10.4.10 ~ Eagle Falls

Sunday we ventured out to Eagle Falls just past Index. This is a beautiful spot just a few hundred feet from Highway 2. Dan always jokes about kayaking through here because someone finally did it a few years ago. During the summer there are always people cliff jumping into the deep pools. The girls really wanted to explore the rocks and puddles but the uneven ground was still more than they could handle and there were a few near falls. Luckily, my mommy radar was sharp and I managed to catch most of the tumbles. The river has carved these amazing pools and curves into the rock. And the river is such an amazing green color. Isn't it beautiful?

Brelynn, Avery, Camille (all looking at a dog nearby)

Avery, Brelynn, Camille

Beautiful

one of the falls and pools

A shot upstream

9.29.10 ~ 15 months

The fun never ends here at the Ray house. Avery and Camille are walking (and running) everywhere, Brelynn's cruising on all the furniture and walls, and everyone is a parrot with lots of words and signs. Avery and Camille have about 35 words/signs and Brelynn has about 45! They can point to body parts and items around them (where's the light, fan, etc.). They are sleeping like champs at night, usually 13-14 hours (please don't send hate mail...I know I'm very lucky!) and are taking 2 shorter naps a day which usually combine to total 90 minutes. On the teething front, Avery now has her front 8 and sports a very cute 'toothy' grin.  Brelynn has her top two and bottom two and is very close to cutting molars. Camille has cut a top tooth and is working on her 3rd bottom tooth. They are starting to refuse the bottle and we've been having some struggles with drinking enough milk throughout the day, but their growth continues to hold steady. Camille is still a tiny peanut, but she's gaining weight right along with her sisters. If only we could get her above the 3rd percentile for weight I'd be happy. Here's their growth as compared to other 15 monthers:

     Avery~19 pounds, 1 ounce (5th %ile), 30" (25th %ile)

     Brelynn~20 pounds, 13 ounce (20th %ile), 30.5" (50th %ile)

     Camille~17 pounds, 12 ounces (<3rd %ile), 30" (25th %ile)

Here are the girls enjoying ravioli...
Brelynn

Camille

Avery...she really did like it!

 

9.11.10 ~ Remlinger Farm

Dan's company picnic was at Remlinger Farm this year. We took the girls and let them run wild in a grassy field with a fake heard of cows :)

Avery playing peek-a-boo

Brelynn speed crawling for the camera, not sure what Avery is doing in the background...dancing? boxing?

Camille's making a run for it

All the girls with the herd

 

9.1.10 ~ Dan Ray Photography

Well, it's official. We started a business to sell some of Dan's amazing photos. People tell him all the time that he should sell his pictures (so do I, but I don't count), but he never really thought much about it. He just loves taking great pictures. Well, a few weeks ago his sister suggested that he put his pictures on the wall at Starbuck's and try to sell them. He was interested, but that meant we had to get in gear to actually form a business. We made business cards, applied for a business license, registered our trade name, got tax ID numbers, printed and framed pictures, and made a website all in three weeks time. I'm very happy to say that Dan Ray Photography is now a legit business! Check out http://www.danrayphotography.com/ for some of his incredible pictures and to see how things are coming along. If you're in the Lake Forest Park area, stop in to Starbuck's by Third Place Books to see some of his work during the months of September and October.

8.29.10 ~ 14 months

We've had a busy month. Some highlights were my brother's wedding and our sea kayaking/camping trip to Saddlebag Island (without the girls!). The warmer weather at the beginning of the month was been nice. The girls liked splashing in the pool and playing in the little sprinkler. Oh, and in our free time we started a business... more on that later.

Some milestones:

communication: I have counted about 27 words and signs that the girls can say. Brelynn says all of them, and Avery and Camille are only missing about 5 each. The girls are little sponges now and seem to learn something new everyday. They are all able to follow simple one step directions (sit down, get the ball) and will sometimes follow a two step command (get the doggy and give it a kiss).

motor skills: Avery started walking on 8/19 and Camille is occasionally running now. Brelynn doesn't scoot anymore, she crawls really fast to try to keep up with her sisters. All the girls love to crawl up the stairs at bedtime and naptimes. Brelynn learned how to pull to a stand on 8/15 and I often find her standing in her crib. She is hesitantly cruising on furniture, but only when mom or dad are really close by.

teething: Avery has 4 top teeth and just cut her third bottom one. Brelynn has 2 top and 2 bottom. Camille has 2 bottom.

sleeping: the girls are still sleeping about 13 hours at night and taking two naps a day. The morning nap is usually 2 hours and the afternoon is usually 1 1/2 hours. I'm such a lucky mommy!

We went for a walk and slightly tresspassed to get into this cool field with the giant hay bales. The girls did well and sat eating animal crackers, but I thought for sure they would fall off these bales and hurt themselves. You gotta do what you gotta do to get the photo, right?

8.22.10 ~ Kayaking

We left the girls overnight for the first time last weekend and headed off for an adventure. The girls were safe and sound with Grandma Kim and Auntie Chelsea and by all reports they were on their best behavior. Great Aunt Kris and cousin Tori came for a visit, they went for a walk, had ice cream (or maybe that was just Grandma and Auntie?), and played at the park.

Dan and I took off with our friends Ryan and Kim on a sea kayaking adventure to Saddlebag Island. We drove to Anacortes, took a very small ferry to Guemes Island, and then kayaked to Saddlebag Island where we camped overnight. We saw a few starfish and caught 3 yummy crab. Luckily Kim doesn't eat crab so we each got one :) We saw seals and seal pups and lots of heron. On the way back we had a bit of a head wind making the water a bit choppy and paddling harder than on the way in, but all in all we had a wonderful time.

This was the moonlight!

8.7.10 ~ Dale & Jenn's Wedding

Dale and Jenn's wedding was Saturday and it was beautiful despite a little rain. Dan had a real challenge trying to keep the girls happy and clean before the wedding and during pictures while I was doing other bridesmaid tasks. They walked in the rain and looked at ducks and ate a lot of snacks. The girls were getting pretty crabby as the wedding approached, but when it was time to walk down the aisle they did wonderfully (with a few animal crackers to keep them happy). They didn't like to keep their hair bows in and that became a game during pictures, but we didn't fight it after that.

Playing on the dance floor in their dresses prior to the wedding.

Avery posing for the camera

Brelynn...I don't want a bow in my hair!

Camille posing in the rain. Such a cutie.

Hey, look...we can pull these flowers off :)

The girls just before the wedding...Brelynn found her bow...again! Isn't the wagon cute?

After the wedding...

...and in their comfy clothes finally.

The beautiful bride and handsome groom. Congratulations, Dale and Jenn! We love you! Thanks for letting us be a part of such a special day.