We are loving the summer time and all the splash pads around Spokane. We went to the same splash pad twice this week and they loved it. They found a puddle of muddy water to play in which was way cooler than the actual water features.
I love this shot of Elliot getting splashed. He wasn't quite ready for it.
They recently discovered that they love climbing in the tubes on the play sets.
We love hiking in the Liberty Lake area and this time we actually took the boys. The trail was perfect for the double stroller. We stopped at a spot by the stream and Landon and Elliot enjoyed splashing in the water. They would have gotten all the way in if we had let them.
In the last couple of weeks, I have noticed big changes in Landon and Elliot. Their little minds are taking in so much everyday and it is fun watching them explore. About a week ago we met up with some friends at the park for their little boy's birthday. Landon and Elliot loved this toy and knew exactly what they were supposed to do: rock back and forth as quickly as possible. So cute to watch!
It seems like they do new stuff all day long, but I can't remember most of it. They both finally starting waving "bye" consistently. For a while, they both did a double arm wave, but I think they have moved on to a single hand wave now.
The biggest thing I have noticed in the past couple of days is how much they love to imitate me, Brooks or each other. If one of them is making noises waving his hand in front of his mouth, the other will stop what he is doing and start making noises waving his hand in front of his mouth. They have also been trying to copy words I say, animal noises I make, or songs I sing to them. They both enjoy looking through the book with animal pictures and listening to me make the animal noises. Who wouldn't enjoy that, seriously? Landon loves the bee's buzzing and Elliot's favorites are the barking dog and the roaring bear. Elliot does a pretty mean roar of his own. (Although Brooks thinks it sounds like a raspy smoker's voice.) One of thier favorite things to copy is a fake sneeze. They tip their head back and then swing it forward as they make a noise kind of like a sneeze.
A few months ago, Landon and Elliot started babbling and since then I have been trying to pin point a first word for each of them. They have said the usual mama, dada, gaga, nana, etc. but nothing that seems to have real purpose. This morning Brooks swears Elliot said Landon's name. I then tried to get Landon to say Elliot's name and he definitely tried to copy me and made some kind of "L" sound.
When Elliot and Landon play, they each have their own way of doing things. Both boys will find an object they are interested in and start playing. Pretty soon, Landon realizes that Elliot's toy is much cooler than his current toy and so he heads over to check it out (aka - steal it.) Sometimes Elliot gets mad, but often times he just moves on to another toy. Of course within a few minutes, when Landon sees Elliot with something cool, the cycle begins again. I try and intervene sometimes, but it happens too many times a day to control. Elliot is learning how to get things back or sometimes he just waits until Landon gets bored with the toy, which usually doesn't take too long.
And here are a few videos mostly for the gandparents and family that doesn't see the boys often. There are a few more on my Vimeo site I didn't post here.
Last week we got a babysitter and went on a hike together. We have hiked in Liberty Lake many times, but this was the first time we hiked the entire loop. It was about 7 miles long and it leads up to a set of waterfalls. We started up the mountain a different way than before and it was a long incline. By the time we got to more even trails, my legs were ready for a break. There weren't too many people on the trails and it was a great day for hiking.
This was taken from the edge of the switchbacks coming back down the mountain. What a great view of Liberty Lake!
At the very end of the hike, we saw this baby moose. We were looking around for the mom, but never saw her.
On our way up, some rangers on quads passed us looking for an injured hiker. Once we got to the waterfall, we found out that it was a woman who had fallen and broken her leg. The quads couldn't get all the way to her and they had to carry/roll her out on a stretcher. We passed them on our way down the mountain and it looked like they were having a hard time getting her down.
By 9:00 am, I had two boys with scratches and bumps on their heads; Elliot's from a run in with the edge of a dresser and Landon's from a face plant on the concrete. When Brooks gets home he is going to wonder what happened to his kids.
They have a tiny "cat" zoo here in Spokane, which mostly has a bunch of tigers. It took about 30 minutes to see everything we wanted to see. Although there aren't a lot of animals, the animals you do see are pretty close in proximity. Landon and Elliot were both intrigued by the pacing tigers.
Brooks had a week or so off from school before he started working at the Attorney General's office. He is also taking a summer school class which ends the end of June. He has been home a bit more than during the regular school year, but he is still busy. One way he gets away from all the stress of everyday is going on bike rides. It stays light until about 9:00 now and so he goes on rides after the boys lay down for bed. These are some of the pictures he has taken and then edited: another thing he enjoys doing in his spare time. We are all enjoying the weather and all the amazing places to go in Spokane.
On Monday, we headed out to a couple of the great parks in Spokane. First we went to Manito and walked around all the gardens. We saw the Japanese garden, the blossoming lilac trees, the rose gardens (not quite in bloom yet) and we walked around the greenhouse full of flowers.
After Manito, we went to Riverfront Park. We rode the carousel, played at the playground, bought donuts from the donut stand and shared shaved ice. Elliot and Landon were both begging for more when they tried the donuts and the shaved ice. Ian, Landon & Elliot were triplets for the day with matching shirts.
Brooks and Sterling went for a bike ride one morning in Liberty Lake. They rode part of the trail and then ditched the bikes and hiked the rest of the way up to the falls.
We are loving the summer time and all the splash pads around Spokane. We went to the same splash pad twice this week and they loved it. They found a puddle of muddy water to play in which was way cooler than the actual water features. 
I love this shot of Elliot getting splashed. He wasn't quite ready for it.
We love hiking in the Liberty Lake area and this time we actually took the boys. The trail was perfect for the double stroller. We stopped at a spot by the stream and Landon and Elliot enjoyed splashing in the water. They would have gotten all the way in if we had let them.
We love hiking and graham crackers!
On Monday, we headed out to a couple of the great parks in Spokane. First we went to Manito and walked around all the gardens. We saw the Japanese garden, the blossoming lilac trees, the rose gardens (not quite in bloom yet) and we walked around the greenhouse full of flowers.
Brooks and Sterling went for a bike ride one morning in Liberty Lake. They rode part of the trail and then ditched the bikes and hiked the rest of the way up to the falls.
