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A few pics from our rainy, gray, and cold (don’t even get me started) 4th of July.  Per tradition, we found ourselves at Raaj’s annual Fourth of July party:

Sparklers on the deck overlooking Lake Union

True to form, the girls had lots of fun playing in the party cooler (H and L)

H and L sampling the delicious party cuisine

Lydia, making herself at home

Hadley, chillin' on the deck

Overhead shot (L and H)

Our fabulous hosts, Raaj and his sister Kanch

Me and my girls (L and H)

 We also had a fabulous 3rd of July cookout at our good friends the Durhams (where we met a family with two sets of twins — yikes!), although sadly I forgot my camera.  Plus, we got a lot of yard work done this weekend. 

L and H were very helpful transporting bark mulch at Lowes

The End

Hadley, Lydia, and the frogs

We had a busy, but super fun weekend.  Allan and I kicked it off by waking up at 4:30am to do the Seattle Rock n’ Roll 1/2 marathon. Great (although somewhat poorly organized) race that started in Tukwila (city south of Seattle) and ended at Qwest Stadium in downtown.  There were bands every mile along the course and it seemed that every running friend I have was doing the race as well.  Allan and I ran together — me running faster than I would have liked and Allan probably running slower than he would have.  We turned in a quite respectable time and headed to breakfast, taking full advantage of having a baby-sitter for the morning.  At breakfast, we sat between people we recognized from the 1/2 marathon — on one side was a band from the race and on the other was a minister who was handing out water along the course.

The World Cup match was a nail-biter (H and L)

After naps all around and the heartbreak of the US losing to Ghana in the World Cup, we hit the yard to do some gardening.  Lydia started off by eating a shovel-full of dirt which ended her enthusiasm for the activity and she moved on to the sandbox and then to frogs.  We have plastic frogs in our back yard (they aren’t quite as tacky as they sound, although probably close) and the girls discovered they are light enough to be carried around.  They spent lots of time putting dirt on the frogs’ heads and then moving them from the garden to the steps and then back again.

Lydia moving frogs

Hadley giving her frog a pat

Saturday night Allan and I had an awesome dinner out with one of Allan’s friends and former colleague’s at Canlis, one of Seattle’s best restaurants.  Raaj is a regular at Canlis — to the point where he has his own seat at the bar, his own table, all the staff know him, and he has a wine glass with his initials.  Raaj is a great guy and ensured that we had an awesome first trip to Canlis, which definitely deserves its stellar reputation.  He sent us home with an adorable gift for the girls — a wheely-bug ride-on toy (plus two stuffed elephants).  They absolutely loved it, although wheely-bug is now in our bedroom taking a time out since they both loved it so much that several battles ensued.

Hadley, Lydia and Wheely-bug (before things got ugly)

Today, we headed to Allan’s cousin Vanessa’s to see her parents and another Aunt who were visiting Seattle.  The girls had a great time with their extended family and demonstrating how non-childproof Vanessa’s beautiful apartment is.

Vanessa and Tigger

Hadley, Allan, and Lydia at the ball park

We spent a lovely, albeit rainy, Father’s Day at the Mariner’s Game.  Since we knew we weren’t going to make it nine innings due to nap schedules (we did hit the third inning, which was our goal), we went early and were treated to a special father’s day ”parade” around the field.  It was pretty cool to walk on the field of a  major league team.  We even saw a Mariner up close as he came out of the dugout. 

Hadley and Lydia on the field!

Mariner catcher Eliezer Alfonzo

 We then headed up to the nosebleed section, where we were in good company with lots of kids (and empty seats) around.  The girls had their own seats which kept them occupied for a while – opening and closing the seats, climbing up and down, putting cups in and out of cupholders. 

Hadley (stunned by that call), Lydia, and Allan in the stands

Hadley and Lydia in full Mariner fan regalia

Happy Father’s day to all the fabulous dads in our lives and especially to Lydia and Hadley’s special dad!

Lydia and Hadley taking it upon themselves to unwrap father's day presents

Hadley

Lydia checking out the buckles

Now that the girls have started “school” (they are easing into their fall pre-school program with a 1 day a week summer session), they need bags to transport all their stuff.  The reusable wine-bags stuffed with diapers and a change of clothes were really a bit ghetto, so after a few weeks I opted to forgo those  for their own backpacks.

Lydia ready for sky-diving

They were thrilled when they arrived, and spent a while investigating all the zippers and buckles.  Soon after, Hadley swung hers over her shoulder, said “bye” and marched out of the room.  Lydia preferred hers parachute style at first, but they both eventually got comfortable with putting them on their backs.  

Hadley

Super cute to watch them playing with their back packs, but they also make them seem so grown up!

