Summer in NH: Swim, Splash, Smile!

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry for the delayed post. Summer seems to be whizzing by and our time has been spent outdoors and not in front of the computer, if we can avoid it!  So, please enjoy this post and stay-tuned for another one soon, since we recently uploaded whole new collection of pictures!  Oh, we forgot our camera, but Hannah decorated and rode her bike in the town parade on July 4.  I will have some pictures from friends soon :)

Mason has been pulling himself up a bunch and he's quite the chef.

Mason says "Dada" and "woof" and he LOVES to laugh with Hannah.  Many times he will look to see her face before responding himself.

Lately when I pull the camera out, Hannah is not interested in smiling on demand, but in this instance I guess she gave in.

Father's Day dinner was spent with friends.  Here are all the boys :)

Father's Day night: what better night to have one's first tenting experience with Dad?!

Hannah was so intrigued by the flashlight that she waited to fall asleep until after dark, so that she could make shadows on the walls of the tent.

Snuggle time with Mom.  It's difficult to get Hannah to lie still, so I was thrilled to be asked to have "huggle" (cross between a cuddle and a hug) time with her on this particular morning.

It's incredible watching the progression of Hannah's shapes and line.  She is writing new letters and her hand has become much steadier.  Smiley faces are abundant.

Where did my baby girl go and who is this big girl?!

CAMPING!  Day one.  Lunch at the picnic table.

Best thing about camping is no crumbs to clean up!

Two dudes lounging in a sling.  Same smiles?  Yes.

Down by the river...I dare not go, for if I do, my mother will say, "Have you ever seen an owl make her grandchildren howl?  Down by the river, down by the river."

Hannah and GP Jimbo caught a brook trout!

Mason n Mom.  Mason was particularly fond of tasting the rocks, which made it a tough task to chaperon him, but watching the excitement and content on his face while he splashed around was priceless.

Hannah "investigates" Nelly.

Here's camp.  You'd think that GP didn't do a thing, given the number of pictures we caught him sitting in, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Tight squeeze, huh, Hannah?

Hannah was SO excited to have her blueberry muffin at the top of Sugarloaf and let me tell you, she worked HARD to get up there!

Two dudes on top of a mountain.

Make sure to look at the sequence of images here.

Unc B's been hitting the gym.

Happy Birthday, GP Jimbo!  Black Forest Torte Cake, nuf said.

Morning time at camp.  Silly Eck family didn't bring a single warm item, given that the weather was 90's for the three days prior and while packing, so Hannah had to snuggle up in Unc B's fleece.

Two dudes.

LOVE IT!  Happy 1st Anniversary coming up!!

Two more dudes

Soccer with Dad on the big field, which was directly across from our site.

As you can see, it was a hazy morning.

Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty!  I had to snap this pic of Hannah after she went to bed one night.  Peeking in at my sleeping children is something that I very much look forward to each night.

Morning time and this is what we finduz. 

Ride in the Burley down to the farmer's market.

Hannah liked reading the Economist, too, so I had to get a shot of Mason following in her tracks.

In recent days, we made a volcano, run through the sprinkler, made many trips to the pond,

Bashful McGee.  Look at those eyes. 

When Mason is full, he grabs his ears, just like this.  However, if he wants more, he either flaps his arms, or signs "more."

Pretty in Plaid

This boy is "ALL boy" as Mormor says.  He loves rolling balls (he's actually great at passing with Hannah!), trying to determine the mechanics of how things work, and climbing upon and over any obstacle in his way.

Mason now has 4 teeth up top and a third one coming in down below. He makes very funny faces when we brush his teeth and it's unclear at this point whether he enjoys the process.

Goober Doo! 

These are the days.  Mom and Dad had a conversation about how thankful we are for these special times.  This morning, Hannah was so sad to see that Dad had left to workout by the time that she woke up.  When we called Dad's office Hannah left a sweet message (and began to get choked-up) as she said, "Daddy, you weren't supposed to leave until you gave me a big hug."

Hannah has been brave enough to regularly -- and intentionally -- put her face into the water.  She is quite the little fish.

Quotes:
"One time Dad gave me my own bagel -- one enormous bagel just for me!"

While sitting in time out today, I hear Hannah singing from the other room, "The driver on the bus needs to go pee, needs to go pee, needs to go pee.  The driver on the bus needs to go pee, I guess I'll go in my carseat."

Mom says to Mason from across the room: "Ooooh!  Mason!  I can smell your stinky diaper from here!"  Hannah to Mason: "I can smell it all the way to Grandma Siri's house!"

There have been countless more, but I've lost my notes!  However, really, even better than the content of what she says, it's Hannah's voice and the intonation that usually makes it so cute.