tuesday.

nearly every tuesday afternoon, kj & mommy join a group of friends to play, trek, chat, and eat snacks. we try to hit different parks throughout the town. this particular tuesday was likely one of duluth's top ten days of summer, and a perfect day to be lakeside. the kiddos did a little more trekking than the mamas perhaps (up & down the giant hill), but fun was had by all. we are so thankful for this group of moms & babes!

big truck.

kj has developed a liking for "beeeg truck!"s. being that we are a one-car family with a small saturn sedan, we are mostly just looking at beeeg trucks & no-so-much experiencing them from a rider's or driver's perspective. all that changed the weekend we borrowed a beeeg truck from some kind & generous friends. ;) HUGE thanks to the hoxie's & their dreamy red truck -- you played an essential part in helping us get our yard projects done!!

garden.

as promised, here are some photos of our community veggie garden, complete with deer fence, fancy door (my favorite part) and growing veggies! cross your fingers for the coming produce...

grandma's.

this isn't just anybody's grandma. this is the grandma's of duluth... an all-out, lakeside-view, crowd-winning 26.2-miler. and it was nj's first marathon -- way to go, daddy!! 3:36 and happy, that was our daddy. and our dear friend, mm, who is headed to boston come springtime. yeah for great teamwork & a great race all-around for both of them!

littles.

it's really fun to have little friends come over & play. kj especially loves c & e-- c is great at devising games for the three of them, while e, being only several days older than kj, is right on her level most of the time. it is really fun to watch their social interactions develop as they grow... and, i suppose two out of three kids looking at the camera during snacktime isn't bad, right? ;)

p'02+.

a reunion to remember! smack in the middle of nebraska, at a comfy dream home, hosted by a generous family, with none other than rj's lovely college roommates. planned more than a year in advance, all five of us were able to make the trip, and most of the families were in tow. this meant kj found fast friends in two other gals her age plus a couple of swift-footed boys. what a blast! thank you, dears, for refreshing my heart & giving my family such a fun fun vacation.

girlfriends.

girlfriends from the start!

table.

how can you tell when a poppa loves a kj? when he gifts her with a beautifully handcrafted picnic table in just her size! that is one lucky girl, i tell ya.