OMG it's August

We have had a busy few weeks with out of town guests like Joe's brother Charlie, my brother and his family on a mega-roadtrip from Santa Barbara, searching for a new nanny/daycare situation, and planning for a kitchen remodel. And in the midst of all that, Petra figured out how to walk, and in the span of a few weeks, almost run. She can now almost make it across the field where we take Pika to run -- with a few falls, but she gets right back up and keeps going. (The blackberry bushes on the other side of the field are a good motivator.)

She also learned to feed herself pretty well (and get most of her food actually in her mouth), to play the harmonica, ride a bike (or sit compliantly with her helmet on) as well as those developmental milestones you read about like going from standing to a squat to standing again, with a toy in her hand.

With Joe's brother Charlie we checked out a waterfall near Bonneville dam on the Columbia River that we'd never been to before - a short hike in, but beautiful scenery. Charlie also got to go attend one of Joe's gigs at Alberta Street Pub.

And with Kevin, Linda, and Nico and Aidan, we explored the zoo, where Petra seemed to really enjoy the swimming things, like fish, and otters and penguins (oh the penguins!). We also went berry picking at the farm where we were married, and came home with blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries. Petra had to take a break from blueberries for a few days after (a bit of a blueberry hangover, since she was "helping" me pick) but she's back to stripping our own blueberry bushes in the backyard. As per usual with Kevin around, we didn't really pick up a camera, (a few of his photos from their trip here) so we just have a few or our own pictures to prove they were actually here. (In the picture of them below huddled over berries, the tree to their left is the big oak we were married under.)

And here are a few photos from June-July.