Chilly Swimmers and Beach Pictures.

I'll be taking the girls to a swimming camp every morning this week, so I went along yesterday to learn the ropes.  Emily and I grabbed our Starbucks and headed to Si View Community Park.  Once we rushed in amid the chaos and got settled on the little bleachers, we had a great view of the little ones.

This sweet baby was not convinced of the fun.  She was cold and a little out of her league, I think.  They wanted to be in a class together, and I think it was too young for Graysen and too advanced for Kate.  And they were freezing.

She sucked it up, though, and managed okay.  They ran into Isabella who was there for her little brother's lesson, and it was fun seeing her.

We came home and had little pizzas and got ready to go to Issaquah for me to take a bunch of their outgrown clothes to Small Threads.

We had a nice package when we got home.  Ramona books!  We can never find them in the library, and they love them, so I got the first four for them.  I'm not sure it warrants THIS kind of reaction - but whatever.  I'm glad books excite them.

Kate looking for pictures - any pictures!

They were just the best on our errands and did exactly what they were supposed to.  We had to waste some time in the consignment shop while they looked over the clothes and things I took, so we "shopped" a little bit.  I knew we weren't going to add another item to their already-crowded closets and drawers, but it didn't keep them from zeroing in on every sparkly thing they could find.  In the toy section, I was looking at games and hoping to find Uno cards, but they hyperventilated over a huge bag of Shopkins figures, and so we came home with it.

We also got milkshakes at McDonald's, but unfortunately Graysen's vanilla one tasted like toothpaste.

A few more beach pictures.

We spent the night in the Apalach Motel after we arrived in Apalachicola while waiting for our house to be ready.  The girls played in the pool and enjoyed that, and then we stopped by the Appalachiacola Farmers Market, the very end of it, on the way to the island.

I think Emily and Ryan managed to pick up some fish and other food for lunch, and I bought all the tomatoes that anyone had left.  Plus snow cones for the girls.



Not many pictures.  We were tired and HOT and ready to get there.  I wish we could have been there earlier.

It's really a nice pool area.  We remembered it from two years ago.  The motel itself was great.  We had several conversations wtih the cleaning lady who gifted us many things before we left, including bubbles and body wash.

I had a room of my own and, even though I was exhausted when I got there, I didn't miss a little surprise on my pillow.  I thought it was a mint, but when I looked closer, I found this.  Thoughtful.

We certainly weren't chilly on that particular day!

Cousins, More Park Fun, and More Beach Pictures

Debbie has sent me some sweet pictures of Sophia, and I've stolen a few from Facebook, so here are some of our cutest little Georgia cousin.  Wish Debby, Sherry, and I could get all our babies together one day.

She looks so much like her grandmother did when she was a baby.  I remember it well, because I was 6 years old when she was born and dragged her around until she was big enough to protest.



And the whole family:  Courtney and Brent with Big Brother Waylon.



I've been asking for recent pictures of the girls' South Dakota cousins, but I haven't gotten any yet, but I'll include those when I do.

They also have some Florida cousins, Emma and Trevor, Sherry's grandchildren.








The whole family:  Najla, Ryan, Emma, and Trevor.  Sure wish we could get together with these folks again.


I love these ice cream pictures.





I think these were taken last fall when they all met up for a vacation in Asheville.

Our adventure today involved cold things, but it was us.  I packed a big bag with a picnic lunch, plenty to drink, a towel in case the slides were wet, and my knitting.

The first place we went was the park with the zip line, which is Gray's favorite, but there was almost no place to park, and it was overrun with big kids.  Graysen immediately decided this was not where we wanted to go, so we headed up the hill to the biggest park we've been to and found it pretty much deserted.  We unloaded, and Graysen immediately saw her school friend Carter and they had to have a hug and grins.  He was on his bike with another friend, so they were zooming off immediately.  We unpacked our lunch, and ate it while we were chilled by a brisk little wind.  I'm glad I insisted on sweaters at the last minute.

The girls had fun swinging and sliding for a bit and then met another little girl who had been there with her mother the whole time.  Sadie Grace.  Graysen is shy and slow to initially meet people, but once she latches on to someone, she's a really quick friend.  Once the three of them got names straight, they played for nearly two hours along with a friendly little boy named James.  Something about the "ship" and pilots and lots of other stuff.  Sadie has an older brother, so I'm guessing some of that came from him.

They were so sweet to include Katherine, and Sadie was a polite and friendly little girl, the kind you would like the girls to meet up with again.  Unfortunately, she lives in Fall City, and I'm not sure what the chances of them landing at the same park again are.  I did tell her we went to the Fall City Library on Tuesdays if she got a chance to go.  

I sat there on the bench without even a shaft of sunlight to ease my chill, but I put on a happy face and knitted away, just checking my phone every once in a while to see if it was ever time to go home.  

Okay.  Some more beach pictures.  I think I'll do the trip to FL first.

All the airport experiences were good except for the Tallahassee one on the trip home where they delayed our flight twice and then cancelled.

