Sunday, July 31, 2011

Visiting Camille in Dupont

Adelyn and Eliza were nearly inseparable during the days we spent in Dupont with Camille. They wore each others' clothes and pajamas, slept in a bunk bed together, and made a hut in Eliza room where they disappeared for most of the day. They made puppets and put on a puppet show, put on make-up and did each others' hair, danced around the living room, and rode bikes together. They love each other so much.

We took these pictures at a park near Camille's house. There are parks every couple blocks in Dupont. This park has running and walking trails going in every direction and awesome spinning toys we've never seen before.

This is American Lake. It is a beautiful lake on the Lewis-McChord Army Base. That mountain is Mount Rainier, which is an active volcano two hours southeast of Dupont. Apparently it has its own weather patterns and is covered in a thick fog half the days of the year. When the skies are clear like this, they say "the mountain is out."

It think this is the first time my kids have swam in a lake. It was warmer than the ocean, but not by much. They ran in a few times, but mostly they just made sand castles on the beach and covered each other in sand.

Our littlest sand monster, Annalise. The kids also loved the huge play ground near the lake. But my niece, Camry, broke her leg going down a slide so we had to cut the day a bit short. Poor little thing.

On the Fourth of July, we enjoyed a French toast breakfast, then went to the parade. This huge army tanker and the army band were my two favorite things in the parade.

Then we went to the Dupont Carnival. All the rides were free and the kids had a blast. They had bounce houses, pony rides, train rides, art booths, and lots more.

This was Annalise's first time riding on a pony. She did a good job, but wanted off early. (Then of course, she regretted it and wanted back on.)

Camry got to ride a pony, even with a broken leg! She is so cute. She reminds me of Shirley Temple. She and Preston loved playing trains and cars together back at the house.

Preston makes a handsome little army dude. That afternoon we had a yummy barbecue, then went and saw an amazing fire-work show on the Army Base that night.

We enjoyed one hot day after another, which I am told is not typical of Washington. But we took advantage of it and sent the kids out to play in the water several times.

Adelyn was in heaven.

This is my newest niece (Camille's fourth child), Sadie Jo. She was only five weeks-old. She was so pleasant and sweet. I love babies and couldn't help wanting one just like her for myself.

Isaac, Camry, Eliza, and Addie just before we left to go home. It was sad for our kids to be leaving their sweet, fun cousins and me to leave my sister. But sadly all vacations must come to an end. We felt so blessed to spend the time we did with our wonderful family and friends. It had been a perfect family vacation.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Seattle

We spent two days in downtown Seattle and bought Seattle City Passes so we could see some of the main attractions. We started with a harbor tour on a big ship. We learned some interesting facts about the Coast Guard, the Space Needle, the shipping and fishing industries, and the different piers.

A nice view of the Seattle skyline

Preston liked being on a boat for the first time.

We visited Pike Street Market and stopped by Pike Place Fish Market where they entertain a crowd by throwing fish to each other while selling fresh seafood. Then we went to Ivar's and ate a little fish and chips of our own.

We next visited the Seattle Aquarium, which is right on the pier overlooking the ocean. We saw some harbor seals, got our faces painted, saw the octopus get fed, and saw lots of new tropical fish. My kids also touched a star-fish for the first time playing in the tide pools.

My sweet little family.

I'm apparently not very tall compared to a Sixgill Shark.

A cute little two headed jelly-fish.

After staying overnight with my good friend Andrea (thanks Andrea!!) in Everett, we spent most of our second Seattle day at the zoo.

Preston riding "bear-back"

I'm glad he's not riding this grizzly! The bears were really active and we were able to view them really up close in a cave with just a thin layer of glass separating us.

The African Village was awesome. We got to see inside some little huts and sleeping areas. All the writing was written in an African language, including the bathroom signs.

The farm area was really fun for the kids. They got to pet the sheep and goats, and learn about how to milk a cow and grow vegetables.

Ryan teaching French in the African school.

After the zoo, we went up the Space Needle and looked around. The city is gorgeous, especially up high. We loved watching the little planes dive down in front of us and land on the ocean.

Our last stop was the Pacific Science Center. Annalise and Preston loved this little water area. We also saw dinosaurs, rode in a rocket, and saw the planets orbiting the sun.

The tropical butterfly exhibit was really cool. The butterflies would land on people's heads and just stay there. It scared the kids a little, so we didn't stay too long in there. We also saw an IMAX documentary about the volcanoes in the deep ocean. Pretty neat, but too dry for the kids. Anyway, we LOVED Seattle.

Oregon Coast

We decided last year that we wanted to take a road trip to Oregon and Washington. Ryan and I had never been to the Northwest states and it seemed to be a good excuse to visit family and do some sight-seeing. After stopping in Boise and staying over at my good friend Amber's house (thanks Amber!!), we took the long way through the beautiful Cascades to Corvallis, Oregon. Ryan's Aunt Ruth hosted us in her home and we spent a few days with her.

The first day we were there, she took us to the coast at Newport and we had an amazing time.

We went to the Hatfield Science Center first, which was really fun for the kids. They have lots of hands-on exhibits and aquarium tanks.

This octopus, named Ursula, was really neat to watch. Because it was new to the Science Center, it was very jittery and swam around a lot.

We ate lunch at Moe's Fish and Chips. Yum!!

We saw some fisherman filleting some rock fish on the pier.

The bridges were awesome!

Annalise loved Aunt Ruth, especially after she took us to a candy shop and bought her some salt water taffy.

Mom loves the beach!

The kids had a great time playing in the sand. Uncle Craig brought sand toys and the kids built a big castle and collected shells. Even though it was windy and cold, the kids loved the beach and still talk about it.

Ryan and I with our feet in the sand.

Ruth loves light houses, so she took us to see her two favorites. They were so beautiful and interesting. The next day we just spent in Corvallis. We walked to the park and just had a relaxing day. We were so grateful for the time we spent with Ruth and Craig. The kids loved their dog, Mia (even though they refused to pet her) and their rabbit, Lynx. And they especially loved picking fresh strawberries from her garden and walking along the boardwalk by her house. Oregon, we will definitely be back!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Project: House

So, my sister in Washington has requested that I post some pics of the house projects we've been busy working on over the last year or so. So, here is a little tour.

We painted Adelyn and Annalise's room "purple foxglove" and found a few more accessories to match the decor we already had.

Annalise's crib and shelf.

Preston's room is painted "celestial blue." We hung some curtains and found some more fun accessories.

We painted our room "jute" and finally got a bedroom set (off KSL) and bedding. We've really enjoyed having real furniture, replacing our previous dresser we got seven years ago at a yard sale for $30.

We added a second closet to our master bedroom so Ryan and I could have more space. We installed a closet organizer, which has been awesome.

A view coming down the stairs. How grateful I am to have carpet!

Our new basement is finally done! After we finished painting and carpeting, I realized EVERYTHING was brown. So I asked Ryan if I could buy a RED couch. He consented and I found this awesome sectional.

Another view of the basement showing the sound system Ryan and his brother installed.

The basement bathroom was definitely the most difficult part of the project. Ryan installed most everything all by himself. I was definitely impressed.

We painted the walls "drizzle" and found a fun striped shower curtain and art piece to match.

We painted the under-stairs play area a creamy yellow called "harvester", which is bright and cheery for the kids. We've had a lot of fun fixing up our house, but we are glad to take a break for awhile and catch up on other things, like blogging. :)