Sunday Walk

One great thing about a Sunday walk around here is that you can go some amazing places. I grew up going on a hike up the canyon every Sunday. I would love to have my kids exerience the same thing.

This is a rocky crag above Donner Lake. Probably one of my favorite spots in Tahoe. 

Ronan heard water so we explored til we found this little mountain stream. 

 So the baby loves being in her carrier. You should have seen the jumbling around she got and she slept the whole time. We finished out hike and it was off to dinner at the Smiths. And it was yum. 

Echo Day and a cute baby

Another article Dave wrote for the blog at work

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I have some amazing kids. My oldest daughter Leah is 8 years old and has the wisdom and insight of someone way beyond her years. She's always picked up on things quickly and been keenly tuned into some of the bigger things that life throws at us. Since moving up here at the beginning of the summer we've been able to spend a lot of time outdoors as a family. When Northstar's Vail Resorts Echo Day was announced,  I asked if Leah wanted to join me

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as we cleaned up a part of Martis Creek that needed  some help. She said yes and when the day was upon  us we went out with smiles, rakes and gloves to help  do our part. It was a great chance for me to explain  why we give of our time to help people and places  that the earth needs our help. She totally got it. Ever since then Leah has been very aware of her surroundings. On a recent hike I noticed her picking up trash along the trail and putting it in her pocket. I told her I was proud of her and she said 'we all need to do our part.' She is a special type of kid. She is also now joining the "Eco" team at her school and continues  to remind us to recycle at home. I love that VR Echo  gave me an opportunity to teach and learn with my own  children. It made a difference in the work we did that  day and with a little 8 year old girl with big dreams and an even bigger heart. David Ratchford Director of Brand Marketing Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort

Elder Rothart one of the missionaries that served in our area. Just a couple days before he went home after his 2 year mission. We love having them over for dinner.

 A slightly abnormal picture of baby Claire without a bow.

Oh she is one sweet girl. We went to the doctor recently. She weighs 15 1/2 pounds and is in the 50% for height and 25% for weight. Actually she stayed exactly on the growth cart curve which I guess doesn't happen very often. Lately I decided to get her used to sleeping in her crib. Now I can just lay her down in the there and she goes right to sleep. She is such a happy mellow baby.

Alright to those of you who thought I would never blog again. I have updated 17 posts to be exact. And caught you up with a whole summer of adventures in the life of the Ratchfords. I promise to be better and not let it go so long next time. Please check back with us and I promise not to bore you with the same pictures for three months straight. And since I have to have things in order of when they actually happened for journalings sake. You will have to go back to the beginning of June to see all the new ones. I have no excuses except for....new baby....moving...baby who loves to be held....driving everywhere we go....alright I'll stop. No excuses from here on out.

11th Anniversary

On the 23rd Dave and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary. Can't believe the it has been that long. We are just realizing how old we are going to get quick. I told Dave this year. This is as good as it is going to get. I am starting to look old. But I can't think of anyone better to grow old with. We left the kids and went for a kayaking adventure at the lake. Then out to dinner.

The lake is so clear that you can see down for like a mile. It was pretty spooky because there are these huge rocks. A monster could be lurking beneath and you would never know it.

Leah's New Look

Revealing the new Leah. After complaining about headaches nearly every night. And telling us she had to rub her eyes 20 times a day because they were blurring. We decided to make an appointment with the eye doctor. She has a astigmatism and just a slight prescription to fix the blurriness. I think she looks darling and she loves having glasses.

And of course everyone had to try them on.