It Never Gets Old: Some of Nature's Finest Artwork

Awhile back my mother-in-law put a post up of the sunset from their balcony and titled it, "It Never Gets Old." Their house stands on a hillside and overlooks Bellevue, Mercer Island, Lake Washington, the City of Seattle, and the Olympic Range beyond. It is stunning! And I am sure it never does get old!

And that's how I feel about so much of what we saw on our trip. For the last of our vacation posts (yep, this is it! although I still have Zach's D.C. trip to post), I wanted to put up some of my favorite scenery shots from the trip that didn't make it into earlier posts. I love how the things that are so easy to take for granted, the view out our car window or along our hiking path or from our balconies, can still catch my breath and make me stare. Although it goes against every OCD gene in my body, the pictures are in no particular order because I am too darn tired of organizing pictures and it really doesn't matter here.

Truly, that is one of the best parts of a road trip...seeing the sights to be seen! And for me, the beauty of our natural world really never, ever gets old. Nice work, Heavenly Father! Let's all do what we can to keep it like this....

Phelps Lake in Grand Teton Nat'l Park

Snoqualmie River AquamarineOne of the Teton PeaksSunset over Lake Roesiger Deception Pass with a bright blue sky Wyoming Mountains from our rental White aspen trunks in the green Wyoming woodsSunset over Richland Mount Rainer from Elliot Bay Late Sunset from the Conlin's balcony The Teton Range rising up over the Wyoming plainsMount Rainier from Point Defiance Jenny Lake and the Tetons.

Franklin Falls Hike

The last weekend we were in Washington, as I already mentioned, our dear family friends, Pat and Dave Brown, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Dave to the boys, flew up in their plane for a visit. One of the days we decided to get out of the city, travel in the opposite direction, and enjoy a bit of time in the mountains. We picked a hike the boys would like that my mom had seen in the paper. It's called Franklin Falls and it's off the Denny Creek exit (many a fun camping trip was taken off of that exit!). It was a perfect way to complete our visit. Seeing and absorbing all the green beauty that makes Washington my place of choice.

The trail was only two miles round trip, but was all up the mountain one way to the falls, and, therefore, all down hill back. It followed a river that we thought was Denny Creek, but we decided later that it was the Snoqualmie River. We stopped at this viewpoint to bask in the scenery. If you can get the picture to enlarge, check out the color of that water. Beautiful! Here are my parents (Candace and Stan), Pat and Dave and the boys (Luke's peeking out from the backpack on my mom's back) at the viewpoint with the mini-falls in the background.
Some of the undergrowth that just doesn't exist here in Colorado.

And the gigantic Evergreens! The boys thought I was so dorky making them stretch across the girth of that trunk, but isn't it huge?

More of the greens of the woods. {sigh} How lovely! I am going to have to look back at these photos during our brown months.

The river flowing far below our trail. When we arrived at Franklin Falls, the boys immediately began exploring. Here's Ben and my dad at the base of the falls.

The kids wanted to cross the river so badly, but the water was cold, and deeper than it looks, and fast, and there was no obvious crossing point. Zach was the only one to make it all the way across, and his shorts were soaked.

But that didn't stop them from trying again and again!

Josh on a rock in the middle of the river; the farthest point either he or Ben made it to.

Luke started out loving to just splash and throw rocks on the edges, but he eventually tried venturing out too. I put a stop to that once the water hit his ankles. Our whole group in front of the falls!
On the way back down. The front pack...
...And the back pack.

It was a great hike on a beatiful, warm day, giving me the "green" dose I really need. Like I said, the perfect way to wrap the trip up in a nice neat bow.

On Being Luke by Luke

Over the month of our vacation I grew up a lot. If you've seen me since, you know what I mean.

First, I went from saying just a bunch of words to talking in sentences that included three or four of them at a time! If you don't respond to me when I say something, I will be helpful and say it over and over until I know you heard me. So don't worry about missing something I say. I also gained a whole 10 ounces on our trip, and grew at least an inch. Which made my mom so proud. At first, I may have been shy around all friends and family I didn't remember, but it didn't take long for me to warm up. I especially didn't really like the other babies, specifically if Mom held them. I mean, she's got me. Why would she need to hold them? But they were so cute. After awhile I couldn't resist their charms! I still talk about "Ami" and Max because I miss them. Oh, and my personality blossomed like a summer flower. If you thought I was cute before, you should see me now! I love being two! I'm such a big boy!

So what I really mean is that I am a big "thinking" boy...not a big "body" boy. But that's OK. I like being a tiny boy in a big hat. Just because it annoys you that you can't get pictures of my face, only of my big ol' hat, that's not my problem. I can explore and ponder, discover and experiment, and all the while hide behind the big brim. And if I want to ignore you when you try to talk to me, I can just pretend it's because I can't hear with the hat on. It's like being in my own little world. But sometimes the hat gets in my way. And I'm not afraid to put up a fight to get rid of something that's getting in my way. Not with the hat. Not with anything.I am also an intrepid stroller-explorer, out to find every bug and animal within my range of vision!

That's because I love animals, all of them. Mostly because they are really the only things smaller than me. Also because they are so weird! I try to be so gentle with them, and only pet them from their backs up towards their heads. I am sure they like that. I talk to them in that high-pitched mommy voice that grown-ups talk to me with...