H and L at the Shore Run finish

I find June to be one of the toughest months in Seattle.  It’s summer by the calendar and warm everywhere in the country, but still mid-50s and rainy here.  Summer doesn’t really start in the PNW until July 4.  However, this weekend was beautiful and we took full advantage.  I was perhaps a bit too enthusisatic about the weather and singlehanded two toddler excursions that really required a one-on-one parent ratio.  The first was “Toddler Trails” — a one hour nature walk around Seward Park (one of Seattle’s many gorgeous parks) organized by the Audobon Society.  It started off innocently enough — hanging out inside, reading nature stories and watching a turtle eat apples – but quickly moved into a pretty intense nature hike up steep, muddy paths (I think the Audobon Society defines toddlers as 3-4 year olds, not 22-month olds).  It would have been fine if the girls hadn’t both insisted on being carried for the majority of our 45 minute hike — ouch.  Twenty-two pound toddlers are definitely bigger than anything I’ve been lifting at the gym lately.   After we all recovered with a nap, I took the girls to the playground to meet a friend and her 8 month old daughter.  Again, really a two parent activity given that the girls are big enough to run to the top of big structures (usually in opposite directions) with huge drop offs and wage epic battles with each other over who’s turn it is to be on the rocking spring-loaded animal thing.

Team Carscaddon! (H and L)

Today, we did the Shore Run, which is a beautiful race along Lake Washington.  It starts at Seward Park (site of the Toddler Trails adventure) and ends in Madison Park, near where we live.  Allan and I have both done the race every year since we moved to Seattle (okay, I had a brief hiatis when I was 8-months pregnant with twins).  For the last two years, we’ve brought along the girls in the double- jogging stroller.  Luckily, I’m not pushing since that double BOB is getting heavier and heavier.  Allan has been training though with lots of weekend runs with the girls, and crushed several spirits as he charged past a pack of runners on a huge hill, while pushing 75 pounds of toddler+stroller.  We ended up toward the front of the pack and got a nice shout-out from a spectator of “fast family!” 

Freshening up after the race

Anchors away. Watch out Victoria, here we come! (L and H)

Having felt a bit house-bound for the last two summers, I decided that  now that the girls are a bit older and more portable we are going to get out this year and enjoy all the awesome things about living in the beautiful PNW.  We kicked off the summer season with a trip to Victoria, BC and by the end of the trip, my ambitions for a summer full of adventure quickly dissipated (or at least reset to day-trips). 

Lydia loves Elmo!

On Saturday, we hopped aboard the Victoria Clipper (a high speed passenger ferry) for a 2-1/2 hour trip to Victoria.  The suprise bonus is that we discovered that the girls are finally old enough to be zombified by DVDs!  Yes, I feel a bit guilty about being so happy about this, but in my defense we don’t watch TV at home and only use DVDs for emergencies (aka long trips where we are trying to keep fellow passengers from throttling us or consuming enormous amounts of alcohol).  I don’t know who came up with Elmo (he wasn’t hanging around Sesame Street when I was a kid), but whoever it was is a genius.  That little red muppet is the closest thing to baby crack that I’ve ever seen.  Whenever Elmo went off screen, Hadley would worriedly scream “Elmo?!, Elmo?!” until he came back on (so much for giving our fellow passengers a peaceful trip). 

Allan and the girls in front of Parliment

Allan and Lydia playing on a big anchor

We arrived into Victoria that evening, and after going through customs where the only thing we had to declare was two screaming toddlers who were not amused by the queing process, got settled in our hotel.  The next morning, we went for a nice run on a bike path along the river and then quickly got ready for a tour of Buchart Gardens.  Victoria is known for these gardens (as well as for high tea at the Empress hotel, which we were not foolish enough to even consider), so I thought we should check them out while we were there.  We boarded the bus, were told that it would be a 4 hour tour, and quickly got off the bus.  So we spent the rest of the morning walking around Victoria. 

Pier fish taco stand

We had lunch at a great fish taco stand on a pier and watched a bike race through town (the race was 75 laps around a few blocks — why anyone would want to do that is beyond me).  Lydia and Hadley had a great time climbing on benches and chasing each other around fire-hydrants.  That is until Lydia fell into one.  After lots of blood (a mouth cut — she’s fine, which I verified with our awesome pediatric dentist this morning), we retired to the hotel for a long nap and some pool time.  The girls were initially very suspicious of the pool, but had a blast once we coaxed them in.  There was an enormous first step which was perfect for them to hang out and splash.  Since I usually try to cram too much into every day, we went back to the pool the next morning which was great until we left and had to rush to pack and make our boat.  The girls were not impressed that their pool time was cut short and made sure we knew that as we were packing.  We made the boat, stuck Elmo in the DVD players, got out stickers and arrived relatively unscathed into Seattle. Both girls were asleep within 10 seconds of being put in their stroller for a walk to our car.

Lydia, me, and Hadley eating lunch on the pier

All in all, a fun weekend but a good reality check on my ambitious summer schedule.

