the white house at the right time

 Annually voted the most scenic football structure. Ultimate frisbee Hot dogs Lemonade Nachos Bro. White Bro. Knowles No Rain Absolutely great activity! Maybe this little guy will play here, officially that is, one day!

If we don't hit 70 degrees between now and May 23, we will set the all-time record for longest wait for the first 70 degree day of the year. Sound familiar? It should. Last year, Seattle didn't make it to 75 degrees until June 23. That was the longest wait ever for the first 75 degree day. You could make a strong argument that the past two springs have been two of the coolest ever in Western Washington. Today will be no exception. Today is May 11.  Kids headed out the door wearing hooded jackets.  Ahh, more rain!

Seafair pirates are landing here soon. Storming Alki Beach they be searchin for their loot. Or kicking of the regions biggest summer festival - Seafair . We got our loot - bags of taffy, pirate hats, and light up pirate swords. Perfect for the upcoming torchlight parade. We, along with thousands of others, waited for the pirates to come. It was our first time going to see the pirates land, so we wanted the best view. Best spot. A few inches in ankle deep water. Then the tide came in. But we were assured the pirates were almost here. We waited. It got up to our ankles. We waited. It rose up to our shins. We waited. Oh, my it was up to our thigh. (Remind anyone of Shel Silverstein's poem Boa Constrictor?) Kind of felt that way too. Cayleb and Kenzie were hoisted up on our hips to avoid further submersion. But we ended up front row. Or front wave. Whatever you call it. Either way, it was the best water spot. Guy in the left corner, taking pictures for the Seattl...

it's the local city parade. oh what a beautiful, perfect day for a parade (we once biked down to the parade and got poured on). this time i was so glad i had to break out the hats and the sunblock. after randy got home from cayden's 1st scout camp out, he met us over at the parade just in time to see the only float in the parade. this. woo- hoo ! our town's little local parade is mostly a conglomeration of local businesses promoting themselves including what seems like every little league, church group, scout, and football/cheer team, peppered with the current years political candidates, lots of tractors (i know, we are kinda a small town, but not that small), local school bands, and the hydro racing boats. visually nothing too exciting to see. but this is truly a local people parade. a parade where the kids see their friends passing by, can call out his/her name, be heard and have them come over and give them a hug or wave hello. a parade where you can still come late an...

No snow this year. At least not at our house. So we drove up to find the little patch there was at Crystal Mountain. You can't tell we miss the snow. On another day the Cayden and Madalyn "kidnapped" their friends very early, took them out in publc for public humiliation (the grocery store), and then to make amends, brought them home and made them breakfast. Cayden is a veteran pancake maker. I can't even think of the last time I made pancakes. His future roommates are gonna love his cookin ! Madalyn is awesome at scrambled eggs. I especially like her cheesy eggs. The Kidnap! By kids, for kids..

Years ago I read a "top 100 places to visit" list. San Juan Islands was one of them. It is beautiful and unique. However, a bit cool today. Coats for spring break. Last year we stayed at Roche Harbor, loved it and stayed again . I was solo momma last year. Randy was teaching. We were so glad to have him with us this time. It also helped a ton to have daddy muscles around to carry Makenzy, she weighs a lot more than last year. The plaque below this tree identifies it as being over 300 years old. Old growth for sure. In fact, it has seen a lot it almost looks like it is growing eyes. Check out the knot, it forms an eye that faces out to sea over some chapped, puckered lips. I love this guy! We visited English Camp. Lime Kiln State Park is also known as "whale watching park" because the whales migrate through this incredibly deep pass of water. Also, the cold currents kick up nutrients in the strait that many sea mammals feed on. We didn't see any whales becaus...