We first thought, "recycling," for our fish boxes. Meryl thought, "fort!" 

Always a treat! Meryl had chicken, broccolini, Halibut, and rhubarb crumble. Xanna, Grandpa, Frank, and I pretty much ate the rest of the menu - with the Kodiak scallop ceviche being a favorite.

Grandpa's oyster shell driveway dream is finally coming true! Xanna had oyster shells brought over from the Bader's oyster farm, and Grandpa's been hauling shells from the Kachemak co-op's oyster bar along with uncovering his years old midden. Seemed fitting for a selfie on our way to the airport.

The bank was featured in 'Alaska Business Monthly' for a number of awards, and Meryl got to say "hi" to her Great Grandpa and Gonny on the way from Homer to Anchorage! And Xanna, of course:)

Not really sure that solves the problem, but all our bags made it to Seattle! Salmon and halibut too!  

Xanna's friend, Jo, dropped off a few toys that her grandson has moved on from. Lucky us, Meryl has a sweet new ride...powered by Xanna.  

Meryl wasn't sure what to make of Matt's beard, but he won her over!

Tomorrow we're giving it a go again! 

We made it! Last Friday we flew up to Homer for our first official family reunion, followed by a week of vacation. Meryl came prepared with her beacon of a sweater knitted by Allison, it finally fits!  

We went fishing, with Meryl. Turns out, babies can get sea sick! But Meryl powered through like a champ. And while we went through all her spare clothes, McKenzie had the good thought to turn Meryl's long sleeved shirt into pants...patent pending on this bright idea.

We went to the 4th of July carnival to play 'Dip a Duck,' where you dip a net in the water to catch a duck and win a prize. Or, in Meryl's mind, skip the net mumbo-jumbo and grab as many ducks as you can. Another kid favorite was the sawdust pile, combing for quarters. We closed out the day with hot dogs and potato salad on the deck with friends. And with the sun out, it was a pretty spectacular day!

This past week marks the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter! Luckily, Meryl had her Gryffindor get-up to celebrate. (Thank you, Noonans!) The wand normally chooses the wizard, but before we get to Ollivander's, Meryl is practicing her swish and flick. We can't wait to read the books to her!

The Pike Place MarketFront also opened this past week on a lovely, sunny evening. This is the start of fun things to come for Seattle as they tear down the viaduct and connect downtown to the waterfront. We were able to donate to the market for the opportunity to have a custom market charm hung along the railing. What to write? We landed on "adobo" for Frank, "salmon" for me, and in the middle, our little "halo halo," which is a delicious shaved ice Filipino dessert, but also fondly translated as "mix mix" in English. Now to visit on the regular!

We've got a monkey! (Lowered the mattress today as Meryl is now exploring the view from her crib.)

Feets in, cooling down. After being so hot earlier today, this is heaven. 

It's hot, hot, hot in Seattle! So we thought we'd bring the tub (bought years ago for Lummi!) out this afternoon for a splash in the shade. But garden hose water is cold and refreshing! Too cold?