I-da-ho! We wanna go!

It's catch-up time on the blog again...

At the end of July, we went to visit my sister and her husband in Post Falls, Idaho. It was an awesome trip, wtih one of the highlights being a trip to Silverwood Theme Park.

The ice cream was great...

And the roller coaster, The Tremor, was thrilling. All the boys--Sean, Guyan, Dustin, and Owen--went on it, and Owen gave it a definite thumbs up.

Lizzie's Shower

My little sister Lizzie is going to be a mommy! Crazy! She's due in November with a baby boy...Nolan Jackson--we're very excited.

Her best friend from high school, Melissa, hosted the shower along with her wonderful assistant and daughter, Tamia (also a classmate of Owen's at preschool this past year). Tamia made sure that everyone tried the old fashioned mints--the pink ones are the best, she says.

As with any good baby shower, we had games. This was one of my favorites--the melted candy bar in the diaper one. Ewwww... Mom got a good chuckle out of it.

This is a "rainy day" quilt that Mom made for Liz. Very cute, with appliqued umbrellas and rainboot fabric. Take all the naps you can now, Liz...

And Freckle...she was taking her own nap in her kennel for a while, but really wanted to join in on the action. Good girl, Freckle.

"Cardboard is Awesome!"

We just bought new patio furniture for the improved deck, but it's not near as interesting as the cardboard it came in. Sean helped them put together a fort/shantytown, and this evening we're having a lightning storm. The boys are loving it.
The old telescope/paper towel tube trick. You really can see better through them.

I think they've found a new home...

Life is a Parade

Today was the Grand Parade for Ferndale's Old Settler's Picnic. It's an annual even held on the last full weekend of July (hmmm...same weekend as Portland Brewfest...a festival we have opted for in the past...ugh).


For the past two years, Guyan and Sean have been in the parade with the rest of the Cub Scout Pack 26. Guyan even wore his red patch vest for me in the 80 degree heat. I love that boy.

In Balance

The past few weeks have been pretty busy around the Cool House. Daycamps or swimming lessons every weekday for the past month, deck improvements for the past couple weeks, and--as per usual--Sean's been very busy at work. After running ourselves ragged (personally, I've been painting the deck to the point of allergic reaction), it was time for a day off.

We took our bikes up to Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. It's a very large city park right the the heart of Vancouver, kind of Central Park-esque, with a Canadian twist. A very nice paved bike and pedestrian path goes all around it, about 8 km total (conversion please? about 5 miles). I borrowed a bike from the neighbors, Guyan used the bike Sean had refinished for him, and Owen rode on a bike ride-along trailer behind Sean.

A highlight of the bike ride was the balanced rocks. On the west side of Stanley Park, just after coming around a corner, there was a large field of balanced rocks. You could hear or see several cyclists coming around the corner and skidding to a stop with a "Wow!"

Initially, Sean was a skeptic and said there had to be glue or rods holding them together. After chatting with the artist (below) and watching him balance three rocks, even Sean was (mostly) convinced it was all real.

I, calm in mind and body (ha!), was a believer from the get-go. Tree pose in tennis shoes is not comfortable.

And finally, the reason why we really do it. Ice cream!!! Thank you, Sean, for standing in line with the boys for 20 minutes and struggling through the order (a busy day--they were out of the first three choices) while I watched the bikes (a.k.a. laid on the grass and took a short snooze). A perfect day!

We Know People--and It's Good

Our good friends, the Bergmans, just bought a boat. It's a nice Bayliner, perfect for taking on Lake Whatcom, out in the Sound, over to the San Juan Islands... We were lucky enough to accompany them on the maiden voyage a week ago. It was such a perfect day for it!

The day was filled with water fights (just don't get Melinda or Michelle--moms usually don't go for that sort of thing), tube riding, and sunbathing. Couldn't have been better!




Sean's "job" was taking the kids on the tube. All of them were a little hesitant, but by the end of the day, all of them had tried it out. This picture is him with Guyan.


And a video of Owen's first time...






Even the moms did the tubes...the kids were mightily impressed (and so were we). I have a video of this, but blogger won't upload it. You'll just have to trust me.

Sean and I took a turn together, too. I had to show him I could handle real speed.

We can't wait to do it again (and boating in the Sound, and the trips to the San Juans, and, and...). We could get used to this!

And I can end the post without a proper picture of the proud new boat owners...except that I don't have one! But this picture tells its own story...Dan was Captain of the ship all day, and I have a sneaking suspicion that's exactly where he wanted to be.

The Toothless Wonder

Owen has lost his first tooth (and by now, his second...). While Guyan was being awarded badges at the Camp Out, Owen and I were ferociously working on his tooth, and Mrs. Bergman was taking enough pictures that we could probably splice them all together and make a crude video of the event.

Apparently blood and pulling teeth excites me...

For any worried grandparents out there, he was not quite this freaked out. Well, maybe. But freaked out in a good way.

To prove that I really did let him work on it on his own:

The moment...

Ta-daaa!

And now, for the tooth fairy! Does she visit kids at campgrounds? Of course she does...she just needs to find a friend with cash.