Blue Leisure Suit

So my friend Nikki gave me this suite about 10 years ago and I have LOVED it ever since.  She also has a Burgundy leisure suit I love.  She gave me the blue one and generously lends me the Burgundy one.  Last night Frank help me set up this impromptu photo shoot for Eli and this suit.  Eli was the only one we didn't have a good picture of in it.  We had pictures back in October (the family ones I try to not talk about or steam starts building up) and they were horrid!!!  Frank had the vision and he went with his gut and did it and took the pictures...THANK YOU FRANK!  This was bothering me so much and he knew my heart!

These pictures are some of my faves.

(Frank says the 80's called and they'd like their hair back...ha!)

That baby boy has a smile that I love!

So cooperative! (course he was bribed with candy but whatever)

The first one and this one are my most faves.  So serious!

Big brother Lee was making him laugh (per my request...just to get a smile from this kid!) This one is a good one too!

Work it baby!

Gotta make the model happy...if the model wants to be silly, then by golly make a silly face to make it happen!

Thank you Frank so much! It meant a lot to me!  I hope you all enjoy these pictures!

I will be MIA for a few days but I'll be back...don't miss me too much!!

The Greats and A Pinic

On Tuesday we met up with the Greats and went up to Mud Mt. to have a picnic!  Excitement!  The day was iffy but we braved it anyway and I'm glad we did. We sat down for lunch and you would have thought I starved the kids before we came.  I'm glad Great Grandma brought enough hot dogs...the boys ate 2 a piece along with everything else.  Sometimes they are shocking to be around when it comes to food.

We are sitting down to a fine meal, thank you Great Grandma

HA! I looked at the picture above and I'm actually opening a box of Cracker Jacks that was for dessert...HERE we are getting ready for lunch.

Ian letting Great Grandpa take his picture.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day.  A few years ago we met at a park for a picnic and went for a walk with Great Grandpa...on that one I got pictures of each of the boys walking with him.  I now have one with Eli and Great Grandpa.  Makes my throat catch!

My next favorite picture of the day.  Last October the extended family had their pics taken by a gal (suppose to be professional...I will disagree with it). All the important pics I wrote down (so not to forget) were either not good or just weren't there.  Two hours of pic and hundreds and none turned out...oh I can't bring that up...I can feel steam building up and ready to blow.  ANYWAY, this was one of those pictures...I wanted a picture with my kids and their Greats.  So, 10 months later I have it.  Not a *professional* one but one none-the-less.

So here are Grandma Great, Grandpa Great, and my boys.

I LOVE it!!

It really was a good day and I'm glad it all worked out! 

Gear

Although today was a REALLY bad day and all I wanted to do with my kids was shove them in a closet and run.  I have to keep telling myself over all summer has been good...one day will not ruin everything.  Many punishments were given out...the jury is still out on whether it was worth it or not....the mess I had to clean up after *eye rolling*

Anyway, the above and below pictures start us out on what should have been a fun day.  After 18 months Ian got his appliance...A.K.A.-an expander.  It was too much excitement!  He's a little leery however because next Tuesday he gets braces on...just the top ones though.  So the fun is short lived.  His dad brought home Mike & Ikes for him though.  Ian had a whole list he was going to eat his way through during Christmas.

Here is a side view...I am amazed at the progress his teeth have come...I know he doesn't appreciate this as much as I'd like him to right now, but I'd really like to think someday when he's older he'll appreciate the awesome teeth he's got.  To be honest I am REALLY jealous he is getting his teeth all beautiful...sigh

Is it OK to say beautiful for a boys teeth?  Kinda like you don't say a baby boy is beautiful...you say handsome....hhhmmmm

Mud Mountain Dam

Hello there! Today I will be your Dam tour guide. I'm about to take you on a fully one-sided and fun guide of a functioning Dam, full of rowdy- ready to have fun boys. So PLEASE no one wander off the dam tour and please feel free to stop and look at all my dam pictures that you want. Now if you have any dam questions I'll answer them later.

And no I don't know where you can get any dam bait!!

A Monday or 2 ago I took my nephews and sons on a playdate to the park, it happens to be called Mud Mt. Dam (bonus points if you can give me the name of the movie I got those lines from).  We had so much fun.  I don't know about my nephews but my boys and I it was the first time walking the trail and seeing the dam and the rivers.  It was very cool and we all had fun, even Charlie...who spent most of it unsure...

Here are all the little men...it's a thumbs up and ready to go kind of day!

 

 

Here are the rivers the dam  helps...I don't know what ones they are...I remember Carbonado, Puyallup, and Sumner/Orting...I don't remember.  But there was some bad flooding years ago and they finally got fed up with it and decided to do something about it.

Another look

The first 'bench' (no seats but a back??) we came to, they let me take their picture!   The trail was fun and steep!

I just thought this was a cool view...a fallen log looking up to the trees.  The boys kept asking me what I saw or was doing.

We made it to the Dam!  The guys thought this was neat....so did I!

Posing for the dam picture for the dam tour guide

(I'm sorry I really just can't help myself!!!)

Strange white flowers growing by a fallen log...strange but cool.

Of course what hike/trail is complete with out seeing some sort of crazy/nasty bug?

