and therefore soggy land of the Pacific Northwest, you bundle up and head to the beach anyway. We're not afraid of puddles here, and a little chilly beach time ain't no thing. (She says with waning optimism.)