Backpacking Adventure!

We went on our first family backpacking trip this weekend. Here we are all smiles ready to trek 3 and 1/2 miles through the Wenatchee National Forest to Eight Mile Lake. Emma was our strong little hiking girl on the lookout for special coins the magical forest fairies left along the trail for her and Claire. Camden got to ride in style on my back and Chris was basically the family pack mule with our gear! It was an ambitious adventure, but I am proud to say that we made it!

We made it to camp! Emma and I found a cozy spot in the warm sunshine to relax.

Talk about Mother Nature at her best!

Emma, Chris, and Camden are ready for our camp cook (Chris Warthen) to bring on the chow!
The highlight of our trip: hanging out as a family in the tent. It was too cold and windy to be outside once the sun went down, so we sang songs and told stories inside.
Good morning! Aimee, Claire, and Emma warmed up with some hot chocolate and are ready to pack up and hike back out. Here come the troops!
(Emma, Chris, Claire, Aimee, and Chris W.)

Fun in Leavenworth

Friday afternoon we set out for Leavenworth, Washington to get a jump start on our backpacking trip. The people of Leavenworth thought their town looked so much like a little village in Bavaria, they decided to make everything look as if you were really in Germany. We had a terrific time wandering around town and enjoyed some delicious German treats!

Camden swimming away in the pool at our hotelEmma showing off her GIANT pretzel (probably the best one I've ever eaten!!)
You can't eat at a German restaurant without beer!

Camden and Chris showing off their new trick

Hot fun in the summertime

We've been having a Washington heat wave the past few days. It's nothing compared to those sticky, miserable August days in Japan or Iowa, but the backyard pool was definitely the place to be yesterday evening. Camden loved it when Chris squirted him with the hose and would fill up buckets of water from the pool and pour them on himself. :) Emma practiced her swimming skills the best she could in our little pool.

Our first harvest!

The kids and I went to check out our garden and discovered that we have zucchini. Not just any zucchini, but county fair winning ones! :) I'm going to be a zucchini-bread-making-fool over the next few days!

Pajama Party

After a refreshing bath this evening, Emma asked, "Can I please watch something in Mommy and Daddy's bed?" So she loaded up with some books and settled in to watch a cartoon. It didn't take long for Camden to find Emma and insist on joining her. I had fun sitting back and watching what turned into a little pajama party. :)

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Last week, Emma and I had a little Kasparek girls trip to the beach with our good friends, the Warthens. Aimee's family has been spending summers on the Oregon Coast for over 30 years and we were lucky to be able to join them for a few days. The beach was gorgeous and reminded me of Maine (including the cool temps!) We had a fabulous time checking out all the sights around this neat beach town.

We took a wonderful little train ride along the coast. Here we are on the train with Lisa, Nora, Tammie, Claire, and Aimee.Emma ended up taking a nap on the return trip. Can you tell she's not in the mood to take a picture with Claire, Aimee, and me?My 2 favorite little train engineers! The following day, we headed to Tillamook, Oregon, home of the famous Tillamook Cheese! We toured the factory and had a great time watching them make cheese.Here are two goofy dairy farmers with the Tillamook cows! On our last day we explored Ecola State Park. Here are Claire and Emma with Cannon Beach in the background.What a great girls trip we had!!! Hopefully we can bring the guys with us next summer!

Emma and Claire had a great time running along the trail finding flowers.

The girls also put quite a few miles on their tricycles riding around the parking lot at the beach house and along the sidewalks of downtown Cannon Beach.

Super Siblings

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the famous Kasparek siblings. Now that Camden is changing from a baby to a toddler (it's tough for me to admit that!), it has been fun watching his relationship with Emma grow. His personality is really coming out and he now knows what he wants (and what he doesn't want!) The days of Emma simply trading any old toy with Camden is long gone-he will protest if he doesn't want to share. He looks up to his big sister and wants to do what ever she does. We're very proud of Emma for being patient with him and being a great big sister!