Lucy & the Hunter : First Summer

I don't remember my first summer. And if I was going to be really honest with myself, I don't remember much about summers growing up whatsoever. This is partly because I have such a bad memory but also because our summers as a family seemed to be pretty much the same each year. Occasional trip to see family, riding horses with my mom, playing in the woods & watching soap operas behind my parents back. My older (and much wiser) sister Meaghan mentioned to me early this year that she had hoped this summer wouldn't be about "us" anymore & that the focus should change to making memories for our kids. See I told you she is much wiser. And that is exactly what we did!

After what felt like a whirlwind of June/July, August turned out to be just as exciting but a little less bumpy. Our goal in August was to spend some time on the Oregon coast taking in the smell, sound, sight of the ocean & spend some time in Northern Idaho enjoying the ease of a rustic cabin miles & miles from the mainstream. I was a bit fearful that both trips would tire me out... but I was happily surprised that the twins were a breeze on both, thanks to the helping hands of my family. Maybe this thing called "parenting" does get easier with age & practice, after all.

But less about me & on to the real stars! The twins are doing amazing. They turned 10 months on August 8th & have developed into the most precious, most precocious, most wonderful little beings a person could ask for. They are both crawling rockstars & continue to crawl into, on top of, under anything they place their mind on. They are beginning to play with one another & have very interesting conversations. It goes something like this... Lucy "adbadadadulaitsbitsu" & Hunter "abh". Hunter loves to explore & lurches toward any sign of an open door, gate or drawer. Lucy loves to stand/walk with assistance, loves to sing & can spend several minutes flipping through books pretending to read aloud. Each morning (starting at about 6am) they stand up in their cribs & recap the previous day in their own language -- as a parent, it is the MOST amazing way to wake up each morning.

Here are some of the highlights of our trips & of course the in between.

Lincoln City, Oregon