Doing the sixth move since Julia's birth.

We've spent a full week in the Seattle area, mostly in Mount Vernon with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Gini. Activities have included going to the grocery store (remember, no buying power for a couple months makes getting salad ingredients a mystical experience) library, children's museums, playgrounds, visiting friends and hanging out with family.

Hanging out with Erin, who is cooking us an amazing breakfast of eggs and chard and avocado

In the Mt Vernon children's museum

very serious about her cash register duties

A rocking train!

and slides!

Grandma Gini gave Julia a new baby doll

hanging out with Grandma Gini

She was happy to see her table and chairs that Grandpa Dave made.

Pondering a career as an ice-cream truck driver

pondering a puddle

and running in with glee a second later

Making birthday cupcakes!

sampling the cupcakes!

and a little birthday party for Julia with Great Grandma Olive and some others at her care center.

She's very skilled at unwrapping, but less concerned with what she's opening

a little train!

a happy two year old!

At the Bellingham kids cafe where we had lunch with Julia's Godmother, Bekah.

hanging out with Grandpa Dave. She's no longer scared of him, and is rather charmed instead. Very cute!

at the Everett children's museum with Auntie Caroline. She's a big fan of her auntie too.

There was a pretty awesome rooftop playground to explore

and dinosaurs to meet

She found a skittles wrapper and looked at it like it was a golden ticket!

some kettle drum time

and a soapy sink bath at Auntie Caroline's apartment.

and oh, does she love an Iphone.

Grandpa Dave gave Julia a remote control car for her birthday. She loved it before the battery was inserted, but was rather scared after the remote capabilities were revealed.

at Grandma Gini's we had birthday brownies and ice cream.

 Julia's now two, and getting bigger. She still loves her baby dolls, and now sits down in a little chair to give them "nunnies." She's also nursed a little christmas m&m figure and a little plastic chipmunk figure, so her nurturing knows no bounds.
She is increasingly sensitive to low grade rumbling noises. It seemed to start when she got scared by a shop-vac awhile ago, and now she gets very nervous about any sort of rumbling, vibrating sound, such as that of an electric toothbrush or a remote-control car.
She asks about Daddy pretty regularly, but accepts hearing that he is teaching in Chuathbaluk. One morning she woke up crying for him, but that has only happened once and my heart just about broke.
This past week she's focused in on facial expressions in pictures, particularly sad faces, asking "sad??" in the sweetest concerned voice.
There's also been a noticeable increase in two word statements, often with her name involved, such as "ja-da down" or "baby sad?"

After a week of visits and play, we packed the car and drove south to Klamath Falls. Grandma Gini came along to entertain Julia and is returning by train. It was a very smooth trip, and I was grateful that Julia and I were not doing it alone. We took many breaks along the way, and a favorite of everyone was going to Ikea. Gini had never gone to one, so it was really fun to show it off. We made it all in one day, and when we reached the house and burst in, Julia saw Olaf and just leaped into his arms. It was very sweet! Gini stayed with us a day before returning by train. It was sad to see her go, since Julia is very fond of her.

taking a break at a playground.

swings!

Julia was really thrilled to be reunited with Olaf.

re-discovering her trikes

playing legos with Olaf

We celebrated Olaf's birthday two days after Julia's, with dinner and cake and presents and the m&m game. (we have a jar of m&ms, and everyone guesses the number. we count them and the winner gets praise and bragging rights. We've played this at every birthday since I was about 6, and it never gets old!) Now we are settling in again. I've got a week before my class starts, and I need to write a paper for my online class (developmental psych) and take one more test before I'm done with that. It's spring break for Olaf and Joe, so the house is full!
Dave has now applied for 80 principal and teaching jobs, and we're still waiting to see if any of them will result in interviews. I desperately hope that this summer we'll be moving a final time, and then not again for quite a few years!