I told you there was snow!

Saturday, 7-24-10

It was a beautiful morning, so we decided to go on a little family hike.

Darin told Zach that we were going to go to Mt. Rainier and Zach said "but there is snow there!" Darin told him that we wouldn't be going up high enough to be in the snow. Zach told him to look at the mountain and that he would see the snow. :-)

Well, Zach was right. There was snow everywhere! It was warm and beautiful and LOTS of snow!

We drove up the mountain to Tipsoo Lake. It really wasn't a "hike". Just traipsing through the snow around the lake with beautiful views and really warm weather. It was perfect for our little ones. :-)

The kids loved throwing snowballs at us.

Elissa found this natural spring. It was so weird to see this water just bubbling up from the ground.

Elissa is getting tired now and is taking a rest.

You can't ask for a more beautiful back drop then this.

On our way back down.

I love this pic because it shows Elissa shying away from going down this somewhat steep snowy hill and Zach putting his hands behind his back because he doesn't think he needs Dad's hand to get down.

Views on the drive back down.

The kids taking a nap as Mt. Rainier gets farther away.

We ended our adventure at Wally's Drive-In in Buckley for a late lunch. Yum, Yum!!

It was really cool having a new adventure with the kids!

Gigi and Her Little Ducklings

Friday, 7-16-10

The kids and I got to take care of Gigi last weekend while Grandma and Papa went and had some fun in Coeur d'Alene with their friends.

While they were boating, the kids were following Gigi around the culdesac and riding bikes. It was really funny. Gigi was set on her path and getting her walk in. The kids would try to talk to her and ask her questions, but she would barely look back at them to try and figure out what they were saying. She is so set in her routine that it is hard for her to come out of it. The kids didn't mind. They just kept on following her around. :-)

I'm sure Gigi is thinking here....why do these little kids keep following me?

We had a nice time.

Splish, Splash!

Here is our summer fun for today! :-)

The kids rigged up this water slide. The pool got a little fuller then I planned.

She was a bit scared to go down first, but then she got brave.

Now it's Zach's turn. He is afraid too!

But down he goes!

And now he is saying, "That was so awesome!"

We hope you are enjoying the summer too!!

Big Boy Bed!

Zach is so excited to be in a bed just like Sister!

The open area on the left is where a slide in/out desk goes, but for now it is a hide out. :-)

Fabulous Fourth!

Sunday, 7-4-10

It really was the perfect day!

We started the morning camping and ended it at home having a BBQ with friends and watching fireworks.

Tommy, John, Renee, Zach, Me, Tyler, Elissa & Darin behind the camera

HAPPY 4TH AMERICA!

The Scenic View

I had to do a separate blog of just the pictures I took at the ocean of the beautiful views and nature.

I thought it was so cool how this whole beach was made of the perfect skipping rocks.

A Side Trip to Forks, WA

Sunday, 7-4-10

Renee and I decided that since we were so close (30 min) to Forks, WA - home of the Twilight Saga - we had to take a trip there.

It was a rainy day - typical - so no sparkling vampires to be seen. :-)

We didn't do any of the tours. We just drove around and looked into a couple of the shops. We also saw two look-a-like Edwards walking around. I never got my camera out fast enough to get a picture.

I had to hunt down a life-size picture of Jacob.

Yes I know that everyone loves Edward, but Jacob is my favorite. Not just because he is a greek-god (hee, hee), but because he tells it to Bella straight. He doesn't hide things from her and he says what is exactly on his mind. Reminds me of a time when my boyfriend (now hubby) once told me "How's that workin' for ya?" :-)

Here is Renee with Edward. :-)

(so sad there was a glare)

It was a fun, fast little trip!

We can now say that we have been there!

Oceanside Living

Friday - Sunday, 7/2-4/10

Kalaloch Campground in the Olympic National Forest

The Chandler's invited us to camp with them at the ocean. I really prefer to camp where it is going to be sunny, but we try to go to the ocean at least once a summer. Also the company was totally worth it! :-)

The weather ended up being really nice on Saturday. It was just the evenings that were very windy. Our campsite had a beautiful view of the ocean, but a cliff was very near by. We had to make boundaries for the kids. They had so much fun running through the forest, riding bikes/scooters and playing at the ocean.

We did come back one day early because Sunday was a rainy day and we had had enough camping nights with our kids. No one seems to sleep very much while camping. :-)

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

Ok, so I had a really hard time choosing just a few favorites! There are so many great photo opportunities while camping and especially at the ocean. It is SO beautiful there!