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Now that Lucy is back in preschool, I have more time alone with Emmie. Some days she's napping during those couple hours, but other days we get to hang out. She's trying to say "Cheese!" here. . . it comes out "Eeeeee!!!" which is ok since it still produces the desired effect. Look at those choppers. . . I realized how few pictures I have of us together so I thought I'd take some in the big mirror in her room. It didn't always work. I think I make this face all the time behind the camera when I'm trying to get the girls to smile. Now that I see it on from the other side, I know why it doesn't work. I should go back to "Say Cheese!" Emmie, I hope one day when your bigger you'll look at this picture and know that I absolutely love every minute I get to spend with you. . . alone or otherwise.

My garden is getting easier and easier each year. This year it was basically just zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes. I love them fresh in a caprese salad or fresh in salsa, but I always have more than I can use immediately so I always have Gramma Gwen come help me can a bunch. It has become a fun tradition that I look forward to each year. These canning labels are available for free at todaysmama.com .

Two more installments in the Seriously Official Back-to-School set of printables I did for TodaysMama.com . . . Bookplates and a customizable Certificate of Awesomeness .

Is summer really over? Really, really over? I better post a few more pics from the summer. Just for fun, I made them into animated gifs.

I designed these little lunchbox memos for todaysmama.com . You can download them from there and print them for free!

The girls and I spent the most glorious two weeks in sunny Seattle earlier last month. . . that's right, I said sunny Seattle. . . and there is not much better than when the sun is out in Seattle and everyone is excited to be outside. Emmie and Gramma Leen Cousin Max Lucy at the Forest Park petting zoo. She for some reason decided this goat was cold and she had to keep it warm. Emmie working on her answer to, "What does a goat say?" Pony rides, too! Max's first time ever in the saddle. Cousin Tanner's first time ever in the cockpit. It was fleet week in Seattle, in connection with Sea Fair. We toured the USS Bonhomme Richard which is an Amphibious Assault ship and was so cool. So. Cool. Lucy and Auntie Missy peeking out of a tank. Tanner thought he might stow away. Papa Bob was on Emmie duty. We even spent a day at the beach! A sandy beach! at Golden Gardens Park . Missy and her boys. Tanner