Visit from Mom and Dad K

Here are a few photos from Dad K's camera when they were here this weekend.

Jack is already way better at frisbee than Monica and I.

Yum! Dinner at the timber house. Fresh salmon and oysters right off the Quilcene beach.
Nerdy moment for Anne. I saw this painting/poster of Mt. Olympus in the hallway of the restaurant and instantly loved it. I did some sleuthing on the internet and found the artist's website so I could email him about purchasing a copy. I know, I know, I am an Olympic mountain geek!

Camera Down

Well, our camera is officially dead. My mom offered to lend us theirs for the summer, but hers is broken as well! So unfortunately I won't have any pictures to share for a little while, but here is a quick update on the happenings here at Cp.

We are checking in the first full-week of scouts today. So far things seem to be going smoothly. We enjoyed having my parents up at camp all last week and Anton's parents this weekend. Anton has been quite busy with his job, so the kids and I have been entertaining ourselves on our own quite a bit. We've been having a great time. Last night we had our first campfire in our outdoor fireplace, complete with s'mores! Friday night we took Monica to the first all-camp campfire (Jack stayed with Nana and went to bed early). Monica was enchanted by campfire and laughed so hard she almost fell off her bench. At her age she laughs at things that actually are funny AND the bad jokes too. We went to Port Hadlock and got a Jefferson County library card. The bookmobile comes to Brinnon twice a week so the kids are excited to visit that next Tuesday. We've done quite a bit of hiking, including exploring some older trails that I haven't been on in years. Jack is quite the little trooper when we hike and keeps up with us pretty well. He also still fits in the kelty kid-backpack so if we venture longer hikes in the future that will be a good option for when he gets tired. I've done several long runs already. I've made it halfway down both Pulali and WaWa points, hopefully by week 2 I'll make it the whole way. We haven't spent too much time on the beach, but have done some light beachcombing. Monica seems to have overcome her shyness from last year completely. She willingly talks to staff members about everything she can think of. The beach director, Jim, gave her her very own canoe paddle to keep. Monica was SO excited and told everyone "Polo gave me this!" When I asked her where she got the name Polo from since his name is Jim, she said, "But he has Polo written on his shorts!" So now we are calling him Uncle Polo.

The weather is supposed to be HOT this week so we are looking forward to a week of outdoor fun!

Family Visit

We enjoyed having Uncle Buck and Auntie Tina visit us at camp last Sunday. My dad and I and the kids had fun showing them around, although Uncle Buck came here as a scout in his teens and was familiar with some of it. Monica and Jack were excited to have visitors so early in the summer!

We tried out all of the new outdoor toys we brought. The ball and velcro mits were the biggest hit.

Ah, the brothers... snoozing on mystery beach.

And we're here

We've been there 4 days now but it feels like forever, in a good way. Anton had to go back to town to work (snow days) Mon and Tues, so except for a few respites from my mother it's been me and the kids hanging out. We've taken hikes every day and this morning Monica took her inaugural swim. She did great... didn't mind the cold water at all. The only problem was we went at low tide and the kelp crabs on the bottom freaked her out a bit.

The big hit so far this summer is the tunnels that go under the road connecting the main part of camp to the sites on the hill. They have provided hours of entertainment for running, screaming, and general fascination for the kids.

In addition to try to get some time in at the camp office, I did take time yesterday to go for a run down WaWa point. I found out I'm in better shape than I thought which is always a pleasant surprise. Same old cows in Hjelvick's pasture watching me as I run. Not much changes here in Brinnon.

SAHM- almost

This week I feel a bit like a stay-at-home mom since I'm home with the kids all day while Anton is at work. I enjoy these type of days, but am not sure it would ever be my choice full-time. I don't think I have the patience for it, but ask most stay-at-home moms if they'd prefer to spend their days with high school students and they would probably decline!

