Summer Daze

As much as we Washingtonians like to complain when the rain just ain't quitin', I'll take a Washington summer over the blazing heat some of the rest of the country is having any day. Like today.

Our "partly cloudy" Monday ended up more "sparsely cloudy". And the upper 60 degrees was ... perfect. Nice and warm when the sun was on your back, but still cool air we're breathing. And even though 67 degrees doesn't sound like much for an August day, it was ... perfect.

Can you tell I'm still wistful about our summer day gone right?

We walked onto the Mukilteo ferry with some Mukilteo friends. Whatever it is with kids and water, it's enough to keep them staring at it for ... well, WHOLE MINUTES.



We walked off on the other side to the little park next to the ferry terminal. When I say "little", I mean you can't even tell its there unless someone points it out. There are bathrooms and a mound of sand. The mound of sand is, for some reason, well stocked with toy vehicles. So with the additional buckets and shovels that we brought it afforded plenty of entertainment for 6- and 3-year-olds, while us moms chatted and watched the ferries come and go.

We then walked down the pathway to the public access beach - about 100 feet of beach between the apparently private beaches of the homes along the shore. It was just enough for us.

Ailey found a shell FULL of barnacles.

There was a little water-exploring before...

... they got more brave...

... and their pants all wet. Silje. (Need I say more?)

We opted for ice cream after coming back to Mukilteo - soft serve at Ivar's. And walked it to the Lighthouse to eat.

A warm, sunny day with the ferry in the background and three happy girls ... darn right I got some posed pictures!

Speaking of Talents...

Watching Marin take on t-ball this summer has been another reminder of how she takes on life. She just keeps going at something until she's satisfied. If she's this good after only a few days of it, maybe we should sign her up for the professional track!

(video)

Talents

It's so fun to watch your kids grow, learn, develop new skills. Age 3 is a time of big leaps in a child's skill-set, and Marin and Silje are no exception.

They are very different girls and therefore developing different skills at different times. They've always taken turns being the first to learn something. Silje was the first to crawl, Marin was the first to walk, and so on.

So we are, of course, very proud to show off their most recent skills. Um ... whistling and burping. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show!

(video)

A Beautiful 4th



It's not very often that we get a sunny 4th of July. In fact, I think the general rule is that if it's nice on the 3rd and nice on the 5th, it's raining, cloudy, and/or cold on the 4th. So imagine our surprise and delight when the weather forecast held true on the 4th and we got to sit through a parade in the sun!

And it wasn't just sunny - it was warm and beautiful. While I remembered to slather the girls in sunblock, I forgot myself (really, there's no good excuse) and am still nursing a stinging burn on my left shoulder. But I refuse to complain about it because it was my first opportunity to burn since last summer. I'll take it!

We went to the Edmonds parade (the girls are loving parades right now - we walked in the Marysville parade a couple weeks ago, and are already talking up the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival parade in September). The parade itself was a little disappointing - we've definitely seen better - but the outing was fun and Marin and Silje are still talking about the candy.

We went from the parade to Mount Vernon to spend the afternoon with my parents. My mom was able to spend the afternoon sitting on the deck, still recovering from back surgery, which made us appreciate the beautiful day even more. My dad did the food shopping and prep - those of you who know him know how impressive that is! Andy grilled. I tried to even out my lop-sided burn by keeping my right shoulder in the sun more than the left. And the girls scootered, played in the playhouse, and tossed paper airplanes off the back of the deck.

A Happy 4th of July!

Waiting for the parade was half the fun.



Hey, if there aren't any firetrucks coming down the road yet, enjoy the best seat while you can!

And what did the girls do to pass the time waiting? Collect rocks, of course. (How is this still such a favorite hobby?!)

The motorcycle cops doing their formations to start the parade.

Prime seating.

Scootering around Grandma and Grandpa's driveway.

Happy July, everyone! And Happy FINALLY Summer!

Signatures

Marin and Silje have been practicing writing their names the past few months. It's a favorite task when the paper and pens come out.

Silje wants to sign all of her artistic creations. She started out needing help with the S, but now she even has that tricky e down pat!

In classic Marin-style-of-learning, she writes her name over and over and over and ... yes, the same way she learns everything: by obsessing until she's satisfied (remember when she learned to walk?). She started with the M and just kept asking "how?" until she got them all!

It's so much fun to watch these girls practicing and adding new skills to their repertoires. Marin and Silje are definitely ready for preschool in the fall (good thing, 'cause so am I!).