1st Day!

Back to school. Oh my. I have a Kindergartener this year. Sis goes half day five days a week. She is SO excited and SO in love with school. For as wild as this girl usually is, she was very nervous and quiet. We are all wondering how long that will last.

And...as you can see Sis got glasses! Isn't she the cutest?! The first thing she said after putting them on, "Wow, MOM your head is HUGE!!". 

Mr. P is in 4th grade. What the what?? I was in 4th grade yesterday....seriously, just ask my parents.

Busy Guy is in 2nd grade. 

Tuba. Is. A. Senior. Get out of town!! Now that is crazy! How can I have a baby that old? Don't answer....it's rhetorical. He gained 15 lbs. this summer. Whoa! And...he's not chubby. So, I assume he also grew a ton. He is now 5'10" and weighs 136 lbs. 

On a side note: Mrs. Brock, this is your first kindergarten class graduating this year! Whoa!

My baby. He is in pre-K this year. He goes four mornings a week which means that Friday mornings he and I are having "dates". It's really fun. So precious. It reminds me of time I spent alone with Mr. P when he was a toddler and Tuba was in school all day. I soaking it up.

All the kids have fantastic teachers!! We are so lucky! 

Vacation

Still playing catch up. I only work in sequential order so I'll keep plugging away. Maybe I'll post back to school some time around Halloween. Ugh!

We spent a glorious week at Rockaway Beach. Our favorite beach (except Hawaii)!

The weather was kind of foggy but no rain and not too windy.

I of course took hundreds of pics. I'll share my faves....it's so hard to pick.


Walks on the beach are my favorite thing to do. The kids run around and find all kinds of things to pick up.

Lots of time on the beach playing in the sand too.

Treats out are a favorite. The kids had cocoa. This pic cracks me up.

Cam and Mr. P spent a lot of time boogie boarding. They loved it! We need to get some wet suits for the kids. This water is cold!

But, not too cold for these two to run in the waves.

I got lots of snuggle time and hand holding.

Sweet Tuba loves the ocean.

Daddy bonding time.

Love this pic of the kids. Tuba would NOT come sit on the log for my photo op. Oh well, I like it just like this.

My surfer guys.

Beach Dog.

Our only family photo that I got. It's imperfectly perfect!

Sis....beauty.

This is how I spend any time not on the beach. Blankets and tea to keep me warm. Looking out at the ocean.

Sis helping keep me warm.

It was a great week! We miss the ocean already.

Grown Up Getaway

Cam and I had a wonderful overnight getaway this summer. We went back to Port Townsend and had another cycling adventure. We rode the Olympic Discovery Trail through Sequim. It is beautiful!

We had beautiful weather...sunny but not too hot. The scenery is so peaceful. We rode through pastures  and forests.

My favorite part of the day was stopping for a cold drink at the end of the ride. I had the most delicious iced coffee. It is so peaceful to sit and rest and have a yummy drink with your hubby....WITHOUT kids.  I love my loud wild kids but seriously this moment was really NICE!!

We checked into our hotel and got ready for dinner. We went to the Sweet Laurette Cafe and Bistro. It was delicious!! I forgot to take a picture of my dinner. It was a lovely evening.

30 hours away from home with just my sweetie! Wonderful and much needed! I'm looking forward to next year already.

My Summer

I love summer. The sunshine, the free open days, the sleeping in.

Seriously the sleeping in part is the nicest start to each day. Most days I didn't even want Cam to know how late we were all in bed. Then lounge around and eat in our pjs. Unrushed to leave the house. So nice and such a respite from the busy school year.

But, summer is also busy in it's own way. We had swimming lessons, and library visits, and beach days, camps, bike rides, piano lessons, and dental/doctor check-ups, play dates and exploring in our city. Then vacation and back to school shopping. We actually spent only a total of three days at home without leaving the house/yard. That is kind of exhausting.

Well hey, you've got to get out there and enjoy the sun and fun before it's gone. We for sure did that!

Hands down my favorite days were spent at the beach. I took the kids to a lovely beach a couple of times while Cam was at work. The beach isn't crowded so it's easy to watch the kids. 

We packed a picnic lunch in a cooler with enough snacks for a football team, life vests, chairs, sun umbrella, beach toys, towels, and US! 

I park myself in my chair under an umbrella and watch the kids play. Okay, I also dole out food and drinks faster than a short order cook/apply sunscreen/put on and take off life vests/as well as referee sibling squabbles and guide tours to the restrooms. Whew! 

Even with all the activity it was still such a fun and relaxing time. We will be back next summer for sure! 

Garden Update

The garden was a success...a small success but nonetheless...a success. 

The chives were wonderful. The kids would eat them right out of the garden. We had them on baked potatoes for dinner too.

The carrots grew all bunched up and tangled. Lesson learned. But, the kids loved pulling them out and eating them.

The peas were awesome!! We grew 12 of them. No, not 12 vines but 12 whole peas! We stood and ate them right in the yard. Delicious!

The green beans did not grow so well. We got about 5. Hmpf! 

The corn was off to a good start but now seems stunted. Hmmmm. ??

The pumpkins also were doing really well. They took over the whole garden and climbed out of the box into the yard. But now they are not that big and some of them are rotten. Help??

The peppers we moved out of the garden and into my flower planters on the deck. They are doing well. The kids have picked them off and taste tested them several times. Some of them are spicy and some not. Finally yesterday I had enough of crying-tongue wiping kids and yelled at them to STOP eating the peppers if they do not like spicy things. Good grief!

We will do it again next year. Any suggestions for favorite beginner gardening books (not one called Gardening for Dummies, please). And any tips are welcome!!