Thanks to Angela McInroe for these amazing photos! We love them!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Busy, Busy
Every year I look forward to summer as a time to relax and slow down. As a homeschooler, I anticipate it just as much as the kids. I imagine long days full of leisurely walks and catching up on chores and reading that pile of books I've been saving for when there's "more time." But then summer hits and it's somehow busier than the school year. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the family visits and summer festivals and time spent with friends. All the same, I've found myself daydreaming about September lately. About falling into a school routine. Days filled with structure and order. Scheduled time to catch up on chores and read that pile of books I've been meaning to crack open. Huh. Perhaps I should invest in a maid and a stack of books on tape?
Anyhoo, here's a quick catch up. Last week we were surprised from a text from Debbie & Lance saying they had a layover at Seatac airport and would be there for a couple of hours. Obviously, we jumped at the chance to spend a little time with them. We hung out at the airport and caught a quick bite at Wendy's. It was so wonderful to get to see them and hug them and talk in person. Yay for layovers!
Monday, I took the kids to a petting zoo in Auburn. It was a groupon a while back and I can't pass up a good deal. Plus, as much as I try to pretend the zoo dates and petting zoos are for the kids, it's really me who can't wait to pet the pig and feed the goat. I can't help it. I like critters. The petting zoo was pretty cool. They had alpaca, horses, rabbits, ferrets, chicken (and tiny baby chicks!), turkey, goats, sheep, ducks, dogs and an adorable 150 lb potbellied pig named Porkchop (of course). They also had a miniature horse (or pony, I don't know. I'm not a scientist). We were kindred spirits. He got me. While chaos swirled around us in the form of squealing children chasing frightened farm animals, he stood next to me with his adorable little pony head pressed against my side. If I stopped petting him, he'd nuzzle against my side harder. Oh, blissful animal companionship! I'm not sure how much fun the kids had (that's not true, I know they liked it), but I was an extremely happy camper.
This morning, (thanks to yet another groupon) I took the kids to Uptown Glassworks to blow their own glass pieces. It was really cool. Mikey made a vase and natty made a goblet. It was amazing to watch the man swirl the glass around like it was no big deal. Just a pinch here and a tap there and he had a beautiful glass piece. I was impressed to say the least. The shop was full of beautiful glass pieces too. I found one I kinda fell in love with. It was only $1200. I'm sure I'll be able to talk Chad into it. NOT! (Yes. I did just say NOT. I'm not proud, but it happened).
And that was our week in a nutshell. My house is a stinking mess and my pile of books is only growing taller, but we had several adventures and spent a ton of time together. I'll clean my house next summer...
Anyhoo, here's a quick catch up. Last week we were surprised from a text from Debbie & Lance saying they had a layover at Seatac airport and would be there for a couple of hours. Obviously, we jumped at the chance to spend a little time with them. We hung out at the airport and caught a quick bite at Wendy's. It was so wonderful to get to see them and hug them and talk in person. Yay for layovers!
Monday, I took the kids to a petting zoo in Auburn. It was a groupon a while back and I can't pass up a good deal. Plus, as much as I try to pretend the zoo dates and petting zoos are for the kids, it's really me who can't wait to pet the pig and feed the goat. I can't help it. I like critters. The petting zoo was pretty cool. They had alpaca, horses, rabbits, ferrets, chicken (and tiny baby chicks!), turkey, goats, sheep, ducks, dogs and an adorable 150 lb potbellied pig named Porkchop (of course). They also had a miniature horse (or pony, I don't know. I'm not a scientist). We were kindred spirits. He got me. While chaos swirled around us in the form of squealing children chasing frightened farm animals, he stood next to me with his adorable little pony head pressed against my side. If I stopped petting him, he'd nuzzle against my side harder. Oh, blissful animal companionship! I'm not sure how much fun the kids had (that's not true, I know they liked it), but I was an extremely happy camper.
