Postcards From Sequim

Everything that I love about Sequim came together this weekend - family, sunshine, and fresh food. We got to celebrate my mom's birthday and Marilynn was excited to have an excuse for a birthday party. I can't believe that summer is already coming to a close. . .

Zoo Trip #2

Erika is not even four months old yet, but she has already been to the zoo twice. This time we checked out the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma on our way to Sequim for the long weekend. Marilynn loved watching the fish and we just couldn't get her away from there. So, we had to bribe her with monkey watching, and when she wouldn't leave the monkeys, we had to bribe her that we were going to go see Granny. And that made her very excited to leave and head over to Sequim.

St. Edwards Park

After many attempts, I was finally able to take Marilynn to St. Edwards Park today, and she loved it! It's the largest playground in the State of Washington and is right on the waterfront. We were there for two hours and even with that, I don't think she got to play on everything. And, yes, my daughter is wearing a sweatshirt in August. Where is the sun??

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is a very special day - it's my mom's birthday! Happy birthday, Mom! Can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend!

Here's a fun fact for the day - Do you know where "Heinz 57" comes from? In its early days, the company wanted to advertise the great number of choices of canned and bottled foods it offered for sale. Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number 57 was chosen because the numbers "5" and "7" held special significance to Heinz. The number "5" was Henry John Heinz's lucky number and the number "7" was his wife's lucky number.Now, I'm not saying that this story has anything to do with my mom's birthday at all. Just found it interesting :-). I suppose you could say that there's way more than 57 things that makes my mom so special.

Erika's Smile

One of my most favorite things about Erika is her smile. She just brightens my day!

Future Olympian?

At Greenlake, they had a kids Olympics going on and one of the local gymnastics schools had an area for toddlers. Marilynn tried her hand at the bars, balance beams, trampoline and tumbling mats. We couldn't get her away from it. Look for Marilynn at the Summer Olympics 2020 - oh, wait, she'll only be 14 then. Perhaps she'll have to play for China instead :-).

Greenlake

Saturday was one of those perfect Seattle days, so we headed over to Greenlake Park in Seattle and checked out their toddler wading pool. Marilynn had a blast and got to meet some new friends.

My Hero

I just have to brag on my hubby for a little bit. Now that Marilynn is on a two week break from school, Ken is pulling double duty with keeping two girls happy, fed, changed and entertained all day. This is on top of spending all night at work dealing witheverything that you could imagine with unions, huge workforce, etc. And, when I come home from work, he has dinner ready to go - tonight there was even vegetables! Thank you, Sweetie!

Erika's Getting Strong!

Erika is really starting to hold her head up on her own now. Our little baby is growing up so fast!

Marilynn's Dinner Party

The Collins family came over for dinner the other night, and Marilynn got to host the official "kids table." Thank you, Maw-Maw for the picnic table. It sure came in handy!

More Beach Pictures

Yes - we were only going to be at the beach for a few hours, but we still needed to pack the whole house. This doesn't even include the ice chest, stroller and diaper bag.







A baby swing - never leave home without it!

On the hunt for rocks and seashells

Fun in the Sun

Saturday was a record hot day for Seattle, so we took the girls to Matthews Beach in Seattle for some fun in the sun and a chance to cool off in the water. Marilynn loved playing in the sand and Erika slept the day away on a blanket underneath an umbrella. With all of this, who needs Hawaii?

Zoo Trip

Today Marilynn's class went on a field trip to the zoo, and little sister Erika got to tag along. There was a special gecko exhibit and the kids waited in line to get a turn to touch the gecko. After touching the gecko, there was a special station to wash their hands. Marilynn waited patiently in line and when it was her turn, she walked right past the geckos and washed her hands. It was well worth the wait. It was a hot, but fun day!

Marilynn's Owie

Marilynn had a nasty spill on the concrete and came home from school with a fat lip and a scrapped eye. But, it's nothing that a few kisses and Popsicle couldn't fix.

29 Years Ago Today

My brother was born! Happy birthday, Christian!

Our 3 Month Old

It's hard to believe, but Erika is already 3 months old today! She has already reached the quarter year mark and at the same time, and it's hard to imagine what life was like without her. Every day it seems like she is up to something new and trying out new adventures. Some of her favorite things to do include:

• Kicking her toys on her baby gym
• Lying on our bed and staring at the ceiling fan
• Having her feet rubbed with lotion
• Getting kisses from big sister Marilynn

Weekend in Review

We had a great weekend and it's hard to believe that it's already over. Ken and I went out to a dinner theater called Teatro Zin Zinni on Friday night to celebrate our anniversary and the grandparents watched the girls for us - thank you, Mom and Dad! Then, we checked out a local hiking trail on Saturday with my parents. On Saturday night, Levi and Abby came over to play with Marilynn. Then, one of Marilynn's friends from school had a birthday party on Sunday. Here's a few pictures from the weekend.

Mommy and Daddy finally got a night out - our first one since Erika was born :-).

Our first picture with all four of since since Erika was born!

Marilynn wasn't really into the hike until she got to ride on Daddy's shoulders, then she was happy.

Me and my dad - notice that Erika decided to sneak a little nap in during our walk.

Marilynn with her topless boyfriend, Levi.

Marilynn had to have her blood pressure taken after seeing handsome Levi.

Marilynn had a "blast" at Drew's birthday party. She got a toy rocket that blasted off in her treat bag.

Marilynn decided to "help" Drew open up his presents.

Marilynn and Timmy spent half the party going up and down the slide together.

10 Years Ago Today

I married my Prince Charming. The Chinese say that the number 8 is lucky, and I have to say that being married on 8-8 has brought us lots of luck and happiness.

Happy Anniversary, sweetie! I love you.

32 Years Ago Today

My parents got married! Happy Anniversay Mom and Dad - thanks for showing me what a great marriage looks like.

Pop Quiz

Can you tell which one is Marilynn and which one is Erika?