My (apparently) Monthly Post...

The summer is almost over, the kids are almost back in school, and you might think that we spent the whole summer doing absolutely nothing, since that is what I've posted:) It seems as the kids get bigger, our outings get more intense, frequent, and ongoing.

For the third year in a row, my friend and I committed to dedicating each Tuesday during the summer to taking the kids on a weekly adventure. We let the kids each choose an activity that they've always wanted to do and we scheduled them into our Tuesday outings. We went to Snoqualmie Falls (Nate's choice), Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (K's choice), and the Scratch Patch (Nicole's choice). We also committed to spending every Wednesday in the summer to the Grandmas and we've gone on many adventures with them too:) The kids have loved every moment of it.

We've also gone to the beach for nine days, to Grandpa's house (over in eastern Washington), and on several hikes. Amanda has gone to the fair with her best friend, Nicole has gone on a long boat trip with her best friend, and Nate has gone to two Cub Scout camps and to several over night trips with his best friend. We also finally made it to Jetty Island, a little ferry ride from the Everett marina to an island that we can see really well from our house.

I'll post pictures as I get through them. I can't believe how much the kids have grown over the summer!!!

Wow, is it really almost August???

I know this is no excuse, but we've been incredibly busy this past month. Let's see if I can remember everything we've done. We went to Grandma's house for 4th of July and the kids set off fireworks. John and Nate attended Cub Scout Resident camp for four days and three nights. The girls went to several birthday parties. We climbed the rock climbing wall at REI. We went to Cub Scout Twilight camp every night for five nights, and we went to Grandpa's house to a family reunion. We tamed the jungle in our backyard, but it took six people two days to do it. We've had an old friend visit from Texas, an Uncle and Aunt and their family visit from Ohio (six people in all), and now another Uncle and Aunt from Ohio is in town. There, that covers it. As for pics, I'll be working on those next. Next we'll be headed to a 10-day beach vacation out of state. I sure hope we have a few minutes to catch our breath there!

Cruising in Seattle...

At the end of a long day exploring the Seattle Center, we decided to take a Seattle Harbour Cruise to check out the view from the water. Raelee was so tired that she fell asleep in her mom's arms and napped for a little while. I took a few pictures before taking the kids below with me to keep them entertained for the duration of the cruise.

The kids enjoyed playing games in the galley while waiting for the cruise to end:

And having their pics taken at the end of the cruise:

We traveled home with four very tired children. We had such a wonderful day!!!

Swimming in Seattle...

On Stephenie and Raelee's 2nd day exploring Seattle, the day dawned bright and beautiful. We drove to Seattle and rode up to the top of the Space Needle to see the panoramic view:After we got done looking at the view, we took the kids to the International Fountain to eat a picnic lunch and play in the water:

I think they all enjoyed it!

After the kids got done playing at the International Fountain, we took them to a wading pool close by to play for a little while.

After they got done swimming, we changed the kids back into their clothes and traveled to the Seattle waterfront to get in line for a harbour cruise of Seattle's Elliot Bay. That will be the material for my next post. We enjoyed having them visit so much!!!

Seattle Center Roaming...

After we finished at the Science Center, we took the kids for a walking tour of the Seattle Center grounds. The Seattle Center is a huge park containing the Pacific Science Center, the Space Needle, the Seattle Children's Museum, the Seattle Children's Theater, the International Fountain, the DuPen Wading Pool and Fountain, the Key Arena, and other local attractions. Raelee was really interested in the International Fountain and enjoyed running around the outside of the fountain and dodging random shots of water. She heeded our warnings about not getting wet, but Amanda was unable to escape ALL of the water:We took some pictures of Stephenie to prove that she actually visited. I don't think we got many of those.We enjoyed the day. It was warmer than it looked (in the upper 60's and low 70's), but still not Louisiana hot. We tried swimming later in the week.

Pacific Science Center...Here we come...

We were on a mission to complete as much as we could in a small amount of time. First up was the Pacific Science Center. The girls waited patiently while we paid to get in:Then all the kids worked together to move a huge weight:
Raelee loved the butterfly exhibit!

She played at the music exhibit:

They posed outside so we could take some pictures:And even more pictures:

Next up...the Seattle Center grounds.

Cousins...

The girls bonded so quickly it was hard to tell that they weren't all sisters. Here is one of my favorite pictures of them sitting together and talking. If you look closely, you'll see the slot machine that they spent all of my money, John's money, and even some of Grandpa's money playing. Raelee got a Jackpot which is the first one we've ever gotten!

More Fun at Grandpa's House...

