A Day in Seattle

We went to Seattle one afternoon, just the four of us squeezed into Uncle Furry's little Honda (he generously loaned it to us while the happy couple were on their honeymoon.)

First we ate lunch at The Crab Pot on Pier 57. It was so lovely we ate outside. The sun was really bright for little eyes but we finally figured out a way to shade our table. Eric had salmon steak and I had crab-stuffed salmon -- YUM. Even the Boogie still talks about her popcorn shrimp.

Peabody only cared about the tartar sauce, or "dip" ... and my broccoli. Weird kid.

From our table we could see a giant Ferris wheel at the end of the pier, and decided to go for a ride after lunch. We had to wait in line for a little while, and it didn't occur to me that the gentle rocking motion might make for upset stomachs until afterward when Eric mentioned that his got a little queasy. It was really fun and I totally recommend it ... just go before lunch.

Safeco and CenturyLink Fields in the distance ...

... and the Space Needle the other way.

After our ride we walked across the street to Pike Place Market. No one was throwing fish, sadly. The Boogie was looking forward to that. It was waaaaay less crowded than the Saturday we went on last year.

We found this duct-tape-covered car in a parking lot. I thought it was kind of clever. Cheaper than a new paint job, right?

Then we drove over to the Space Needle and went up to the top!

 

We even found our car!

 

Peabody was starting to get tired

In the gift shop the girls were delighted to find Angry Birds paraphernalia.

The Boogie found a onesie that she wanted to get for Baby O-nee but it was too small so I persuaded her to settle for a picture of it.

After all of our fun adventures we went to B&D's apartment where we met Pops and Mom and Mamaw and all had dinner together. The cousins had a blast playing together, and Mamaw gave each child something she had made for them. The Boogie and HL got hooded capes, Peabody got an adorable little bunny, and SL got a Scottie skirt. She had so much fun twirling in it that she and the Boogie began dancing together, and pretty soon cousins were dancing around all over the place.

We had such a nice time just sitting around and talking and, of course, drinking coffee! It was a really fun day.

A Fairybook Wedding

Uncle Furry and his lovely bride had a beautiful wedding. The weather threatened rain but cleared up in time. Lots and lots of people were there! It was so fun to see family and friends. Sadly I hardly took any pictures. Eric got a few with his phone, but I don't have any of me with any of my family except Mom, none of me and Eric or our little family, none of the ringbearer, not even one good shot of the bride and groom, ugh! I could kick myself! The wedding photographers took lots and lots and LOTS of photos, though, so I look forward to seeing those once they are published online.

The little girls were ADORABLE in their matching flower girl dresses!

 The bride's sister and her boyfriend built this swing and engraved it for the bride and groom!

 

 The bride made these sweet clip-on earrings for each flower girl. Peabody wouldn't wear hers but the rest of them did.

Most of the formal photography was before the ceremony. As we were herding children to the lawn for pictures, we noticed Pops walking across the grass in his tux and ... tennis shoes?

The morning of the wedding he pulled his Corframs out of their box and they looked just great, nice and shiny. At the venue he put them on, but when he started walking in them they began to completely fall apart. The sides split, and the soles came right off!

 He said it was just like a slapstick movie. Thankfully someone had an extra pair of shoes.

The ceremony went well. SL and HL weren't at the rehearsal, so they hadn't had a chance to practice. The flower girls huddled in a tight group and shuffled slowly down the aisle. Mom caught SL's eye and gestured for her to begin dropping petals out of her little tin bucket. As she did the other girls followed suit, except for Peabody who shook her bucket a couple of times, then just dumped it out. Shortly before the 3:00 start time I realized that I had forgotten to feed the girls any lunch, so P was at the end of her rope. She made it down the aisle, then came to sit with me for the remainder of the ceremony.

The reception was a buffet dinner cooked by a fellow church member and it was delicious!

 There were so many people that we ran out of tables but no one seemed to mind. My uncle and aunt flew up from California -- I knew they would be there, but what I didn't know was that they were bringing three of my cousins! That was such a great surprise. Then Mom's college roommate showed up -- Mom wasn't expecting that and I think it was the icing on the cake for her.

Eventually the best man (my brother Ben) and the maid of honor and several groomsmen gave toasts, and then Uncle Furry gave his salvation testimony. It was more like preaching than a testimony! I've never heard anything like it. It was really something.

 

After the toasts the bride and groom danced, then the bride danced with her parents.

The bride's father called it a fairybook wedding and it really was!

Home

Our vacation was wonderful. I have lots to tell, and plenty of pictures to share. I'm gonna do that, real soon. Meanwhile I figured I should post something ... anything at all ...

It's good to be home. It's always nice to visit loved ones ... and it's always nice to come home to my own space and sleep in my own bed. Eric came home first and he really missed us, so he was very happy for us to return. Mama Dog bonded with FIL while she stayed at 52 -- she followed him around everywhere. They have a big living room in the front of their house which can be closed off from the dining room and kitchen in the back by a door in the downstairs hallway. When that door was closed Mama Dog figured out how to go up the back stairs, through the upstairs hallway, and down the front stairs to the living room where she would get up onto the couch. Naughty yet clever pooch. She spent a day or two with another couple from church and apparently totally bossed around their Husky, taking over his bed and everything -- who knew she was such an alpha dog? After Eric came home she did too, and Junior Chief would come over and let her in and out of the house as necessary. I think she had a good time while we were away, but she was pretty happy to see us.

