so m's been potty training for a few weeks now. she's been doing a pretty good job overall. we told her she'd get a marble every time she went pee-pee on the potty. within a few days, she had earned ten, which we promised would merit a new swimsuit. so off to target we went to pick out the cute little number you see below. and, a few days later, we took her to the rec center to strut her stuff. it was a lovely little family date, and m could not have been happier in her cool suit. she even went potty (in the toilet, mind you, not the pool) two times while we were there. nice work, little lady.
swimmer girl (32 months old)
other fun developments: m is a big fan of praying before meals now. she usually wants us all to pray. when it's her turn, she actually has some wonderful things to say to Jesus. sometimes she even says an extra "amen" in the middle of her prayer. never hurts.
m's also quite fond of the library these days. lately she's been enjoying amelia bedelia ("milly dilly," in her words) and lots of other classics. she also likes to "read" e books from time to time.
other m words: "klanteen," her name for her water bottle, which is called a klean kanteen. and she's loving plurals lately, even adding an extra "es" here and there ("sockses," "shirtses," etc.).
one i-love-being-a-mom story from this past week: at bedtime, as I was changing e’s diaper and after m climbed into her bed, m sat with her head tilted to the side and said, “i love you, b.” i responded with "i love you, too.” she then said, “i really like you. you’re so pretty,” to which I said, “m, you’re so sweet” and gave her a big hug. then she said, “our love echilla-chuller.” (we love each other.) i just smiled and laughed and hugged her...lots of times. and then when i checked on her 20 minutes later, i walked in and she said, “b, i missed you” as she put her arms around me. i said, “you missed me? ah, m…” and she said, “i love you, too.” oh my. love her.
e is now nine months old (what?!) with two little bottom teeth, is starting to say “mama” and “dada,” does a little arm shake for a wave, says “buh” for ball, does the sign for “more,” had her first pureed curry last night, and won a blinking contest with the guy next to us in line at the post office earlier today. love her, too.
B & E on a bike ride/family picnic 
E doing a little exploring of her own
A & M, the proud climbers
Our first family camping trip
M's first s'more
Yummmm
Putting on multiple layers on top of pajamas (it was really really cold)
Time for bed!
A's first day kayaking with his new boat, and M's making sure it's ready to go
Practicing on a little rapid
Taking on a significantly larger rapid (feel free to click on any of these five pictures for a close-up view of A's true feelings during the adventure)
He made it!
Smooth operator
The Boon family visits!
Jason and C
B and Jen
Funny daddy
E and M sip their lattes (okay, waters) and eat their scones
E and E share a fun moment
M and Jen work the camera
Happy E
Us (E 10 months, M 2.75)
A on a backpacking trip with the boys
College and camp mountain-top reunion: A, Brian, Niles, and Jason