Today we did a major shopping trip to pick up snack foods and other essentials for the summer. I let each kid pick out a new outdoor toy to bring to camp. Monica chose a plastic bowling set. Jack was feeling indecisive (he was more interested in pulling random toys off the shelf) so I got him a red bouncy ball.
We also got two kid-size frisbees and have been playing with them in the backyard ever since. Monica and I are about on par when it comes to frisbee skills, so we made a pact to work on getting better this summer. I don't understand how after 10+ years on camp staff I could be so horrible at frisbee, but I am.
Anyway, the pile of stuff to pack is slowly growing in our living room. (Keep in mind this is AFTER Anton took a load up last weekend, and I still have more to pack tomorrow.) Still, I can't wait to be up there. I will supposedly have less on my plate this summer than last year, though McNellis keeps telling me how much they need me to work with the younger guys. They are all young and enthusiastic, though, so I'm sure by the end of first week they'll be running things just fine. That is if Camp School doesn't ruin them first!

Looking Back

I can hardly believe tomorrow is Monica's last day of Kindergarten! She has grown 2 sizes in clothes, learned to read, made so many friends, and much much more. Here are a few photos from this year starting with September and including field trips to the Aquarium and Gasworks Park. (Thanks Fitelson family for the pictueres!)

Kid Quirks

Monica and Jack, as I'm sure with all kids, have developed several interesting quirks of late:

• Jack is not particularly interested in shoes. Sometimes I manage to get him into socks (as you see above) and bring his shoes to daycare. Today he arrived and left daycare barefoot (I brought his shoes and socks but he didn't want them all day). I can sometimes convince him to wear sandals instead, but not always.
• He is also very picky about clothes. He cries, protests, and wrestles you trying to put something on him he does not want to wear. Last week Anton got smart and put him in clean shorts, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt after his evening bath. Jack wore the ensemble overnight and all I had to change in the morning was his diaper.
• He seems to have decided to be a MLB pitcher for his future job. Not that I'm going to argue against a career in professional sports, but I'm not so hot on him practicing by throwing his toys constantly... all day.... all of them! I used to really crack down on this except for nerf balls, but recently I just haven't had the energy unless he's going to hurt someone or something. Sigh.
• Monica is fascinated by how things work. She is always asking about how "the big pillows" (airbags) in the front of the van work.
• She is deathly afraid of alarm systems ever since she heard the talking version at Katie's house and Great Nana C's house. You know, the kind where you open the door and a woman's voice says "Front Door Open." Monica often points out which houses have "ADT" signs in their front yard and told me I'm not allowed to get one at our house until she has moved out.

There are several others I can't think of right now, but it's getting late and three blog posts is enough for one day!

Party in KB

Today was Monica's class' (KB) end-of-the-year party, even though she still has a day and a half left of school. But before we could start the party, the kids had to have their "sharing" time. It was quite something to watch. The kids were in small groups at "stations" where each child who is sharing something today was seated. Mrs. Dirks rings a kitchen timer when it's time to rotate and the kids follow right in line. It was kind of like a mini-boot camp...

Jack came to the party with me. He enjoyed sitting at the big kid desks and pretending he was in kindergarten too.

The kids did a sculpture project with their parent(s) and then headed outside for a snack.

Monica and her beloved teacher, Mrs. Dirks:

As you'll notice, Monica is wearing her Girl Scout vest today over her school uniform. It was "Scout Day" so boys or girls in scouting could wear their uniform to school. Here is Monica and her classmate/fellow Girl Scout friend Katherine. Two girls with beautiful blue eyes!

For their sculpture project, each child got an empty cereal box, some small scrap pieces of wood, glue, and scissors. Some kids made towers or castles or just random shapes, but Monica and I decided to make a tent. Inside we made little beds with pillows, a campfire pit, and a log to sit on while you roast your marshmallows. (Not that I am advocating for campfires inside of tents, but...) At home she decided to put it next to her dollhouse so her dolls could go camping.

