Happy Birthday, Papa!

We celebrated Papa George's (or GP's to Leila) birthday this last weekend. Shawn and Mike had the family over for a nice BBQ dinner. Luckily, we ate inside, as it was POURING down rain! Chris and Ken (Chris's aunt and uncle) were in town for the week from California, so it was fun to have them there to celebrate too.

Leila and Gramma.
Uncle Ken and Chris
Mike and me
GG and Aunt Chris

Happy birthday, Pop!

So Long, Summer

There are several things that signal the end of summer in the Tavern Home. Going to bed at a decent hour, returning to our classrooms for prep days, the season finales of Burn Notice and Psych and ____. But the one change in our schedule that truly means summer has come to an end is when Chris parks the Mustang. He keeps his '67 Stang at his parents' house in their new garage so we can have enough space in our garage for both of our cars. Thanks in-laws!

Sunday was the day. Chris took the car over and Leila was thrilled to ride along for the last evening drive. They were racing to beat the storm cloud that was threatening to dump on them. Luckily, they made it to Mike and Shawn's before it was too rainy. Mustang, we will see you when the sun comes back out!

Three Years

We have almost lived in our house for 6 years. Labor Day weekend will mark the anniversary of our move-in date. There are some shrubs in the backyard that were already planted when we moved in. One of these never bloomed. We actually never even knew it was supposed to bloom. We just thought it was a lovely shade of green that added some height to the flower beds. Then in August of 2007, delicate, pink flowers popped out all over it. They were so lovely. This was about two weeks before Leila born. Now it blooms each August, just in time for her birthday parties, which are always in our backyard. We call it "Leila's Flowers". Each year, when I spot the first bloom, I remember that summer of 2007 when we were blessed with our baby girl.

She really can't be called a baby girl anymore....the BIG 3-year-old!

Leila at 2.

Boo turns 1.

On her BIRTH day. August 20, 2007...just in time to see those flowers in our backyard.

Happy Birthday, Weed!

Leila is officially three! Her favorite restaurant is Red Robin. Every year this is where we have eaten, just the three of us, for her birthday.

Leila can't even take a break from the ice cream for a smile!
Opening a present from Mommy and Daddy.


Happy birthday sweet girl!

Concert in the Park

Last Thursday we were able to catch The Coats in concert at Pioneer Park. It was a lovely evening for a blanket, Taco Time and some acapella music. We ran into lots of Chris's former students, Leila's daycare provider, a practicum student that worked in my class several years ago and even a friend from high school that I haven't seen in a while.

Claiming our spot.

Does this look like a kid who just had dental surgery that morning? It didn't slow her down one bit!

Pierce County Fair

We spent an evening at the Pierce County Fair last weekend. While it is small, it makes for a fairly nice summer evening outing. There are just enough rides for Leila to enjoy and they sell scones, so what else could one ask for?

Biker chick. Can you see her ink?
Making faces.
Blowing kisses.
Funny faces in the Funhouse.
The funniest part of the whole setup is when you enter. We bought tickets, drove 5 feet and then handed our tickets back. What is that about???

Summer Evening

A family walk through the neighborhood last weekend....after it cooled down a bit. Notice L's crazy outfit...