August 4-6

Wednesday

Wednesday we took the boat to Lake Stevens.  It's our first time there.  It's a bit faster for us to get there than Lake Goodwin.  The launch area is nice because there is a bathroom right there (at Lake Goodwin it's quite a ways up the hill) and there is lots of dock space for me to wait with the boat while Dode parks the van.  The lake was choppy so it'd be nice to know what the conditions were at Lake Goodwin that night to compare.  Elizabeth tried some knee boarding before we got out the tube.  She's so light, she can knee board behind the boat when we're hardly moving. 

William was our flagger while the kids swam

Isaac found this straw hat floating in the lake and claimed it as his own

Miriam has been sick this week with a cold.  It hits her in waves of feeling miserable. 

Here she is ready to be done and go home.

We're sure glad that my mom and dad bought the boat years ago, and that Dode is able to maintain and fix what goes wrong inexpensively.  The kids really enjoy going out in it.

Thursday

Thursday, our playing was at Jetty Island, a park off the Everett water front.  The only way to get to the island is by boat.  The parks department runs a free ferry which takes 3 minutes to cross over to the island from the mainland.  You can only make reservations for the ferry if you live in Everett or are part of a large group.  For the rest of us, it's first come first served.  We got there at 9:30 when the passes first go out and there was a mad scramble for them.  The first boat leaves at 10:00.  I'd sent Isaac ahead while I parked the van and he's not the most agressive child.  We were able to get passes for the 10:45 sailing.    We went to the "standby line" and were able to get on the 10:15 boat.  Because the passes are free, people who make reservations often don't end up showing up.  Even though the wait for a boat can seem long, by using the standby line, we've always gotten on the island fairly quickly.  Once on the island, we stopped at the only bathroom on the island, a floating port-a-pottie, before heading across the couple hundred yards of the island to the beach.  The tide was way out (about 1/4 mile) when we got there and the big kids headed down to the water while the little ones played in the wet sand closer to the high water line.  The views were wonderful of Camano Island, Hat Island, and Whidbey Island.  We could watch the ferry between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island coming and going and several large airplanes bound for Paine Field passed overhead.  We stayed for five hours and over that time, the tide came in fast. I like being there when the tide is coming in because it causes the kids to get closer and closer to me.  There have been visits when the tide is going out and when it's time to head back to the ferry, the kids are in the water 1/4 mile away.  They can't hear me when I call because the wind blows off the water towards the beach and I have to trudge across the sand and then the mud and be almost next to them before I can get their attention.  Those are not relaxing times!

 

I never moved my chair but my toes were inches from the water when we left . 

The kids were playing right in front of me.

Isaac spent some time reading as well as helping smaller children build sand castles and floating in the waves.  He's sitting here with two younger children who befriended him.

The water at Jetty Island is warm from the sand and it stays shallow for a long ways. 

The little ones were safe and warm floating right in front of me.

William standing in a big hole he helped dig

some clams she found in a tide "puddle"

The girls are balancing on a log

Isaac (straw hat), William and Miriam on the ferry waiting to head back home

I love going to Jetty Island because once you get there, you can't leave until your return tickets say, for us that was 3:15.  My life is so busy, I'm always thinking about the next thing we need to get done and have a hard time enjoying the thing we're doing then.  With Jetty Island, we're stuck and I can just relax and enjoy the "forced" down time with no way to hurry us along.  I love watching the kids play in the water and sand.  There have been summers when I've made it over to the island every week.  Those were perfect summers. 

Since bringing Anastaya and William home, we haven't been able to make it.  William has always been a big napper and without his sleep, he's a very difficult child for everyone in the family.  For the past 3 years years, I've cut almost all playing out that didn't allow us to be home for nap time.  It was a huge adjustment for the children who were used to our lots of playing style of parenting.  Gone were hikes, day trips, anything that couldn't be accomplished in a four hour round trip.  When we'd decide, this activity will be worth it, we'd pay the price with lots of misbehaviors, meltdowns, and screaming fits.  As we'd lay in bed that night, frazzled to the end of our wits, we'd decide yet again that it just wasn't worth it.  He's growing up and now if I can get him a nap every 2-3 days, he seems to be able to manage with just a bit more behavior problems than normal.  So, Friday will be nap day which will make Saturday and Sunday more fun for everyone, William included.

Miriam still wasn't feeling very good.  She'd come curl up in my lap and whine, "When can we get out of this place?   I want to go home!"  Then, in the next breath, she'd be gleefully running into the water.  All in all, we had a great time.  We'd brought plenty of food, water and toys and the hours went by quickly.

Miriam's Surprise

Is there a child out there that doesn't love getting mail?  I know I don't have any in my house, even the large almost adult one!  Miriam got a fun treat this week when her Boma sent her a new nightgown in the mail.  We saw Boma on Monday, but getting the nightgown in the mail later in the week made it so much more special!  She's going everywhere with her wand that came with it. 

