Anna's new bike gear

Anna was excited to get her own bike pads and riding gloves. And as you'll see, every outfit is appropriate for biking.

Mountain picnic - first hike

There's a gorgeous valley that we like to picnic in. Actually, Tyler and I spent most of the time playing under the picnic table in the shade. But Anna and Randy rollerbladed and played soccer. And since we took a walk around the lake, we think this qualifies as Tyler's first hike.

Note to self: picnic tables can create splinters in little baby feet.

Fourth of July

OK, I "went dark" for the past month. But here are some photos and updates. Tyler got a real dose of Americana at the children's parade in Kirkland. Anna rode her bike the entire parade route, without any help.

Tyler's first concert

Our friend Rob gave us tickets to the Mark Knopfler concert as the winery, right near our house. What better time to initiate Tyler into the world of rock than his first 24 hours home? We took him down to the concert and he was great, and garnered lots of oohs and aaahs from the crowd. And he'll be good Seattlite, because he didn't even notice the rain.

How not to get over jet lag

OK, I thought I was done posting on the blog site, but just had to share some more. First night home, we all go to bed around 12:30, and then Tyler woke us up around 2;30, and we were up. So around 1:00PM, we decide to take a nap. Anna didn't wake up until 10 at night. Hmm, probably not the best way to get over jet lag.

Tyler is home!

We're here. We did it! After what seemed like endless time, we're finally home with Tyler. Our friends, Jeff, Stacey and Jay met us at the airport, and it was so nice to see familiar faces. Then we found that Mary Ellen had stocked our fridge, brought flowers, and gifts for the kids. And Lisa had dinner waiting for us in the fridge.

As we unloaded, one by one all the neighbors came out, and it made for a really fun, warm homecoming. We chatted on the sidewalk for an hour while everyone got to meet Tyler.

At 10:15, we sat down for dinner. Tyler started crying, and knocked an entire jar of baby food across the rug. As we were dealing with that, I realized the mac n cheese was burning. And when I returned to the table, Anna had spilled her entire drink. We're home.

Hasta la vista Hanoi

Ladies and gentlemen, the Duke has left the country. We took off this morning with much joy and relief. We're now on our 7 hour layover in Taipei. We're just so darned pleased to be headed east, that we don't even mind the lay-over. The airport is quiet, clean, and air conditioned. What more could we ask for?

Next stop Seattle.