Let's Ride

Chris and I were lucky enough to have an afternoon free of kids so we could head out for a motorcycle ride. It was a beautiful day, in the low 80's and perfect for cruising.  We headed to Poulsbo first and had lunch looking out over Liberty Bay.  It was nice to go out to eat together, let alone be out without kids!  Lunch was delicious.  We then walked around Poulsbo for a short time, checking out some new and old shops.  From Poulsbo, we rode the short distance to Kingston and hopped on the ferry.  What a wonderful day for a ferry boat ride on the Puget sound.  There were many boats out and we could see Mount Rainier to the south and Mount Baker to the north.  We ended up in Edmonds, stopped for ice cream there and then headed back home.  So wonderful!

Thanks to Granny Joy, who had Cannon for the weekend and to Claire for watching Colson while we were gone!

Enjoying every moment.

Lake Washington

Oh, how lucky are we.  Saturday, we were able to spend the afternoon out on Greg and Brenda's pontoon boat.  We cruised around Lake Washington in the 80 degree weather, enjoying every single bit of it.  I loved taking in all of the scenery.  We sure do live in a beautiful place.

Colson enjoyed the being on the water, loved looking out at the other boats and airplanes, and played a lot with his trucks and trailers.  He even took quite a few pictures...many of himself!  (Cannon spent the weekend at Granny Joy's, so that is why he isn't with us.)

Forced relaxation.  Much needed.

Enjoying every moment!

Soccer Camp

Cannon asked to go to soccer camp this summer. It was similar to basketball camp in that it was Monday through Thursday for 2 1/2 hours each morning.  Cannon really enjoyed himself and said he loved his coaches.  He explained some of the things he learned each day (like kicking with the "inside, outside, or laces" of his shoes).  He really loved playing in the rain!  The second day was pretty rainy...like downpour type of rain.  They did go to the gym for awhile but the best part Cannon said was being out in the rain.  He was soaked when camp was over that day!

I'm glad he enjoyed himself and is learning!

Enjoying every moment!

Loving Summer

Summer really is the best.
I am able to slow down and breathe after a hectic school year.
It's the best because I get to be home and be a mom full time.

I love being able to let the kids sleep in and wake whenever they want.
I love not having a schedule or routine.
The boys love being at home and playing, with no time frame.
I enjoy tackling some cleaning and organizing projects.
I am able to catch up on documenting some pictures and turning our blog into a book.
Cannon enjoys not having school!
The boys ride their bikes on every dry day.
I have time to read, and read a lot.
I don't have to make any lunches.

Summer is relaxing, refreshing, rejuvenating.
It's needed.
It's wonderful.

Enjoying every moment.

 

Boating....on the Pontoon!

Last Friday we were able to enjoy a few hours on the neighbors new pontoon boat.  They took us up to Lake Tapps and we cruised around, munching on some snacks and enjoying the views.  Cannon and Colson absolutely loved it.  They loved the room on the boat, sat in every seat, ran around and just had fun!  They both got to drive and Cannon actually spent quite a bit of time driving.  I think Cannon may be hired to drive more often for Greg!  It was fun to look around at all of the houses on the lake and enjoy the beautiful view of Mount Rainier.  What a perfect Friday evening!  Thanks neighbors!

Enjoying every moment!

And Even More From Yellowstone

Here are some more miscellaneous photos from our trip.

We took a long hike and the boys were TIRED!  We stopped a few times 

and got some great pictures of the boys.  Love them so much!

 I love taking shadow pictures!  Usually Chris isn't in them,

so this one is great!

Another walk to see some more geysers.  Beautiful day.

Amazing areas. I am just in awe of what is happening under the earth 

to create these fascinating features above ground. 

There are spots along the river in Yellowstone where people stop to picnic and swim, 

especially on hot days.  We stopped at one and really enjoyed being in the water.  

Cannon found some friends to play with and didn't want to leave.  Colson had so much fun, too.  

KOA's are wonderful because they always have so much to do for families and kids.  

One of the activities both Cannon and Colson loved was playing putt putt golf.  I

 was surprised that Colson stuck with it the entire 18 holes.  These are the kinds of 

simple things that I love!

