They're Baaaaack...

What's back? Why the strawberries of course. There is a strawberry patch in our front yard, and once this time of year rolls around that patch is a pretty popular place. One has to check for new berries often, you know. Today the girls were out there right after breakfast, hence the reason they're still in their pajamas.

Today we got a pretty good haul!

Camping on the Duckabush River

We took the girls on our first camping trip of the summer. We found a beautiful spot along the Duckabush River in Olympic National Forest. The weather was oh-so-typical Washington dreariness, but the girls still had a wonderful time. Thank goodness for Jay and his unfailing enthusiasm, which got me out of my funk and into camping-mode. I always seem to drag my feet when it comes to camping preparations, but we always have a good time once we get there. And since Jay is always ultra prepared, we were able to combat the constant drizzle and enjoy ourselves. The girls had fun fishing and playing in the river, and we went on a beautiful hike while we were there too. It was Ellie's first time camping and I am happy to report that she shows all the signs of being a great camper, which as you know, is an important trait to have in this family.

Thanks to Jay and his tarp the rain stayed out of the tent!

 

The s'mores were delicious!

It looks like Ellie is going to be a great camper too!

Important Fishing Update!

The girls were finally successful in their quest for a fish. Kate reeled it in, and she was so excited she was beside herself. She was dissapointed when she learned we weren't keeping it though.

"What do you want to do with it?," I asked.
"Take it home in a sack of water, so it can live at our house!"

Of course. Needless to say, the little fish was released and quickly swam away, hopefully back to his/her happy fish life in the pond.

"Did you get a picture of when we had to let it go?," Kate asked.
"I don't think so," I said.
"Is that because that was the sad part?"
"Yes, honey, because that was the sad part."

Sometimes You're Just Stuck

Do you know what's worse than trapping yourself under one of the kitchen stools? Realizing that you don't know how to crawl back out, and instead of immediately rescuing you, your mother laughs and gets out the camera to take your picture. Poor, sweet baby!

*No babies were harmed during the taking of this picture. She was promptly freed and sped off to the living room, where she was last seen removing all items from the bookshelves and generally terrorizing her older sisters.

Learning to Fish. . .Pink Style

We took the girls to a new sporting goods store that opened up near our house. Whenever we go into a place like that they are magically drawn to whatever pink merchandise is on sale. It doesn't matter what it is, what it does, or what it looks like. Just as long as it's pink. Pink is the one and only qualifying factor. Well, Kate saw a pink fishing pole and that was it. We had to get it. Granted, the girls have both said before at various times that they've wanted to go fishing, so getting a pole didn't come entirely out of the blue (no pun intended). And Jay, being the awesome father of all girls that his is, got the pink pole and tackle box and bait to go with it. He too has long understood the power of pink.

We tried the new pole out and it was a resounding success. We didn't catch any fish, but that is entirely beside the point. Casting out the line and reeling it back in over, and over, and over was more than enough fun. There was even great excitement when Maddie managed to reel in a leaf. Actually, I think catching a real fish would have been too much, for now we're just acclimating to the new pink pole.

The Great Houdini

I have no memory of Maddie ever trying to get out of the highchair. I'm sure when she was finished eating she may have tried to once or twice, but that's about it. Kate never tried to, period. I'm sure of that because we eventually removed the straps so they wouldn't be the way while we cleaned her up and put her in and out. Well silly us! With Ellie that's a completely different story. She can't be in the thing for more than five minutes without trying to escape. We have an extra strap in it now, and I tighten it as tight as it will go. I'm actually afraid sometimes that I might be getting it too tight and will hurt her little tummy. Well, the tight strap doesn't bother her in the least. I'm not quite sure how she does it, but she manages to wriggle out of that thing on a daily basis. One moment she's strapped tightly in and the next she's standing up and looking very pleased with herself. She doesn't seem to escape because she's finished eating, she would just rather stand and eat. I'm beginning to wonder why I bother. She's a virtual highchair Houdini!

Cape Flattery

We decided to take the girls on a trip to Cape Flattery. Cape Flattery is absolutely gorgeous. Pictures do not even begin to do this place justice. When the trail through the woods opened up to the ocean views we were blown away by the sheer majesty of the seascapes. It was a moment where you just have to pause and literally take a deep breath and stand humbled in the face of such natural beauty. Cape Flattery is the farthest northwest point in the lower 48 states, and since we're so close to it we thought it would be neat for the girls to have a picture of themselves there. Now when we move back to New England next year, we're planning to visit the northeastern-most point in Maine so that we will have visited both corners.