Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Steve went for a hike on Saturday with his friend, Dan. They went about 12 miles and took some great pictures. It is blazing hot here in western Washington, but just right for hiking in the higher elevations.
This is Mt. Rainier from a distance. We have enjoyed some spectacular views of the majestic mountain this summer since cloudy days have been few and far between.
While Steve was hiking, I went to a bridal shower for a good friend and the boys went to Grandma and Papa's for the day. Papa turned on the sprinkler for Luke, but he said it was "too scary". I don't know why he'll go down a six foot inflatable slide into a pool of ice cold well water, but he won't run through a sprinkler when it's 90 degrees outside. He has decided, after a week of Vacation Bible School, that craft-like projects aren't such a bad thing. So Grandma and Papa helped him work on a couple of little projects.

Conflict Resolution

I'm posting this picture of Andy and Luke wrestling with their cousin, Ben. Although we took this picture more than a week ago, the wrestling has continued at home (minus the cousin, of course). It seems like Steve and I spent a majority of the last few days pulling the boys apart and doling out consequences for unsportsmanlike conduct, i.e. shots to the face. Thankfully there hasn't been any blood loss. Yet. I'm sure that's next.
Apart from mediating conflict every five minutes, we actually enjoyed a nice weekend. On Friday, I loaded 'em up bright and early and we went to Grandma and Papa's house. We enjoyed the water slide for a little while but the fun came to an abrupt halt due to...you guessed it, too much fighting. I think we were all relieved to get out of the heat, as it was another western Washington scorcher. Andy took a long nap and Luke and I hung out with Papa and watched some of our favorite shows on the Noggin channel. I was just about to pack it in when Grandma invited us to stay for an early dinner and watch the Mariners game.
Yesterday, Steve and I took the boys to the kids' festival at the park. Andy was thrilled to bounce in the inflatable fire station while Steve and Luke built a small, lightweight model airplane out of glue, paper and rubber bands. (That's a highly technical description, I know. Airplane expert I am not). It got a little too hot for the pregant girl, so we called it a day and went off to Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch.
Today we re-acquainted ourselves with church after being gone for a few weeks. It feels good to be back in our normal routine.

Vacation Rewind

Luke digging a hole in the sand and looking so cute in his new swim clothes
Andy loving the pool, although we had to watch him very carefully because he has no fear

Steve and I enjoying a kid-free evening

The boys posing in the pool. Luke started swim lessons last month and turned into a regular fish while we were on vacation. He loved diving underwater for pool toys.

Enjoying another beautiful morning at the beach

We just returned from Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Although the jet lag is a major bummer, we definitely had a lot of fun. Everything went smoothly: the boys were fantastic on the plane, all of our luggage arrived (although I'm a little bitter that airlines are charging for bags now...what the heck?) Anyway, it was nice to go and enjoy the beach with extended family. In previous years, someone who will remain nameless (blonde, brown eyes, about 5 years old) strongly disliked our adventures in the sand and surf. Let's just say there was much concern that both boys would share this distaste. What a pleasant surprise to find that both boys were content on the beach and in the pool. Hallelujah! Andy is definitely a little more adventurous. He wanted to try riding the waves just like his older cousins. Steve floated him on a board in the teeny, tiny waves quite a bit. I wish I had taken a picture of that. Quite frankly, I was afraid to risk getting the new camera all wet. Luke was still not a fan of the waves, but at least got in the ocean a little bit without screaming and crying. He definitely loved the pool. We couldn't believe how quickly he learned to dive under water and 'fetch' pool toys. All in all, I would say the trip was a big success. Now, if we could just put an end to this waking up at 4:30 am nonsense...