Smiles, Sun, a Haircut, the Zoo, the 4th, the Beach, the Boat, and More Sun!!

I am no longer going to apologize for the amount of photos I post.  I simply cannot post any fewer because I find them waaaaaaay too cute.  However, I will issue a warning:  This is the LONGEST blog posting I've done up to this point.  No joke.  Not only did I get a bit behind, but Mike has been on vacation for the last couple of weeks (yay!) providing an abundance of photo ops that I could not pass up.  We're capturing memories, people!  So grab a cold drink, kick back, and make yourself comfortable because you're going to be sitting there for awhile.  :)

Mom, you posted HOW MANY PICTURES???

Okay.  I can't count that high.

It doesn't seem like I should be able to fit this entire Ritz cracker into my mouth, but I have proven over and over that I can!

Smiles!

Play time!

Alli has been a huge fan of dresses lately.  She wears one almost every day.

Who needs pants?

I'm really moving now!

Where's MY bike?

We took off for a very quick weekend to Walla Walla for a wedding.  A road trip without children?  Say it with me... aaaaaahhhhhhhhh. :)

What are y'all laughing at??

Hello, Blue Eyes!

What's Alli doing?

I must go check it out! 

Getting big!

NOW what's she doing?

Hey, look what I found!

What do you mean, "I don't think so" ??

Whatever, hahahahha!

Hahahahaha!

I love this singing, quacking, flapping duck!

For some reason, Mom thinks I resemble Cousin Landon here.

A tree!

With talk about her upcoming birthday, Alli began asking me at least four times a day, "Is it my birthday yet?"  We made a paper chain so she could see how far away her birthday was.  When she realized the concept and the length of the chain, she deflated a bit.  (Normally I wouldn't make a paper chain so far ahead for a two-year-old, but I had to; she was driving me crazy!!)

Yeah, so, it's NOT my birthday yet.

Playing with Mia!

Mia, you are TOO CUTE and so much fun!

Gma, it's tea time!

Before the haircut:

The haircut:  Cutting off about six inches!

After the haircut:

Sweet Gma.

Papa's new ride!

I finally became a bit more adventurous and realized I could climb all by myself.

Yep, I'm hot stuff now.

Hey, Landon, whatcha pickin'?

Salmon berries?

Uncle Mark, it looks just like a strawberry to me.

That Uncle Mark thinks he can pull one over on me, does he?  I'm sure it tastes just like a strawberry.

Ew.

Blech.  SOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, so, let's play instead.

I'm ALWAYS down to play!

We went to the zoo!

Ooh, giraffes!

Whoa, Daddy's feeding a bird!

Now I'M feeding a bird!

Whoa.

WHOA!!!!!!!  Yes, both birds landed on me at pretty much the same time.  They must have known that Mike had the camera.

I was able to move the bird from my head to Alli's hand...

... but she was a bit unsure about that.

It was much better on my hand.

Can I go play crawl all over that big teddy bear like I do at home?

Fish!

I'm just going to hang out here for awhile.

I think we'll have to go to the aquarium next time.

Let's see here, where are the flamingos?

We need to go... this way!

See, I found them!

HAPPY 4TH of JULY!  (We missed you, Laura, Tyler, and Julian!)

We checked out the Anacortes parade!

I liked the tossed candy the best!

Look!  The fire trucks are coming!

Waiting for the sun to set so we can watch faint fireworks over the islands.

Enjoying our local Tugboat Park!

Ooh, sand!

Get it off!

Hunting for starfish.  Can you see the tip of the big purple one?

What else do you see?

A little starfish!

Up close and personal!

It's so cute!

Don't get any closer, do you hear?

Demolishing the sand castle!

Giggling girls!

I am soooooooooooo excited to go on Uncle Chris's boat!  I have been asking for about two months!

Here we are!

So how do I do this?

Uncle Chris, you're so smart!

Okay, Uncle Chris, I'll look for a squid this way, and you look that way.

I just know we're going to catch one!

Oh, here it is!!!

It's a...

... squid named...

Flounder.

Hmm.  Not quite the squid I was hoping for.

Letting the flounder go.  Next time we'll catch a squid.  Or a whale!

And this is exactly how I feel about my life jacket. 

In the cabin, dessert for Alli!

Look, Uncle Chris, a crab!

Oh, it's too small.

And it's still not a squid.

Cranberry Lake!

Mom, I'm soooo tired.  Isn't this blog post EVER going to end?

Okay.  Time to walk away. 

The end... for now. :)