Sweet Surprising Sister!

A few Mondays back I got a call from my sister, whom I like to call "Sister". She surprised me with the news that she was coming out to visit over the weekend! It was SO nice to have her out here. I wish she could've stayed longer, but I don't think my neices would've allowed it! :)

Here are our pictures from a visit to Boulevard park on an evening much like the one in which I forgot my camera. So now I feel better!

Here's my bench:

A view south towards the boardwalk from outside the coffee shop:

Then looking back north:

Hard to get a decent photo of this guy. He's always too busy to bother looking over at me. I must've resorted to saying I had some food for him in this one:

This little cutie is finally being able to pose for us when we ask her to. It's so nice not having to act like something amazing or shocking has just happened so that she'll look over!

This time I positioned the camera down by the rocks he was so diligently looking through...

Oh, I think he found some....

Now for my sunset pictures (in no particular order as you will see)

Oh, Joy!

This morning was the first day of women's Bible study at our church. We are doing a study on prayer using the book The Joy of Prayer by Alvin Vander Griend. The description used at the link I just inserted can't even come close to the richness found in its pages. It was a great surprise that the author of the book came to share the first lesson (in lieu of the 15 minute video that the rest of the lessons will begin with). It turns out that Dr. Vander Griend lives right here in Lynden! What a great opportunity to listen and interact with the author of the study. If any of my local lady friends want to join, you are most welcome. Call me and I'll get you some more information.

Afterwards I took the kids to the Million Smiles park. I was so glad that I thought to pack a lunch. It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous day out here! I also took my sister's advice to keep a little point and shoot camera in the car in case an unexpected need should ever arrive. I was glad I had it so I could shoot this little bit of video. Today I set aside my mother-hen tendancies and let Hudson try going down the slide all by himself... and he did! So here's a little bit of Hudson history in the making for you:

Now my kids are fed, tuckered out, and down in their beds for a (hopefully) long afternoon nap! Oh, joy!!

Kick Me!

Anytime I decide to go anywhere in this beautiful state and think I don't need to bring my camera, just kick me!
Last night after dinner we decided to drive down to Boulevard park and walk along the pier. We parked up above and walked over the bridge for the train tracks and down the stairs. The sky was clear blue, the low sun reflecting brightly off the silvery water. The air was perfectly luke warm with just a hint of the cool dusk descending on us. I have no words to describe the beauty of that place last night. I mourned not having that camera. I'm not even sure pictures would adequately portray the beauty of the moment. The conditions were unlike any I have ever experienced before and would unlikely ever experience again. It was a singularly beautiful, perfect moment. One that I wish I could share - mostly because my memory is so bad that I'm likely to lose it if I don't record it somehow. But it was great to share with Jeff and the kids none the less.

We found a bench and sat down to watch the sun slowly descend behind the horizon.

I got home and looked online to see if I could find any pictures similar to the sunset we saw last night. These don't come close, but the best I could find. I just typed in "bellingham bay sunset" and found a bunch of pictures on Twitter. Again, these are not my photos...

A gorgeous sunset picture taken from the Taylor St dock that goes out to the pier.

This is my favorite bench in the park. It's shaded in the heat of summer under the sprawling branches. My parents might remember this bench. I think I always point it out everytime we go here.

This is the closest picture I could find, but it still is not right. The colors are wrong and the sun is too far north... and of course you can't feel and smell the air, nor can you hear the waves and the birds, but it's still a nice picture.

In the end, I guess it's best I didn't have my camera. Sometimes when you can't quite put in words or show through images, how wonderful something is, it's best not to try, lest you take something away or cheapen it somehow. But in the future, if I ever decide to leave home without my camera, just kick me!

Today Kaylee ran up to me and gave me a hug, saying "You make the best tea ever!"

(as if she knows all about tea now that she's three!)

The Hudson Report

Hudson has been walking in earnest now since last week. I'm still not used to it. When I hear little feet coming up behind me I turn, expecting to see Kaylee, and am always surprised that it's Hudson.

One time I was in the bedroom and he comes walking in with a shoe - my shoes - in each hand. He had brought them all the way from the other end of the house. I was actually getting us ready to leave the house. He must've known I would need my shoes. What a little helper!

Yesterday I was sitting in Kaylee's room and he comes walking by the door. He looked over and saw me. His face lit up and he ran over to me and gave me a big hug. That was a first. What a great moment!

Today Hudson started signing. I haven't been as consistent with teaching him signs as I was with Kaylee. Probrably because I don't seem to have my hands free as much these days. Today however, he started signing "more" and "please". I guess he really liked my banana bread! (Little does he know I made it with whole wheat and added flax seed meal and spinach puree.) It was neat to see him sign.

He has a few words now too. He's had them for a while, but I don't think I've written about it. His first word was "out". At least that's how it sounds to us. He says it a lot and he always races for the door whenever it's opened. It's starting to give me a complex. His second word was "mama" (YES!). This is great because Kaylee always said "dada" and never "mama". I always thought it was a little unfair. Hudson also says 'dada' now as well. But before that, his third word (or phrase) was "uh-oh". Hmmm... maybe he hears me say that a lot. Next he made his Daddy proud by learning a quote from the movie "Wall-E". He copies Mo when he says "whoa-wa-wa-wa-whoa whoa whoa!". Jeff and his brothers are always quoting movies, so it's really cute that Hudson has already started. And finally, closely related to the last one, Hudson also says "no no no", really, really well. He knows what it means too. He also shakes his head "no" in a very big and funny way.

