End of Summer 2009

ELLE AND SEB AT HOME AND AROUND TOWN

Elle said this was their boat and she was the librarian reading Seb a story.

Tomatoes from our garden

Elle and Seb shared a room until we moved into our new house and had more rooms. We gave them each a room of their own but then found they just wanted to be together. We put their beds together in the same room and now find them most nights having fallen asleep holding hands.

Dancing together. Seb lays his head on Elle's shoulder.

Talking to Grandma

Termpera paints gone too far

Gabe told Elle she had to eat toast before she could eat her cookie. This is how she solved that little problem.

We spent every day this summer at the neighborhood pool.

Right before Elle dunked me I was surprised to hear her say, "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." We had gone to two baptisms the week before.

Julia's look-alike

SEBASTIEN'S BIRTHDAY

Went to the zoo to celebrate.

Riding the carousel with friends for his birthday

ANOTHER ball. That's all he wanted.

Birthday trip to an Orioles game

Sebby wouldn't hug the Oriole

DC AND BALTIMORE

A stop at Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall

Korean Conflict Memorial

Lunch on the banks of the Potomac

Shoe swap

Cargo ships in Baltimore Harbor. They are incredibly big.

When you don't have Logan Canyon, this is as good as Kayaking gets in Baltimore.

Fells Point, popular neighborhood. Great toy store, no Michael Phelps sightings today.

Fun for Elle and Seb but one of the worst decisions we've made as parents so far....blue melting staining icecream. It was just as bright blue when it came out as when it went in.

Our favorite store in Baltimore. Red Tree in the Hampton neighborhood.

A stop off at the temple.

FRIENDS

Watching the Holzer kids after their mom had a baby. Found them playing in the curtains and thought it was a great shot.

Downtown Silver Spring water fountain with Emily Ricks and her kids.

Nice, Elle.

Visit from Erin and Nora. Friends from Long Island.

Good-bye party for Emily Ricks. Sad to see her go.

Dinner with our neighbors. Montaz and Shareen.

Good-bye party for Stephanie Perrin. Also sad to see her go. Great to see old friends from the Kensington ward.

Girls night out with Tessa and Chefi. Trip to the temple and Cheesecake Factory.

At the zoo with Jamie Lee and her kids.

Happy first birthday, Scott!

Family Home Evening with the Cordovas. Our favorite little triplet boys (besides Paul and his brothers, of course). Elle just might be in love with Kenny. Mary Finningan's husband was out of town so she joined us, too. She's everyone's pseudo grandma.

Our lesson. Match the gospel story to the body part.

Mary Finnigan. Love everything about her. I've had many late nights hanging out with Mary, talking about Europe, art, Canada, paint colors and life insurance. She's my favorite.

HOWARD COUNTY FAIR

Corn pit. The most entertaining thing we've seen so far at a fair.

Met up with Stephanie Perrin there.

Seb looked in and made the milk sign. They were fascinated.

Ran into Boyd and Ninon McGinn. Mary's brother.

Pig racing. Elle was chosen to be a cheerleader up front.

Sebby wanted to sit on Mary's lap the whole time.

Duck race

Elle had my lipstick on and kissed the cow. She died laughing.

PRIMARY TEMPLE TRIP

Washington DC temple. Elle and Seb are still in nursery but they tagged along with other nursery kids.

We met a lady who said her neighbor, Irving Nelson, was the temple landscape architect. He did all his gardening dressed in white. After his wife died, he built this bench back in the trees for a place to sit quietly.

Marshmallow and toothpick temple building. With Paige, Elle's friend.

VIOLIN

Elle (and Seb) have listened to the Suzuki CD every morning for breakfast since the day they were born. Elle's first lesson, with my old professor, Ronda Cole, is this week. She can hardly wait. This is Elle, with a Beatrix Potter book (the music) teaching Sebby how to play. His violin is my flip-flp and his bow is the channel changer at one point and then the spatula.

Our trip to the shop to get a violin for Eleanor. She was so excited.

Seb was wreaking havoc in the bow drawer the whole time.

Needed a turn.

Elle held her case the whole way home and carries it around the house from room to room throughout the day.