Non-stop fun!

I can't remember what I last told you we were up to. We have been so busy with family fun!

Mike ran another run up in Bellingham on a Saturday a few weeks ago. There was fun music and then we visited the beach there. The girls played in the tide pools for ever....another fun family adventure that started with Michael running.

Then the next week we spent at Girl Scout day camp. I was the craft leader and all the girls got to come. They were each in a different unit, but got to do the same activities. We all LOVED it! It went a little late into our evenings, but the girls managed to keep from getting too tired. It went from 2:30 to 8:30pm Monday through Friday. The girls got to do archery, crafts, games, songs, outdoor skills, and swimming. The swimming pool was the only kink in the program. We were supposed to have access to a huge pool all week, but when we got there on the night before to set up, we found the pool empty and jackhammered! The place had forgotten to let us know this little detail. Luckily they were at least willing to go out and buy and set up a small quick set pool for our use. They felt bad. It worked out okay and my girls had too much other fun to care.

My crafts were well received by all the girls, so that was rewarding for me. I look forward to the day that I can be a Girl Scout leader. I loved camp and am sold on the Girl Scout experience for the girls. I like the troop stuff too all year, but camp sealed the deal for me.

We were pooped by the end of the week, but with camp songs stuck in our minds and supplies to make bead people, we left early the next day (Saturday) to go real camping! We met some friends up river at Mineral Creek campground on the Cascade River. We really did sing songs almost all the way there. We drove up the Cascade Pass and then Mike, his friend Paul, and Paul's son hiked 5 miles up the mountain. All us girls played by the river for a while and crafted at the trailer. The next day we went back by the creek and the dads fished (and caught some!) while the kids enjoyed playing in the water. Our friends had to leave that day, but we stayed one more night...although we hid out mostly in the trailer from mosquitos. This is the creature Mike fears more than any other!

The next day we took some crazy switchbacks in our minivan up to a trail. When we got to the trailhead we found out it was a long and steep trail, so we just hiked up for about a half hour before we decided to turn around and go home. It was a very neat trail though.

We got home on Monday and by Thursday afternoon we were packed up again to go down to Oregon...that with 2 birthday parties and a useless trip down to Children's packed in between! Kelby was supposed to get her teeth cleaned at the dentist down at Childrens. Once we were down there we found out that they will clean her teeth while she's under anesthesia when they pull her teeth out in two weeks. (She's having some baby teeth pulled because they are fused in her jaw.) So I was is a bad mood. She also had some blood drawn, but we could have done that during the anesthesia too. When we got back to town the girls got to go to a birthday party for their friend Alaina. Tegan and Kelby got to spend the night. The next day I picked them up and took them to Riley and Luke's party. Their cousins birthdays are only a few days apart. We had lunch at McDonalds, then a fun visit to the Children's Museum.

The next day we got all ready for our trip. We took the tent trailer and headed down to Oregon. The first night we stayed in a state park in Washington. It was a nice place. Then we went for a quick hike before packing up and continuing south.

Mike just bought a GPS unit before this trip. We have friends that have tried geocaching and after reading up on it a bit, we decided to give it a go. It is like going treasure hunting, except you are only given coordinates to find it. The GPS guides you. Then you have to find the hidden "cache". You log that you were there and mostly you get to trade for a treasure. You take something and leave something. These seem to be cheap kids toys, so the girls really enjoyed that part! We found two geocaches before we left that area.

We got down to Oregon and set up at a KOA. This was a huge campground with TONS of people there. We had a good time there though. There was an indoor pool, a "jumping pillow", free smores, and kareoke that night. The next morning we got free all-you-can-eat pancakes. The weather that day was a little chilly for playing at the beach, but we visited for a few mintues and saw an old boat wreckage from the early 1900s called the "Peter Iredale". Then we went to find another geocache. We found a snake along the way!

To get cleaned up for the wedding, we visted the pool and then got all showered and dressed in pretty dresses. We were down in Oregon for Michael's cousin Andrew's wedding. They had their wedding in a park overlooking the beach and just as we sat down, the sun peeked through the clouds and blessed them perfect weather for an outdoor wedding. The reception was lots of fun and the girls got to dance a little and hang out with another of Mike's cousins, Rebecca. She pretty much took care of the girls for me!

On Sunday we had hoped the weather would be terrific for playing on the beach, but it was a little dreary. We decided to go geocaching on our way to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We went through some beautiful beach towns on our way. At the factory we got stocked up on Mike's favorite treat, squeaky cheese. Yes, when it is fresh it is actually squeaky when you chew it. After a few days it isn't squeaky anymore, but it is still yummy. We also got ice cream cones.

At our second cache we found what is called a "traveling bug". It is just an item that is trackable on the geocaching website that is supposed to go from cache to cache. Usually it has a story or a goal. Ours was "Ruby the Racehorse." It was placed by a little girl Kelby's age and the horse wants to make it to the Kentucky derby someday! We took pictures of the little plastic horse with some real horses and placed her in a cache in Tillamook. Hopefully someone will find her and take her to the fair their in the next couple weeks. That was a fun adventure. We can't wait to place caches and traveling bugs of our own! On some of the logs we checked we found a family from Sedro-Woolley had been there just a few days before us! Small world!