Dam bugs!!!

Well I hope you enjoyed the dam tour and now I can answer your dam questions!

Cape Disappointment

Just some pictures I thought I'd share with you that I love to look at.  All are from my recent trip to Ilwaco (you guys bored with that yet?)

This is the North Head Lighthouse (just love the touch of fog here)

The Jetty at Cape Dissappointment

Crashing waves

Wave swept beach and drift wood...randomness

Pelicans (they never would just sit for me so I could get a really cool pic)

Another shot of North Head

Hope you enjoyed the beauty...just does something or speaks to me...

What In The World???

What in the WORLD is this??? A Kumquat??

Seriously!  We were at North Head Lighthouse and we were walking the trail.  My mother in law saw this and I had to take a picture of it.  I'm hoping someone knows what it is. 

It was growing on the side of the tail and totally looked like it was a vine type plant, but the leaves and such couldn't be seen.  It really is crazy looking with all those spikes.

So go ahead and let me k now what you think it is....

I'm going with Kumquat (really I just like saying it...Kumquat...Kumquat...Kumquat)

Birthday Picture

                                                         Happy birthday Dad/Uncle Frank!!!

My Papoose

I LOVE that 5 years later I am still using this sling!!  I wish that I had know about these things 9 years ago!  They are a wonderful thing and lifesavers!!

When we went up to the North Head Lighthouse Eli had fallen asleep so I had him slung in the front.  When he woke up though I moved him to the back.

I think he enjoyed it...he wasn't asking to get down

Dru still refers to this sling as his, cracks me up!  Eli wasn't fond of this as a baby but he likes it now.  Well, he tolerates it  better anyway. 

35th Birthday

Happy Birthday to my husband Frank, who is 35 today (if you are reading this tonight, it's tomorrow...have I confused you yet?)! 

 Very exciting (for me, always dig those older men!) He's such a cradle robber...pffftttt!!! NOT!

Anyway, he's not a birthday celebrator, which is dificult for me and the boys but we make do.  We will have a birthday dinner and a special cake and call it a night. 

Tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon he's going to meet up with one of his brothers and go watch the Seahawks practice...secretly I think he's excited.  But when I asked him he said no...*eye rolling* (he really is a terd sometimes).

I hope he spends some if not all of his birthday money on something he really wants...smoker...seahawk stuff...whatever.  Just blow some money baby!!

Happy Birthday Frank!

(sorry I couldn't get it to snow for you)

This is Frank and I at Ilwaco this year.  I think this is a great photo of us!

Frank manning his fishing pole while we were on the boat salmon fishing this year.  It's a wee early!

Frank with his brothers...(yes that's beer you see in the background...it's 5pm somewhere right?  Just was before 9am where we were)

Our limit of salmon!  I'm so glad my fish were not ANY bigger than what they were!!! Those suckers are tough to reel in!  I had fun and I know Frank always does!

Love ya babe!

Reading Partners

Victoria and Eli

I LOVED seeing this!  I walked in after hearing some talking and here the 2 of them were.  Reading together...made my heart catch!

Off The Jetty

Still catching up with my Ilwaco pictures and reminiscing.  We really did have so much fun and I loved seeing my husband enjoying himself, his family, his children and wife and just having a vacation.  It's been a long time!

After seeing the benefits of having a hat on that covers your face/ears...my boys have one and it really is helpful.  So my mission (and yes I accepted) was to find a pink one...or just a hat period.  Well I found one...it's blue cameo but it works, and I love it.  I'm pale and burn easy.

The jetty...really a great place to be!

Crashing waves

North Head Lighthouse

We went to the Lighthouse and walked around, so much fun!  Next year we go to Ft. Stevens...excited!

Charlie At the Ocean

This trip to Ilwaco was Charlie's second trip out this summer.  Not a lot of outings this summer for Charlie, which makes me sad but this year it was just that way.  I know he has fun while we are out...new smells and animals to bark at! 

We are at the Jetty here and we have been a having a blast at the water!

Meet Sadie...this is my Mother and Father-in law's dog...she's very old and been with them for 13 years.  She's a funny old woman

When Charlie isn't being annoying and a pain in the butt (cause you know we NEVER pet him or love on him...ever!) he really is a handsome dog!

Sadie and Charlie together.  This one cracks me up, the look on their faces are hilarious! (what you don't see is that myself and my mother in law are sitting a few feet away from them, they were NOT impressed)

  Is it me or do they look slightly related?

I finally felt bad and brought Charlie to sit with me... he just wanted a friend!

Gotta love our pets!

Everybody Jump!

This is our Lane boy (well not a boy for long) while at Crescent Bar. 

Ian doing a cannon ball.  It was so fun to see my big boys enjoy the pool just a bit more than they did last year.  Grandma and Grandpa Paulson paid for a set of swim lessons for all the grandkids (not just mine)...and the confidence of one class for 2 weeks for 5 days, was amazing!  It was worth the time I spent sitting there for an hour sometimes. (still think I should be twig thing from sitting in a sauna, pool for that long!)

Isaac getting in on the fun!

Lee being Lee...his picture is kinda fun though...on his knees or is he that tall?