The House!

So, California one weekend, New York the next, and in between...we bought a house!  Yep, it was a busy week!

It's an exciting day, we bought a house!
This calls for champagne!

Cheers!  It's ours!

Getting Settled
We closed on a Monday, and that night slept on mattresses on the floor (hmmm, we are still sleeping on mattresses on the floor, but that is a different story).  We were all VERY excited to be in the house, and started to get settled in right away.

Dutch was antsy at first,
but then gave in to the change.

No kitchen table yet, but there is a bench to sit on!

And there is also this very large, funky planter
thing in the kitchen which makes a good bench.

Adirondacks, New York

Two weekends, two weddings.  The weekend after the California wedding (and 100 degree days), we drove north into the Adirondack Mountains (and 50 degree days).

Road Trip
It took us 12 hours to drive from home to Big Moose, New York.  We drove pretty much straight through, except for one stop for lunch along the way...

 Elise was deep into a book when we left and spent the first four hours of the trip reading to the end.

Covewood Lodge
We got in near midnight and didn't see much of the lodge until we woke up the next morning.  It was gorgeous!

This was our breathtaking view
 from our room when we woke up.

Breakfast in the lodge dining room.

Elise wanted me to take her picture with
every dead animal in the lodge...

After this one I said "no more dead animals"

It was chilly!  Jason bundled up before
we went outside to explore.

We told the girls the water was too cold to swim, but they
had to test it themselves off the lodge's dock.

Historic Covewood Lodge.

A little too chilly to fully enjoy sitting by the lake, but the
view was beautiful, nonetheless.

I had packed for this trip two weeks earlier, when the weather
forecast said highs would be in the 70s.  Two days before
we left I checked again and predicted highs were
now in the 50s.  Too late to add colder weather clothing,
since everything was in boxes to move to the new house. 
I figured we could just tough it out, but on the first morning,
when we could see our breath outside, I asked the
staff if they had any sweatshirts we could buy. 
Thankfully, they did!

This little lady was waiting to say goodbye on our way out.

Other California Fun

The wedding was fun, and we also enjoyed the other days we were in California, hanging out with friends and family.

First:  Getting there
Jason flew out a few days earlier, then the girls and I joined him.

California, here we come!

On a 5 1/2 hour non-stop flight from east coast to west coast,
all I can say is "THANK YOU" for personal entertainment
systems!

Second:  Having some fun!

We love bubbles!

Crazy, cool, indestructible bubbles
from Grandma Dolores!

Chasing bubbles is a fun game!

Dancing ribbons were also a big hit at Dolores's...

Just a pretty girl in the garden :)

All the flowers in the garden inspired
us to put some in the girls' hair...

High five, Kayden!

The girls loved entertaining this little guy!

This flower looks a lot like a trumpet, don't you think?  The girls
kept trying to make them into musical instruments of some kind.

Elise, Jason, Dolores, and Reva, Jason's grandma.

It was very hot in Chico, over 100 degrees every day, so getting sprayed
with water felt pretty good to Kayden.

I think they are enjoying each other's company!

The pool felt especially good in this hot weather!

Elise was pretty proud that she could
get up to Snowball, Dolores's shy cat.

We loved spending time with these Sellers cousins!

Neither Elise nor Anja are shy, and the ladies at this store in Chico
embraced their curiosity by having them help with things around the
store while we shopped.  The girls retrieved extra bags and supplies
from the store room and helped ring up and wrap our purchases.
We love this Made in Chico store and the folks who run it!

Headed home!  We had a busy 5 days!