Bikes and Trikes

After teriyaki take-out with the Martins tonight, we took the kids up to Bow Lake Elementary to use their flat parking lot for a little bike riding practice. They can all pedal, more or less in a straight line, once they get moving forward. But the stopping and starting still leave much to be desired. Thankfully we haven't had any seriously bloody spills yet to deter their enthusiasm for learning to ride. I will say that one of the fun parts of parenthood is watching your kid reach those milestones of bike riding, swimming, etc and how proud they are of themselves when they finally get it.

Dads and Daughters Hike

Anton led Monica and her Girl Scout troop on an end-of-the-year hike at Marine View Park last Wednesday. They hiked down the half-mile trail to the beach, had a picnic, played in the water a little, and hiked back up. (Or so I am told.) I am relieved that Girl Scouts is over for the school year (especially those darn district meetings I have to attend as an adult leader) but glad that all in all the troop had a good year. Monica LOVES being a Girl Scout and can't wait to wear her uniform to dinner at Parsons like mom and dad.

Hyas Kloshe!

Hazelnut Park and the Loop

Monday after school the kids and I went to Hazelnut Park, which is ajacent to a small library. We played in the park and checked out a record 20 books!

For dinner, Anton made pot roast in the slow cooker, complete with potatoes, onions, and carrots. I can't think of anything I'd like to eat less on an 80 degree day than pot roast, but we are trying to clean out the freezer before camp so I can't argue.

The Martin boys were over while Tim is out of town / Keri is at work, so we went on a scavenger hunt around the loop. The little guys got to ride in style!

Finally, Anton and I are trying to learn two-handed Canasta using the Hoyle Book, which reminds me of a quote from a favorite show (gee I wonder which one)...

Rose: "Sophia, what are you doing?"

Sophia: "I'm reading the obituaries to see if my Canasta game is still on for tomorrow!"

Heat Wave

It reached some insane temperature today like 95.

But Jack didn't seem to mind.

When I'm 64!

We had a very busy weekend (if I had a nickel for every time I say that...) the highlight being a very successful joint birthday party for my parents held at their church.

I can honestly say I have never listened to so much Beatles music as I have in the last few months, and Anton told me today he has had "When I'm 64" stuck in his head all day!

My "Graduation"

Yes I am graduating from Seattle U. Yes I just finished my last paper and will turn it in during my last class session tomorrow. Yes it is taken 4 years and I am SO glad to be done!

But no I will NOT be walking in graduation. I pretty much hate graduations. They are generally long, boring, and impersonal. And worse: I am forced to suffer through a 3 hour graduation at Kennedy every year, so voluntarily attending another one at Safeco field with thousands of people isn't sounding so appealing. However, I did attend the "commissioning service" for the School of Theology and the picnic that followed. That was graduation enough for me!

Quick portraits outside the chapel:

Me with fellow graduate and good buddy Claire:

Thank you to everyone who has supported me while I've gotten my degree!

Seahurst Beach Park

Last week Eva came over to play. The girls wanted fancy hairdos. I've never been so thankful that I didn't get rid of the crimper I got in about 1988.

The next day their class had a field trip to Searhurst Beach Park to highlight their science unit on marine life. Monica was excited for the trip but mostly excited that I got a sub so I could chaperone and that her hair was still crimped from the day before.

I was assigned to keep track of Monica of course but also her friend Emma who didn't have a parent along. We spent about an hour getting there and eating lunch and another hour beachcombing with a guide from the Seattle Aquarium. Monica took about 5 bathroom breaks (a long walk to get off the beach and up to the restrooms each time), but thankfully Emma was very patient about it.

Mrs. Dirks and her class before the beachcombing.

Monica and Collin.

Mrs. Dirks and her class AFTER the trip. The weather was hot which was good because we all got wet and soggy!

Happy Helpers

The weather around here has been insane. Today it almost hit 90. The kids have been in the backyard in the wading pool and on the slip and slide a lot. They've also been invited to the next door neighbor's pool several times. I haven't braved taking Jack yet, but Monica LOVES to go! With all this hot weather it isn't hard to convince the kids (or Anton) to wash the car.
And yes, we are parked on the grass. Much better for the environment!

Triple-decker-helpers: