We made a quick stop at Split Pea Andersen's so Annabelle could model for their new promotional advertisement... and boy did she love their soup! 
We stayed two nights with Dave's parents in Northern California... they had a cute little pool for Annabelle in the backyard!
Next stop: further north to Humboldt County. A super fun playdate with some special friends...
If you have ever tried to take pictures of a kid on a swing, then hopefully you can appreciate this shot of Annabelle with her sweet friend.
We spent our third night with some good friends in the area and Annabelle fell head over heels in love with their 12 year old son. When he was around everyone else ceased to exist. She kept giving him lots of hugs and kisses. Here you can really see on her face how smitten she is just to be sitting and playing with him. We all loved watching them together!
They happened to have a pet rat. Annabelle liked the rat too... so much that at one point I heard this strange metallic sound and when I walked into the room where she was with the rat I saw that she had taken the rat's water dispenser and was fully sucking the water down herself. Now, I have made great progress in overcoming my germ phobia, but witnessing this scene called forth any left over anxiety I had and I started screaming at her to stop and spit it out. She continued to gulp the water and I really lost all composure and pretty much any shame in front of my friend who was watching the whole thing. I was assured that the rat was a family pet and very healthy, but I am still trying to push the memory out of my mind. Annabelle, however, found the entire experience hilarious.
On the road to Oregon...
Finally we arrived to our new home full of boxes and lots of work ahead of us. It was HOT and everyone was exhausted. With only about an hour for Dave to shower, shave, suit up, and drive 25 miles south to a job interview... (That went very well! We have been told the scales are tipped in his direction! Please keep your fingers crossed!) ...the rest of the day was a strange combination of rushing and then standing still in the middle of the living room with no idea how to begin.
Later, iced teas for the grown ups and a hose in the garden for a half naked toddler to cool everyone down after a hot and sticky day.
Funny, I didn't see this when I shot the picture.
Annabelle and Charlie. Snack time on the deck.
Hanging out on the back deck while mom gets dinner ready. These two are total buds...