Hadley was a concientious objector to this year's family photo

The beginning of May was a little busy around here, so we opted to forgo our traditional Derby party (which fell on May 1 this year) for a Preakness party on May 15.  However, we did not forgo Derby fare — juleps and Derby pie were of course present.  The day started off a bit inauspiciously with a trip to the ER for Hadley.  She fell off the bottom step outside and sliced open the underside of her chin.  It actually wasn’t a terrible cut, but the sides weren’t coming together and so the nurse I spoke to on the phone recommended we get it checked out.  While Hadley and I were in the emergency room getting glued back together (literally), Allan and Lydia did the final party preparations.

Party-goers watching the race

The other side of the room

We got lucky with a beautiful day so were able to hang out out on the porch and front lawn.  There were lots of kids this year and Hadley and Lydia were gracious hostesses and shared their toys willingly (if a bit suspiciously), although co-opted a few of the toys the other kids brought.  The girls were decked out in beautiful dresses that their Grandma C. made, with matching hats.  Being homemade dresses, there aren’t any tags and I wasn’t sure if the buttons went in the front or back.  Thus, I took advantage of having twins and did a side-by-side comparison, dressing Lydia with buttons in front and Hadley with buttons in back.  I conculded that the buttons went in front, but by that time Hadley was much to busy playing to let me switch her dress around, so she wore her dress backwards for the remainder of the party.  Lookin at Lucky was the big winner this year and I had to ask Allan to remind me of that — I have no interest in horse racing beyond the fact that it’s a great excuse for a party!

Lydia ready for a day at the races

Hadley in her pretty (backwards) dress, plus Lydia's hat

Lydia, me, and Hadley making chocolate chip cookies

The girls have been doing lots of cooking lately — both with their new stove from Grandma C. and “helping” me.  As part of the “fatten Lydia and Hadley up” program, we’ve been baking lots of cookies! 

Chef Lydia

Chef Hadley

Hadley making sure the dough isn't poisoned

Their play kitchen has been a big hit, although debatable if they liked it better in a half-assembled state. 

Lydia testing out the kitchen sink

Hadley and Lydia tasting their vegetables for freshness

Allan and Hadley, me and Lydia

We made our annual pilgrammage to the Tulip Festival last weekend.  Here’s a link to last year’s post (check out how little the girls were!). Fun fact, the Skagit Valley (60 miles north of Seattle) is the 2nd largest producer of tulips behind the Netherlands.  It was breath-taking as usual, despite the cheese factor of fake windmills and lots of tourists.  Our original intent was to do a photo shoot with the beautiful back drop, but the girls are at the height of being uncooperative with pictures — old enough so they won’t sit still, but young enough that you can’t reason with  (or bribe) them.  So here are a few shots of us tramping around in the tulip fields and the gorgeous flowers. 

me and Hadley

Allan and Lydia

Allan and Hadley posing for their cheesy windmill shot

At the Choo Choo, with the train's conductor-- Uncle Wesley!

We bravely (or probably foolishly, in the opinion of the people seated near us on our flights to and from Atlanta) took the girls east to Chattanooga for Easter, to spend some time with my parents and extended family.  It was a great time– we got to meet our/the girls newest cousin and had lots of fun visiting.

Flying into Atlanta gave us the opportunity to visit with Eleanor’s classmate Lynn from Wharton and her daughter Kate (that’s Kate with the bunny ears in the picture below).

Lynn and Kate on the slide

Lydia and Hadley had a great time with Kate on the neighborhood in Atlanta– they got to ride on the tire swing with their big friend Kate (who tuned 3 that week)!

Lydia all smiles on the tire swing

After that quick visit, it was off to see Grandma and Big Daddy in Chattanooga!  the girls did great on the car ride up (it being nap time helped), and then it was time to see if Grandma had any toys for them– it turns out there were some!

The building blocks were fun, but the case that they came in was a great helmet!

Lydia was in awe of Hadley's innovation-- nesting the buckets, then using them as a helmet

The girls also had a lot of work to dot to be ready for Easter dinner– shortbread press cookies were their responsibility!

Working with Grandma and Mommy on the press cookies

On Easter morning, before the guests arrived, the girls were also responsible for dying eggs.

20 month olds dying eggs-- this might not end well

Hadley stepped off a chair and out of the egg-dying fun– only Lydia was left to complete the job.

Daddy and Big Daddy "help" Lydia with the egg dying. Note the careful attention and large wad of paper towels

Lydia’s effort with the eggs was visible as we attempted  a family photo in the beautiful dresses that Grandma made for them– check out her blue hands (matching the dress).

Lydia's hands match her dress

Then family started to arrive:

Grandma and Uncle Bruce

Uncle Bruce and Aunt Shawna

Aunt Joy, Cousin Uma, Uncle Larry, and Cousin Moria

The girls also had to go explore Aunt Marian and Uncle Chris’ new house.  There was lots of fun to be had there:

Hadley with her Mommy's and Aunt Marian's purses (as you know, 2 purses is trendy with the toddler set)

Lydia found two of Aunt Marian's purses-- Take that Hadley!

Aunt Marian also has lots of pans!

Grandma and Lydia had a great time at Marian's place

It was  a great trip for us and the girls!  They loved visiting Chattanooga!

H & L check out the pool at the sculpture garden