New Year...Not So New Blog

Since it's January, I have resolved to be a teensy bit more consistent with updating my blog. (O.K...so it's January 31st, but I still made the cut-off for New Year's resolutions.)

I wrote a post called Finishing a few months ago and technically followed through by finishing the pictures from Vashon, but I really wanted to post ALL of the summer pictures before I went on with September, October... you get the idea.

Now, so much has happened, that I'm overwhelmed with the idea of going back and catching up, so I'm just not going to. I'm starting fresh. Right now.

It's a new year, so I don't have to worry about LAST year's news and pictures, right?


Well, here's just a couple of things...

1. Claire started 1st grade and loves her teacher. Her reading took off all of a sudden in October and we can't believe everything that she is reading these days!

2. Our chickens started laying eggs - 2 lay brown eggs and 2 lay the most beautiful blue-green eggs. I'm hoping to post a picture soon, but if I don't - it's a new year.

3. Claire celebrated her 6th birthday with a "Candy and Costume" party in the park. She had a big part in the planning this year.

4. We finished our last job with our videography business, Creativedge Video and Erik started his new job as a partner with Blue Skies Cinema. It has been a wonderful change for him and we are so grateful that God opened up this opportunity.

5. Oh, and one last thing...WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY!!! Our baby boy is due to join our family on June 12, but we are already experiencing the joy of adding this little miracle to our family through these months of expectant waiting.

All for now. More to come.


Promise.

Leaving Vashon

Another great year, hundreds more great memories.

Here are two shots from our ferry ride off the island and on to the rest of our vacation.

(Are there really more photos to go through?)

This is one of my new favorite shots of Claire. She loves riding on the ferry.

And this picture gives just a taste of the tranquility that we experience during our time there.
Until next year...

Puget Sound TUBING!

Uncle Harold brings his boat every year and takes the kids on WILD innertube rides!

Here are the first victims...er...tube-riders. Yeah...they're smiling now...

I won't post the "after" picture - it just wasn't pretty.

This guy had some fun - check out the air he caught!

Claire got to go for a ride with one of her aunties. Too bad they didn't have any fun. :) Someone wipe those grins off their faces!

She got REALLY brave with Daddy. "Look, Mommy! NO HANDS!!"

Next year...wakeboarding? Counting the days...

Winslow

This is Winslow.

One of my favorite things about Winslow is that his little pink tongue is ALWAYS hanging out.

Seriously.

The funniest thing I saw this summer was a tired Winslow walking slowly on the beach with his head so close to the ground that his tongue was dragging through the sand.

It doesn't make him look like the sharpest tool in the dog shed, but it certainly puts him a few notches higher on the cute meter.

It's important to know about his tongue habit, because otherwise you might think he's being choked to death by a little too much love here.

It is kinda hard to tell whether he appreciates all of the love or not...

O.K...that's probably enough love for one day. Time to let Winslow breathe again.

Fun at the Beach

The calm Puget Sound makes our little beach PERFECT for the kids to play and explore without fear of waves and riptides (well...until a big freighter goes by and brings a few "waves" to shore). Here are some fun pictures of kids at the beach.

This is a view of the house from the beach. We are so lucky to have the beach just a short walk away.

The weather was so warm this year that the kids actually played IN the water, not just NEAR it. Some years, it's pretty chilly to think about braving that frigid NW saltwater!

And look at what Claire found in the water - a seaweed hat! Who woulda thought?

The sand provides hours of entertainment creating sculptures and digging holes.

Up in the dry sand (where most of the grown-ups hang out), there are other fun things to do like...

play in an exersaucer that's a leeeetle bit too small for you,

chomp down on some juicy watermelon,

and roast the perfect marshmallow to make the perfect s'more.

That s'more is really SO perfect that we need to see it just a little bit closer.

mmmmmm...

Kids, kids, KIDS!

Every year we seem to have at least 2 new little ones when we all get together. Don't know how it works out this way, but our babies seem to come in twos. We were tied - boys to girls - until my sister-in-law announced that she was breaking the tie with another...BOY!

Here's her first. If her baby-to-be is HALF as cute as this one, it will be just too much to handle.

The girls! Our babies also seem to follow gender patterns. Each family (with more than one child) has either all girls or all boys...so far. Here are the girls from 3 families (including mine). The two cuties in light pink welcomed their little sister to the family shortly after we all returned home.

This little guy wanted to show off his muscles.

The youngest this year was loved by all (maybe a little too much - he doesn't look so sure...)

There's a smile!

Since he IS the youngest, he gets the most pictures. Take that. (And anyway, who WOULDN'T want to see more pictures of this little face??)

This is proud big brother. You can see that CUTE certainly runs in the family.

Hangin' out.

After-dinner games.

And this little doll...

...took this picture. I think I see a future career in photography, yes?

Vashon Treasures

Vashon is one of the most perfect playgrounds for kids. They spend HOURS on the beach, digging in the sand, splashing in the water, and looking under rocks for crabs. Some treasures are there every year, and others are fun surprises. Here are some treasures that we found this year.

At low-tide, we love to walk down to the tide pools and look at all of the starfish, sea anemones, and tiny crabs. Here was one that was found under a rock.

The kids soon learn that the tiny ones can't pinch, so they love to let them crawl around on their hands.

Another treasure that we always look forward to (as long as we're there in August) is BLACKBERRIES! This year we even made blackberry ice cream, which was Y-U-M-M-Y!

My nephew thought he found a treasure in the smooth rocks on the beach, but I'm not sure his mom liked them in his mouth as much as he did!

Our surprise treasure this year was discovering this nest with two beautiful eggs inside. The nest was built on the ledge of a basement window, right next to the door leading into the basement. We never saw any birds, so we're pretty sure it was abandoned, but it was sure pretty to look at every time we went downstairs.

Looking forward to next year's treasure hunt!