Our Return to Moscow

We have now been in Moscow for a week and a half and it feels like we never left. Just before leaving Coeur d'Alene Lyza turned 8 months old! Here are a couple of her 8 month pictures. It is getting tricky to take these pictures now that Lyza is so mobile and doesn't sit around for very long.

 We packed the truck on Wednesday. I would bring boxes to the window and Daniel would put them in the truck. Things went faster than expected and by the time we had our helpers arrive we had everything packed except the piano and the crib. We got everything in the truck and left Thursday morning.

 It has been great getting back to Moscow and seeing our friends. We went to Moose Creek Reservoir last week for a bon fire and some fishing. Daniel tried fly fishing for the first time and even caught a fish! Here is a picture of Whitney and me watching the boys fish on the dock.

 Last Saturday the 3 of us drove out to Elk River Waterfall. We did a 2 mile loop that takes you to 3 waterfalls. Here is a picture of the first falls, lower falls.

 The next set of falls was middle falls.

 And not surprising the last set of falls was called Upper Falls.

 These were our favorite falls not only because they were beautiful but there was a deep pool at the base of the falls to swim in. It was a hot day and it felt great getting in that water! We were the only ones at the falls and it felt like our own little paradise.

 Even Lyza joined in on the fun!

 Getting ready to leave.

 Lyza is getting better and better at pulling herself up and standing. She is quite proud of herself too!

 Last Sunday wearing her new dress! What a little princess!

 This week I got a little older and VERY spoiled! We had had a rough night with Lyza and despite our lack of sleep Daniel managed to get up early and make me some delicious banana pancakes for breakfast. When Daniel got home from school he let me open my gift from him and Pat and Brenda.  A fancy new sewing machine which was a TOTAL surprise! This new machine is a huge upgrade from my previous sewing machine and I can't wait to start sewing.
After that we took Lyza to Dustin and Whitney's who had so graciously offered to babysit so we could go out on a date. It was our first time leaving Lyza with someone other than family. Whitney said she didn't cry at all and had a great time while we were gone.

 Daniel and I enjoyed a delicious meal at Gambino's, an Italian restaurant. I took this picture when we were finished eating. Our meals were so big we only made it through about half of our food! But we certainly weren't complaining about all of the yummy leftovers we got the next day :)

 After we picked up Lyza we went home and ate some birthday cake.

 Last night we went with a few families to Julietta to pick blackberries. I forgot to take a picture while we were picking but after we all got together and made some blackberry ice cream. The berries were so juicy and yummy! We all hung out for a while and visited and I got to play with their 2 month old baby Madison.

 They even surprised me with a birthday cake. It is nice having such good friends.

 Lyza had fun playing with her friend Quinn. It mostly consisted of Lyza pulling Quinn's hair and trying to poke her eyes.....we will have to work on her social skills!

That is our busy week in a nutshell!

Our Last Chapter in Coeur d'Alene

I can't believe summer is almost over and we will be moving in just a few days. We have had a GREAT summer in Coeur d'Alene and will be sad to leave. We have been able to do so much in this area and have had a really fun summer.
So here is our last post of what life has been like in Coeur d'Alene.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago when we hiked Tubbs hill. We went in the evening and got to watch a beautiful sunset as we hiked along the shore line.

  A suspension bridge we walked over on Tubbs Hill.

 A couple of weeks ago Lyza cut her first tooth! Since then she has gotten the matching tooth on the bottom.

 Lyza loves to sit on the rocking chair and rock herself.

 In the evenings we love going for walks to various parks, laying out a blanket and playing with Lyza or throwing a frisbee while she plays.

 Last week we went to a festival called Art on the Green. One of the exhibits was this huge sandcastle.

 This park is a short walk from our apartment. It is so beautiful and I will miss our walks here.

 I could eat her up she is so cute!!!!

 Lyza is very busy lately going from room to room and getting into anything she can. One of her favorite new toys is my box of tupperware. She makes sure to take out every piece, throw them all around the kitchen....and she is proud of it!

 There is something so mesmerizing about watching a sleeping baby.

 Lyza LOVES to watch us vacuum. Sometimes she will just sit and watch us and other times she will chase us all over trying to catch the vacuum.

 "Don't worry Mom.....I'll empty this box for you" :)

 This week Lyza learned to pull herself up. I have been using her pack and play as a wall to keep her away from the front door and our shoes. Looks like I will need a taller wall.

 There she goes.....

 Mission accomplished!!!! Such a proud moment for her.

She LOVES it when Daddy will lift her up so she can touch the ceiling. She squeals and giggles as soon as she touches it. 

 Such a big girl.

 Lyza and I hanging out at the park while Dad is working.

 We read books...

 discovered grass....

 did some bird watching....

 and called ALL of our friends.

 If we are in Coeur d'Alene next summer we will definitely be taking Lyza to this park. It looks like it would be a blast.

 

 Here is a video of Lyza playing and babbling at the park.

 Ignore my bed head in this next picture....Lyza FINALLY slept through the night last night and when she woke up she was super cuddly. It was so much fun! She is usually too busy to give cuddles but she sat with me on the couch for an hour and gave me lots of luvs and cuddles. What a great Saturday morning.

 Saturday was a beach day for us which ended up being a lot of fun. I decided that we did not go to the beach nearly enough this summer and will have to do better next year!

 We had some little ducks come and visit us.

 One of Lyza's favorite games is pulling on Daddy's hair. She thinks it is a riot! I'm glad Daniel doesn't mind because I certainly don't let her pull on my hair.

 Time to check out the sand.

 So excited to have Dad's phone.

 Love my girl.

 Chug, chug, chug!

 Lyza fell asleep so we layed her on a blanket to sleep and thought we would go for a quick swim. We made it to about our ankles before she woke up and realized we weren't there.

 So we decided she could come in with us.

 Little sandy toes

 I wish that swimsuit came in my size....although I couldn't pull it off quite as well.

 "Yea for beach days!"

 

 Here are a few more videos of Lyza:

 

Lyza thinks it is pretty fun sitting in the rocking chair all by herself.

With some encouragement Lyza will take a few steps while we hold her hands.

 Hope you all have a good week and we will post again once we make it back to Moscow!