On the evening of the second day, Dad surprised us with tickets to a car race in Wenatchee. We were skeptical about how the kids would do but were amazed at how much they liked it (at least for a little while):The girl in the purple sweatshirt is a friend of our kids.

Raelee enjoyed dancing to the music:

And checked in with Mom several times:
They played on the playground:
Raelee got tired and cold and we knew it was time to go:

And Nate was in his own little world. He loved every moment of it and ended up staying late with Grandpa and Daddy. I took the girls home as it got dark and put them to bed. John even tried to Hula Hoop as part of a Father's Day contest: At least he had fun trying:)

Fun with Family...Grandpa's House First Day...

I went and picked Stephenie and Raelee up early on the last day of the kids school year. We dropped Stephenie off at home, then Raelee and I went to pick the kids up from school. Nicole ran for Raelee as soon as she saw her and they gave each other a big hug. Amanda's teacher invited Raelee in for their last slide dance of the year:Then we traveled over to Grandpa's house for the weekend. Nate created a new tree swing (since he broke the last one) and the girls got to push Nate around for a change:

And the girls pushed each other too:

They laughed and had lots of fun watching each other on the swing:They all settled right in and went to sleep. Raelee and Stephenie were understandbly very tired after such a long day of traveling.

More fun, fun, fun!!!

What a week! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the last few days. This week I've "helped" John move two trailer loads of wood beams: and another of pavers, gone on a field trip where Nate and his class went on a hike and fished slimy water out of a slough: and then studied the creatures in the water under a telescope (which is MUCH cooler than it sounds): had fun at the park with Amanda: ate lunch with the kids at school, visited the zoo and aquarium in Tacoma with Amanda's best friends and Nate (who was moving too fast to photograph!): and a fort in the same park, and gone shopping with my best friend (John!). Next week I'll be preparing for a visit from my favorite (and only) grand-niece and her mom and for the last week of school.

Summer at Grandpa's House (a little early)...

We traveled to Eastern Washington in search of the sun and to help celebrate Dad's 71st birthday. The kids played on the tractor (it doesn't have the grass cutter anymore so it's completely safe):

We made s'mores in Dad's brand new firepit (his birthday present from us):

The girls planted the garden where they will have tomatoes, cucumbers, and raspberries this year:

And Nate broke the cherished tire swing. Grandpa's going to make one out of a wood disk and heavy rope to replace it. The kids can't wait!!!

My Monthly Blog Post

Although I didn't intend for it to happen, this has become not a daily blog but a monthly blog. I'm always so incredibly busy that I collapse into bed when the kids go to bed. That leaves no time for me to update this wonderful blog. I'll try to recap again...

We went to "Fishing Kids" where the city donates hundreds of fishing poles, stocks the local lake with trout, and provides fishing guides to help kids ages 5-12 catch as many fish as they can in an hour. The volunteers spent 8 hours getting over 500 fishing poles ready to go. We paid $5 and the kids each got a nice fishing pole, a t-shirt, and a tackle kit with other fun stuff in it. It was an amazing experience!

Nate created a Washington state souvenir for his class:

We went to the zoo with some friends from college: We also went to Grandpa's house and had a Brownie sleepover, but that will have to be a different post. I'll try to be better about posting this summer because we have lots of fun plans and picture opportunities.

Finally, time to post...

It's been another hectic month. Let's see if I quickly recap. We had five kids over for Easter:

We went camping with the Brownies:

I took pictures of Amanda's class for a Mother's Day project:

I went to two Mother's Day celebration parties. One was in Amanda's class (her classroom is behind the line of kids):

And the other was in Nicole's class:

Now we're off to go fishing at the lake. Then we'll come home and go to a campover in Seattle with the Brownies. I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow. Have a Happy Mother's Day!!!

Spring at Grandpa's House

Last weekend we went over to Grandpa's house for the kids to finally get warm and enjoy the great outdoors. Nate cranked up the speed on the tractor that he had to keep at a low speed last year because he's finally getting old enough to handle it. Now the tractor goes so fast it's difficult to catch the kids in action:

The kids used old scraps of wood to create unique new play toys and then they painted them:

And Nate painted his bird house (he does this every year!):

Sassy took nice long walks in the orchard outside of Grandpa's house: And played on the tire swing (after Grandpa and the kids got it put up):

Nate found new ways to scare the c*** out of his mom!

And got so dirty that only a mom would love that face:

You just can't beat the joy on his face though!

And Amanda enjoyed just being in the great outdoors and NOT getting dirty:

John and Dad fixed the 1956 Chevrolet in Dad's garage, moved a lift down into the basement so that Dad could work on it, worked on the van, and got a few more things done around the house.

It was a wonderful week! Now we're back to the real world and getting the house ready for an Easter celebration with five kids!