It's raining, it's pouring...

Rainy season is here, and although it hasn't been too bad, it is wet. But a little thing like weather does not make a toddler want to stay inside, so rain clothes were necessary. She's lookin good huh?

Pumpkin Picking

I took Aliyah to a pumpkin patch this year and she had a blast! Not so much with the pumpkin picking part of the day, but they had a huge pile of saw dust with a bunch of cars and stuff for the kids to play in and she loved it. She literally played for hours. They also had some farm animals to look at and a small corn maze. She had fun in the maze too. Grandma met us there, so one of us would run ahead in the maze and Aliyah would run to find us. Other than when we went in the maze, she got really mad whenever we took her away from the sawdust pile, so if she looks upset in some of the pictures, that's why. She just really wanted to keep playing. We had a great time and will definitely go again next year! Hopefully we'll find a time that Dad can come too!

Trick-or-Treat!

I guess I should say trunk-or-treat. Halloween was definitely a little more fun this year, as she is starting to understand what's going on. Aliyah got to go to two Halloween Parties this year, one with our ward and one with Grandma Natter(we went down to spend her birthday with her and finished the day trunk-or-treating.) She still doesn't really understand the whole trick-or-treat thing, but she liked to carry around the bucket and got pretty excited when people started putting stuff in it. And isn't she the CUTEST ghost you've ever seen!!
I also got to go to an adult Halloween party. It was really nice to get out and spend time with my friends without a child in tow.

Washington Summer...

We got home just in time for the best part of Washington's summer, no rain and 80 degrees pretty much all the time. Perfect! And conveniently, Steve had about a month of no work and all play, before he had to go back to school. So, we spent a lot of time in the sun and the water. Aliyah had a blast, and so did we. Her are just a few of our outings:

This is on the Puget Sound just a few minutes from our home. I think this was her first (but definitely not the last) experience eating sand. And it was impossible to keep her out of the water even though the beach was more rock than sand and the water was freezing.


Kent Fountain- She loved filling that cup and dumping it all over herself!


This is Angel Lake, also very close to home. We spent a lot of time here on those warm sunny days, sometimes going a couple times a week. It is a really nice park and the lake was really warm and had a lot of shallow area. These pics were taken the first time we went to the park. We were just planning on checking it out and walking around, but as soon as Aliyah saw the water, there was no saying no. Needless to say, we weren't prepared for swimming, but had a great time anyways.

We are seriously loving the area we're living. There are so many places close by to enjoy, especially in this beautiful weather!

Aliyah's Birthday: Part Two

A few days after we got home from Guatemala, we had another little birthday party for Aliyah with our families. She seemed to have a good time and got lots of fun gifts. It took her a little while to understand the idea of opening presents, but by the end, she was doing her share of tearing. We are happy to have so much of our family close by to share these occasions with us.


This party also allowed me my first attempt at cake making/decorating. Although it definitely wasn't perfect, I'm pretty proud of it. I made a chocolate/chocolate mousse layered cake with marshmallow fondant and Tres Leches cupcakes for the non-chocolate lovers, which were super yummy. Aliyah wasn't so sure how she felt about them though; by the time we got to the cake, I think she was just ready for bed, she was just so pooped from all the attention! (I may have overcompensated a little for her sadness in one of those pics. I look like a crazy mom!)


In the end, a good time was had by all.

Guatemala: Complete

The rest of our time in Guatemala was a lot more of the same; walking, swimming, hiking, playgrounds. But one new thing we did do our last week there was going on the ziplines. This was AMAZING! It was a series of 8 ziplines high above the nature reserve from the previous post, and it was so incredible to fly above the trees and look over at the lake. It's hard to explain and we don't really have pictures because it's difficult to handle a camera while wearing leather gloves, but seriously one of the highlights of my trip.


Steve also had the opportunity to take a boat across the lake to the island of Santiago with his friend Juan a few days before we left. Juan grew up in a small village on the island and Steve got to spend a night there with him.


We really enjoyed the trip in general, but I'm not going to lie, I was soooo ready to come home. The plane ride home was a little rough, Aliyah is not a big fan of sitting in one spot for very long or of falling asleep while being held, so there was a little crying, a little frustration, and a lot of happiness when we reached Seattle. It was all worth it when we laid down in our own beds that night, and then, after waking up at least once a night the entire time in Guatemala, Aliyah slept until 8 o'clock the next morning.
One of the greatest things we gained from our stay in Guatemala is an immensely increased measure of gratitude for the many many things we have, both materially and conceptually (such as standards of cleanliness and clean water), that so many people go without their entire lives. We are so greatly blessed and will strive harder to not take these blessings for granted.

4th of July

Well, it turns out that the 4^th of July isn’t a very big deal around here. Big surprise, huh? So, in order to celebrate, Aliyah and I got dressed up in our red, white, and blue and went outside to play (and take pictures!) We also went swimming. And later that night, Steve and I watched fireworks on TV. I know, very exciting, but it was the best we could do. Bet you wish your 4^th was as exciting as ours J But seriously, it was a pretty good day, not too out of the ordinary, but good none the less.

Recent Happenings...

The past couple weeks we have been enjoying our surroundings. A few of the highlights have been the botanical gardens and the nature reserve,( both within a five minute walk from where we’re staying.) We’ve also enjoyed our immediate surroundings, especially the pool and the playground!

Botanical Gardens

This parrot attacked me! I was a little afraid to take the pic.

Aliyah loved the bunnies

Nature Reserves

There was a crazy downpour. Once we reached shelter, Aliyah made some friends while we waited it out.

One of the monkeys from the reserve escaped and was chilling on our balcony one morning

At the pool and playgroundPlaying with her new friend Maylla

Around the house

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Aliyah is one! Crazy, I know! For her birthday, we went over to a friend’s house to celebrate; his birthday was the day before. We had a piñata, a cake, and a traditional Guatemalan dinner. Aliyah had fun playing with other little kids, even if they were a lot older than her, and it was fun to celebrate with Juan’s family. We had a good time, but I’m excited to celebrate with our family once we get home too!

A few fun facts: She has been walking for over a month. Her first word is "hola," it's not always clear, but sometimes she says it really well. She waves whenever someone says "adios" and when it's bedtime. She claps when you say "yay!" or "good job!" She has learned to give kisses, where her nose is, and dances whenever she hears music. She still doesn't really like to play with real toys very much, but seems to prefer household items. She now has six teeth, 2 on top, 4 on bottom. She went to the doctor about a week before her b-day and she was 21.7 pounds and I think 77cm long (but I'm not positive on that one because I cant find the paper.) She's apparently huge for Guatemalan standards, but I think pretty average for US standards. We'll find out when we get home!

Getting ready for the party

Playing at the party

These little boys LOVED her, and she didn't mind the attention

The pinata

Birthday dinner

The birthday kids

The cake

Happy Birthday Aliyah!