Vashon 2011

Vashon Island, Washington

This is the house where Erik's grandmother and her 6 brothers and sisters were born. The house that was built by Erik's great-grandfather who traded the beauty of Norway for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The house that has heard the conversations of adults and the giggles of children for 100 years.

Each summer, our kids slide down the same sand dunes that Erik and his cousins climbed. They discover starfish and anemones in the same tidepools that Erik's mom and her cousins explored. They play at the water's edge of beautiful Puget sound, just as four generations of children have played.

Thank you, Vashon, for all of the memories so far. We look forward to many, many more.

HAPPY FALL!

Guest of honor

Not that he really cared, or even noticed, but Levi was kind of the guest of honor this year. It comes with the territory when you are the new baby at a big family event.

This what what he did most of the afternoon.

But when he made his grand appearance, look out! There was never a shortage of arms waiting to hold him.

Dad got first dibs.

Claire was next, which included a few kisses, of course!

My aunt enjoyed a few minutes worth...

...as did my cousin.


I love these pictures of G.G.smiling and talking to her newest great-grandchild. I love even more that she prays for our kids (and us) regularly.




This cousin got the lion-share of Levi time. This was before he ate (as you can tell by the give-me-food look on his face).

And this was after (as you can tell by the just-in-case-he-spits-up bib).

Welcome to the family, Levi!

Nephews

I have some pretty good-lookin' nephews, so I thought I'd give them a post all to themselves. Watch out...cute pictures ahead!

This cute little redhead looks like he could belong to me.

I've been tempted to take him back to CA with me - maybe lure him into the minivan with the promise of a trip to Disneyland - but I think my brother and sister-in-law might miss him a little. We're going to have to work on that, though. Twice a year is just not enough nephew time for me.



And this one I need around to fill me in on all of the stuff I don't know yet.

Seriously...if cute wasn't enough, this kid knows waaaaay more trivia than a kid his age should know. Or a grown-up should know.

In this picture he ALMOST pulled off a Dr. Evil impression. We'll have to work on that - maybe when he joins his brother in CA with us. It might be a little harder to pull off, but I think we could convince people that he is mine too.

And here are a few more of my mini-me, because I know that 2nd children get a little cheated when it comes to photo representation (just ask his dad).

And I happened to catch some great playground moments.

And he has red hair.

YAHOO!!

Bruchmiller Family Reunion

My mom's family gets together every year for a family reunion. It is fun to see aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, and, of course, our precious grandma, who now goes by G.G. - a name given to her by her first great-grandchild (at least that's where I think it came from.)

Here is a pic of G.G. and me! She writes the BEST letters (but that's a post for another time). It is always a blessing to spend time with her.

And here she is with some of her great-grandchildren. At the reunion this year, it was just my brother's kids and mine.

So what do we do at these reunions? Well, we EAT (boy, do we eat), but I didn't get a picture of that. I guess I was too busy eating.

We also play...



(if you didn't notice, that is my mom's hand at the edge of the picture - coming to stop the water war before someone got a direct shot to the eye or a camera got wet)

we share pictures...

and we talk...

and talk...

and talk...

and talk.




This is what Levi thought about all of that talking.

Don't worry, buddy.

Next year you can get water sprayed in your eye during the drinking fountain water war.

Levi

Seeing as my last post was in February, and some significant changes have happened in our lives since then, it's probably time to post SOMETHING. What better initiation back into blogging than some newborn pictures of our precious Levi! Here are 3 of my favorites.

There will surely be more to come!

HAWAII Here We Come!!

Ever since Erik and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on a Hawaiian cruise, we have been itching to get back. We have only been the one time, and we had short day visits at each of the major islands - a great way to see the unique qualities of each island, but not enough time to really explore and experience all the islands have to offer. Claire has never been, but it's the number one place she wants to visit.

Sooo...after years of charges on our Alaska Airlines credit card, we now have enough airline miles to get the three of us to Maui for a week. We found a great studio condo in Kihei (thanks to all the friends who shared the VRBO tip) and with a full kitchen, we'll be able to save money on meals too - what a deal!!

Click here to see where we'll be staying.

Can't wait!!