Life with the Conleys

Not too many pictures have been taken around here lately. It's regrettable considering the lapse in picture taking came during Halloween and Thanksgiving. We took just a few pictures of Eli in his Halloween costume but it was at the end of the night and he was tired and not particularly cooperative by then. Halloween was a lot of fun though. Some friends invited us over for dinner and then the children went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. This was our first Halloween in our house and it was really fun to see all the kids going around. Eli the Dragon or Dinosaur. You can pick.  Resting after pillaging the village. The week before Thanksgiving my family came to visit. It was great to have everyone together again. We didn't take any pictures though, we were too busy having fun, eating food, and playing volleyball. Also, my dad was able to fix our freezer, which has leaked since we moved in. Yay!  The following week was actual Thanksgiving. After the hus

The winter rains have begun and with that come the back yard puddles that won't go away until next summer. Eli quite enjoys splashing but he does not enjoy his rain boots, which leads to many pairs of wet pants, socks, shoes, and occasionally pajamas. I let the dog out and he managed to escape too. Digging in puddles has never been so cute.  Stomping in puddles is also fun. We love this boy These two keep things exciting around here! Two weeks ago my SIL,  Angie, and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch. It was fun to see them all together and enjoying the day.  Getting a picture with all of them looking at the same time proved impossible.  The whole crew. Lilly Eli Rubber duck races Pumping the water Snack break. (L to R: Susan, Kimberly, Lilly, Andrew, Angie, Eli)

Eli reached the landmark age of 1.5 a few weeks ago. His doctor's check was today and here are his stats. He is 36" (that's right folks, 3 ft tall!) which falls in the 97%. He weighed in at 24 lbs 5 oz, which is only 30%. And his head circumference was in the 90%. So orange on a toothpick is an appropriate description.  His world revolves around food, trucks, and balls. Eating is one of his favorite activities and he eats almost everything. He points out every truck he sees and it is often accompanied by either "vroom vroom" or "bye truck" as it drives away. He loves to throw and kick any ball he can get his hands on.  This seems as good a time as any to post some videos from that past few months. The first is from early May and Eli is discovering the wonders of dandelion fluff. The second is from a few weeks ago and Eli was quite enjoying seeing himself on the screen of my phone. Who knew waving at yourself could be so very entertaining? 

We got a puppy! Little miss Luna was 8 weeks when we picked her up and she is 11 weeks now. She has grown so much in 3 weeks! Last weekend we did a camping/beach trip with some friends. I habitually forget the camera, so the pictures from the trip are from Josh's phone. Luna chillin' on the sand I love this picture. Eli discovered that one of the trees in our yard is mostly hollow. He really enjoys climbing in there to hang out.  Baby hiding in the trees Luna prefers this tree Crazy dog  She's a little sweetheart  We love Luna, but we do more than just dogs around here. Josh had a work outing to a Mariner's game that Eli and I were able to attend. They were handing out sunglasses. He's a pretty cool little dude. 

Josh's parents came to visit last week. We took them to Crystal Mountain and rode a gondola to the top. Crystal Mountain is right outside Mt. Rainier National Park and has incredible views of Rainier. You can also see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams.  Riding up Enjoying the ride Mt St Helens Hanging out at the top This fella and his compatriots were rather bothersome. Some kids started feeding the chipmunks and it made them very bold. One ran right up to Eli and scared him quite a bit.  Me, Eli, Nana, Papa Mt Rainier Isn't she lovely? We also took a trip to the tide pools and Ballard Locks while Shane and Becky were here. This outing included the Masons too (Josh's sister's family). We had a great day and loving having family around to spend time with. The whole gang making their way to the tide pools Rachel working on getting a good view Uncle Dan found a crab Josh found this one Naomi snuggling with

This weekend Josh, Eli, and I went on our first family camping trip. Some friends were supposed to accompany us but they all woke up sick the morning we were to leave. It would have been fun to have them there but we still had a nice time. We camped at a state park on Lake Easton. The water was really cold, or so I hear, but Eli didn't seem to mind the frigid water. After hitting the lake we roasted hot dogs and s'mores. A burn ban had been in effect, prohibiting campfires, but two days before we left a huge rainstorm came through and they lifted the ban. Yay! S'mores just aren't quite the same over a propane stove. The sleeping part of the trip could have been improved upon. Eli ended up in my sleeping bag for most of the night so I didn't really sleep until about 4am, when he went back into his own bed. Oh well. Who needs sleep? After a pancake breakfast we packed up and drove to the trail head for Scout Lake. The hike was about 3 miles round trip to a nice litt