Illahee

Today was a freakishly hot day again. We had to go the doctors to get shots for Madeline, so she can go into Kindergarden next year. Syd and Kassie unexpectedly had to get shots too. I guess this year, the state changed the requirements of the shots kids have to get to enter school. They now need a second dose of the Chicken Pox vaccine. Syd and Kassie didn't have to get them, but to be on the safe side, they got them too. So, as a bribe/reward for doing so good, we went and got Coldstone for all of us. YUMMY! After that, it was still too hot to go home, so we went back to school shopping at the nice, cool, mall. :) (Insert facetiousness here.) I hate the mall. I go there once a year to buy school shoes. That's it. But since it was so hot, I gave in. Amazingly, we found some really great deals! After that, you guessed it, it was still too hot, so we went to Illahee State Park. At least being by the water it was 5 to 10 degrees cooler. (Hey, when it's this hot, I'll take anything cooler!)

Madeline fell asleep in the car, so when we got there she didn't want to play. She quickly changed her mind when we went down on the dock.

(Cue "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay")

Then Andy found some really cool drift wood.

They climbed on that for a while.

I found a tree trunk sticking out of the cliff.

Maddie and I posed for some pics.

Then it got cool enough that we were hungry, so we went home. Fun stuff, this 100 degree weather, I tell ya! NOT! :) Please make it go away!

Beaches

So yesterday it was 100+ degrees outside when I told Andy we needed to get out of this house.It was so hot that I couldn't breathe right. Seriously, I have never been so upset or scared about breathing in my life. So we decided to take a trip to the beach.
Well not just the beach, we decided to do "the loop." (US 101.) We went up to Port Angeles. Hung out there for a bit. Ate some food. Then we got back into the car and drove to Crescent Lake. Stopped there. Hung out by the lake for a bit. Took some pics.






Got back in the car. Drove to Forks. Saw the sign. Didn't stop. Who needs more Twilight stuff anyways? :) Drove some more.

This time to Kalaloch. Stopped. The sun had just set so the beach was littered with bonfires. Totally cool sight. Also, the tide was, about a football field long, out. We walked all the way out. You never know how small you really are until you stand next to the ocean. The moon was so bright on the water, it was awesome. We walked back to the bonfires. Climbed on some driftwood. I got upset because my camera battery had died. But, I managed to squeeze out one last pic of the girls on the driftwood before it did.
Climbed back up the beach, and got back in the car. Drove down the rest of the coast, into the Olympic National Forest, and onto Hoquiam/Aberdeen. Stopped in Aberdeen to get some snacks. Got back in the car, ate our snacks, and proceeded to drive the rest of the way back home. The girls passed out. Finally, peace and quiet. Just kidding :) Sydney was still awake. She kept us company until we got home. A very long, but fun day! I would rather be in the car for X hours with AC, than to be in a hot house. Plus, I love road trips, even if they are short ones.

Sydney's Fish

Syd just sent me this from her phone.

She caught it all by herself, and she is so proud!

So am I!!

Jam Session

For Andy's birthday, we bought him Guitar Hero World Tour. Yeah, I know, we are like the last family to have this game. We just weren't sure if we'd like it. Well, oh boy! Andy was thrilled to get it and now he can't stop playing! We all love this game! It's great for us because we can all get into it and play together! Here's a pic of Andy with his present, and a pic of the girls and him rocking out!

I think I made a good choice!

Happy Birthday Madeline!

My baby is not a baby anymore! Madeline turned 5 years old today! She is getting so big! Here's a few pics of her opening her presents this afternoon, and from her b-day party at Chuck-E-Cheese.

She loved all her presents!

(Seriously, what kid wouldn't?)

And, we all had so much fun at her party!

Happy 5th Birthday Madeline!

Curly Sue

Madeline : "Mommy make my hair curly."

Me : "You really want it curly?"

Madeline : "Yep!"

Me : "Ok, but you're gonna have to sit real still while I braid it."

Madeline : "Ok!"

And sit still she did. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to braid that girls hair! She never sits still long enough for it to turn out good! Well, I guess it goes to show that she can when she really wants something! :)

Before - Back View

Before - Front View

After.

Can we say "Supermodel"?

Yeah, she'll be 5 in 2 days....

Anniversary Trip to Anacortes

When Andy and I got married, we didn't have much money at the time, and we really couldn't be gone from work that long, so we took a mini honeymoon up north to Anacortes. We were only gone for 4 days, but we did a lot of things and we went a lot of places. Not to mention, it was so relaxing. Yesterday morning, as we were reminiscing about it, we realized that the girls had never been up there. So right then and there, we decided to take them up there for our anniversary. We wanted them to see how gorgeous it was up there. (They love nature walks and such.) So off we went. We took them first to Mt. Erie. From there you can see the sound and a lot of little islands around. Then, we took them to Washington Park, where they got to play and search for rocks on the beach. (One of their favorite things to do.) And last, we went to dinner, because we were all very hungry. It was so much fun, and the girls really enjoyed it up there. Andy and I really did have a great anniversary! And now, I leave you with some pics from our trip. Enjoy!

To My Love

Happy Anniversary Andy. You are my everything. I love you with all my heart and it still grows stronger for you everyday! I cannot imagine my life without you. You are the best husband in the entire world!

Thank you.

Independence Day

Happy Birthday America! Isn't it wonderful living in this beautiful country of ours? We are truly blessed.

Last year, for the 4th, we invited a lot of friends over and we had a BBQ and lit off fireworks. It turned out to be so fun that we did it again this year. I didn't capture any pictures last year, but this time I made sure I was armed with my trusty camera. This year was awesome! Everybody chipped in for fireworks, Wyndee and Ben brought a MoonBounce for the little ones, Mikey B. brought a pinata for the kids, everyone made wonderful food, we played Washers and Bocce ball, the big boys had a Roman Candle war (no one was hurt), and we all had loads of fun! It was a great celebration! Here are some pics.

Once again, we are truly blessed!

Thanks to everyone who made this fun and exciting day possible!

You guys are great friends!