Snake Race

As I've said many times...there is never a dull moment around here.

The trio decided to have a "snake race" up to bed.

One Two Three

One bucket. Two rain coats. Three shovels.  Love this silly girl.

The Bad And The Good

The bad thing about going to the beach:  TRAFFIC!

The good thing about going to the beach:  DAIRY QUEEN!

A Break In The Weather

We had a lot of rain over the weekend, so we got out when we could.  When there was a break in the weather we headed down to the beach.  We knew it would be brief as we could see another storm on the horizon. 

In honor of Memorial Day.

The trio and Grandma Karen.

Clean Up

Last week David and I did our first quarterly yard maintenance stint at our Seattle house.  We had Hanni come watch the kids so we could divide and conquer, and boy did we ever!

WHOA!  Is all I could say!  After 5 months, what did I expect?  Of course, I realize the renters will not take care of the yard as diligently as we did.  I get that.  It was just a little shocking to me.  After 5 months of no maintenance, it was pretty overgrown. 

David and I got busy and starting mowing, trimming and pulling weeds.  After 5 hours, and 2 trips to off load yard waste we were both quite impressed (and tired) with what we had accomplished.

I was kind of shocked we didn't receive an email from the renters complimenting us on how nice it looked.  But then I realized that they are probably thinking, "holy crap!  are they expecting us to keep it looking like this?"  Ha!

I'm hoping we provided them with a good standard, if nothing else.

The Before.  WHOA.

Completely overgrown.

The baseballs recovered from the bamboo.  Ryan was thrilled.  We unearthed 11 in all!

Weeds, weeds, everywhere.

The After!

You Know What's Weird

Ryan has been randomly asking, "you know what's weird?", on a regular basis.

The other day he said to David:  "Dad, you know what's weird?"

David:  "No, Ryan, what's weird?"

Ryan:  "I have to go to school almost every day."

David:  "Is that good or bad?"

Ryan:  "It's good.  How come you don't go to school?"

David:  "I already went to school.  Now it's your turn to learn from your teacher".

Ryan: "Well you teach us everyday."

David: "What do I teach you?"

Ryan:  "You wrestle with us."

I love these random conversations.

The Audience

The kids loved watching Grandpa Bill mow the lawn in circles.

Happy Memorial Day!

We spent the long weekend at the beach.  It rained quite a bit of the weekend, but we
were welcomed with low winds and bright skies when we arrived.

When It Rains

When it rains at the beach we stay inside and play iPads, watch movies, read books and do soduku with Grandpa Bill.

Snuggle Bug

My little bed partner at the beach house.

Beautiful Beach

The beach was happy to see us, I think.  It was spectacular the day we arrived; no wind, sunshine and an amazing cloud display.  I captured this photo, by far my favorite from all the times I've been there:

Kendall was so scared the water was going to get us.

The boy and the beach.

Looking for balls of sand that he can throw...like a baseball.

Need I say more?  I had so much fun snapping photos while the kids had a blast.

I also got some video of Natalie.  She is the best entertainment around, I swear.

Yep.  I caught her pooping.  She will love this video when she's a teenager!!

My First Beach Weekend Of The Year

The kids and I headed to the beach Memorial Day Weekend for the first time in 2013.  The trip went well and the sun was shining when we arrived!  They were there in April with their Dad but I hadn't been there in a long time.  It was good to be back.

The first thing the kids did was dump the basket of toys.

 Ryan hit all the baseballs he could find, and Natalie went to fetch them. 

Grandpa was a trooper and played kickball and baseball.

They all just love to be outside!

Library Day

We love library day!

They're Coming

Natalie spotted some bugs scurrying around on this rock while we were out gardening. She kept yelling, "They're coming. They're coming!".

Trying New Things

Ryan has been obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes for quite some time now.  It is the only book he wants us to read to him before bedtime. 

I found it quite hysterical tonight when I read him this page.  This is exactly...I mean EXACTLY...the way Ryan acted the other night when I asked him to try a baked bean.  Not even an entire bite, one baked bean. 

Talk about drama!

Grand Ridge Hike

For our latest family hike, we chose the Grand Ridge Trail.  This was the same trail I ran for my trail race in April.  It's funny how I didn't notice the I-90 traffic noise when I was running.  It was loud and clear on our hike.  While he had a good time, and saw some fun things, I'm not sure we'll do this one again.

Kendall showing off her new hiking sandals.

Checking out the caterpillar.