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.