We finally got the whole PEPS group together again on 8/2, so we took another group shot.  So far 5 out of 6 couples have a second child, with the 6th expecting at the end of the month (on the right).

We went to the Burke Museum on 8/1 to see the mammoth tusk that had been found next door to Blaine’s daycare.  Unfortunately, it was still undergoing the drying process so we didn’t get to see it!  We were also disappointed to find out they didn’t have air conditioning (our other goal was to escape the heat).  So, it wasn’t a huge success, but we still had fun!

Blaine had never seen dinosaur bones before and was quite concerned that something was going to bite him.

He even thought this wooden animal might bite him…

When we got home we played with some water on the deck to make up for the heat of our outing.

We all had a wonderful time during Gram and Grand-dad’s visit at the end of July.  Blaine and Sarah loved playing with their gifts, including an awesome lego firehouse set and personalized photo books.

Sarah loved her “piano in the park” experience with Gram!

Here’s a video:

We also enjoyed some delicious dinners in, and out, including one special night out for Mommy and Daddy sans kids.

Lastly, here are a few pics from a ladies-only trip to Chihuly Garden and Glass.  Sarah was fascinated by all the colors and shapes – we loved seeing her reactions to all the displays.

A very happy (belated) birthday to Uncle Fran!  Sorry that these pics are getting up so late!  Both kids loved helping out with your birthday card/banner.  We started out drawing a mountain with you climbing up the side, but then Blaine wanted to make you into a firefighter (of course) and so there was a fire on the mountain, etc.  Poor Curious George seems to be caught in the middle!  We miss you and look forward to seeing you in September!

Love, Blaine, Sarah, Sally Ann, and Andrew

A few extra pics from July!

This one is Blaine’s official “school photo” from his Twos 2 room at Bright Horizons.  I can’t believe they got him to give such a big smile on cue…

Blaine was so excited to help color this birthday sign for Mom-Mom.  We got a little carried away and ended up making some cookie monster fire fighters, spraying an out-of-control birthday cake fire.  🙂

We’re sorry that we aren’t there to celebrate with you, Mom-Mom!  We can’t wait to see you again in September.

Love, Blaine, Sarah, Sally Ann, and Andrew

Sarah wouldn’t sit still for long, so many of the pics look like this:

And lastly, here are some closeups of the kiddos.  I can’t believe how grown up Blaine looks in this one.  Sigh.

Blaine and I visited the arboretum last Saturday morning and did the waterfront walk, which we’ve never done before.  The views of Lake Washington were beautiful, and Blaine loved seeing the boats go by!  We decided against having a “picnic” snack as we’d intended when a bunch of hungry ducks swarmed around Blaine’s stroller.

Sarah’s first guacamole.

Family brunch at Vios, and Sarah’s first biscuit.

Reading with Daddy:

Blaine’s duplo tower.

I turned 35 on July 10.

The kids celebrated by playing nicely together!

Daddy watched Sarah while I got a pedicure.

And Danielle watched the kids while we had a delicious dinner out at Sitka and Spruce.  This is the morels dish with a fino sherry cream sauce, garlic, and egg yolk.  So yummy!

On Saturday, Blaine was so excited to help Daddy bake a cake (he particularly wanted to use the mixer).

The finished product was beautiful, and so delicious.

We even let Sarah have her first taste of cake.  When she got some of the chocolate icing into her mouth she laughed out loud.

Sarah was 9 months old on 7/10.  At her pediatrician checkup she weighed in at 20 lbs, 9 oz (85th percentile) and was 27.5″ tall.  She has three teeth and is starting to use them on various solid foods (bread, black beans, broccoli, grapes, blueberries, strawberries), though most of it ends up on her lap or down the front of her onesie.  She can say “Da da” and seems to use it to refer to Andrew; she also says other consonants like “ra” and “ga” (but so far no “ma”), and she still loves to shriek.  She can sign for “milk” and we’re working on “more” and “all done”.  She loves music, especially Bob Marley.  She does not like the sound of the dust buster.

Here’s a pic of her top tooth:

And, since she appears to be always happy on this blog, I thought I’d include one of her sad face:

It’s hard to believe how quickly she’s growing up.  🙁

Month by month series: