Curie Kickboxing

I know you want to see a picture, but I didn't have a phone or camera with me, so you'll have to use your imagination until next time!

I took the kids to an informal kickboxing class with me in the church gym.  The idea is that the kids run around in half of the gym while the moms workout in the other half.  Bethelle, being the little-me that she is, joined me for some of the exercise.  Curie, being the little-Bethelle that she is, joined her big sister.  Let's remember that Curie is not quite two years old.  That little toddler can hold her own on the kickboxing floor.  Funny as it was to all, I was impressed by how well she watched and mimicked the teacher.

Her workout did not last long.  I don't think she'll be sore tomorrow.

Mud Mountain Dam

It was like a one-day vacation.  The kind of vacation where you bring your three little kids but not your husband.  So, it was like a vacation for the kids.

Some of my new friends and I packed our kids and too much stuff for a day at Mud Mountain Dam.  Just to be clear, I never saw mud, a mountain, or a dam while I was there.  What I did see was my kids enjoying themselves all day on these play structures and digging in this sand.

To the other side of our little encampment was this pool.  That's Bethelle behind the falling water.

It was nice to acknowledge and celebrate a hot day here in western Washington.  This has been one of the coldest summers ever.  I know, I know, it beats the record heatwave in the rest of the country, but couldn't we all just get together and share?  I'd be happy to take a few degrees from those of you with some to spare.

Raspberries

Last Wednesday found the kids and I at Remlinger Farms, picking raspberries.  I'll admit that I was nervous about bringing Curie out in the fields and being able to keep tabs on her while accomplishing anything.  However, I have a problem with feeling confined just because I am doing what I think is right for me (aka having babies), so between being stubborn and having an encouraging husband, I ended up with the above box of berries.  At two bucks per pound, I would have loved to pick more, but the inevitable limit hit and we headed for the car.  In all, we picked 7.5 pounds.  Not bad.  And I honestly think that Bethelle and Rigby picked almost half of them.  They learned well and really enjoyed it.

But even better than picking berries is squishing berries.  They had to really leverage their entire body weight to get the job done, but it's a squirty, squishy, bright red job, and somebody's got to do it.  We made four batches of raspberry freezer jam and one of raspberry/peach, although that one is not setting up well and may be better used on pancakes and ice cream, but who's complaining?

Janae Day - Part I - Franklin Falls

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a live-in photographer?  One who followed you around on every outing, documenting all the way?  Well, wonder no more.

My wonderful college roommate, Janae, doesn't make a habit of moving in with her photography subjects, but she made an exception in my case due, of course, to my charming personality.

First stop on the Janae train, Franklin Falls.

We hiked...

... along this ...

... to get to this.

Can you see interstate 90 in the top left of the picture above?  You'd never know it while hiking, but the trail and falls are located somewhere between the east-bound and west-bound traffic.  Seeing the highway was a dose of reality that shocks you right out of the enchanted forest.

There's Janae and the rest of my crew!

This is a common scene.  It was, no doubt, followed by, "C'mon, Bethelle.  Don't pick any flowers.  Curie needs a diaper change.  Let's get back."  But look at those surroundings.  I pinch myself when I think that I live here!  Does it get any more beautiful?

When Janae found this pinecone, I thought it was a cute little anomaly.  Apparently I had not been looking at the ground for the previous hour, as it was carpeted in them.

This one should be matted and framed, don't you think?  No, even better, it should be made into a mural.  Don't laugh at me!  I'm measuring my walls right now.

When it's been 40 years...

... there ought to be a party.

And there was.

I'm going to toot my own horn by saying how GREAT I was at getting my parents to their 40th anniversary party, dressed up and in complete ignorance of the occasion!

The event was simple and beautiful.  There were daisies at the wedding, so there were daisies at this party.

My parents are classic introverts.  They prefer the company of just a few close friends.  The assembled well-wishers have been a part of my parents' lives for so long.

I arrived with cakes and all the last-minute organizing to do, so I was so grateful that Rigby and Bethelle adopted themselves out, getting comfortable with my brothers' families.

By the time the couple arrived, I was finally "at ease."  Having the event at a restaurant really took the load off as a hostess.

My parents both turn/turned 60 this summer as well, so we added a bit of a birthday theme.

We even sang and blew out candles.  Their birthdays are two months apart, so this is probably their first joint birthday party.

Jared gave a very nice speech about the great people who raised us.  That Jared turns out to be pretty great himself.  It's such a cozy feeling to just love your family.

Don't they look happy?  They are.

Group hug!

Thank you to everyone who came and supported my parents.  What a victory to be in love for 40 years.

And thank you to Mom and Dad for your example of family, love, work, compassion, and service.  We could never show you enough appreciation, but once in a while we try.

Without Apologies

More pictures of us!  I love us!

Bethelle: she loves to please, never needs "alone time," and is constantly making something (art, food, or an experiment).

Rigby: struggling between the two worlds of being a baby and being a man, inventive, confident, and obedient.

Curie: loud, comedienne, loving, and learning.

The lovebirds!

And the main d'oeuvre.  This was so difficult to get.  You'd think that happy, older kids would look at the camera and smile.  Yeah, you'd think...

A big shout-out to Janae for the pictures!  More on my weekend with my old roommate to come!

When Cousins are Two of a Kind

They may not be identical, but these girls have oodles of cousin-love.

I took them out for this little photo shoot, and discovered that I am no photographer.  I asked them to "stand there and smile" and then I was out of tricks and ideas.

Fortunately, being pretty comes easily to these little ladies, so they found a few natural poses.

Look at that glow on her face!