An evening at the river!

Keith surprised us all and got home at noon today, which was a blessing for me on a day where none of those "parenting methods" seemed to be helpful. :) Hannah was so excited to see Keith's truck that she started tearing up, about which she remarked: "Sometimes I cry when I'm happy!" She was awe-struck about that, but it is something she will definitely need to understand if she is going to be a woman in this family!
In addition to BOTH girls taking naps this afternoon (which I somehow can allow for Hannah when I know Keith will be home at night to field the stalling tactics...), Keith also tackled the huge task of digging/sawing up a maple tree in our front yard. The roots were starting to affect our water pipes, and he's been wanting to take it out for a while. After that, Keith came in and announced that we needed to go to the river. (Keith's favorite place to swim is any running/rushing fresh water!) Seeing as both girls were still sleeping, Keith did the obvious and took a nap himself. Once everyone was awake (and Mommy had plenty of time to do some reading & bible study prep), we headed down to the Washougal River. It was a nice evening for it, and although we ended up on the shady side, it was nice not to have to worry about sunscreen & sun hats! Both girls had fun and enjoyed the water & the fresh air. Keith and I both dunked ourselves a couple times, and generally we all felt good about the time there!


Hannah looks a bit mischievous here, but I think she's just enjoying the feeling of wet sand in her hands! :)


I love Gemma's expression in this picture--so excited and full of wonderment.