Weekend Lens

Hot weather on the weekend takes us right to the water!
We spent another great two days at Mayfield Lake and the entire day on Saturday on the water.  The temps were in the 90's and being in the water helped us all stay cool.  Saturday was very muggy, too, especially into the later afternoon and evening.

The exciting part about the weekend was the boys got to use their new kayak.  And they both loved having it.  Cannon went out on Friday with it to try it out and it was obvious that he would be an expert at it.  He took right off and quickly maneuvered it all around.  Colson got on it with Cannon but wasn't too sure at first.  He was very cautious.
Saturday Cannon used the kayak around Party Cove.  Colson also learned to use it there.  It took Colson a couple of times, a few tears and some yelling (him, not us!) but he finally figured it out and can paddle pretty well, turn and get comfortable enough to take it out on his own, turn around and get back.

Claire's cousin came with his girlfriend and four kids.  One was a boy a few years older than Cannon but they hung out all weekend. Even Colson had fun playing Frisbee, the card game Apples to Apples and cruising around on the kayak.  It was great for Cannon to have a friend to play with!

Fun weekend.
Great to be on the water.
Love being with friends.
Wonderful to be away.

Enjoying every moment.

Random Photos

Here are a few random photos that tell a bit of a story about the small, everyday things going on...

The fresh, local berries are ready this time of the year and we love to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  So good!

I'm heading to Leavenworth in August for the district retreat.  We got a nice reminder last week with a box  of some amazing sea salt chocolate caramels.  I didn't share!

Typical boy.  Typical 4 year old.  Typical Colson.  Running through the sprinklers with his clothes on.  Love it!

Colson has really been enjoying some color by number papers.  He's completed quite a few!  Colson loves to color and does a great job, too!

Cannon had basketball camp last week.  He was nervous and unsure the first day, and even shed a tear.  But was all smiles by the end of the first day and each day after that.  He continues to learn more skills and more importantly, improve his confidence.

Enjoying every moment.

Last Day of School 2015!

Last day. 

Exhale.

Cannon is so excited to be done and have summer ahead of him!

I am so excited to be done and have summer ahead of me!  

My class of third graders, some with their lipstick kisses from me.  (Yes, even the boys!)

All the teachers stay out and wave to the buses on the last day of school.  Love this tradition!  

Cannon had a great year in first grade.  I can hardly believe that he is on his way to second grade in September!  

First Day of School...

Last Day of School...

Enjoying every moment!

Family + Camping + Boating = Fun Times!

This past weekend we celebrated the end of the school year by heading to Mayfield Lake for a bit of camping and boating.  The weather was amazing (and HOT).  I was ready to get out of town to decompress after the last week of school.  The boys are always ready to go camping! And we were looking forward to having Chris all to ourselves since he's been gone so much for work lately.

We got an early start Friday afternoon.  There were hardly any boats on the water when we got there so we enjoyed the lake to ourselves.  Both boys drove the boat and we cruised up and down the lake before ending up at the marina for ice cream.

Both boys sound asleep on the way to the lake.  They both must have needed the extra sleep!  It was a nice, quiet ride!  

Enjoying ice cream and watching the boats go into the water at the marina. 

This kid loves being on the water.  He is his father's child!

Colson did a nice job driving the boat on this trip.  He sat with Chris but steered on his own.  

The next two days were spent on the boat, too.  We tried out Rife Lake on Saturday since we had never been there.  They have a great set up for camping and boating.  It would be nice to go back and bike or walk through the park there.  The lake is much bigger than Mayfield.  There isn't any houses around the lake and there also isn't any beaches.  Saturday at Rife was pretty windy.  We found a nice spot to hide from the wind and had lunch.  After a windy ride back to the boat ramp, we ended up back at Mayfield Lake and spent the rest of the afternoon there.  (No wind!)  The boys had fun playing in the water and mud at Party Cove.  That was a hit so we spent most of the day there on Sunday, too.

The boys had a good time biking, playing in the dirt, roasting marshmallows and popping popcorn over the fire.  Chris and I went for walks, sat by the fire and did some reading.  The boys slept in both days so we got a little more sleep, too! It was a great family weekend that was much needed.

Enjoying every moment.

 

Hello and Goodbye to T-Ball

Our first T-ball season has come and gone.
Cannon did not want to sign up, but I signed him up anyway.  Cannon does not like the unknown.  He gets nervous at things that he is unsure of.

But I am glad I followed my gut and signed him up.  I think Cannon would say the same!

