The Kayak Leg

Ski to Sea was upon us again!

Here is what the kayak leg looks like, first you wait. Which was great this past Sunday, but don't be deceived, there has been years where Shawn had to endure some nasty, cold winds. This year, waiting was not a problem at all, it was a pleasure!

All of a sudden you hear your team's number and off you go . . .

. . . and then you paddle like crazy!

Oops! That was the wrong kayaker, this one coming up is Shawn.

Really, can you tell the difference?

After you paddled for about an hour and your legs are completely numb, you are supposed to run up a beach. There is a reason while you will do anything in your power to get up, even if you need to crawl. You get to ring the bell!! Your team has finished!!

But wait! The challenge is not over. You still need to carry your kayak through a sea of people and strap your boat on you car!

Happy Trail (Take 2)

What else would you call a trail with a log like this lying along the path and with this big rock staring at you? And those were not the only happy faces around

How could you not smile if you can be in a place like this, on a beautiful day with your family and friends. The boys found plenty of "toys " to keep them entertained and all kinds of shelters

Fortunately for us, the shelters were only used to take a break for snacks, and not to protect us from the elements if we got lost. After all, with the boys practicing their orienteering and the "big guys" testing their GPS, we had no chance of getting lost.

Happy Trail

I pressed the wrong button after spending a good amount of time on this entry and . . . GONE it was!! Now I gotta make dinner. Check in later, hopefully my frustration at the computer (or at my computer skills) will have past and I will have rewritten it!

Because it's There

Today Christian asked me why we are hitting this trail for the third time. Because it's there, it's fun, it's healthy and having some time to chat with my friend Ann is also another very good reason. And even if it was the third time, the kids had a great time investigating this beaver dam. No matter how many times we see it, nature always amazes us!

Busy Hands

I love to watch how boys use their creative minds to create all kinds of fun things. Nolan and his friend Ethan Fields (aka Big E), are busy building a fort worthy of an air soft gun battle. Not that Nolan owns one, but he is campaigning very hard in favor of one.

Ethan (aka Little E) and his friend Jack were busy with their Legos, creating some very neat scenes. And Christian's passion for airplanes comes alive as he builds some models. They began with these projects about a week ago and are still hard at work perfecting them. I can't think of a better way for them to spend their free time.

Go Bears!

This year it was Nolan's turn to make his debut on the Ski to Sea Jr. race. As you might have guessed by the picture, he had the soccer leg. The whole team did great and had lots of fun. Thanks Bridget for organizing the team , you are a super cool den leader!

BACK TO HIKING

The weather should never be an issue to keep us from hiking. It's never really to cold for it, maybe a little wet, but that's the reason GoreTex was invented. However, when spring arrives and the skies are clear, hiking takes a whole new meaning and delight. It also means soon we will be able to hit the higher ground trails around Baker, which I can't hardly wait for!

Monday it was time for our Tiger cub scout to hit the trail. We walked around Geneva Pond while the older scouts made it around the Stimpson loop. Everybody got a good dose of exercise and plenty of nature observing.

Smiless in Seattle

Don't you think this would have been a "perfect Seattle" picture? Rain shells, Starbucks on the background . . .

Apparently my boys were not too impressed with my idea! But don't let appearances deceive you. We did have a great time on this day, the train ride down there was very enjoyable, the Pacific Science Center visit was fun and the Cheesecake Factory food was delicious!

PERFECT CAMP

I cant' fail to mentioned what a great time Nolan and Shawn had at the "Wise Guys" camp out. Just a regular camping trip with smores would have done the trick, but the older wise guys knew just how to bring the camp up to whole new level. Simple, just add guns!

Nolan was one excited dude as he came home telling us of his target and trap shooting experiences. As you can imagine, there were two brothers who listened with great awe and great jealousy. So that was the perfect day to finally take all three of them to a shooting range, as previously promised. Never mind it was my birthday, where else would I want to celebrate the big 40? Seeing their excitement and happy faces is always a great gift.

Another Year!

Yes, this one is the big 40, but another birthday is a blessing no matter what number is on the card. Thank you to all my family and friends for cards, emails, phone calls and surprise dinners! I started celebrating early on, still in Brazil, with my childhood friends and on it went. Now I'm having to take the grunt of not only being the oldest in the family, but also being 40!! You can imagine the little remarks I get from my boys, all with good humor, of course!

A Week in a Nutshell

We had a great time visiting grandma and grandpa on the Island! It felt like a summer visit, nice and relaxing and very sunny, so bright that it was hard to keep the eyes open!

Crustaceans was our theme in science for the past few weeks. Nothing like touching, feeling and seeing everything we have been studying. Grandma even got a crash course on crustaceans anatomy.

Every time we would drive by the bike park; which happened at least twice a week on our way back from taekwondo; the boys would ask to try it out. After telling them "yes, someday we will," in many different ways and for many, many days, they finally tried it out and had a blast!

But life is not all play, there are chores to be done. I'm sure glad we have three strong boys to take care of it!