186 - The Gum Wall

Welcome to the Seattle Gum Wall:

A little bit gross and a lot a bit intriguing. It's kind of a must-see if you're visiting Seattle. Just saying.

185 - BFFs

Tomorrow I'll be leaving on a short getaway with this guy. We're BFFs. It's a guaranteed great time.

173 - Drivers Beware!

I have many Seattle adventures in store for you. In addition to the Maltby Cafe and a playground date with Amelie, I also got to take my little brother Jacob on a looooong drive down to Renton, WA so he could take his driver's license test. And yes, he passed -- he's calling my mom to inform her of the "great" news. ;)

172 - Swinging Shoes

One of my favorite little people in the whole wide world is Miss Amelie. You might remember her from some photos I did back in March when her mommy was still pregnant with little sister, Lucy. 

Well, Amelie's back... and look how she's grown! She's 2 1/2, and trust me, she's just about ready to rule the world. We had a play date when we were in Seattle, and I just had so much fun running around with her and remembering the childhood joy of the playground -- the swings, in particular. =)

171 - Cinnamon Roll

Let me introduce you to the Maltby Cafe cinnamon roll -- a plateful of delicious, gooey goodness:

This is the first official "Seattle" photo that you'll be seeing. Due to some airline/flight complications, Josh and I had finally gotten in to my parents' house around, hmm, 4am, I think? Which given the time change, felt like about 7am for us. Translation? An all nighter! 

However, my dear friend Fritz (also known as Carolyn) was going to be flying out that same day, so we had one chance to connect, and connect we did! At the infamous Maltby Cafe, of course; over an infamous cinnamon roll, of course. And just so you can get a grasp on the size of this "roll", here's Fritz modeling it:

Yup, the thing is huge. The perfect treat for friends who live on opposite coasts to share and catch up over. =)

170 - Chris & Jack

You've already met our friend, Chris, and you've definitely met our kitten, Jack.... so here are a few of the two of them thrown together. It's probably pretty safe to say that Chris is one of Jack's favorite people. Following Josh and myself, of course. ;) Besides being at least a once-a-week visitor (and often more frequently), Chris watched our little cats a few times when we were away, thus endearing himself as one of the "feeders".

But seriously, our cats are awesome, and while they love everyone, Jack especially loved Chris. So we took some photos before Chris left for Milwaukee. And abandoned us forever. And broke poor Jack's heart.I'm not sure how he'll ever recover...

.

..

...

....

Are you on your way back yet, Chris? ;)

169 - Succession Shots

On August 1st, Josh and I flew to Seattle. However, our flight didn't leave until late afternoon, and so before church we invited two dear friends, Joanna and Chris, over for breakfast. As Joanna was heading back to law school (Duke), and Chris was moving to Milwaukee to work for InterVarsity, it was our last chance to see the two for an undetermined amount of time. (We're still waiting for Chris to decide it's time to move back to Philly). 

As we were trying to grab a quick group shot with my camera perched precariously on our porch steps, I discovered I could have my camera do timed, multiple shots (in very quick succession). Meaning, we all acted very grown up. Enjoy the following results!

165 - Night Lights

I think all I can say with this one is that we live in a pretty amazing time when this is what we can do with electricity, water, lights, and gels. And of course, it's also pretty great when you have friends who invite you over to enjoy all the above mentioned inventions. =)

164 - "I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy!"

Now, if you don't know what that quote is from, you need to go rent (or buy) Finding Nemo. Right now. Because it's wonderful and a necessary part of life and happiness. =)  Plus, this next post is all about Dory, so you need a little background.


Everyone knows how friendly Dory is, right? Well, when we were having our pool party with Silvija, everyone got to meet Dory. Except, as friendly as Dory is, there was an awful lot of falling off. However, the last photo shows you who Dory loves the most (though Josh did come in 2nd, as witnessed here)...

 

 

163 - Pool Party!

I have some fantastic friends. Seriously. And I love when life's paths bring some friends back around. Like, moving them from Seattle, WA to Philadelphia, PA.

Silvija & Greg are two such people. I met them about 12 years ago when I was in some theatre shows with their daughter and came to know and love their whole family well. I haven't lived in WA in about 8 years now... but last year, Silvija came to me! 

While Greg stays in WA while their youngest son finishes high school, Silvija is managing their new bed and breakfast. Ok, so it's not officially a B&B (yet), but their hospitality makes it about as much! 

One Sunday this summer, Silvija called and invited Josh and I up for "a swim in the pool". Well, four friends later we were in the midst of an awesome pool party, delicious BBQ, and the perfect night for the hot tub.


