Update

I'm so sorry I've been so "checked out". Life has been full of busy fun. Last Mon-Thurs was Cub Scout Day Camp. Other than Kenneth's 10 wasp stings and a few rainy days, it was a blast. The boys loved it - Kenneth got to attend as a Bear, and Daniel went to the tag-along group. Caitlin also attended the tag-along group for the first 2 days, but was not so keen on going back and gratefully my friend, Heather, watched her for me on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks, Heather! Heather and her family are NOT moving to Utah (yay for us), and her son, Logan, and Caitlin are a darling pair together. Heather has agreed to do a pre-school for Logan and Caitlin for this upcoming year in order for me to have some scheduled working time. Thanks again, Heather!

Anyway, Friday (last Friday), Debbie arrived from Texas. We went straight from the airport to the Locks. This is where the boats/ships/tugs/etc. go from fresh water Lake Washington, to the salt water of Puget Sound. The boats sometimes have to raise/lower up to 26 feet! It was really cool to watch and someday I'll post some photos for you. We also saw the salmon in the salmon ladder there, returning to their birthplace to spawn and retire. I can see why they're so pooped when they get back. Swimming upstream is no easy task! Holy cow - it's amazing to see how hard they have to work. We also got to see lots of salmon jumping out of the water once they completed the fish ladder. They were really quite large fish (probably around 3 feet long), and it was cool to see them jump. We went from there to the beach. It was a LOVELY day and we played in the sand/ocean for about an hour before heading to soccer practice. We came home and bar-b-qued hamberglers for dinner.

Saturday we got the boat out...and after purchasing a lot of gas, a new battery ($212), and driving around for almost 2 1/2 hours, we put it into the water for the first time this summer. We went to American Lake, which is where Steve spent his summers growing up, and it is the reason he's always wanted a Ski Nautique. So...he got to use his Ski Nautique in his childhood lake. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, and I have some cool photos to share of this, too. I got some cool ones of Mount Rainier.

Last Sunday we took it easy and went to church.

Monday I don't remember what we did. I'll have to ask Debbie. I know Monday evening we went to the Pier in Everett and looked at the big boats and the ocean and we saw a seal swimming around the docks. That was cool.

Tuesday we went to play group with a few friends, then drove to Snoqualmie falls and hiked down to the river below. We took a picnic, and it was really nice weather. The falls were amazing - 269 feet...100 feet longer drop than Niagra Falls. The hike was quite steep and all 3 kids walked the entire way - I was so proud and relieved.

Wednesday we stayed home. We were making soup and homemade bread when Heather called and asked if we were going to the free movie. I wasn't planning on going, but Heather offered to take my kids so Debbie and I got 2 precious hours to ourselves - YAY! We went looking for Washington/Seattle souveniers...and we weren't very successful until we got to Wal*Mart. How pathetic is that? We pretty much hung out at home in the afternoon and we had Pack Meeting that evening. Debbie opted for an evening at home relaxing while we went to Pack Meeting.

On Thursday, Nancy flew in and we went straight to the wharf. We ate our picnic on a pier, then went to the acquarium. It was totally cool, and we loved it. We saw all kinds of awesome stuff including a HUGE octopus and we watched them feed the star-fish! (Or, Sea Stars, as they called them). That was really neat. We went from there to the Locks, and I stayed with Caitlin in the car (sleeping) while Debbie, Nancy and the boys checked out the Locks and fish ladder. Then we raced to soccer practice.

On Friday we went for a day trip. We went up I-5 to Hwy 20. We crossed over onto Whidbey Island (a bridge), drove through Anacortes down to Deception Pass. We ate our picnic (we had a picnic every day - have you noticed that?) at the state park in a bay. It was misty and drizzley when we got there, but the fog lifted and it was much more clear as we continued to walk and explore. After killing a couple of hours there we drove over the bridge and continued down through Oak Harbor to Langley. Langley is a darling little town 4 miles off the highway and we stopped and had ice cream and took pictures by the ocean. We then drove to Clinton and hopped on a ferry back to Mukilteo and raced to soccer practice. After practice (through which it rained) we grabbed dry clothes and ate at the Outback Steakhouse.

Saturday we went to Sequim. FUN FUN FUN. We love it every time we go there. We went to the Dungeness Spit and to the Olympic Game Farm. We went to my favorite candle shop (see http://www.fullmooncandle.com/index.html). We ate a picnic overlooking the ocean looking out at Vancouver Island. It was totally clear and beautiful.

Today we picked 14 cups of blackberries, made blackberry cobbler, went to the Pier in Everett to look at the ocean, walked 2.5 miles, and got father's blessings for the new school year. We needed a "down" day.

Tomorrow we plan to return to the cute town of Langley to shop and play at the beach. Should be great fun. Debbie & Nancy fly out Tuesday morning. We will dearly miss them. We've enjoyed having them in our home so much.