Our Pad!

There are lots of pictures from our summer adventures that I'm hoping to post, but I keep getting requests for shots of our house. So . . . here we go!!
Conveniently left out is the basement, which is still full of boxes . . . not too exciting.
We really like this house so far and are starting to feel "at home" here. There are lots of little projects we have going on, but Luke has amazed me with his skills at figuring out how to fix things. It's actually in very good shape, for being 67 years-old!

I've really enjoyed planting the garden, which
already had some pretty perennials in it.

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"Baby Brother's" room, all set up and ready for him
(except that we need to paint the lovely mauve walls)

Going upstairs now, to Abby and Katie's territory . . .
Abby's room
Abby's special closet where all her Calico Critters live
Katie's room

Abby and Katie love the sandbox! (It was created when the former owners took out the pool, since we didn't want it.)
Here is one of the cute bunny rabbits that hop and play in all the backyards
around us. And here is Katie doing one of her favorite new activities, bunny-watching!

Thanks for sticking with such a long post!

B-day pictures

Well, I had a great birthday on Friday, including dinner at the Olive Garden (yum!), where we only somewhat made a spectacle of ourselves. Then we enjoyed a decadently rich chocolate cake that Abby and I had made. It was fun to hear from several folks (thanks, everyone!) by phone and e-mail. As his gift, Luke gave me the green light to pick out a piano!! So yesterday we went to see this one from Craigslist and decided to buy it. (Now we just have to fenagle a way to get it across town to our house . . . ) I'm so excited! In 7 years of marriage, we've never had our own piano. No more having to sneak over to the church building on Wednesday nights during youth activities to practice--I can do it at home!

Last Few Adventures in Spokane

I have a lot of catching up to do, so I thought I'd start with some pictures of our last few adventures in Spokane:


A visit from Luke's Uncle Paul and Grandpa Al, who live in the Seattle area. (Notice how huge the Spokane River is behind us. Raging!) It was great to see them.
Their visit coincided with their birthdays!

Katie with Great-Grandpa at Manito Park.


A super-fun overnight get-away to Leavenworth (about 3 1/2 hours from Spokane) with my friend Heidi (who lives in the Seattle area). We've been friends since 6th grade, and it was great to catch up together . . . and to be footloose and fancy-free for a day!

Heidi put together this cute collage of some sights in Leavenworth (which is nestled in the mountains and designed to look like a Bavarian village--very fun!).

A visit with our good friends, the Francis family. We sure miss them! We did a lot of babysitting trades and really enjoyed getting to know them.

A gorgeous sunset, as seen from one of Luke's bike rides along the Palouse Highway.

Abby's closing preschool program . . .

. . . and graduation picnic!

Luke with his fellow transitional-year interns at a graduation dinner.

Me with Audrey Ursic and Carly Dunn, fellow "resident wives." We had some fun playgroups while our husbands were working. I miss these friends already!

A visit to the beautiful Spokane Temple.

My mom, Lori, came up for a few days to help us move. She was a true hero! When she wasn't entertaining Abby and Katie, she was invariably down on her hands and knees with a scrub bucket . . . or helping me maintain my sanity through chocolate and laughter, our favorite combination. Thanks, Grannie!

Abby and Luke admiring the beautiful flowers at the temple.
We had a fabulous year in Spokane and are so glad we chose to go there for Luke's intern year! We'll miss the beautiful parks and scenery, and especially the wonderful people we met. The adventure continues now in St. Louis, and I'll post more soon!
Thanks for checking in!

We Survived!

Well, 2,000 miles and too many car hours later, we're here! We left Spokane Monday the 16th and arrived here in St. Louis on Monday the 23rd. We stopped in Salt Lake for a day and got to see my family, as well as fill our truck with hand-me-downs from four different houses! Then we headed to Colorado and spent three days at Luke's family cabin, which was a nice, relaxing break in the middle of a chaotic week. From there we continued east, stopping at a few places in Kansas where Luke's dad grew up and where his ancestors are buried. We saw our first fireflies in Kansas. Abby is a huge fan of those! And finally . . . we arrived and moved into our home.

Thankfully, the trip went just as smoothly as possible, aside from a few meltdowns (mostly from the kids . . . :) ) and an overall feeling of our lives being completely discombobulated. Things are still a little chaotic, but we're glad to be here! Abby has already made some friends in the neighborhood, and she and Katie are both fascinated by the little cottontail rabbits that hop around among the adjoining backyards. We'll have pictures and updates when we get our computer set up at home . . . until then, enjoy the summer, wherever you are!

Baby Update

I had a 19-week ultrasound on Friday, and Big Sister Abby's wish came true: it's a baby brother! (She's decided that one little sister is enough . . . ) He looks healthy and strong so far, and we are really excited! Abby and I picked out some tiny, blue booties for him on Monday. This is going to be a big change in our girly, pink world. I wonder if he'll mind the tea parties and Calico Critters? Hopefully not. We're also glad that now Luke won't be quite so outnumbered!