7th Anniversary

We LOVE roadtrips.  Ever since David and I have been married we've taken at least one roadtrip a year.  Roadtrips with baby and doggy...whew, that's a whole 'nother kind of trip.  We will wait until our little one decides to sleep through the night before attempting these shennanigans again. On another note, we've been married for 7 years!!  To celebrate we decided to stop in Napa for some fun times.  We cut that trip short and rushed on back to Walla Walla though.  After being gone for 2 months, we were pretty anxious to be home!  Here's a few roadtrip/Napa shots:

 Oxbow Market...yum

 Ice Cream goodness!

 Best Anniversary ever!

 Best place to change a diaper!

 Love my boys!

 Quick dip in a river.

 A little chilly.

 Cleaning up with mama

 Our shady little spot on a very hot day!

Sammy and David splashing around a bit more...

Uncle Joey and Aunty Amy

We finally got around to visiting Joey and Amy in Bishop, CA.  The last time we saw J & A was at their wedding in Boise, ID...January 2011 (I think).  Anyways, it was great to spend a lazy, hot day in Bishop at their gorgeous house.  Can't wait to see them again!

 Fell right to sleep in Aunty Amy's arms...she is magic.

Hanging out with Uncle Joey.

Aubrey Marie Frantz

We were hoping while we were in California that Heather would go into labor and we'd get to meet our little niece.  Well, we were in luck--'cause Aubrey decided she was ready to make an appearance!  Here is David and Wyatt reading a book the day Heather went into labor:

 Perfect little baby girl, she was 3 weeks early and came in at a whopping 8 lbs and change.  Wish I had taken a picture of her dark hair...

 Love holding little Aubrey.  

Manoj and Arlene

These two lovebirds got engaged while we were in California!  Can't wait for their November wedding in South Carolina...

Emmelyn and Oliver

 Love seeing these two together!

 Uncle Las and Oliver!

Emmelyn, post-surgery, she was such a little trooper!

Adventures in Anchorage

 with Grandma

 Check out Oliver's John Deere cowboy boots!

 Quintessential Alaska

 Moosey and Davey

 Brother Bears

 Grandpa and Oliver soaking up some sun!

 Aunty Nilmini hydrating the little one!

It was quite handy having Uncle Taylor around!!  

Hudson Ruth Walter

Sometimes you get news you hope you never have to get. :(

Our dear friends lost their gorgeous baby girl Hudson Ruth three days after her birth (July 11, 2012).  We were in Dillingham, AK when we heard the news...

Sucker punched.  That's what news like that feels like.

Let me tell you about my friends...

Erica is all spunk, wit, laughter, and it seems joy is just ready to burst out of her at any given moment.  Hudson was born to an incredibly strong, dynamic woman. (I'll have to tell you how Erica broke her neck and then ran a marathon next time).  There is no question in my mind that Hudson would have been surrounded by love and joy from her Mommy continuously.  It is particularly difficult to see someone who chooses to life in such a profound way have something so important and precious taken from them.     

Zeb is the gentlest giant you'll ever meet.  He held Oliver days after he was born and it was awesome to see this burly manly man hold this little bitty baby.  Unsure at first, but careful, so very careful.  He even had this awesome wide-legged stance, just so he wouldn't tip over.  There is no question in my mind that Hudson would have been surrounded by strength and tenderness from her Daddy continuously.

Hudson's perfect little feet.  

I wish I could have seen Erica and Zeb raise Hudson.  It would have been a beautiful thing to watch.  Erica kept a blog throughout her pregnancy and has kept it up with posts about the "after".  Follow her blog here.

After you read Erica's blog and laugh and cry and marvel at this amazingly resilient couple, would you hold your loved ones a little closer and remember to tell them how much you love them...

Dillingham/Nushagak

 I wish I had taken a picture of Nilmini's face when she realized this lil warehouse was the airport!

 Loading up!

 David has impeccable fashion sense in Dillingham...

 It's always fun watching someone get in waders for the first time!

Who wears hoops with waders???!!  Apparently I do...took a while to switch from California style to Nushagak style.

No sleep for David between fishing and baby!

The Brothers Haberly (sounds like a band huh?) and Uncle Taylor in our fancy cabin.

Uncle Ryan and Oliver with their matching shirts.

Bathtime!!

Food time!!

Ryan, Brandon and Nil burn...ummm I mean ROAST some fresh coffee beans from Brandon's coffee plantation in Nicaragua.

To Alaska!

I'm slowly catching up with all our summer posts.  On July 5, Oliver, Nilu Aunty and I headed up to Alaska to see David and Taylor.  We made a quick stop to have some time with Grandma and Papa Crawford in Anchorage.  Here are some pics from that trip: