Finally walking!

That's right! Elise (who is almost 16 months old) started walking yesterday, Sunday, May 20th! We left her dress on her after church, and she was getting frustrated with crawling. (Thanks for the tip, mom!) Toby and I got her to take 3-4 steps between us, and we did this back and forth practice for a long time yesterday afternoon. Then later on while playing, Elise let go of the chest she was leaning on and just started walking towards me. Her record number of steps thus far is 24!

She seemed a little less confident this morning, but with some more practice (and maybe another dress!) I'm sure she'll be on her way again.

Mother's Day in Iron Mountain

We had a wonderful day together on Sunday, my 2nd Mother's Day. First, we visited the Presbyterian church in Kingsford, which was really great, and then we enjoyed some home cookin' at B's Country Cafe. The restaurant looked like a little bit of a grease pit, but the food was actually really good. The gorgeous weather then allowed for us to tour Iron Mountain a bit and explore the slopes of Pine Mountain (pictured above). It was so wonderful to have the day together.

I am so blessed to be a mom to Elise and to have some many amazing moms in my life, from my mom to Toby's mom to all my mom friends. I hope all the moms I know had a great day!

last week

Here are a few shots from last week when we spent time with Grandma Kathy, Poppy (Elise's name for Tob's dad), and Aunt Tarami. I didn't have time to edit the photos much and I see one is turned sideways. Oh well. There's no time to fuss with it now.

We loved our time at the new cottage and on the new boat! Thanks again for a great week!

Iron Mountain

Toby, Elise and I will be spending most of the next two months in Iron Mountain, Michigan for Toby's rural family medicine rotation. So far, I really like the town and the little cabin we're staying in. Last night we explored Lake Antoine and enjoyed a picnic dinner together.

Today Elise and I are spending a little time at Koinonia Cafe in Kingsford. The coffee is good and I'm enjoying the Internet connection! Unfortunately, we will have limited connection over the next two months, so my blog may be a bit neglected.

While I'm connected and Elise is entertained, I'll try to post a few pictures before we have to go back to our cabin!

laughing whitefish falls

A couple of weeks ago Elise and I went on a hike to see a gorgeous waterfall with the coffee girls. Pictured above from left to right is Charlie, Natalie, Maren, JoLynn, Maddie Ann, and Audrey.