Washington (5): Half-time

(And now back to your regularly scheduled blog programming....Washington.)

The half-way point through our trip to Washington was the end of our time with my co-workers that made the whole trip possible.  The last night of our staff retreat week was a big family dinner with amazing food, super tasty drinks (marshmallow vodka?  honey whiskey? where have you been all my life?) and more desserts than you've even seen on one kitchen countertop! The girls were a little emotional about their time with the pups winding down so there were many extra puppy cuddles in order.  The highlight of the evening was definitely our sunset walk down to the beach which was absolutely breath-taking. 

Here are the highlights of Day 5.

Meet the Pups...

Phoebe

Boyd

And Jade

PNW sand is the best!

So, five days in & we could have headed home right then and it would've been the perfect summer trip. The first half of the week involved visits with friends, wild adventures, mountain climbing and confirmation that I have the best job on the planet.  Crazy thing is, this was only the beginning...

Quick Quotes: Three From Bea

A few good ones for the memory book!

This weekend:

Lou: "Bea, do you want to wear a skirt or these jeans?"

Bea: "I wear the skirt. The jeans hurt my feelings." (Too tight shoes also hurt her feelings by the way.)

*

Quite often: 

"I love you, too."

(Made extra adorable by the fact that she does not wait to be told that we love her. Unprompted she just comes up and says "I love you, too.")

*

All day, every day:

"Somebody...!!"

(Bea doesn't care who comes to her call as long as "somebody" does & "somebody" starts almost every sentence.)

"Somebody help me go potty."

"Somebody take me to swing."

"Somebody read a book with me."

And, most often, "Somebody get me some chetchy!"

Birthdays, Beatles & The Beast

This Labor Day weekend served several important purposes. First things first, it was the annual August birthday celebration, since we have FOUR family birthdays in August. That's right -  Josie, Jack, Tia & DD all turn another year at the end of the summer! And this year was extra special for DD who turned the big 6-5!   This weekend was also a great opportunity to re-do our super soggy 4th of July weekend that the rain tried to ruin.  We were REALLY happy that despite rain chances all weekend, not a single sunny plan was spoiled.

We spent Saturday at the pool! It was the PERFECT pool day!

Then, we celebrated the big birthdays - Beatles style!!!

On Sunday, we headed to Kings Island. It was our gift to my dad - a "you're only as old as you feel" day to celebrate his 65th birthday. A day to go back to the days when he was the daddy and not the grand-daddy. The days when Amanda & I were the daughters, and not the mamas. So, with the help of my sister's marketing crew, we gave dad personalized tickets to KI, coupons for funnel cakes and hotdogs, and tickets to ride his favorites with us. Daddy-o got a day to ride roller coasters with his be-bops.

It was AWESOME.  This proves it:

We had a blast remembering and recreating family memories (like the time we had to put napkins in Manda's shoes so she'd be tall enough to ride The Beast for the first time).

It was all just how we remembered it - the signs, the sounds, the smell of the wood....

We rode the front car, because why wouldn't we!!?!

Then, a new first - The Diamondback. That one is FUN!!!

We also rode "The Windseeker." They should rename it "The Panic Attack." As it turns out, 300 feet is about 275 feet too high to ride in a giant swing! Not. Fun. At. All. (All 3 of us hated it.)

Even though it was mostly DD's day, everyone had a great time! Grandma kept the kids happy in Snoopy Land while the rest of us rotated in and out. (Thanks Grandma!)  The Littles took turns conquering their own fears. We sure do have a brave bunch. Here are some more highlights.

Josie added "The Beastie" and "Backlot Stunt Coaster" to her list of roller coasters!

Sweet Lyla wasn't sure about a few things, but really conquered some fears. GO LYLA!

As the sunset and the day wound down, we played some games, fed the kids cotton candy & funnel cakes for dinner, then headed home and delivered three passed out kids to bed. (Little Jack, who snagged a KI stroller nap, still had some party left in him.)

All in all, it was the PERFECT weekend. Great family times. Kids growing up, others of us staying young. Good stuff. Just really really good stuff. 

Washington (4): Mt. Rainier

There were A LOT of really special things about our 10 days in Washington (and to think you've only seen days 1-3 so far!) but one of the big highlights for Lou & the girls was their day trip to Mt. Rainier.

"Please take our picture or my wife will never forgive me."

Many of you are lucky enough to know Lou personally, and when his daughters read this one day when they are older, I want them to know this about him. Lou's up for just about anything in the name of experiencing something new.

• Spend a summer in Costa Rica? 
• Move in with people he barely knew above a Bagel Shop & end up marrying one of them? 
• Convince his wife to take up scuba diving in preparation for a two-week trip to the Kingdom of Tonga? 
• Take the aforementioned wife snorkeling with humpback whales? Cage-diving with sharks? Why not?
• (Don't get me started on all of our Phish show adventures over the years.)
• Spend weeks of classes and hours of practice learning "Hypnobirthing" to help the aforementioned wife through two pretty insane natural childbirths? Of course!
• Take two kids under 6 hiking up a mountain, flying totally solo? You bet'cha!

So, while there were no text updates or instagrammed moments of this epic journey, there were lots of happy memories accumulated.  And, I was THRILLED that a certain someone took my advice and wrapped the camera around his neck, even though that meant carrying a camera AND a two-year old up a mountain.  But, alas, he survived. And alas, we get to glimpse into that special day.

"Pose on the mountain"

"We hiked all the way to SNOW!"

Next time, Mt. Rainier. Next time. Can't wait to meet you.