This morning, (thanks to yet another groupon) I took the kids to Uptown Glassworks to blow their own glass pieces. It was really cool. Mikey made a vase and natty made a goblet. It was amazing to watch the man swirl the glass around like it was no big deal. Just a pinch here and a tap there and he had a beautiful glass piece. I was impressed to say the least. The shop was full of beautiful glass pieces too. I found one I kinda fell in love with. It was only $1200. I'm sure I'll be able to talk Chad into it. NOT! (Yes. I did just say NOT. I'm not proud, but it happened).
And that was our week in a nutshell. My house is a stinking mess and my pile of books is only growing taller, but we had several adventures and spent a ton of time together. I'll clean my house next summer...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Our Oregon Holiday
So, last week Chad worked as producer on this film being shot (partially, at least) in Oregon. Natty was cast in a small role as well, so the whole family tagged along. It was a super fun trip. A little tricky working around all the family allergies, but we managed to eat out and avoid being sick, so that was a victory.
(Lizzie avoided her allergies by living off of straight ketchup)
Our hotel was directly across the street from a huge factory outlet mall (which I would have happily spent more time at, had I the chance). We hit up the Converse store and got the kids new shoes for school. I love Converse on kids. Something about the way the shoes are shaped really exaggerate the length of one's foot. Which makes kids look like puppies who haven't grown into their paws yet. I love it!
Our second day in, we stopped in the sleepy town of Mt. Angel to watch their world famous glockenspiel in action. Lizzie was the most impressed. When the little kids swung out at the end, Lizzie thew up both her hands and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" I don't know if she was impressed or concerned or a little bit of both, but it was dang cute.
Most of our trip was spent on set, hanging out with the cast and crew. The kids all got along super well. Two out of the three lead actors were home schooled, which automatically gave them a ton in common to talk about. Their moms were amazing too. I felt guilty for having so much fun while Chad was working so hard. Well, a little. Okay, not really. But I felt guilty for not feeling guilty. I mean, he was working really, really hard. And I was eating fast food, shopping, sleeping, watching movies, playing at parks, making friends and spending multiple nights at super rad nickle arcades.
Saturday was Chad's birthday. He chose to spend it at a Family Fun Center with the cast of The Dangerous Adventures of Leroy Thomas. He got tater tots and birthday cake ice cream. The moms of the actors tried to get the Family Fun Center crew to have Bullwinkle sing happy birthday to "poop cop" (a name Chad earned by playing cop #2), but they didn't find the humor in that. Whatev's. Chuck E. Cheese totally would've played along...
It was a really fun trip. I loved spending so much time with Chad & the kids. And I loved meeting all the amazing people working on the set of the film. All the same, I missed my house and Seattle. There truly is no place like home!
(Lizzie avoided her allergies by living off of straight ketchup)
Our second day in, we stopped in the sleepy town of Mt. Angel to watch their world famous glockenspiel in action. Lizzie was the most impressed. When the little kids swung out at the end, Lizzie thew up both her hands and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" I don't know if she was impressed or concerned or a little bit of both, but it was dang cute.
Most of our trip was spent on set, hanging out with the cast and crew. The kids all got along super well. Two out of the three lead actors were home schooled, which automatically gave them a ton in common to talk about. Their moms were amazing too. I felt guilty for having so much fun while Chad was working so hard. Well, a little. Okay, not really. But I felt guilty for not feeling guilty. I mean, he was working really, really hard. And I was eating fast food, shopping, sleeping, watching movies, playing at parks, making friends and spending multiple nights at super rad nickle arcades.
Saturday was Chad's birthday. He chose to spend it at a Family Fun Center with the cast of The Dangerous Adventures of Leroy Thomas. He got tater tots and birthday cake ice cream. The moms of the actors tried to get the Family Fun Center crew to have Bullwinkle sing happy birthday to "poop cop" (a name Chad earned by playing cop #2), but they didn't find the humor in that. Whatev's. Chuck E. Cheese totally would've played along...
It was a really fun trip. I loved spending so much time with Chad & the kids. And I loved meeting all the amazing people working on the set of the film. All the same, I missed my house and Seattle. There truly is no place like home!
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