Just Me!!

First day and last year of preschool. Felt like yesterday when I would call my sister on the way home from work to complain of pregnancy discomforts hoping since she was pregnant she would understand. Now her and Ryan are starting their last year of preschool. Charlie loves Mrs. Snowden. However, her class is full of ALL boys. I am not at all satisfied with her classroom composition but I am grateful and blessed to be able to watch Charlie and Ryan grow up together. So here's to the start of a new year of learning and growth! I'm a very proud mamma of all my kiddos.

We are enjoying having a teen who can babysit for us! She is usually excited to make some money off of us. At $5\per hour she makes bank! Our favorite haunts recently have been bowling and after, beer and half price appetizers at The Hub in Tacoma. Love the quiet moments we get to spend together!

I am really behind because we went to the Caves over Labor Day weekend. The hike couldn't have been set for a more perfect day. It was sunny, and warm which is perfect for exploring caves that naturally are cold. We met Shannon and Mike, their kids, Victor, Kirsten, and their kids. We bundled up and spent the day exploring two underground caves,and did a small hike called "Trail of Two Forests." The kids, even the bigger ones enjoyed using their flashlights/head lights underground. When we turned all the lights off it was pitch dark, cold, and perfect I imagine for a film to shoot a scary movie. Very eerie and full of horror ambiance. Next time we will take a lantern, which would brighten it up a bit without blinding anyone in the process. Oh and by the way mom, their weren't any apes chained up in the caves. I couldn't help myself letting you think that! There was only one hiccup, the kids all but Lanie, disappeared after lunch running around somewhere in the su...

I remember Vacationing at Lake Crescent when we were kids. My dad took us out on the lake in a small boat. I remember how I thought it was so creepy that I was able to see all the way down to the bottom of the lake. I didn't let that stop me from swimming near the edge of the lake though. I loved the sense of adventure I got from swimming in a lake versus a pool. My children are as crazy about water as I was. They begged to swim in Lake Crescent, and I finally had to let them go and explore the lake on their own terms. After a couple dives into the water and a few minutes into swimming they had finally had enough. We were able to end our summer with a couple nights at Lake Crescents' Log Cabin Resorts thanks to my dad and mom. My parents planned a quick getaway for the kids to one of the cabins there and we tagged along by pitching our tent in one of their camp sites. My brother was able to go with and used the same site to pitch a tent. He told us after one night that he wasn...