On the road again....

Ella and I are driving to Seattle tomorrow (as long as Ella continues to feel good - she seemed to be catching a bug the other day). We're going to visit our friends Lynn, Tim and Isaac in Maple Valley, and also spend a day at my brother Gabe and his girlfriend Nancy's place in Bellevue. I can't wait! It's a little adventure for Ella and I, on the road on our own. Lynn and Tim's son, Isaac, is just 5 weeks older than Ella, and I haven't seen him since February I think! It's been too long! Seth will have a nice quiet weekend at home after he finishes out his work week. What will he do without us?!

A new trick

Something clicked in Ella's head yesterday, and now she's sitting up on her own! Took a couple pictures of the big feat. See below.....

7 Months

Ella is 7 months old now, can you believe it? I know I say that same thing every month..... "Ella's (insert month) old, I can't believe it!" I don't think it ever catches up to you. Time truly does fly once you've got a baby around. We introduced Ella to her first baby doll the other day and she absolutely loved her. She was so excited! I really wanted to give her the dolly after seeing how she reacted when seeing Elliana at the park the other day. When I handed the doll (soon to be named) over, Ella really checked her out.... staring at her, talking to her, sucking on her. But pretty soon, it was too many babies in the jumparoo seat, and Ella was ready to have her own space back to herself. Little sister had to go! :)

Some new things

A new friend (Ellianna Seaver - just shy of 3 months, and about the same size!)

A new cup (still figuring this thing out....just like Mom is trying to figure out this blasted blogger!! AAHH!)

New shades (Thanks Grandma!)

A new onesie (Thanks Auntie Maia!)

A new jumparoo! (Thanks Grandma! Margaret bought this when we were back in Rapid so Ella could get her bouncing in even when we were traveling. Then, Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to send it over for her to have here at home too!)

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Wish we could be with you to help you celebrate your special day. We are thinking of you, as always! We love and miss you! Hope you have a wonderful day... the start to a wonderful year to come!

AND - enjoy your last week at work. Soon you will be a "retiree"!

Fun at the lake

My Dad's cousin, Brad Storment, got in touch with me last week - letting me know they'd be at his mom's (Delores) lake house over the weekend. It's taken me a while to get to posting this, but last Saturday we were able to meet up with them out at Newman Lake for a visit. My Mom and Dad, Seth, Ella and I drove out and met up with Delores, her sister Elna Ann, Brad, his wife Karen and their son Patrick, and his cousin Ronin. We had a terrific time! It was so wonderful to see these guys again. Delores, Brad and Karen (and their boys) were so great to me when I lived in Portland.... it was the only family I had down there. My Grandma and Grandpa, Ella & Dale, really loved spending time with Delores and her boys, Brad and Brian when they were little boys. It's fun to sit around and tell old stories about Ella's namesake. What a great bunch of people to know and they are so much fun to be with! The house on Newman Lake was so perfect.... what a treasure for them to have such a great retreat! It's right on the lake, which is absolutely beautiful. We got out a little bit on Brad's boat and dipped our toes in the water - the closest Ella's come to swimming yet!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETH!

It's July 17th, which means it's the day we celebrate the birth of one Seth A. McKinstry. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Your girls love ya!

A baby's giggle - is there anything better?

A quick visit....

Gabe and Nancy visited us for a couple nights last week..... we are so happy when we get to hang out with you guys! Thanks for coming to see us, and we promise we'll get over to Seattle to visit you soon!

Our trip to South Dakota

We had such a fabulous time visiting with Seth's family in Rapid City. We were in town for 10 days - during the big build up to Maia's wedding - so we were able to help (at least a little bit) with the final details for her big day. It was so fun to spend time with everyone, including Grandma Margaret's sister Veronica, who'd flown over from France for the wedding. During our stay we spent time catching up with family (attended a McKinstry family reunion), went boating on Pactola, went shopping, and helped Maia celebrate her wedding day..... just to name a few things. Oh, and Grandpa gave Ella her first taste of ice cream! Not sure who enjoyed that more, him or Ella! :) Here's some pictures from the trip.....

Home again....

We made it back to Spokane today - flew in about 12:30 or so. Where did the day go, because it's already 6:45! It's gonna take a bit to update the blog with info about our trip and pics too, but stay tuned.... I'll work on it. We had a great time in South Dakota!

Tomorrow, Gabe and Nancy come for a visit. Where is the number for Merry Maids, and do they do laundry?