The biggest change is that now she walks. Helena has been able to walk for over a month, but late last week she decided that she would. She is fun to watch as she totters from couch to table and down the hall. It still is different to see her enter a room at that height. She has also decided that she loves her hats and wears them constantly. 
Nora is a generous big sister.
We took out our pool for one last hurrah. Helena had a great time splashing in it, but she has a tendency to slide under the water. I pulled her out after her third dunking.
We had a potluck with friends. The kids had a great time running around making up games. In one Nora and her friend Grace were gunslingers.
I often have volunteers for kitchen help. The kids love to top pizzas. Henry is especially careful about where each vegetable is placed. 
We also went to the county fair and to a local folk music festival and visited the sprinkler park a few more times. We've had to stop having lunch outside because our yellow jackets have become aggressive.
She has a handful of words and is adding more all the time. About 80% of her vocabulary is Finnish currently with "varpaat" (toes) second only to the Finnish "Mom." We have a lot of conversations about her very cute feet. She still isn't using those feet for walking, but surely will soon. She does like being walked around with a firm grip on someone's fingers.
We went blueberry picking with friends a few weeks ago. It was a fun outing and the kids did a good job picking berries. 
Heading in to weigh our buckets. Our pleasant morning temperatures became hot by mid-morning.
We've been eating breakfast and lunch on the back patio. It faces north so it is shaded by the house for most of the day. It is lovely to be out of doors and it means fewer crumbs to sweep up!
We spent a long weekend with Mark's family at the beach. His parents, 2 cousins, 4 siblings (2 with spouses) and 7 children in addition to our 3 were able to be there. The house we rented was just a short walk from the shore. Everyone had fun and the kids especially enjoyed being with their cousins. 
We visited the Air Museum in Tillamook as well as the cheese factory. This year Henry chose bubble gum ice cream and Nora had peppermint candy.
The camel silhouettes on the side of this plane designate the 39 missions flown during the Gulf War.
We all ate at Mo's. Mark had the bouillabaisse this year. Nora and Henry lunched primarily on saltines.
The weather was pretty warm and we spent some time on the beach every day. Nora liked running in and out of the water and Henry constructed many lighthouses. 
My aunt Pat was here for a few days and spent some time playing with us. She commissioned artwork from the kids and was a great listener to all their stories.
Elijah made everyone try on the goofy glasses when he was here.
Everyone is welcome to come again!
