Palouse Falls

I finally have something to post about. We finally adventured out into the unknown. It seems to happen more often when we have family in town. We headed northeast, about an hour and a half outside of the Tri-Cities, to Palouse Falls State Park. The falls drop from a height of 200 ft. and are one of Washington's most beautiful waterfalls.
Jason, Lauren, and I
Elaine and Chris
A view of the upper Palouse Falls and Palouse River.

We hiked down into the canyon to the upper waterfalls. It was less than a mile, so really easy. (I think Lauren was saying a prolonged "Ouch," in this picture.)

I was reading some interesting facts on the Palouse Falls website. I've never heard of the Marmes Rock Shelter until now, but this is what the site had to say. "The Marmes Rock Shelter was the site of a 1968 archeological dig. Geologists unearthed remains of the "Marmes Man." Among the oldest human remains found in the western hemisphere, Marmes Man is estimated to be 10,000 years old. Approximately 1.25 miles upstream from the mouth of the Palouse, a levee surrounds a murky pool below a shallow basalt cave. The remains of at least five individuals were excavated from a fire hearth in the cave."

It pays to adventure out. There is always something spectacular to see and so much history to learn. Washington has around 140 state parks. Our plan is to visit as many as we can.

We are down by two!

ICE CREAM!

Lauren is 2 1/2 years old and this is the first ice cream cone she has ever had. Is Lauren deprived or are we lame parents? Whatever the answer may be, she sure did enjoy it! Delicious!

It's Party Time

Lauren was invited to a birthday party for her friend Aidan this past Friday.
For entertainment there was the pinata:Hitting this pinata with the bat is just not doing much.

Maybe tearing the paper off the pinata will get them closer to the candy and toys inside.

Then, there was the pole hanging:

Aidan and Lauren are tough, as well as, Matt (Aidan's dad) for holding them up time after time.

Luckily, there weren't any serious injuries to report after this night. No black eyes from swinging the bat, no broken legs when falling from the pole...only tears when saying goodbye.

An Artist Within

Lauren has been under the weather for the last five days. She got hit with a cold and then the stomach flu. What an experience! Today Lauren is finally on the road to recovery, I think. She is back to running around, jumping, laughing, playing with her toys, and coloring. I love watching her color. She can become so focused on what she is doing.
She is a spectacular artist!

As Lauren likes to say, "Ta-dah!" Her finished masterpiece...

Say "Cheeeessssseee!"

Sweetheart

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to as of late. Lauren and her buddy Aidan enjoy spending time together, as do their two mothers. There are times when both Lauren and Aidan become very protective of their toys. It usually ends up being a tug-of-war. Then, there are moments of laughter.

We've had a few good days here and there when the temperature makes it to 50 degrees. Lauren and I take advantage of it by going out in our backyard to play on the swing set. Lauren's all time favorite thing to do is swing. I get so tired of standing out there pushing, that my lazy inclination is to take out a chair to sit on while I push her. I know, how pathetic. Now we're both content.

I've decided that I need to be better at writing things down that Lauren does and says. I used to be someone that wrote in my journal everyday throughout high school and college. When I got married I kind of stopped. I probably write in my journal four times a year. I've noticed that my memory is suffering because of this, so I need to get back in the habit.

One thing I want to remember happened the other day. It was soooo cute!! Lauren's new thing is to run back to our bed, climb up it, and get under the covers. She pretends to be scared and usually Jason and I have to go back with her because she insists on it. The other day Lauren and I were under the covers. She put her arms around my head and called me a sweetheart. I started laughing really hard because she has never done that before. My laughing made her laugh, so we were giggling together. It was a moment I don't want to forget. I love the sound of her laugh. Her laughter erases every whine or cry throughout the day. I love love love her!