Happy Anniversary, 4th of July, Baptism and more

The past few weeks have been busy, busy. July 3 was our 10 year wedding anniversary -we're both amazed so much time has passed already. We're so proud of our family and the great times we've had over the years. 3 precious kids, 4 houses, 3 remodels, 2 careers, and lots of great memories. We had big plans for our anniversary, but scaled back to stay in town with the kids. We both took the day off on July 2 and went for a wonderful 5 mile hike on Mt. Si, and then cooled off in the "grown-up" section at our pool (we'd actually never been in that section before). The morning of July 3 we left for Whidbey Island, where we celebrated our annual 4th of July week-end. We had a great time - we took the kids for a hike, David took the big kids crabbing, and we enjoyed bike riding, walking on the beach, and fireworks. I love Whidbey Island for the 4th - it feels like a small town, with small-town street parade, toy car races, and friendly neighbors. Taylor enjoyed watching the big kids play and crashed before the fireworks began. She and I hung out at the house, while the kids stayed awake for their first fireworks show. Lauren has been spooked in the past and Jacob has been younger, so this was a big year.

This week was great fun because Nana and Poppy (my parents) came to visit. They stayed for a few days before leaving on an Alaskan cruise on Friday. We enjoyed a lunch on the waterfront before saying bon voyage to the travelers. The kids were so excited to see them - Taylor grinned and grinned at my mom - I think she remembered her from her last trip in May. One night after the big kid's had gone to bed, Taylor stayed up until 10pm playing. Nana pushed Taylor on her riding Pooh for nearly an hour. Taylor soaked up the attention and had a blast. It's so good to see her having fun. Poppy saw his first therapy session Friday morning when Susan arrived. It was fun to compare notes with my mom - as always - it's easier to notice progress when you're not there every day. My mom saw lots of improvements, so it was good to hear the validation.

This week-end Taylor was baptised on Saturday night during the evening church session. This is an important moment for the Catholic church - in my Christian church upbringing, we would have called it "dedicated", but irregardless what you call it, it was a special moment for Taylor at church. Unfortunately it was hot and Jacob was restless. Our family was on the first pew of the church and participated a few times during the service. During this, Jacob left for a drink of water after about 15 minutes, desperately needed a piece of gum, played splash in the holy water, and at the end of the service, let out a big sigh followed by - "Ay, yi, yi...". We had David's family over for dinner afterward and it was a nice night. Taylor can get overwhelmed in groups of people - particularly when it's hot - so she and I disappeared upstairs for a few minutes to recharge.

All in all, lots of excitement and fun - mixed up with therapy, swim lessons, and happy (or tired) kids. We have made progress with Taylor's seizure medication - we finally have reached her full dosage as of tonight. We hope that she will settle in now that we've reached the full dose. She's still quite sleepy and taking 2 naps a day. I'm so hoping she will get more energy soon - they said it will take about 10-15days for her body to adjust, so we're hoping we're nearing the finish line of adjustment period. She is such a precious baby and we're so proud of her. I'll post updated pictures soon.