Hiking

Tuesday was a lovely day. After Hudson's morning nap we decided to head out for a hike and picnic lunch with the kids. My favorite trail has always been Chuckanaut Ridge, but the road that takes you up there has been closed all summer due to some washouts. Since we were pushing the jogging stroller we figured this road would make a good trail for us, especially since it ends at a nice lookout spot.

Here's hiker Kaylee. She has boundless energy! She gathered quite a collection of sticks within the first 5 minutes.

There have been some improvements since we last were there. There is a bathroom, three picnic tables on cement slabs, and this sign:

To help figure out this view:
The view was worth the climb!

Time for lunch.

I made Jeff take my picture because very occasionally I like to make an appearance on this blog. After lunch the kids discovered the parking area was a virtual sandbox. I liked looking up and watching the clouds roll over the ridge, seemingly right over our heads. Once they got out over the water a little ways they would dissipate. The way the clouds curled over, they made me think of elephant valley curves on a Mandelbrot set (fractal talk).

Here's one of the reasons they blocked off the road... yikes!

Hudson got his afternoon nap in on the way back down. I could hear his little baby snores. So cute!

Kamping at the KOA

This was our home sweet home for the weekend. "Kabin" number 6... my lucky number. We had wonderful weather. The mornings were cool...the kind of cool that you have to put on your sweater and wool socks. But as soon as the sun popped up over the mountains, it was suddenly quite warm...the kind of warm where you're stripping back down to a t-shirt and digging through your bag to find your deodorant.

Here's the easterly view from our front porch swing:

I know that staying in a cabin sounds kind of like cheating when it comes to camping. But let me just say that most people nowadays stay in air conditioned RV's with satelite TV. At least in the cabin we were without running water and had to contend with massive spiders!

So... our "new house" (as Kaylee calls it) had two rooms. The front room had my bed, a shelf, a chair, some pegs on the walls and some windows. The back room has two sets of bunk beds, a bench, a shelf, and a window.

I am only Type A when I am camping. If I'm at the campsite I'm usually cleaning and reorganizing everything. I don't know why I can't just sit down and relax.

Kaylee and Hudson never seem to sit down and relax either. But they were quite entertained with the porch swing, the step, and the many spectacular rocks around the cabin.

This campground is really catered to families with young children. They have a swimming pool, hot tub, and a kiddie pool. There is a playground, a mini-golf course, and a huge bouncy pillow thing.

The first night I set up the telescope after putting the kids down. I looked at Jupiter and its moons and also at the Andromeda galaxy. Jeff was able to come down the second evening and join us for the potluck with everyone else from our church who was there. He had to work the next day so he wasn't able to stay long. It's nice that the campground isn't too far from home.

The morning we left I snapped a picture of Hudson chasing after his shadow. I wish I had some video of it. It was quite funny.

Spontaneous Fun

Hudson took a late morning nap and Kaylee was starting to squawk about not wanting to take a nap ever again. I once again felt the call of the road beaconing me to drive and see where I end up.
Heading south on I-5, I took the Fairhaven exit and headed south on Chuckanaut Drive which winds along the water. Above is a view from one of the pull outs... and also below. There are some gorgeous stretches of road along there.

I decided to take the backway down to Hwy 20 then head over to Deception Pass. Kaylee was thrilled to hear we were going to the ocean and throwing rocks in the water. Of course, this is Puget Sound, which is connected to the ocean, but it's all the same to her.

The bridge at Deception Pass. I have better pictures in my files from times I've gotten out and walked over, but this is just a quick one I snapped today.

Lovely tree, isn't it? Look closer:

I get a laugh everytime I go to this beach and see those seagulls perched up in a tree!

We're very happy to be here on such a beautiful afternoon, throwing rocks into water! I'm sure the fisherpeople were not too fond of us though.
Everytime we go here, there are always jets flying right over us. It's LOUD. There is a base nearby and it seems another jet goes screaming over our heads every few minutes. I don't know the names of the different military planes, but there was everything from fighter jets to big commercial sized planes landing there.

They're a lot closer than what the camera makes it seem. Above is a cropping of the photo below.

This might give you a better idea of distance...

So loud!

I asked a lady who was camping there about the sound of the jets. She didn't like it much but says it does quiet down at night and doesn't start up too early. I would love to camp at Deception Pass State Park - it's a gorgeous campground - but it will have to wait until our kids are at an age when they do not need to nap anymore.

Hudson had to sample many varieties of rock. Here he's laughing everytime Kaylee throws a rock in the water. I used to think I must be pretty funny. Now I realize my audience is just really easy to entertain.

Hudson walking on the beach. This is a new thing for him. I still get very excited when he stands up and walks.

An attempt to get ME in one of these pictures. I never take good pictures of myself, but this is okay.

This one is a little better...

I was so surprised that Kaylee actually got in. The waves used to scare her. Not that they're real big or anything... but she saw me do it and wanted to try. Then I had a hard time getting her out.

We made the slow progression from getting a little sand on our feet. To getting our toes and hands a little wet. Then soon our clothes are soaked and we're covered with sand. We stopped short of completely diving in.

Here's Hudson doing the crab crawl. Looks like he's a real sand crab!
A beautiful wide shot. If it weren't so cloudy, you'd see the Olympic Mts across the water.

Here are the treasures I found today:

I found two pieces of sea glass. I get so excited when I find sea glass, especially when one is such a pretty green!

Great trip! Sure beats sitting at home trying to get Kaylee to take her nap!