Welcome, Aria Noelle Minota!

My brother and his wife, Jared and Krystle, welcomed their first child in August -- Aria Noelle arrived safe and sound on August 30th and we were all elated!  They live way out in Washington state, so the kids and I made a long-anticipated trip out there to meet Aria and spend precious time with all three of them.  It is hard to condense all of the emotion and memories and love into one blog post, but here are my favorite pictures from the trip...

Cousin love

 

 

 Pretty sleeping baby

 

  

Morning snuggle time with me while her mommy got some extra sleep...this was a wonderful privilege and precious together-time!

 

 

 Snuggling with Mommy and Daddy

 

 

 Bath time!

 

  She loves to "talk" with her mommy, and then...

 ...she smiles -- yes, real ones!!!

A trip up into the Cascade Mountains...

Aria's first picture with Mt. Rainier (just to our left of Jared's head, in the background).

 

 

 

  

Mount Rainier (haloed by the cloud)

 

The girl cousins took a morning nap together!

 

 Cousins and their blankies...

Trying to capture in my mind and heart all of the perfection of this trip...