She's on a continuing effort to "fly" off the end of our bed.  For at least a year, it's part of her daily routine.  She's tried pillowcase parachutes, umbrellas, special flying words and flapping her arms really quickly.  She's convinced that with the aid of the wand, she's able to stay aloft just a little bit longer.  It truly is a magic wand!  Thank you Boma!

Monday August 2nd

Monday is park day and this time our destination was Jennings Park in Marysville. On the way, we had some of the never ending errands to run. We dropped Jacob off at Kohl's so he could do some school shopping, then hit Rite-Aid for the good deals and then  Albertsons. Arriving back at Kohl's, Jacob was still not done so we ate our "picnic" lunch in the van. Jacob is very particular about his clothes and the stitching on a back pocket is enough to turn him off of a pair of jeans. In 1 1/2 hours of shopping, he managed to find two pairs of jeans and a hoodie to use up the Kohl's cash I'd earned shopping last week. Shopping success behind us, we stopped at the bread outlet and Miriam let me know that this trip to the park was taking much too long! So, instead of heading to my last errand, we dropped Jacob at the library and went to the park.

The kids had fun using the play equipment, playing tag, and touring the flower garden. Just when their energy was starting to flag, Boma showed up so I could give her the produce she'd purchased and she could give me the chocolate bar Greg had sent with her (Thank you for the happy surprise! Yum!). Boma stayed to play for about a half hour and when she left so did we to our final errand, Value Village.

                                             it's hard to get a smile out of Seth in a photo!

I had a 30% off coupon that was expiring this week at Value Village and didn't want it to go to waste. My first stop every time I go is the girl's dresses and I found two for Miriam, one for Anastaya and one for Ellie.

Ellie's already went home but it too had a black velvet top with pretty bottom half

 I can picture myself a grandma with 30 grand-daughters still making the dress section my first stop at the second hand store so they can all look like angels at church. Each of the kids get one item or $5 to spend each time we go and they were all successful at finding new treasures. I found this Yoda that I just couldn't pass up. $9 after the 30% off.

I can't look at him without smiling. My plan is to use him at day camp. We have a puzzle/riddle each day that the cubs try to solve. When they have the answer, they get smarties candy. I thought I could put Yoda on the table with a bucket of candy in front of him (since he's so wise) and they could get their prize from him. One of the the things I've struggled with in the past is I know the answer but the other people at headquarters don't. I try to have a piece of paper somewhere with the answers but it's easily misplaced. I can just lift the back of Yoda's cloak and stick the paper on his back each day.

We'd had Seth for the day and when we got home Sheri and Joel had already beat us there. They ended up staying for dinner and Dode put Joel to work helping construct our new hand rail for our front door. Every time we have a party at our house, it's a good excuse to force us to do some home improvement. Usually it's a cosmetic fix but this time it's a safety fix. It makes us nervous to see some people who don't have very good balance try to wobble down our stairs. With two parties planned for August, it was time for an upgrade. It won't be a beautiful hand rail but it will be strong and sturdy. We borrowed a pipe bender from a member in the ward, Dode cut the pipe to length, and welded on the stanchions (a fancy word Joel taught me yesterday).

                                                     bending the pipe

                                                     figuring out where to cut the pipe

Sheri realized that as long as we had the tools, it was high time to put a handrail on the back steps at Sharon and Lynn's so once done here, they went over there.

                                             with this fancy tool, even Seth can bend a pipe!

                                                 getting the correct angle on the pipe

Neither railing is complete. Now Dode has to drill holes in the concrete. A flat disk screws onto the bottom of the stanchions and the bolts go through the disk into the cement. We don't have the correct drill bit but a member of our ward does and he'll help Dode out on later this week.

7/28-7/31

 Wednesday

Wednesday when Dode got home from work, we loaded into the van and headed off to Lake Goodwin for some water sports. We ended up playing on the lake for about three hours which was two hours too long for Miriam.  At first, none of the kids wanted to kneeboard but after Isaac Colson tried and failed, the rest of the kids had to show him how it's done.

Once the kneeboarding tired everyone out, they hopped on our three man tube and had a blast being pulled around behind the boat.  When we got home, Dode found out that all that weight on the cleet (plus three teenagers at a time the week before) was not a good thing and we now have some boat repairs to do before we can tow kids around again.



They also enjoyed swimming off the boat.

Girls in the 80's used to spend a lot of time getting big hair like this. All it takes for Anastaya is 10 minutes behind the boat!



Thursday

Thursday we started off the day by heading down to 3-2-1 Bounce in Everett. It's a place that has lots of inflatable play equipment.  

The place is normally for only for parties, but they offer drop in play time on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. We were the only family there. I wasn't feeling well and had planned to just sit back and read a book while they played but I kept getting begged, "Mom go down the slide with me, Mom race me on the obstacle course, Mom play dodge ball, Mom joust with me". I guess I've been too involved on past visits and there is now no way I can sit one out.

part of one of the obstacle courses

kiddie slide

jousting to see who is "King of the bouncy pad".

After our hour long bounce section, we were all tired out. We refuled with a trip to our favorite restaurant, Grand China Buffet. After consuming way too many calories, we rolled out of the restaurant with bulging tummies.

