Hiking at Twin Falls State Park

So if you know us very well, you know that we are not the most adventurous, outdoorsy family :) but we decided Sunday to go on a hike to try and get outside and enjoy the great weather, but do something different than the park or playing outside at home. So, off we went to Twin Falls State Park just past North Bend.

We had a great time hiking with my mom and dad, and Emmie was a champ! The whole hike was probably close to 3 miles, and she did a good portion of it all on her own, just wanting to be carried on the steep parts towards the end. Hayden did great in the backpack, barely making a peep, just looking around wide-eyed at everything and eventually falling asleep for most of the walk back. The falls were beautiful, and we had lots of fun exploring along the way and stopping for a picnic.

Tree huggers!

Our little poser! Disclaimer: Emmie is 3 and chooses her own outfits - I had nothing to do with this look! I've long given up on battling with her about outfits, I do not have enough energy!

Here's the story behind this odd picture - Emmie is absolutely obsessed with fairies right now (thanks Tinkerbell!) and is constantly on the lookout for fairies anytime she is outside. So my mom took a picture of these mushrooms on the side of a tree, and then photoshopped the little fairy on there. At first when she saw the pic, Emmie was amazed that grandma and daddy saw this fairy on the hike, and that she had missed her! But then, in typical Emmie fashion, she looks more closely and says "Why does she look like a cartoon? I don't think that's a real fairy!" The girl doesn't miss anything and there is no fooling her! :)

Fun at the zoo!

We've been saying forever that we needed to go back to the zoo, so what day did we pick to finally make it there? The nicest day thus far and a Saturday on a holiday weekend - the zoo was a complete zoo!! Wayy too many people, but we still had a fun time!

Hayden is 7 months!

Our little munchkin is 7 months old! (well, 7 1/2, but I'm behind in posting, as always!) She is still our super smiley, happy little girl - we love her like crazy! We are all bracing ourselves, because our strong, active baby is just on the verge of crawling, yikes! She is scooting on her bottom across the room, and gets herself onto all fours from sitting, just ready to go! Miss Emmie was never one to put everything in her mouth, but Hayden is a different story! She is into everything, and everything goes straight into her mouth, so we are going to have our work cut out for us! But that's okay, because her little personality is just so much fun - she always has the biggest smile for us, no such thing as a little smile from her. Hayden is a great eater and loves pretty much anything we give her. She is also starting to wave bye-bye, and is a master at getting our attention and making us laugh!

Goodnight Moon

Nate and I took Emmie for a fun afternoon to see Goodnight Moon at Seattle Children's Theater - what a great time! We were all so impressed by the set and could not believe just how much it looked exactly like the book! We had a great time, and hope to go back soon for another play - it is right up our little drama queen's alley!

What happens when you leave a 3 year old alone in the bathroom for too long ...

Our little chef

Most people will probably not believe this, but Emmie has finally moved on (mostly!) from her favorite show, Dora (thank goodness!) and is now obssessed with Giada. Yes, you read that right - she loves to watch Giada's cooking show! What 3 year old does that?! She absolutely loves to watch her cook, and it is hard to argue with her watching it, because she sits VERY intently and takes note of each and every step in the process, and it really seems like she is learning something! She is always telling us about how to mix this, whisk that, measure, etc. It is just too cute. I managed to catch her acting out Giada at her kitchen the other day, so you can get a little taste of just how much she loves being a chef!

Hayden is 6 months!

Where has the time gone? Our little cutie is now 6 months old! I guess I should be sad that time is going so quickly, but I'm not really because I just love this stage. She is sitting up like a champ, and it has opened up a whole new world! She loves to sit and play for hours, and is very aware of all that is going on around her. She is definitely our very strong little baby, and odds are quite good that she will be crawling and walking very soon! This is quite a change for us to get used to, given that Emerson was content to sit in one place and never move, if we didn't encourage her! Hayden is still a talker, and is always babbling, cooing or screaming at us! Her latest sound is growling, she sounds like a little tiger, it's too funny!

We've started feeding her solids, and though she could still mostly care less about it, she does love her avocados! Hayden's big sis loves her dearly, and my favorite time to see the two of them together is first thing in the morning. Every morning when Emmie wakes up, she insists on going straight to Hayden's room to peak over the edge of the crib and say good morning. Hayden loves this, and she laughs and laughs when Emmie peaks her head over the crib and says "boo baby!"

Next up ... getting miss Hayden to start sleeping so that mommy and daddy can start functioning a little more normally. :)

Here are Hayden's stats at 6 months:
Height - 26" - 50%
Weight - 16.8 lbs. - 50%
Head - 16.25" - 85% (gotta make room for all those brains!)

I love this pic - it so accurately shows off her personality - always has a sassy little smile for us!