Enjoying every moment!

More From Yellowstone

I took close to 500 pictures on our trip to Yellowstone! I have gone through and deleted the ones that were blurry or not good or duplicates.  But I still have quite a few pictures to share.  So here are some of those pictures along with a little info about each one...

At the KOA we stayed at, they offered $1 scoops of ice cream.  Cannon had bubble gum (I think) but I do remember that his tongue and lips turned blue!  

We spent one day driving the north loop in Yellowstone.  We stopped at these falls and 

continued on enjoying the view of the canyon.  It was on this drive where we saw

a black bear!  

Cannon and Colson both love eating s'mores.  Cannon became an expert

at making his marshmallow golden brown.  Colson just loves eating his!

More ice cream!  We walked around North Yellowstone one afternoon and ended up in little shop to get some ice cream.  It was very good!  Cannon's cone was very huge, but he ate it all...right down to the last drip running off of his hand!  And Colson thought it was pretty cool that he got a little part of a cone with his ice cream!

The boys and in in front of the Grand Tetons.  The drive south through this 

National Park was extraordinary.  

There are more pictures....but those will be for a later date!

Enjoying every moment!

Yellowstone Bear World

Towards the end of our trip, we took a drive further south and into southern Idaho for a visit to Bear World. Bear World is a drive through wildlife park but also has many other activities that are kid friendly.  Cannon and Colson needed a day where they could participate in activities that they loved, instead of just driving around Yellowstone and looking at all of the amazing (to us adults) places.

So off we went, 65 miles south of where we were staying.  Two and a half hours later...after hitting construction in two different areas and being stopped for close to an hour in one spot...we finally made it! Ugh!  The kids were troopers, though and we were all glad to get out of the car.

This place was pretty cool.  We drove through the park first and loved seeing all of the different kinds of wildlife close up. We saw mountain goats, bison, deer, elk, moose, wolves, and of course, bears!

They also have a great petting zoo where everyone can walk through and pet many animals.  The boys tried to pet the chickens, however they didn't really want anything to do with them.  They did find 6 eggs in the chicken coop.  We all got to feed a the goats and deer.  That was pretty cool.  There were two baby deer, still with their spots, that we could see but not touch.  They were so small and very cute.

The park also has 5 small amusement park rides.  They are all in one area and the boys just went from ride to ride to ride, over and over.  They loved it and so did we!  The boys talked about the rides for days afterward.

Another amazing thing we did was take a guided tour through the wildlife park.  We rode in a big, open truck/van, where we stood up in the back.  We learned a lot about the animals from our guide and got to feed the deer, elk and bears.  Feeding the bears was the best.  They would all start walking towards the truck when they saw it and would sit up and put their paws in the air trying to get you to throw pieces of bread at them.  Some would put their paws on the sides of the truck to get closer and we could throw pieces of bread right into their mouths.  Amazing.

What a great day!  We all loved the experience and had a lot of fun.

Enjoying every moment!

Old Faithful

Another area we had to go to while in Yellowstone was Old Faithful.  This geyser is the world's most famous geyser and was named for it's consistency.  It erupts between 18-21 times a day.

We learned a lot of great information from the museum at the Visitor's Center.  They have wonderful displays and an excellent kids area.

While there, we were lucky enough to see the Beehive Geyser go off.  This geyser erupts only once every 24-36 hours and boy was it a site.  The sound of the geyser was awesome and you could hear the force of the 80+ feet of water.  It was amazing! I wish we were closer but it was still cool.  (even cooler than Old Faithful!)

There are many hikes around the area, some shorter and easier, some longer and more difficult.  We walked a quick .5 mile look to see some other areas.  If the boys were older and able, we would have spent more time hiking around.  Next time!

Enjoying every moment.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Our first road trip through Yellowstone was north to Mammoth Hot Springs.  We immediately were taken with how beautiful the park is.  It was a wonderful drive.  The change in landscape is so amazing...from green trees and grasses with meandering rivers to the white, orange and brown terraced area where tons of minerals are deposited each day.  Approximately 750,000 gallons of hot water flows through this spot daily forcing rapid changes on the land.

Enjoying every moment.