Zoo and Aquarium 8.11.10

I do love the elephants.
There were 9 week old tiger cubs. So cute!

Kim and Shane on their camel...it was so cool, although I couldn't imagine that being my everyday mode of transportation. :o)

The boys in a replica of a Great White jaw.

Their were all these great costumes to play with; the kids had a ball.

On our summer to do list was to head to The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. I had heard about this place for years, but had never been. So, Kim, Shane, Logan, Mom, and I loaded up and headed down. The drive wasn't bad at all, but then we couldn't find a place to park for the life of us. It really was a small parking lot when you consider how big the place is. It was only later that we found out that the park was free that day to everyone who lived in the county. Yikes!!! Once we heard that, I feared we were in for a very crowded day, but it wasn't really that bad {once we found, er, made a parking space}. I have to say, overall it was a great place. The animals were so accessible and they had camel rides {another item checked off my bucket list}. They also had a great play area for the kids. And of course, we all walked out of there with some great souviners. I have to say, I think the highlight of the day was seeing the massive walrus. And he was just a ham, swimming right up to the glass and giving us all a good show!! What a fun animal adventure we had. Life is good.

Nana and Grandpa's 8.10.10

Beau and Logan looking for fish.
Beau and Norman (and Norman's sweet cone of shame)

It's such a shame that my son doesn't like dogs. ;o)

Logan and Nana

Logan by one of Nana and Grandpa's waterfalls.

Our great summer day just kept getting better. After pottery and the park, Logan and I headed up to Nana and Grandpa's for dinner. Ron and Dianne built their retirement home a few years back and I have to say, they did a beautiful job. The house itself is fantastic, but they really took advantage of the natural area around them and their landscaping is so beautiful, just very natural and quite a treat for a little boy to play around. They also put in two ponds, so looking for the fishies is a must when we go over for a visit. As always, the food was delicious (salmon and cob on the corn), the conversation was fabulous, and the evening was delightful. It seems I always walk away from spending time with these wonderful people richer and happier. If that's not good the equation for a good friendship, I don't know what is. Thanks Ron and Dianne. Life is good.

Park 8.10.10

Shane playing in the tire tubes.
The boys on a pirate ship.

Those awesome swings I was talking about.

My little cutie.

I really don't think that Logan could love Shaneo more. There's just a special place in his heart for his big cousin. I love it!

After we finished painting and having a delicious lunch at one of my all time favorite breweries, we headed to a nearby community park that is just awesome! They have the best swings, they're like lounge chairs, so comfy. Anyway, the boys ran around for awhile and had a blast. Logan even found a ladybug and fell in love with her. It was a great day. Life is good.

Pottery 8.10.10

Logan with his snake.
I should have done a second coat of red on my bowl, but it still turned out well and Logan was such a sport, letting me paint his hands.

That's one focused painter. :-)

Logan wanted to get in on the action of Kim painting Shaneo's hands.

Our finished products ready to be fired up!

Kim had this week off so we decided to have some summer adventures together without trying to go too far. So, today we headed to a local pottery place where you can paint your own mugs or bowls or plates and such. I've gone for the last few years, painting plates and whatnot and putting Logan's hand prints and feet prints on them. Kim had really wanted to do the same for Shaneo. So, we got there and all picked out what we wanted to paint (this was the first time I was letting Logan paint his own thing). Logan=a snake and a dinosaur. Shane=a dragon. Kim=a big square plate. Me=a bowl. It was really fun to see the difference between Logan and Shane and how they tackled their painting. Logan {4} was very loosey goosey about it, he didn't even care if the entire object got painted or not. Shane {10} on the otherhand was diligent. He used a bunch of different colors, and was ever so careful. We all had a great time painting as we ejoyed our free hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. So cool. I think we all did a great job. We'll definitely have to go back again. Life is good.

Garage Sale 8.7.10

This weekend we threw a garage sale at my grandma's house. Grandma is now in an assisted living facility and there's just no way for her to have everything she had on the farm with her. So, Mom has been working her tail off trying to get stuff together for a garage sale. Since Logan and I were going to be there helping out any way I thought why not try to get rid of some of our stuff as well! I don't think I'm much of a pack rat and yet I'm amazed at how much stuff I have collected over the years. So, after three car loads down to Grandma's, we were ready to go. The first day went great and we sold a lot of stuff, but the second day we got simply poured on so we finished early and called it good. Logan still had fun running around in the rain and he even paused to catch some in his mouth. :o) Life is good, even in the rain!

Dinner with Friends 7.27.10

Logan enjoying his dessert.
Nice juice mustache Brady.

Tommy was very into his dessert.

After a successful day of blueberry picking, Logan and I headed down to Darrick and Anne's for some dinner and play time. Darrick had recently gone to DC and was eager to tell me all about his trip (with a slideshow)! ;o) As always, Logan had a blast playing with Tommy and Brady and I had a grand time visiting with my work husband and his wife! ;o) Thanks guys for a delicious dinner, great margarita's, and a show to boot!!! Life is good.

Blueberries Galore 7.27.10

Loganberry ready to pick blueberries.
What a great group of pickers.

One for me, one for the bucket. Two for me, one for the bucket. Three for me, one for the bucket....

Oh so delicious berries of blue.

Logan and I and our haul of blueberries.

Today's summer adventure was to a local blueberry farm with Jolene, Lauren, Karen, Craig, and Brett. We all picked lots and lots of blueberries and became experts. Although, I'm pretty sure Logan did more eating then picking. He kept telling the other kids, "Woe, look how much my momma picked." And then he'd look down at his own bucket and wonder why it wasn't getting filled up. Shocking when they're all going into your mouth. :o) I look forward to freezing most of them and having them on my morning oatmeal. Ooooh, delicious. It was a great place full of many different kinds of blueberries (who knew) and a play area for the kids and lots of goodies to eat. Jolene even all bought the kids a classic blueberry pickin' book, Blueberries for Sal. So sweet. It was another fantastic summer day doing something new and taking advantage of our local hot spots. :o) Life is good.