Celebrate Today

Today was the beginning of another long stretch of beautiful weather for the Pacific Northwest.  We took full advantage of the 75 degree weather and headed out to Puget Sound for the day.

Our destination was Poulsbo, however we ended up a few other places throughout the day.

This morning, we put the boat in the water at Day Island Marina in Tacoma.  We headed north, under the Tacoma Narrows and up through Colvos Passage.  The water was like we were on a lake.  The boys enjoyed sitting in the back with the wind in their faces!  Chris and I enjoyed seeing some of the sights and scenery we have missed since spending so much time on the water with our 38' boat.

We pass Blake Island on the way to Poulsbo, so we decided to stop in there for a visit.  We took a cruise around the area, let Colson throw rocks in the water and then let the boys play at the playground.

We made it to Poulsbo and decided to have a picnic lunch up on the grass overlooking Liberty Bay.  After lunch, we headed to the famous bakery for treats.  So good and so many things to choose from!

I was able to walk around quickly and check out a few new shops.  I'm thinking a trip back to Poulsbo without kids may be in order!

We headed to Port Orchard next, and walked through their Farmer's Market.  Colson headed straight for the Kettle Corn!  They have a great park there and the boys had fun playing on the cool toys while we watched and soaked up the sun.

From Port Orchard we headed south, back to Day Island Marina.  Colson dozed under the front of the boat and it was funny to see his whole body bounce up and down as we hit some waves.  He did great all day for only a very short nap.

The tide was very low today, so we ended up staying at the Marina for an early dinner and then taking a quick ride over to Wollochet Bay and back.  By then the tide was high enough (barely) to get the boat out.

We all had a great day and it was fun to hit so many great spots in one day.  We'll be back to all of them.

Enjoying every moment.  

Another Great Photoshoot!

A few weeks ago we had a former student take some pictures of us.  I had Taylor in my first grade class and now he is a senior and will be graduating next week!

He did a great job and the boys loved him.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Enjoying every moment.

Long Weekend

We were ready for a long weekend.  It's been busy for both Chris and I these last few weeks and we have been looking forward to getting away.  It's always fun to go to Mayfield Lake and hang out with everyone. This year, there were 10 different families there.

The boys rode their bikes all over the place and also enjoyed hitting tennis balls off the tee.

We rode in the new boat for the first time.  It was very windy and a little chilly if we weren't bundled up.  But it rode great and was comfortable.

We also took a long boat ride on Dan and Claire's new pontoon boat.  The water was calm but the sun never came out and on the way back, it was cold!

Even with it being overcast and a bit chilly, Cannon wanted to put his feet in the water!

The boys watching how to make Lemon Drops.  Always a good skill to know, I guess!

Throwing some rocks!

We went to the Marina on the other side of Mayfield Lake and checked it out.  The boys found ice cream in the little marina store.  They each shared their ice cream with each other!

Enjoying every moment!

Pioneer Farms

Wednesday, we enjoyed a great field trip to Pioneer Farms.  Our field trips in 4th grade fit so nicely with our curriculum and we are lucky to have great places to go that aren't too far away.

At Pioneer Farms, the students are able to take on many roles that Pioneers had.  They have a cabin where students spend time first hearing about Pioneer life around the home and then have plenty of time to try things out.  They loved, cutting carrots and cabbage, grinding wheat, kneading dough, combing wool, trying on Pioneer attire, checking out Pioneer toys, washing clothes, shaving (with a dull razor!) and much more.  They also got to spend time with the animals, holding chickens, milking the cow, finding eggs, and petting the sheep, goats and pigs.  They had fun in the Blacksmith shop and woodworking shop, too.  Everyone got a chance to ride in a buggy, which was a hit and they also got to see the inside of a school room where they heard the rules Pioneer Children had to follow!  There were two cabins they got to go inside and see just what a small space the Pioneer families lived in.

What a wonderful, hands-on experience for everyone!

Enjoying every moment!

More Naked Boys

More nice weather means more naked boys in our back yard.

I don't know what is so exciting about taking off all of their clothes to play, but it is.  And it's not really that big of deal.  So I let them.  Why not?!

Enjoying every moment.

Chicago

I was going through pictures and found some that Chris took when he was back in  Chicago for work.

Lots from Soldier Field...

 The city of Chicago from the pier...

Yes, his trip was for work, but I am glad he had a little bit of time to enjoy!

Enjoying every moment!

Sunny Day Photos

I have some random photos from our sunny days this week.

Chris finally put up all of the shelving units that were stacked in front of the Chevelle....which meant that I could drive it!  He took the boys for a spin to make sure everything was running well. Those two in the back seat loved cruising with dad!

Every sunny day when we get home from school, the boys take off most--or all--of their clothes and play in the back yard.  Sometimes they run through the sprinkler.  Sometimes, they play with the wagon.  Sometimes they play on the big toy.  Today, Colson wanted to paint.  So I got out some paintbrushes and filled up two containers with water and let both of them "paint" anything they wanted!

Here's a snapshot from Wednesday.  I should have taken one on Monday.  It would have showed how nice it was all week.  I love waking up to blue skies, having the doors and windows open, BBQing for dinner and being outside. 

The neighbor found a turtle heading across the road in our culd-a-sac.  It must have escaped from someone's yard.  The turtle was bigger than I thought and could move pretty fast....not how I expected a turtle to move!  

The kindergarten classes are in the middle of a unit on Community Helpers. They had a Bonney Lake police officer come in and talk to the class on Friday.  Cannon really enjoyed hearing about the police officers job, but he was most impressed that he had a gun and that he showed the kids his knife!  All of the kids brought home a bag of "fun stuff" and one of the things inside was a temporary tattoo. I've never put any on Cannon before (I've always thrown them out before he saw them) but he's too old for me to get away with that now....he knew exactly what it was and how to put it on.  So I reluctantly helped him and here is a photo of it.  I hope it comes off or else he'll have to get a job with the Bonney Lake Police!  

Enjoying every moment!

Quads

We were again blessed with some wonderful days filled with warm sunshine and warmer temperatures.

One evening, Chris got all of the quads out to start them and take some pictures since, unfortunately, they are going to go up for sale.  They've been sitting for awhile and we haven't used them, so there's no need to keep them.  However, we are keeping Cannon's motorcycle and Colson's red quad.

Both the boys got on their helmets and rode all over the yard.  This was the first time Colson rode without any coaxing or help.  He got right on and rode all over the place.  We were so proud of him!  His confidence is building and it's exciting to see him improve.

Enjoying every moment.