Seattle & lake Summer - 2005

We tried to spend as much time as possible up at the lake given the amazing weather we have been having, and visiting with friends that we are already missing… 

Summer at the Lake

Sophia with her cool glasses


















on the deck at the lake - Sophia lived in her bathing suit almost every day & loved being in the water...










Swimming with her cousin Sean













MacKenzie Lee and Sophia Grace sunning themselves by their pool. Can't you just see them as old ladies?

Parks before vacation

As we wind down the last few days in Paris before leaving on our August vacation we have gone to quite a few new parks.  Sophia seems to be quite patient with our long walks, as long as we end up at a place where she can run & run…

The park Tuileries is one of our favorites because we can all get treats at the end!

Park Monceau has amazing architectural elements, and a great playground!

And picnics at Park Ranelagh

A new view is from the Allee des Cygnes, and the amazing view of the Eiffel Tower.

Biking in Amsterdam

A little nervous as the ride begins!Sophia even had her own handlebars to assist Daddy in the steering.
Biking thru Vondelpark.
Sophia still has yet to meet a rock she doesn't like to play with!

On our last full day in Amsterdam Troy wasn't working, so we were able to rent bikes and get a new tour of the city. The kids seats on the bikes are great, as they are attached to the handlebars, so Sophia had a view of everything happening (at great speed). She was a little afraid of the bike at first, so she had her friend Leo the Lion on the seat with her. After we got going, things were much better!

Amsterdam & Uncle Brehan

Brehan & a friend of his came from Hamburg to hang out with us for a couple of days while Troy was working. Needless to say Sophia was in heaven!

Amsterdam Canals

The hotel we stayed at had their own boat tour on the "Queen of the Canal," a very old wooden boat that we all loved. It was a great trip, and Sophia loved being on the water.

Did we mention that Sophia has new teeth? All of her first molars are in!

Amsterdam

The leaning Canal Houses. Houses were taxed based on the amount of canal frontage, so many homes were narrow in front, and then expanded in the back.
Troy & Sophia at the hotel's boat dock.
Sophia in a big girl's chair on a calm corner (normally there are giant people on bicycles flying by!)
Love the swings, the hotel received extra stars from us just for these.

Troy had another speaking engagement, so we all hopped the train to Amsterdam for the week. We love attaching some family travel to his business travel, the hotels are usually fantastic & this was no exception. We stayed at the Pulitzer Hotel ~ HIGHLY recommended ~ which is right on one of the canals. It is made up of at least 20 canal houses turned into various hotel rooms, and has a garden in the center, complete with SWINGS!!! Sophia was in heaven.

The weather wasn't great, we just missed the really hot days, but we had a great time wandering thru the streets, doing some shopping, and being mistaken for being Dutch (tall, blonde, with a stroller made me a local). People were really sweet to us & Sophia, and we managed to avoid some of the craziness. However, there aren't any safety railings on the canals, so Sophia had to spend most of her time in the stroller. Very frustrating for a new walker!

A Walk in the Park

It has been so hot this summer in Paris, and we have spent a lot of time out & about learning about our new neighborhood and looking for new play parks near us. It has been great for Sophia's walking, not so good for our exercise levels (a 45 min walk is now about 3 blocks long instead of across the city), but she has a blast!