Bench Swing

Isaac came over to play a bit this afternoon, and after bouncing on the trampoline, digging in the garden, and having snacks picnic-style, we rested on the bench swing.

 

Julie’s Blog

Julie, my sister-in-law, Keith’s wife, Parker’s mother, does a great blog and has a great camera.  Having a few things in common, like family, means we often blog about the same events.  She did a much better job on the time with Brian and Sandi than I did.  Take a look!
http://meanderingjulie.blogspot.com/2011/06/welcome-newlyweds.html

Family Fun Time

Remember this couple?  They’ve been married a month now and made their first visit to visit Seattle.  We got to see their wedding and honeymoon pictures and enjoy their company.
 


Keith and Julie hosted and grilled the best beer can chicken and teriyaki steak. 


Auntie Janet enjoyed Parker.  Parker enjoyed Auntie Janet.


Against family tradition, we played more than we ate. It was a blast!


Dwayne organized a soccer game.  We love their backyard because it’s straight and flat and fenced in.  That suits our skill level.  Kyla was excited to play soccer on Daddy’s team. Piper alternated between riding on my shoulders (occasionally covering my eyes) and me carrying her in front of me to help her kick the ball  like a human foosball player.


I was not on the same team as my husband and firstborn.


Wesley was on his own team, Team Mayhem.  He wanted the “da”.



The game pitted brother against brother…


…and wife against husband.


“Hey!”


This is a family portrait.  Piper’s feet can be seen through my legs, where Uncle Brian is helping her kick the ball.  Julie and Parker are our spectators. 


Then the kids got out their bikes and trikes and we took advantage of their great (flat) driveway.

More Wall Photos

This wall is turning out great.  You can see how Dwayne completed the stairs with some of the building blocks and the pavers we used on the patio.




To help him out, Kyla pushes Daddy pushing the wheelbarrow of brick.


And this is Piper and I watching from the trampoline .  The static has played havoc with her hair!

Smokey: Mea Culpa

Mountain Beavers are a bit mythical around here.  By “here,”  I mean  in the general Pacific Northwest and in our actual backyard.  They are not a true beaver, but in the shadows, look a bit like a squirrel or chipmunk except for the flattened tail.  It is extremely rare to see one because they are shy and nocturnal. So how do I know what one looks like? 

Um, because Smokey caught, killed, and delivered one to our garage this morning.  (The secondary reason Smokes is no longer allowed in the house.  It’s much more acceptable to have a decapitated mouse in the garage than the house.) 

We know about mountain beavers here because they are the ones that dig little holes all over the Back Forty that are just right to twist an ankle in. 

Finding the little corpse made me wonder if this rodent was endangered.  Thanks to the wonders of the web, I can give you contradicting information. 

Yes. In 1991, California declared a subspecies of the mountain beaver endangered, due to decreased habitats and, I quote, “predation by domesticated animals(cats & dogs)”.  Gulp.  No information available on it's status after 1991.

No, in fact they cause huge losses to the timber industry by chewing on seedlings in the first 5 years of a tree’s commercial planting.  This website gives you several approved methods for, um, discouraging mountain beavers. 

And here’s our Mountain Beaver,

At the Zoo

We haven’t been to the zoo for several weeks and it was good to get back to our usual monkey business.

Isn’t this a pose?  He’s (not) looking at the lemurs.

 

She isn’t either.

 

Wes enjoyed narrating his talk on the gorillas. 

 

More ways to abuse the Best Stroller Ever. 

 

Maybe we didn’t actually see any animals on this visit, but we did give the hippo statue a good dirt bath.  Even Wesley joined in.

 

Don’t you love Piper’s outfit?  I’m going to organize a “Dress Like Your Kid Day” soon. 

Going to Church

We now attend a Sunday evening service and the time of day just makes it seem more casual.  Plus we usually are late and don’t have time to change clothes.  The girls still like to wear dresses, though, and grab a dress from a hanger and put it over whatever they are wearing. 

This week, Kyla matched a pink flowered dress with an orange T-shirt and pastel plaid capris.  

 

I love this blue and purple dress on Pipes—even over the blue sweats!

 

Wesley is still wholly dressed by a parent, but he looks a little shell-shocked, doesn’t he?