We stopped at Cannon beach on our way back north. It is a beautiful beach there and the girls still had a great time in the waves. The weather started to clear just as we were leaving. I really want to go back there someday during nice weather. In fact I might have to talk Michael into going back to Oregon for a family vacation every year!

On Monday we got up and visited Fort Stevens and searched for a couple more geocaches. They were adventures that took us off the beaten path. We also said good bye to the Oregon coast one more time. Then we were off again toward home. It was a wonderful trip, but we were a little tired by the end.

Now I'm just trying to get the house back in order and some ladies' ministries stuff done. I feel like I have a ton of things to do, but it will get back to normal soon. I wish the weather was better so the girls could at least swim in the backyard. I hope it isn't autumn already!

More July Photos

Busy Two Weeks

A package came for Kelby a couple weeks ago...and I thought to myself, why did my gramma send Kelby a package. I hit myself in the head when I realized...wait a minute...her birthday is a week away! I can't believe it snuck up on me this year. I had to quickly make party plans for her and luckily she was easy to please. We invited a few Sedro-Woolley friends over for a sleepover the night before her birthday. Then we met the family at the church pool for hours of swimming fun on her actual birthday. She seemed happy to spend the day in her natural habitat. She is a fish!

Speaking of fish...that is what Mike decided to get her for her birthday. She now has two new friends, Jumpy and Bubbles, in her room. She likes her new pets. Though what she really wanted was a horse!

The slumberparty was fun. Only two friends actually got to come, but with Tegan and Anika it was still a party. I think we'll try one friend at a time sleepovers every now and then. The girls haven't really done much of that. That way they can have the one friend sleep in their room and don't have to share her with the sisters. In our house all friends are community friends it seems. They should have the opportunity to have a friend for themselves.

On Saturday we went out to the Tesoro refinery for their run. Mike ran a 5K race and the girls ran their 1/2 mile. They had been looking forward to this run this year and even practiced a couple times before hand, running a half mile in the evening with Dad. Anika got a trophy for being 2nd in her age group and so did Michael. There are more kids running in Kelby and Tegan's age group, so it is harder for them to get tropheys.

After that we went to the beach for the rest of the day. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed relaxing...and some actual real sun for a change.

I have been fighting major allergies for the last week and a half though, so I was barely functioning that day. I get better and worse with the weather. I wasn't sure for awhile if it was a cold or allergies, but I'm pretty sure it's the allergies now.

I have kept working on my bathroom project throughout these last few weeks. It keeps being one more step every time I finish one. I got the wallpaper off...then there was no texture underneath and I had to repair the wall from gouges made when removing the paper. I did that and then rolled on some texture. Then the texture was too pokey, so I sanded it down. Then I painted the wall the gold color I had picked. I don't like it! Now I bought a lighter color yellow to wash over the top and hope that can tone it down a little. I need to get a light fixture up and some tile for a back splash before I can call it quits. I hope to do that this weekend. It might be awhile before I take on another house project. The next one on the list is painting all my trim white, so that's a big one!

On Wednesday we hit the church pool again. I had other errands to do in town, so we made a day of it. That night we took the girls to the All-comers Track meet at the Burlington High School. It's a community track meet for all ages. He had taken them the week before, but I didn't go that time. This time I got to see them run their 50 meter hurdles, 100 yard dash, 800 meter (1/2 mile) and Tegan also ran the 200 meter dash. They are so motivated to try their best so I am very proud of them! Mike even beat the all-time record for men his age at the 100 and 200 meter dashes! They all came home with a place ribbon in something and so many participation ribbons that we could wallpaper a bathroom with them...except I will NEVER wallpaper anything ever!

On Thursday my friend offered to watch all three girls so Mike and I could go on a date! She took them early in the day so I even got to go get my toes done at the new local nail place. I got cute little flowers! A pedicure is the best way to get pampered. Mike and I went to a matinee (the first in two years! Mike won't got to movies anymore since we got the projector.) We saw Hancock which we both liked. Then we got to go out to dinner.

Friday was the Fourth of July and it was packed full of fun. We started out at the Sedro-Woolley foot race. Mike did another 5 miles. He got third in his age group. While he was running we staked out a spot on the parade route. We stayed for about an hour and a half of the parade. I think it went on for another hour after that! We went home and started up the BBQ. Some friends and family stopped by and we had a great time playing games and eating my favorite family foods like baked beans and seven-layer salad. I had to have a party just to have a reason to make those yummy things from my memories. Mike went and got a few fireworks and then when it got dark we went out in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors and lit them off and enjoyed everyone else's burning money! The girls stayed up until 11:00! They are tired today, but they did well and had a great time. They enjoy having people over for parties like me.

The weather has cooled off again and we are getting a little rain now. I think we'll take it easy for the rest of the weekend...but I might go finish painting my bathroom instead. This next week I'll be preparing for out Girl Scout Twilight camp which will be happening the week after that. Always something to do!