We didn't do any school during our vacation, except for a few workbook pages. We started again on Monday and the Boogie didn't seem to have forgotten anything. I thought we were beginning a new subject this week, then realized that I had scheduled it to begin in September! Oops. So we're about 3 weeks behind in that subject but since I scheduled it for only a couple of days per week it won't take us too long to catch up.

My less-than-2-years-old washing machine is refusing to fill with hot or warm water, so I've taken a few loads of laundry over to 52. It feels like old times! Ha! Eric took the washer apart last night to do some trouble-shooting -- he didn't figure out what the problem is, though he did rule out a couple of things. He thinks it might be the sensor probe so he's going to order a replacement and see if that fixes it. Meanwhile he figured out a way to "trick" it into adding hot/warm water which entails switching the temperature dial back and forth while it's filling -- thankfully it's a low-water machine so that doesn't take too terribly long. Hopefully a new sensor will solve the problem.

Both girls went to the dentist yesterday. It was Peabody's first time. The hygienist called the Boogie back first, and Peabody just followed her big sister right back. The hygienist said she'd send her out to me if she started getting into stuff -- I figured they'd call me back when it was Peabody's turn, but they never did! She did great all by herself and was SO excited to pick out a new toothbrush. The Boogie has more cavities. *sigh* All (now and previously) have been on the biting surfaces of her molars, so obviously brushing is not enough. They don't like to put sealants on baby teeth and the insurance won't cover it anyway. I didn't talk to the dentist this time, just the hygienist, but when I take the Boogie back for her fillings I will ask what else we can do to help prevent more cavities.

It feels like fall here. The nights are cold, and there has been frost several mornings. The heater has been running, too. I'm sure we need to order fuel oil since we haven't purchased any since last fall, and that wasn't even a full tank. The days have been sunny and nice, and leaves are really beginning to turn. Our pine tree (or whatever it is) is shedding brown needles like crazy, and pine cones are starting to fall. For the first time in a few years I am really enjoying the season and anticipating the upcoming holidays -- I actually want to do some decorating, something I haven't wanted to do in a long time! I don't think I have any fall decorations to put out -- maybe I'll have the kids cut out some leaves to stick on the windows or something.


Time to switch laundry, clean the kitchen, make my bed, get dressed (now that the morning is almost over), and teach some kindergarten!

Biker Girlies

For weeks before our trip the Boogie talked about going for a ride on Pops' motorcycle. "He has a kid helmet," she informed us on multiple occasions. She talked about it so much that I finally thought to ask him if he'd actually told her he was going to take her for a ride. I wrote to him and he responded that he didn't remember saying anything, and that besides she was too little. Uh-oh, I thought, she is going to be one disappointed little girl if she doesn't get to go. Pops offered to start up the bike and let her sit on it and go from there -- if she seemed okay with that he would take her for a very slow ride up and down the street. She doesn't like loud noises at all and I really anticipated that she would chicken out. But she didn't!

They went down the street and came back. "What did you think?" Pops asked the Boogie. "Did you like it? Do you want to stop, or would you like to go one more time?"
"Weeeellll," the Boogie considered, "I think ... I want to go one more time." I was so impressed that she went at all. What can I say? The kid is kinda wimpy.


As they rode away the first time Peabody burst into tears. "I go too!" she wailed. So after the Boogie's ride Peabody sat on the back of the bike, and then Pops rode in a circle while Mom walked alongside. She loved it! She shouted goodbye to everyone.

Adorable little biker babies.

Peabody Recites The Pledge of Allegiance

Cooler Weather Means ...

... open windows instead of air conditioning.

... for the first time in months not automatically turning on ceiling fans in the morning ... and then realizing how incredibly dusty they are!

... covering up cute cloth diapers with pants. 

... a light robe over pajamas.

Oh well, cooler weather means a lower electric bill, and at least it warms up during the day! Less humidity certainly makes going for a walk a lot more comfortable. And I won't will miss the mosquitoes once they meet their cold-weather demise.

We've completed our second week of school and begun week three. So far it's going very well and the Boogie seems to be enjoying herself.

Our friend DiDi is going on a missions trip soon, and she needed to learn how to drive a stick-shift before leaving. I loaned her my car over the weekend so she could practice. This is how it was returned:

Ahahahaha! Clever, right? She did say she would clean it off but I told her I wanted to take a picture. She came over today to have lunch and say goodbye; after she left the Boogie cried and cried. "I don't want DiDi to go," she sniffled, "I'm just going to miss her a lot!"

Mary Poppins has been (temporarily, I'm sure) replaced. If Peabody doesn't want to watch "Cartello, the amlane one" she asks for "Paper Man" ... Peter Pan.

Peabody is suddenly aware of Eric being away during the day. She will ask periodically, "Where Daddy? Where Daddy go?" Usually when she wakes up in the morning or from her nap she calls for me until I come get her out of her crib. The other day at the end of her nap I heard her crying. I thought she may have hurt herself or had a bad dream, so hurried in to see what was wrong. She'd been looking out the window from her crib and couldn't see Eric's car in the driveway. "Daddy gooooone!" she wept loudly. 

Her looking out the window is a nuisance. She stays awake far longer than acceptable during naptime, and so far has broken five consecutive slats on the blinds. 

Last night I asked her, "Are you my Peabody?" 

"Yeah!" she shouted, "I pee potty! I pee on da potty!"

She and the Boogie were playing. "Should we go to Taco Bell?" the Boogie asked. Peabody agreed, then ordered a bean burrito with no onions. 

We have their flower girl dresses and shoes for the wedding, and I am working on headbands. Now I need to start practicing with the Boogie's hair. Not too much longer! We're getting so excited!