Now, most of these were just the "for fun" photos, because, let's be honest, I spent most of my time IN the pool, NOT with my camera. However, I figured you had to see some of the fun stuff. 

There were a number of cannonballs done, but as an objective judge, Chris' entry, hurdle, form, and splash won the event (though Carolyn's came a close 2nd).

And Josh became friends with Dory, but quickly discovered she wasn't very good in regards to water fight defense... the back splash is a bit strong, don't ya think?

And while I can't take photo credit for this, let this be a warning: don't mess with me in the water. I will win. :) 

159 - Caption Contest

Newborns amaze me. If you're around me when I'm around a newborn, chances are I'll be doing the following three things:

1. Holding the baby (for hours, if you let me)
2. Staring at the child with my mouth half open, smiling, my eyes happily lit up
3. Saying something along the lines of, "I just can't believe it! He's such a real little person!"

I've done more than my fair share of babysitting in life (I started at age 10), yet I just don't think I'll ever get over the awe of a newborn. It really is incredible to me to witness those new little people. From their tiny little fingers and toes, to the first time you see them open their eyes, to the way they identify Mom so easily, to how they find a way communicate when they need something... it's simply breathtaking to watch the smallest people you know live their lives.

One thing I especially love are the variety of faces these little people can make. Jack made my day with some of his expressions, and I thought I'd share a few outtakes with you. (And tell me if you can't already imagine him as the "grumpy" old grampa everyone loves!)

However, I'm gonna shake things up a bit: YOU get to write the captions! Over the next week, leave your caption(s) for the photos in the comments section (at the end of this post), then I'll update this post with the ones I find most entertaining. I know, not the most amazing prize, but hey, nobody can argue about the cuteness of the subject. =)

UPDATE: The caption winners are listed below! 

"Did I look like I wanted to be woken up? No, I didn't."  (from Jacob)

"Mmm, let me give that one some thought..." (from Barb)

"Ommmm, Ommmm... I'm practicing yoga... Ommmm, Omm...zzz zzz zzz..." (from Jacob)

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a Michigan State fan, not a U of Michigan fan! Please don't insult me again!" (from... myself... because it's so true in this family!)

158 - Roscoe

Even though Jack is Kristin and Dave's first son.... he already has a big brother. Meet Roscoe:

While Roscoe wasn't around for too many of the photos, we did catch him a little at the beginning. He's a pretty darn protective big brother, after all, and had to make sure everything was okay with Jack. Cute family, huh?

157 - Love's Hands

Little Jack does a fantastic job of being just plain adorable all by himself. However, I think when you witness the total love and adoration that Kristin and Dave have for him, and the incredible tenderness with which they care for him, what you see crosses the line from adorable into absolutely precious. There's just nothing like being in the hands of Mom & Dad...

156 - Little Jack

Oooooh! I'm so excited to share these photos with you! 

I know I'm super behind on posting things -- I tried to take photos to Seattle with me to edit, and let's just say, I had some issues. So, no work got done in the month of August. However! I'm back now, and I'm so delighted (truly) to share these images of sweet baby Jack. 

Jack is the son (and firstborn) of my dear friend, Kristin. In her previous (maiden) life, Kristin was known as Ms. Cain and taught down the hall from me during our Teach For America years. She taught 3rd, I taught 2nd, and we shared many laughs, tears, frustrations, and joys during those first years of teaching. I'm not sure I would have survived without her! 

Needless to say, she and her husband, Dave, got married a couple years ago, and have now welcomed little Jack into the family. We'd talked about doing newborn photos in mid July, but Jack was pretty anxious to get started on life, and made his entrance about 3 weeks early. While we didn't get newborn newborn photos, he was still pretty tiny 3 weeks in (as you can see), and so adorable, incredible, and beyond wonderful. Am I gushing yet? =)

Kristin: I love you, I think! Thanks for letting me hang out with you and your boys. Congrats again, you two!

153 - Change & Giggles

Changes, changes, everywhere! It's a tough thing, change. But I'm trying out a new look here.

While I LOVE the design of my old blog template (the design at the top just made me happy looking at it), it wasn't one I was able to adjust to be wide enough for the photo width I'd like. So, I'm not crazy about any designs I've found yet... but I'm just going to be playing around with it and see if I can find something I like. 

In the meantime, I decided to keep us grounded with a little more of Miss Molly and her awesome parents, Megan & Justin. We can't have too much change going on all at once, and plus, this little girl and her smiles are sure to brighten your day. Can you hear the giggles yet?