Elise's new chair

This weekend Marquette is hosting an incredible art show at Presque Isle called Art on the Rocks. Our neighbor across the street, Spec, creates amazing wood furniture, and he sets up a tent each year during the art show to display his work. We pulled Elise in her wagon over to his tent today and were shocked to see that he had a gift for Elise - a beautiful handmade chair created especially for her! It's gorgeous! Here's a photo of the chair (sitting out on our deck) with Spec's shop, RustiCo, in the background. Notice the E on the chair. Isn't that sweet?! (You can check out his work at www.rusticofurniture.com.)

attempt #2

let's try this again...

video

I know my video isn't working yet. I'll fuss with it soon and see if I can figure out the problem.

3 little monkeys jumpin' on the bed

This is my first attempt at adding a video to my blog thanks to the help of my good friend Laurie. Hopefully this will work. :)

cousins

Nana and her girls

Elise was always trying to keep up with the big girls. :)

Aunt Linda, Avery, Nana, and Linnea

We had a wonderful time with Carson, Carol, Avery, and Linnea! We miss you and can't wait to see you in September!

Papa Coates' recovery

As many of you know, my dad had bypass surgery on Tuesday. This was totally unexpected, and I still find myself shaking my head in disbelief. Thankfully the surgery went very well and he is expected to fully recover.

For now my dad is in the midst of the painful first week of recovery. We know the recovery will be extremely tough for him, but we are all so thankful that the surgery went well and that he didn't suffer a heart attack before the problem was detected. Praise Jesus.

We certainly appreciate your prayers!

our lakes

We were downstate this past weekend for a quick visit. Here are a few pictures:

Playing in Lake Geneva at Nana and Papa's cabin.

Toby enjoying the wildlife.

Haning out with cousin Becky and Aunt Tarami ("mo-mi" as Elise would say) at Grandma and Poppy's cottage.

Toby and Uncle Roger trying out our new sailboat on Crooked Lake.

And this is a picture of "our" lake, Lake Superior. Just before heading downstate Toby and his friend Ryan did a three-night hike along the Fox River Pathway and the Pictured Rocks trail to Grand Marais. This is a shot from their trip. Isn't that gorgeous?

Like it or not...

Elise is wearing glasses. Amazingly, she doesn't seem to mind at all. We're hoping that she can see better now and that the glasses will help straighten her eyes. (Both eyes turn in occassionally, apparently when she's trying to focus.) Time will tell! In the meantime, our "little professor" is a total cutie.

It's time for an update!

Hello everyone! Sorry... I know.... I've been neglecting my blog. But I have a few good excuses. 1) We just had a very busy week of vacation Bible school at church, and 2) we were busy getting ready for the yard sale we had yesterday.

It does seem like Elise is changing everyday and doing new things, so here's an update:
First of all, she is walking all the time and is getting pretty fast. She's even mastered the squat and can now stand up from a squatting position all by herself. She seems to be very proud of this. :) She also enjoys walking in a small circle which makes her look like a puppy chasing her tail. Of course, she also has some new words. The newest words include... pool, church, beach, Laurie (my good friend), and blueberry (which sounds like bobby). This also tells you what we've been doing a lot lately... playing in our kiddie pool, going to church, sitting at the beach, visiting with friends, and eating blueberries. :) Life is good.

The only bad news to report is that Elise has been prescribed glasses to help her eyes to align better. Both of her eyes occassionally turn in when she's trying to focus (usually just one at a time). We'll be ordering her pink metal frames this week. Any ideas on how to get a 17-month-old to keep glasses on? Send your suggestions my way!

I'll post a picture of Elise in her glasses when they arrive... well, if I can convince her to keep them on that is!