...so I don't understand why they would ever want to leave me!Mom says I see the world through rose-colored glasses...or square cubes with holes in the center. Either way, it's all good!

Sometimes I just want to play around. I get pretty silly these days. My favorite games are "Where's Luke?" "Piggyback Ride" and anything my big brothers are doing...even if you think I am too small for it...especially if you think I am too small for it.

I can also be a rascal. My mom says I have special a rascal face I wear when I am doing something I think is sneaky so she knows right away that I'm up to something. But I don't think so...do you?

My big brothers are so funny! They make me laugh all the time. Especially when they try to take anything that's mine...and it's all mine...well, at least it's funny the first couple of times. I just run away, holding "my" thing, laughing. But when I am serious about them not taking "my" things I let them know by shouting "mine!" very loudly. And then crying if they won't leave me alone. This works almost every time. They always give it back because it makes them feel badly when I cry. Unless Mom steps in. She can be a real party pooper.
Someone taught me how to do this cool thing with my tongue recently. It's for times I don't want to do what you tell me. Like smile for the camera. And that's pretty much all the time, so now I do it all the time. I'm getting pretty good. Isn't it great?!

Mommy's my best friend. But daddy's pretty cool too. I don't like being away from either of them for very long. If I do get brave and decide to wander off a bit, I usually go back for regular check-ins. I know they worry, and I want to show them I'm still close.

Water is another of my favorite things. As long as it's warmish, I'm good. Give me a bath, and I will love you forever. And I am so good at telling mom when I am done! But make sure you take me out BEFORE you open the drain. I don't like that. If you forget this, I will let you know quickly by shouting, "Help! Help!" until someone gets me out or I get sucked down the drain. It hasn't happened yet, but I am sure it's going to any day now while mom is busy getting my towel or helping one of my brothers. Slides are my favorite piece of play equipment. But you don't really need a "slide" to do some sliding. I slide down everything from the bathtub walls to the restaurant booth back to Grandma's driveway. However, there is a catch. If I am actually going to slide, I prefer slides that are only 2 to 3 feet. Longer than that, I would rather just sit at the top, thinking about sliding. I don't know why, but this seems to annoy the other kids. But the crying thing works there too. Come to think of it, the crying thing works with pretty much everyone, except mom and dad. Somehow she knows when I am really crying and when I am crying to get my way. Hmmm...

Yeah, it's great being small in a big world. There is so much to see and do! If you need a suggestion, just ask me. Like I said at the beginning, I am a big talker these days!

Time With Family: The Greatest Gift of a Visit Home

So there's only one big vacation adventure left, but first I needed to post about the best part of being home: our families. We love it here in Colorado Springs, it is somewhere I can imagine settling for our lives, but with our family so far away, I can't imagine it ever really feeling like "home" here. These wonderful people are our closest friends and most cherished confidants and we love them all with every bit of our hearts! When we are away we feel the hole that not having them close leaves in our hearts, and love every bit of the time we get with them, even though it just leaves us wanting more!

These pictures don't include everyone, since a lot of pictures with family are in the previous posts, but here are some snapshots I loved that didn't get into earlier postings!

Luke with Great Auntie Sara and Auntie Saucy.

Angie and Alea with sweet Camden.

Sis and Dad on our beach walk.

The two most important men in my life, Dad and Adam.Leah, Mom and Bek.

Josh helping Uncle Ryan water his garden.

Uncle Zach helping our Zach with his first "Lighting the Fireworks" Fourth!

Grandma Nic reading to Luke.

Steven and Zach. Ben and Zach really enjoyed hanging out with their older cousin, and I think he had fun playing "big brother" too!Ryan and Adam.My guys with Grandma Pat.

Zach and Tutu.

Josh snuggling his baby cousin, Camden.

After watching Josh, Luke had to get a turn with Cami too, which was great to see since he wouldn't have anything to do with her (or allow me to have anything to do with her) most of the earlier 2/3rds of the trip! Dan and Ryan above Phelps Lake.Nana, Josh and Ben hangin' on the couch with Jax.

Mike, Kylie and Angie at Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone with us. Tutu with Josh and Ben in her kitty sweatshirt she wore just for the boys.

My Uncle Wayne and Cousin Dave, building the perfect, safest, strongest ladder up a tree ever built, just for the love of my boys!

Our little lover boy, Josh, giving some love to his Tutu (we call her "Tutu" because it is Hawaiian for Grandmother and my Grandma Jackie lived her teen years through my dad's teen years in Hawaii, where my family has a lot of roots, believe it or not--can't you tell with all my native Hawaiian features?).

Me, Tutu and Leah, my sis.

Tutu getting in a game of ball with Luke.

My mom's oldest sister, Barb, with myself and Tutu at one of the many backyard barbecues held at my parent's house.

My sis, my cuz, Dave and I at a Moroccan restaurant before heading to listen to the jazz group Acoustic Alchemy at Jazz Alley in Seattle. I'm not a huge fan of jazz, but Acoustic Alchemy was the favorite jazz group of my Auntie Pat, my mom's middle sister and a wonderful woman, who died four years ago of colon cancer.

My dad, mom, and cuz Bek, Auntie Pat's daughter, who was also up for the weekend to visit everyone and see Acoustic Alchemy. Remembering and honoring Pat's memory this way made the night extra special.

We love you all! And miss you already....