My New Sister!

Hi Everyone!

I got to stay with my Nana & Papa in Camas last night, and then this morning we got to get up early and go see my Mom, Dad, and my new baby sister, Esther Jane Dyk!

She was born this morning at 6:49AM (just 2 1/2 hours after my parents woke up!). She was 10 Lbs and 21.5" long! That is quite a bit bigger than I was! She is very cute, with dark hair right now, chubby cheeks.

Here are some photos of me with her, and also with my Uncle Bill and Nana.

First Trip to Dentist

I visited the dentist for the first time yesterday. It was a great experience! My dentist office is not your average dentist office, I must admit. It's got a super fun waiting room with computers, a kitchen, castle table (kind of like my train table) and a train that chugs along the room up by the ceiling.



When it was my turn to go in to see the dentist, I got to pick out a movie to watch. I watched a Thomas movie, of course. I did great during my cleaning and check-up, opening wide and didn't complain at all through the process. I even smiled super big for mom when it was over. My dentist said I have really healthy teeth and so I got to pick out two toys on my way out! I got a bumpy ball and yo-yo. I already asked Mom if I could go back again!

A Very Busy Hot Summer

It has been hot, hot, hot here. We've had temps in the 90's and even up into the mid 100's, which is not at all like what we're used to. We've kept busy still and so here are a few highlights of the past few weeks.

Our friends, Kristi and Phil, got married at the beach a few weekends ago and it was a beautiful wedding. It was nice to get away from the heat for a few days too! Mom took photos for them and I had a great time running around outside in the big grassy field right outside the reception hall (an old school house - so cute!).

The happy couple


Me with my friends at the wedding. Kate and I like to hold hands.


I did a lot of dancing too!


I had a great time playing at the beach the next day.




On our way out of town, we stopped in Ilwaco for Railroad Days. I had a great time seeing all the trains! This one was my favorite. I wonder why? Can you see Thomas and Percy in the photo? I keep asking to go back so I can see that train again.


A week ago, we went to a birthday party for my aunt Melanie which is always held at her parents house. They live on the Washougal River and have a huge yard. There were sprinklers, a couple pools, a playhouse, and beach balls to play with. It is always a great time!



This past weekend my mom's cousin, Cameron, visited before he left for Japan where he will teach English. We visited Mt. St. Helens with him and I had fun running around in the volcanic playground and seeing the elk through the big telescope. The mountain was pretty cool too, but it was kind of hazy so we didn't get the best view.

The volcanic slide


Checking out the elk




I got to talk to my cousin, Dominic, over skype, which means I can see him on the computer while talking to him. I am looking forward to talking to him again when he gets to Japan! Maybe I'll even get to visit him while they are living in Japan!



My Aunt Carrie also came down to visit this past weekend. She is on her way to Mississippi where she will spend the next two years at seminary with her husband, Mike. We had a picnic lunch at Blue Lake Park with her and it was a lot of fun being outside. I even got to play in the fountains with my buddy, Bodhi, who also showed up with his family.



We will miss having Carrie and Mike so close but wish them all the best as they begin a new life in Jackson, Mississippi!

Mt. Hood Activities

Last week Mom and I met up with Meadow and her mom, Jocelyn, to visit the Wildwood Recreation Area. We went on a little hike and then had a picnic lunch near the playground. Meadow is very lucky to live in the Mt. Hood area. It is beautiful!



Then yesterday my aunt Carrie visited and we drove up to Mt. Hood's Timberline Lodge. It was fun checking out the lodge, but I had the most fun playing in the snow. Now I can't wait for winter to come again!
It was pretty foggy up there, but Mom found this photo of the lodge online so you could see what it might look like on a clear day with the mountain behind.


The fireplace at Timberline is the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Above is a photo of Dad and Aunt Carrie with the fireplace taken on the first floor. Mom found this photo online since we forgot to take a photo of just the fireplace.

Mom and Dad on the second floor with the fireplace behind them. It was quite impressive!

I really liked the snow! Slippery, but fun!

4th of July in Seattle

My mom and dad planned a fun little trip to Seattle over the weekend of the 4th this year. We were only there two days, but we packed in a lot of fun activities. The best part of the trip was getting there and back. We took the train (the Amtrak train, as I like to tell people) and the scenery from the train is awesome. I had fun meeting people on the train, watching movies, wandering around and just looking out the window. It was well worth it to go without our own car for a few days.

We also got to see my aunt Carrrie, who lives in the Seattle area. She was gracious enough to drive us around while there and we had a ton of fun celebrating the holiday with her. We decided to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, hang out for a few hours there and then hop back on the ferry just before the firework display began at 10:00. Unfortunately, the show we were expecting to see got cancelled, which would have allowed to us have a great view of some fireworks, but we did see some off in the distance. Overall, it was a great time and we are happy with the way our 4th of July activities turned out.

Here's a photo of Me, Dad and Aunt Carrie on the ferry just about to head to Bainbridge Island from Seattle.

Our family just as we docked at the island.

We enjoyed some live music while hanging out in the downtown of Bainbridge Island. I had a blast dancing and playing with my balloons.

The next day we took the Monorail from downtown Seattle, where our hotel was, to the Space Needle. It runs above the city streets and is a pretty short ride, but I thought it was fun. If you ever ride it, sit up front for the best view!

Dad and me being silly on the Monorail. I'm wearing the shirt my Aunt Carrie and Uncle Mike got for me when they last visited Hawaii. Pretty cool, huh?

I also had some fun playing in the big fountain by the Key Arena. I got a little scared when the water shot out at me getting me all wet, but I told Mom and Dad I'd like to go back again someday anyway.

I was brave enough to go up and touch the center of the fountain!


After that, Carrie met up with us and we went to Snoqualmie to see a train museum. Just my luck... more trains! We got to check out all sorts of old trains and various cars up close, which I loved.


Check out this HUGE log on an old log car!

We took a walk that passed by a bunch of old trains that were partially disintegrated. It was fun seeing them all up close, especially the old steam engines.

Last but not least, we stopped off at Snoqualmie Falls. It was super busy, but we thought it was definitely worth stopping for, especially since it was only a mile from the train museum. :)


Hope you all had a happy 4th of July!

Thomas Day Out

As part of my birthday gift from Mom and Dad, I got tickets to Thomas Day Out. I have been talking about seeing Thomas ever since my birthday and was thrilled when the day finally arrived. I went with Mom and Nana, Kate, Sara and Grandma Jill. We went on a night when hardly any other kids were there and basically had the run of the place. Of course, I was totally thrilled when Thomas pulled up and it was time to climb aboard. Here are a few photos from our fun day.

On the shuttle bus to the train station. :)

Here we are with the balloon guy. I had him make me a yellow dinosaur.

I got to meet Sir Topham Hatt too!


I also got a Harold tattoo!

There was a petting zoo with all sorts of cute animals.

We had a ton of fun on the bouncy house.

The highlight of my day was meeting Thomas! The sun was so bright in our eyes, it was hard to look at the camera.

And here we are on the train, ready to go!


We got these cool 3D glasses and wore them much of the trip.

What a fun outing it was. I keep asking Mom to ride on Thomas again and she says we can go the next time he comes to town (next year). Yay! Can't wait!