AUGUST - Trains, Sprinklers, Columbia Tower and Mount Adams

The kids have been playing together so well this summer. It really helps that Charlotte is now two and can actually play pretend and other games with Edison. This was a Train morning.

 First time running through the sprinklers - they both LOVED it!

 The Navy League hosted a big dinner at the top of the Columbia Tower as part of "Fleet Week" when a bunch of Navy and Coast Guard ships come to Seattle and give tours during Sea Fair. Anyway, the dinner was lovely but the views from the 78th floor took the cake.

 Mom watched the kids for two days and I headed down towards Mount Saint Helens to meet up with my students at a  leadership camp retreat. I had the pleasure of arriving the night before and camping out, then going on a short hike in the morning before seeing the students. I didn't have any hiking info and stumbled upon this trail to a really cool "veil falls."

 There are a ton of caves in this part of the state made from volcanic activity. This waterfall comes over the lip of the cave and lands on the mossy pyramid rock. The trail goes right under it.

 Eben is happiest driving his boat, but my "happy place" is driving in the mountains on lonely dirt roads, windows down, dust flying and listening to Led Zeppelin. Ahhhhhhh - the smell of the mountains is fabulous - here is Mount Adams in the distance.

Jones Island with Lisa and Matt

Eben left work at one on Friday and we headed out to the San Juans again for the weekend. We were trying out Jones Island for the first time. We had to batten down the hatches on the north bay since it was blowing pretty hard out of the south all weekend.

 The night wouldn't be complete without s'mores. Eben dashed the Whaler down to Friday Harbor to pick up Matt and Lisa who had come in on the last ferry.

 Eben rigged up the hammock for the first time this summer. The kids enjoyed it too - and thus it ended up being not very relaxing.

 We walked down to the beautiful southwestern point the next morning.

 These boots were made for walking.

 This was an amazing campsite and we wished the wind had died down so we could camp here. But we settled for a relaxed morning watching the boat traffic head north past San Juan Island.

 Lunch in Friday Harbor at the Crab Shack.

 So free on the water!

 Horsing around at the beach back on Jones.

 We took a sunset walk out to the far west point for sunset.

 Just an amazing sunset.

 Sunday we checked out Roche Harbor and her manicured grounds.

 Sometimes you are just so happy to be a mommy!

 Happy girl!

 Our spot on Jones.

 Sunset on Sunday on the Whaler in a kelp bed. We had dropped off Matt and Lisa at the ferry and had one more day in the Islands. We spent Monday on Lopez Island, coming into Fisherman's Bay for the first time. Up about half a mile from the docks is a cute village with a few eateries. Hopefully we'll be back and spend more time there.

Zoo! Sara! Watershoes!

This is the best view we've ever gotten of the savannah: antelope, giraffe, ostrich, zebra!

We got to the zoo and all the kids want to do is play in the playhouse.

We went to the zoo with Sara and she welcomed us back to her garden afterwards. The kids were so excited to pick these lovely carrots!

The cutest bike rider ever!

Showing off the new watershoes. We are hoping these will make Charlotte stop whining about walking on sand and/or pebbles and/or rocks.

 

 We had Meg, Chris, Dillon and Liam over for dinner to re-pay them for their amazing dinner.

 The kiddie table!

 We took a post-dinner stroll to Cherry Park. Long summer evenings are the best!

 

Visit from Maya and Sharon!

I never believed it would happen, but Maya always said she was going to do a humongous trip around the US with her family. Well, they finally did it! She arrived with Sharon, Yuvali, and Tomer and it her newborn, Rotem. They showed up in the "lodge," their tent trailer and a minivan. We immediately packed up and headed to Sucia Island.

Unfortunately the weather didn't get on board with our plans. But we still made the best of it.

The kids made seaweed salad. Edison was so happy to see his Connecticut friends again, especially loving to follow Yuvali around everywhere. It was fun to see how much Tomer had changed in two years - now talking up a storm and fiercely independent.

Each night we went out to a point on the west for spectacular sunsets.

Happy campers!

We were very happy the sun came out the next day. We took the kids for a tour around the island.

The best part is going through the islets around Ewing Cove and seeing all the creatures under water at low tide.

The seals had taken over the rock just north of the island.

Lunch on the boat!

Oreos at sunset!

Hanging at the House

Charlotte loves to rock the jean skirt and boots.

 She inherited Edison's balance bike and figured it out quickly.

 I think the kids have begun to love riding bikes because of Eben's passion for cycling.

 Edison has been playing soccer this summer every Tuesday morning. We signed him up with his good friend Colin (far left). Basically they are working on not using hands to move the ball. The coach told the kids to fill up their goals with balls quickly. Edison is trying to kick two balls at once here. It didn't work out so well.

 After practice we always head over to the playground. That is when Charlotte and Pierce get to live it up a little.

 No words for this one.

 No cavaties! Charlotte was a total trooper for her first dental visit.