Soccer Season!!!

We signed Kate up for the fall soccer season in Washington. She loved every minute of it! Two days a week wasn't nearly enough for her, she was wishing for every day to be a soccer day. And it was thrilling to watch her play! She is a little natural out there. Not necessarily because she knows all the ball handling or strategy yet, but because she is just an out-n-out go getter! There is no shyness or diminutive stuff where this little girl is concerned. She is right out there in the middle of the action the entire time. She knows how to be aggressive, she's not afraid to go after the ball, she can score goals. It's awesome to just watch her go for it, and have so much fun while she's doing it.  

Working on some ball handling


Out having fun!

Always going after the ball


Scoring drive...


She shoots...


She scores!!!


Go Green Hornets!!!

Skagit Flats Half-Marathon

On a very warm weekend in early September, we crossed Puget Sound and headed north to Skagit County, WA. Jay was running in his second half-marathon, and the family was coming along to cheer him on. We went the day before, stayed in a hotel, shared a very nice family dinner, and took the girls swimming in the pool. The day of the race dawned sunny and very warm, not always what you expect in Washington. The course was very flat, so that was a bonus for Jay. But the heat got to him a bit. 

Though it might have made things a little tough on the runners, the warm sunshine was perfect for the spectators. We cheered our runner on as we saw him coming down the final stretch and finishing in the stadium. 

Here he comes!...


Way to go, Jay!!!

Admiring Daddy's cool finisher's medal

A Celebration Fit for the First Day of School!

At our house, we love school! And the first day of the new school year is cause for celebration! All of us, old and young alike look forward to it with loads of anticipation and excitement. For me, part of the joy is remembering back to my own school years and how much I loved practically everything about it: the new school supplies, new teachers, new lessons, and especially new books to read. Now the girls have the opportunity to experience these same things, and it's so fun to realize they are getting just as much joy from it as I used to.  

Everybody ready to head to the bus stop

Big smiles for the first day!

First Day of Third Grade

Good ol' Bus #59

After the girls got back home we all sat down to a delicious little meal. We even broke out the fancy glasses, bought some flowers, and made up place cards. And we enjoyed hearing the complete rundown of the first day back at school. This year it was a little poignant, knowing that this would be the last few months at their school in Washington before we moved. But the extra time we took to celebrate the day made it feel all the more special.  

Enjoying some of our favorite fancy brunch food

Here's to another great year!

Cheese!!!

Nothing better than big, girl grins, especially when one of them is a cute gappy one!

There's a First Time for Everything

Do you recognize the look on my face?

It's a look of pure relief!

Last September, following in my dear husband's footsteps, I ran my first half-marathon. It's an accomplishment I'm still pretty proud of. For my first time, we picked a small race in a small place (The Labor Day Half-Marathon in Elma, Washington) I think there were only about fourteen or fifteen people entered, but it worked out just perfectly for my first go at it. I placed ninth overall, and that's the only time that's ever going to happen, haha! Jay and the girls were there to cheer me on at the finish line. And strangely, despite the relief of finishing and the very tired legs, that's when I decided to keep doing this and began planning for the next one.  

Murhut Falls

Off into the woods we went...
Ready to explore a new spot...



On what would be our very last foray into the Olympic Mountains, we decided to take a side trip to see Murhut Falls. It's always fun setting off for a new destination, each turn in the trail showing you something you've never seen, or somewhere you've never been before. The hike into the falls was pretty, and the falls themselves turned out to be breathtaking. We were glad we'd decided to come see them!


The beautiful falls


This daredevil insisted on the need to see them up close


Photo Op: Chilling on the fallen log at the bottom of the falls




And checking out the cave behind the waterfall


It was quite steep with a sheer drop off between the trail and the falls, so the girls and I decided to enjoy them from a safe distance instead. Though Kate made it clear that if she were older she'd definitely be climbing down there with her dad...I don't doubt it one bit :)

Last Time With an Old Favorite...

We're going camping, we're going camping, we're going camping!
Hey, hey, hey, hey!!!



At the end of August we went camping in our much-loved Olympic Mountains one last time. It was a little bittersweet, knowing that this wasn't just the last camping trip of the summer, but also our last trip to this beautiful part of the country... at least for the foreseeable future. We've had a lot of fun times here!


The girls had fun playing in the cold water of the Duckabush River
... as they always do


The scenery was spectacular!
It's one of the very best parts of camping here!

 

And so is acting goofy around the campsite with Daddy!
Our family seems to be particularly good at the goofy part...

We've made some great family memories here...
hope we find some new camping places we like just as much
when we get to our new home on the East Coast!