Our Thursday just kept getting better and better because then Janice came up to let the kids use her scuba equipment in the pool. They loved getting a chance to use the regulator.

Anastaya getting ready to go under

underwater in our BIG BIG pool

that's one fun aunt!

Friday
Friday morning we headed off for our first back to school shopping trip. As we walked into Kohl's and I saw our reflection in the windows, I felt like we were an invading army marching against Kohl's. Sometimes I'm surprised how big our family appears. Like an army, we had a plan of attack.  I gave each of the older children a list of what they needed and told them good luck. I'd forgotten that a pair of jeans or shoes can't be deemed to fit if mom hasn't given an opinion. After zooming back and forth in the store trying to give feedback to each child, we had some success.

An hour later, we headed off to Dode's work where the Tulalip Tribes were hosting a health fair. There were about 30 booths offering different kinds of health screenings (blood pressure, bmi, cholesterol, hearing, etc). They also had information booths about healthy lifestyle choices. Each booth had something to give away and we all left with large bags full of stuff. (Once home, I confiscated 75% of it for day camp give aways). Isaac played a dice game where he had to roll the number of exercises and the type of exercise, here he is doing sit ups.

There were games for the kids like bowling, sack races, and ball toss.

raise your hand when you hear the beep

At the end you got a chance to enter for a door prize. We all ended up with at least one more thing. Then, we headed back to the building where Dode works to eat lunch in the lunch room.

                           The Dicksons (plus one Colson) are ready to invade the admin. building.

corn dogs taste better at dad's work

We managed to spill two very sticky cups of hot chocolate all over the kitchenet floor.  We wiped it up but I'm sure employees in the building will wonder what's up when they walk through and leave their shoes behind stuck to the floor.

                                                        squeezing in to Dode's work station

Here's his cubical # if you want to visit too!

We got home and had a few hours to rest up before Isaac's birthday party. 

He had six friends come over for mountain biking, pizza, and swimming.

Here's the pile of bikes

They road some of the trails in the Pilchuck Tree Farm.  Here they are at the top.

There is an area deep in the tree farm called the Monument.  From here on a sunny day you can see the Puget Sound.  It's a grassy area surrounded by trees that has several pieces of art scattered around.  It's a neat place to see.  A great time was had by all with everyone getting to crash their bike at least once.  When they got home, they had birthday cake and swam in the pool for a few minutes before the boys were picked up by their parents.  Then Isaac went down to Janice's to spend the night and the rest of us geared up for our Saturday fun, a boat trip to Sucia Island.

Saturday

Here we are anchored in the harbor.  Our boat was definately the small guy out there.

Dode had been wanting to get out to Sucia for about 10 years, ever since hearing the family he used to work for talking about the fun times they'd had there.  Sucia is a state park out in the famous San Juan Islands, on the North side of Orcas Island.  Yesterday, were finally able to make it.  We launched at the very busy boat launch at Washington Park in Anacortes.  We were concerned about finding a parking spot once the boat was launched but we lucked out with one of the last remaining spots.  The boat ride out there was interesting. 

For the first half, we were in dark depressing fog.  We couldn't see land anywhere and relied on our GPS and charts to navigate our way along.  We made it out of the fog bank into the sun and could look back and see that dense cloud bank almost like a solid line behind us.  There was nice calm water next to Orcas Island but when we began to cross the open water towards Sucia, it was quite bumpy.  Because it was a cold day, the kids were hiding in the small cabin in the front of the boat.  They were laying on their backs, bracing themselves with their outstretched arms on the roof while the boat bucked the waves.  Sometimes, we'd hit a wave just right and the water would come splashing over the top wetting Dode and I.  Not exactly what you want on a cold day!

We'd planned to use one of the two docks at Sucia but they were full so Dode figured out a way to anchor a short way off the beach.  He used several ropes tied together with one at the bow and one at the back going to the anchor.   Depending on what part of the rope you pulled on, the boat could be pulled in close to the beach to get on and off or pulled out in deep enough water to not get caught by the tide. 

 We enjoyed a picnic lunch, the girls played a game of soccer with a family camping on the island, then we set off to explore.  We found a sandy beach with lots of jelly fish washed up on shore.  Elizabeth felt so bad for them.  She found a way to put five of them back in the water without getting stung.  We walked one of the island trails and found a great rock slab for finding sea creatures.

These fun rocks were very eroded. 

Tidepooling.  Elizabeth is touching a sea anenome. 

checking out small crabs

Miriam is not much of a boater and since it's an hour ride one way to the island, we were very happy that she was invited to a friend's house to play on Saturday.  Jacob had not wanted to go but now that we've been, he figures he'll buy a boat when he's rich and also thinks it would be fun to come camping out here with his friends.  The other children also want to come back for a camping trip.    If we did, I'd want a kyak for exploring the shoreline lined with coves and Dode would want to go scuba diving.

Jacob got to drive us home.  He followed our GPS track log and did a great job.