On the way to the airport WAY too early - but excited.  

We have a little routine where Ryan drops us all off at the curb at the airport and goes to park the car and brings the car seats (probably tempted to head back home).

Then Emily and I manuever our 4 big bags and the girls and their 2 bags apiece up to the check-in place.  It always works out - some places easier than others - but it's a hassle.

Sometimes the waiting is sooo long.

A little bribery goes a long way.  

Once on the plane, they're good to go.  All the snacks and surprises they want and a couple of naps and more snacks and the full attention of 3 adults - or the awake ones anyway.

 

Once on the ground, we waited for the rental car and took off for a night in Apalachiacola.

After a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up the absolute necessities and also a trip to Chic-Fil-A for dinner.



Then the long drive to the motel.

And finally rest.

I'm exhausted just remembering.  And we haven't even gotten to the beach yet.

Stay at Home Day

Or most of the day.  We did get out to the park later this afternoon.  I folded lots of clothes and tried to organize the girls' clothing, but I can't seem to do really well with it.  It's too cool for sundresses or shorts, and it's hard to know what to wear.

They played outside with the sensory beads before lunch until their hands got too cold.   So far, that's the best thing ever, especially with sharks and mermaids and dolphins and crabs to swim around in the marbles.  I'm sure it will get old soon.

This is how a tablespoon of beads looks when you first put them in the water.

Then eight hours later, it soaks up all the water and turns into something wonderful to put your hands in and squish and squiggle and let the mermaids and animals play.  We need some dishpans or something else besides those bowls from the kitchen.  The grownups in the house might get tired of our stealing their things.

We're still working on our Spanish lessons but not getting too far.  They both can count to ten easily and know some of the colors.  Today we worked on Hello, how are you, I'm fine and My name is....  Today at the park, someone asked Graysen her name, and I could feel her thinking, "Am I supposed to say 'Mi llamo es Graysen?"   She's really interested in it, but Katherine is not.  There was a song, though, that had uno, dos, tres and a pause, and she shouted cuatro!

It was a beautiful day at the park, and the girls were the only ones for a while and just ran and played so nicedly while I knitted.

Yesterday, there were 7 boys, and the girls were miffed about it, but today when 3 more little girls came up, they came and stood beside me and said they were shy.  The other girls weren't, though, so they soon ended up going crazy together.  I met the next-door neighbor's nanny and their 2 little boys.  They lives in the house that Emily and Ryan just sold, but I had not seen any of them yet.

 They're so big now and so energetic.  Mike used to take Graysen when she could barely walk and just loved seeing her climb and explore.  So sad they don't have him grinning and bragging on their accomplishments.

Since I cleaned out my yarn stash, I decided I would find a take-along project or two, and I chose this dishcloth.  It's perfect for being able to keep an eye on the kids and pay attention to what I'm doing.  We all need some new ones.  

That's about all the fun I can stand for one day.  Emily was surprised to hear that I went to bed last night at 7:30 and woke up at 7:30 this morning.  I'm up to 8:30 tonight but not for long.

Oh, this was exciting.  I bought a couple of zucchini last night at the grocery store, and Emily told me I could borrow her zoodler and make my own zoodles instead of buying the 3 for $12 packages at Safeway.  So I did.

She says she doesn't peel hers, but I might try the next ones peeled.  So good.  And so quick.  I was hesitant about doing my first one until she told me the girls do theirs.  Okay....  And it was.  A little olive oil, some garlic and salt and pepper and capers with Parmesan on top made a nice vegetable dish.

I'm going to make myself post some old pictures or they'll get lost forever.

Kate's birthday.  Maybe not much narration, just pictures.

This cake that each kid gets from school on his or her birthday may look weird, but it's the best ever, if I remember correctly from Graysen's 4th birthday.

It's a Rooster - for Rooster Valley - and those are the best candy rocks, or eggs, or whatever they're supposed to be.  Very different.  She got to decorate it herself.

And now I can't find the other pictures quickly.  I'll come back and add them.  She opened her gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Bindert at the beach and wore her new favorite butterfly shirt home the next day.  There were also Paw Patrol goodies and stickers and some activity books that she loved.






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They celebrated her real birthday with friends Camden and Branson with a pool and slip-and-slide
party that sounded wonderful.  Erin knows how to throw a birthday party.

And just the kind of cake a 4-year-old girl would love.



And finds the best balloons ever!



Aunt Kathy and Uncle Alan sent cards and gifts, and I heard immediately about the kitty and puppy vet set, and there is a new yellow cat that she sleeps with named Uncle Alan that must have come then.  This has to be the one.

And then Crazy Mimi and Aunt CeCe and their gifts.

Elise found these realistic-looking desserts and vegetables at Ikea and got them for her.

They may look strange, but I know what my baby likes!  Cats, Todoro, and squishy little things.  Looks like I found them all in one place.

Birthday also included playing in a school bus at school and working in the garden that evening.  Such a fun day.