Sun Lakes Birthday Getaway

Most. Beautiful. Place.

That is, here in Washington State. My word, this place was awesome.

On Monday, Andy, me, the girls, Jamie, Sarah, Brian and Ben packed up and headed out to Sun Lakes State Park, in Eastern Washington for my birthday. The temperature was, well... hot every day we were there. Perfect for swimming, sun bathing, and Water Wars. What's that you ask? Well, they have this thing there called Water Wars where there are 2 stations/sides that compete by pelting water balloons at each other.... all to get soaked. It was awesome. You were a winner if you successfully got another person wet. That's it. Totally fun, especially when it's a solid 95 degrees outside. And, no matter how much sunscreen you put on, it really didn't matter. The sun shined constantly.

We rented cabins. Ours was right on the lake. The picture below is our cabin, with views looking off the porch to the lake.

We also rented paddle boats and paddle trikes. They were so much fun. We paddled out to the island in the middle of the lake and then let the current and wind take us back in.

Then, Andy, the girls and I headed up the road to Dry Falls. This place was so awesome. It looked like a miniature Grand Canyon. I didn't know they had landscape like this in Washington State.Below, in the picture, is the story of Dry Falls. Amazing how it was formed. This place was truly spectacular.And finally, we hiked around to some of the other lakes in the area. Beautiful scenery everywhere we went. I enjoyed it so much.

Now, we are all sunburned and tired. Back to reality....

Madeline's 7th Birthday

Presents....check.

Friends....check.

Party at Chuck E Cheese....check.

More presents when we get home....check.

One happy, happy 7 year old....priceless.

Happy 7th Birthday, my darling baby girl.

May this year bring you all the luck in the world!

3rd Annual Ketter 4th of July Party

As is our tradition, we hosted our annual 4th of July party again this year. This time, the weather actually cooperated! It was an awesome 80 degrees. Beautiful sunny skies. Perfect for family, friends, food and lots of fireworks! Everyone had a blast. We are so blessed with everything we have. It's good to celebrate and enjoy it with friends.

This is what happens when you give a short-armed person a camera and she wants to take a picture with everybody.

Lots of half-faces, lol....

We got a floating lantern this year (like the one from Tangled, which is Madelines favorite movie, so she was thrilled.) It was tricky to light, but the end result was awesome. I wish the pictures would have turned out better.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!

Friends....

Kassie and her best friends Chantel and Jordan.

They are inseparable.

Ketter's Annual 4th of July Party 2010

Once again, we hosted our annual 4th of July Party. Once again, we had an amazing time with our friends who have become our "extended family." Below are some highlights of the day.

Of course, we did the piñata again.

It is always a hit with the kids!

I manned the grill all day. I barbecued 2 tri-tips, pork, chicken and beef kabobs (about 100 total), hotdogs, and chicken. It was delicious and wonderful, if I do say so myself!

And after the sun set, we had our wonderful fireworks display.

It was an awesome end to an even awesomer day!

(Yeah, I like to make up my own words.)

Summertime Is Here.....Finally!

And my, what a long wait it has been. We were all definitely wanting and needing the beautiful sunshine to arrive. (See our untanned legs in the picture above....) But, it is here now, so lets have some fun!!! Here's a few pictures we took today while enjoying the sun here at home, then later at Jamie's BBQ out on Lake Tahuyeh.

Sydney looking so beautiful in the natural sunlight.

My little white girls need some sun too!

Andy playing washers out on Lake Tahuyeh.

Patrick aka "The Crazy Uncle" and Madeline.

Oh my goodness, Madeline loved the boat.

She actually even got to drive it!

She wanted us to pose for a picture together.

And she wanted a picture of her and daddy too!

YAY for Summer Fun!!!!

Manic Monday

Well, you don't say. More fence building. More silliness. Hmmm, kinda goes together doesn't it?

Brian making "super screws." Really. Don't ask.

Jamies' artistic interpretation of Madeline. I dig it.

After Brian and Jamie hijacked my car and drove me around the block, (Driving Mrs. Ketter is how they put it) Madeline got in the car and found this old hat. She is now the Statue of Iberty. No wait, Biberty. No, that's not right either.....Oh yeah, Liberty, that's it. Silly girl.....

It's Fence Building Time

So, Andy and I have wanted to replace the fence in the front yard for a while now. Finally today, with the help of the boys, we started work on building our new fence. We didn't get it all completed today, but next Monday we will finish it. Check out our hard work.

The boys supervising. Rough, I know.

It takes a woman to tell them it's straight.

Casualty of the job.

Better hurry up it's getting dark!

This side is done. Our hard work paid off, and the boys said they feel more like men now that they have built a fence. LOL. Next week we work on the other side.

Crazy Chaos

So every Monday, the boys come over and I feed them dinner. Every Monday, chaos ensues. I'm now the proud parent of 2 adult boys and their "crazy uncle." (Really they are just our co-workers, I just treat them like the kids they are......)

These pictures don't even do it justice, but enjoy.

And then, once they all calm down, I get my favorite shot of the day in.

I ♥ it!!!!

Driving Range with The Boys

So the boys (Jamie, Brian and Patrick) came over tonight. I fed them some dinner and off we went to the driving range. Fun times.

Madeline is lovin' her some Patty O.

Trying to see who can hit the bunny first. Jamie, pull up your pants!

And finally, learning to properly swing from the master. Just kiddin.

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!

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!

Air Hockey Anyone?

The time is now 4:00pm. Your current wait time is approx. 30 min. You are 7th in line.
This is the scene right now in my garage. Kids from all over the neighborhood waiting in line to beat Kass Master Flex in air hockey. Who would have thunk that that little girl would be so good at that game?!? She ROCKS!!! Look at her go!

Nobody can faze her.