He had a great season, made some new friends and learned a lot.  His confidence grew as he learned new skills and got better through practice.  We are so proud of how much he improved throughout the season.  The team all improved, too.  It was amazing to watch them during the last game, fielding ground balls, catching the ball and getting some outs!  They also hit the ball well and ran the bases great!  It was fun to watch!

This was a great experience for all!  We are so happy Cannon loved it.

Cannon with Coach Larry

Enjoying every moment!

A Few Random Photos

I have been not very good about recording the 'everyday' memories that occur in our lives lately.  I have allowed the busyness of the year to take over the little things....and sometimes it's the little things that mean the most.  Not that the big events aren't important.  But life is mostly full of those little things.  

So here are some of those little things...

Colson sporting his Husky shirt and hat.  Out of the blue, he put his hat on...first backwards...and wanted me to take a picture of him.  Then he turned his hat around and asked me to take another picture.  So. Darn. Cute. 

Mandy and I wore the same dress to school today.  And NOT on purpose!  I almost wore my blue jean jacket, but changed at the last minute to white.  Love this picture!

With T-Ball, we've been spending a lot of time eating out, which is not my favorite thing.  I enjoy going home after work and eating dinner together.  A dinner out every once in awhile is nice, but when you are forced to eat out a couple times a week, it's not that great!
Tonight, however, we went to Mazatlan and enjoyed a pretty good dinner together as a family!

Busy, full days mean tired kids.  Colson is often very tired by the time we get home...or even before we get home!  Here he is, zonked out on the way home from Cannon's game.  On game days, we leave the house about 7:20 am and don't get home until just before 8 pm.  LONG days!

Enjoying every moment. 

Sunday Funday

We had a wonderful Sunday out on the Puget Sound!

The weather has been amazing here and we spent the 88 degree day out on the water, enjoying the views, relaxing, seeing some sights and visiting a few places!  Lucky us!

We planned on going to spend the day at Blake Island, but decided to head up to Poulsbo...just because!  We had a picnic lunch in the park overlooking Liberty Bay and then headed to town for donuts and ice cream!

Joy came with us today and we hit some of the great shops to look around.  I ended up buying an old stand for $15.  Looking forward to figuring out what to do with it...and eventually using it in the new house.  (Colson took this picture and I didn't even know it until today when I went to post!)

Loving the water and the sunshine.  The boys were hanging out at the dock waiting for Granny Joy and I to get back.  The water was cold on their feet but it felt good in the hot weather!

Headed to Blake Island.

We spent a couple of hours exploring Blake Island.  The boys played on the toys and then we walked the beach.  It was low tide so there were a lot of treasures!  The view of the mountain and of Seattle was just breathtaking.  It never gets old.

On the way back to Point Defiance, we spotted the orca whales that have been in the area.  We only saw two breach but it was an amazing sight.  This picture is terrible but it shows the orca way out to the right side.  (It looks like it is close to land, but it wasn't.)  In person, it was so cool!  It was Cannon and Joy's first time seeing an orca.  Colson was sound asleep underneath!

Fabulous day.  Feeling so blessed!
Enjoying every moment!

Dental Appointments

It was that time of year again for dental checkups.  The boys flew through with flying colors.

Cannon is an amazing tooth brusher!  He still has only lost two of his baby teeth but hopefully more will start falling out soon.  Colson's teeth look great, too.  Both had no cavities.

They did a fabulous job with x-rays and then laid back to watch a movie while the dentist and hygienist dis their thing.  They hardly moved.  I think we were in and out in about 35 minutes!

Good job boys!  Such an easy visit!

Enjoying every moment.

The Weekend Lens

It was a busy weekend with lots to do.  Of course, not everything was accomplished, but we did get a lot completed.

Yes, I actually took a few moments to sit in the sun and enjoy the warmth.  It felt good!

Chris and Cannon worked on the boat all morning.  They washed it, fixed the out drive and worked on the brakes.

Report cards.  Enough said. *sigh*

Chris and Cannon went for a quick ride.

Colson and I went for a ride of our own!

Colson was my cleaning helper today!

A leak...and an unexpected project that took the entire morning to fix.  Chris had to dig a hole that was almost 6 feet deep before he found the leak and could fix it.

A last minute ride to Anthony's for dinner.  Thank you to the neighbors for watching the boys!

Yes, we did.  And it was so good!

Colson decided to run through the sprinkler about 7:30 pm and get totally soaked.  We skipped the nightly shower.  Didn't need it any more!

Enjoying every moment.