Last week we had a visit from Shelby. She came up to, hopefully, help with the kids a new baby, but apparently this little girl did not like those plans. So, instead, we played. The day Shelby got here, it was raining and cold. Surprise, surprise. But, I forgot the city was turning off power that day for work, so the house was about 63 degrees when we got home. It was a little cold. Luckily, we were only home 2 hours, and then the heater kicked on.

Wednesday, we stayed home so friends could come over, since that was the day their power was scheduled to be turned off. Thursday, we headed off to Pike’s Market. It was barely raining, so it turned out to be a good day to go. We grabbed some lunch and watched this band play while we ate. They were pretty good, and the girl would even dance on her wood to add to the music.

We bought a bouquet of flowers that Jameson picked out, but Ella insisted on carrying in the house. She almost tipped over, because the bouquet was awkward and heavy for her.

Jameson showed Shelby how to beat the asteroids and fight the birds in Happy Action Theater. Best game to get kids wiggles out before bed.

Monday came and still no baby. I figured I needed to be in the hospital by Monday in order to be out before Shelby left to go home. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. The only day, I think, Shelby didn’t freeze. So we walked to the park. That’s about 2 miles round trip. Plus, I was pushing the stroller. Shelby offered to push, but my point was to try to go into labor. When we got home, I vacuumed the house, mopped, swept, did laundry, and dishes. Do you think any of this helped? No. Oh yes, I contracted through all of it, but it did not help progress anything.

Really funny, though. Ella was watching the water shoot out of the ground, when it disappeared. She was checking out the whole, when the water turned back on and shot her in the face. I was laughing pretty hard. She shook it off, but made sure to steer clear the next time.

Tuesday, we took Shelby over to the Microsoft campus and met Kevin for lunch. We ate in their “cafeteria” which is ridiculous. Pretty much a mini mall but with a better food court. We walked her over to the store, and tried to go to the museum, but it was closed for something. Instead, we headed back to the Commons and played with the microsoft surface they have there.

After their game, we took the kids home and Kevin headed back to work. Wednesday morning, we took Shelby to the airport and dropped her off with no baby in tow. We had fun, though, so we can’t ask for more.

Jameson asked Dad to play safari. When asked what that meant, this was the result.

It means Dad is the jeep. The kids were loving their safari ride.

We got to spend a lot of time together as a family this weekend. Friday started with a doctor appointment where I was told I was 2 cm dilated. Makes sense. Last week, I had tons of pain, but I was surprised. I’ve never made it that far without already being in labor. Don’t misunderstand. There is no labor pains going on here.

Anyway, I had talked to Kevin about meeting him for lunch. We’ve actually never really been over to the Microsoft campus other than trick-or-treating. Kevin thought that would work out, so I called him as soon as my appointment was over to let him know we would be on our way. It also just so happens, the first Friday of the month is family day. We met up with friends there, and the kids had a blast. They started with a few carnival games, and got prizes… even if they didn’t win. Jameson was determined to knock the ducks down, though.

Ella was just enjoying her sucker while Kevin got us some lunch. Jameson was busy playing pinball on the machine next to our table.

After we ate, Kevin took us through the Microsoft museum. The kids loved this. It’s like a giant ipad. Can I say that? Compare a microsoft product to an apple product? Oh well. The kids were putting puzzles together.

They played a little kinect as well. Then we headed into the Microsoft store. The kids got a new game, which I think I am going to love. Jameson was running in place all night, wearing himself out. On our way back through, we stopped to let the kids make a Fathe’s Day craft.

We need to take advantage of family day more often. I guess each month is a different theme, too.

Today, Saturday, we did a little shopping. We headed down to the outlets, and we’re able to find Kevin some clothes for some good deals. Jameson was also in need of pajamas. All his shirts show his belly, and his pants are about 2 inches from the ground. Carter’s had their pajamas on sale 70% off plus, I had a coupon for another 20% off. Needless to say, he got quite a few pairs, and should be set now. After shopping, we took the kids to Sub Zero Ice Cream. I’ve wanted to check that place out, but it’s a pretty far drive. Since we were down that way, we thought we’d check it out.

It’s pretty fun. You tell them what ingredients you want, including type of cream, flavor, mix-in, and how hard you like your ice cream. Then, they spray it with nitrogen.

Jameson was not a fan of the smoke. Is it smoke? I don’t know. Anyway, he did not want it touching his clothes. They flash freeze your ingredients to make ice cream, and then dish it out to you. It was really good. And, they mentioned that they are in the process of trying to open up more locations, so they may be closer in the future. I wish they were, it was  a pretty fun concept and really good ice cream.

The kids both crashed on the way home. I realized we should probably do a few more things while we can, before we are home bound by a new baby. So we’ll see if we get out for a few more outings this week. Either way, we had a fun weekend.

After a fun filled Saturday, Sunday was Mother’s Day. Last year, I was out of town with the kids for Mother’s Day. This year was a little better. Kevin got up early and made me breakfast. He made me waffles, which he doesn’t like, and cut up a bunch of fruit. He even arranged it nicely on the plate, all decorative! He had to wake up the kids (they were still exhausted from Saturday), and we all had a nice breakfast.

Then, Kevin had to pack and get ready to catch his plane. He had to leave again to do testing for his project. So, I got to haul everyone to church by myself. Luckily, the kids did pretty well. Ella went to nursery with her nursery leader so I didn’t have to deal with her fake crying. Jameson was supposed to give his testimony in primary, so I went with him. The whole morning we were talking about what a testimony is and what to say. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea, and kept telling me he didn’t want to. When we got to the primary room, he said he needed to sit in the front to give his testimony. When it was his turn, I was helping him, but trying to help him come up with something on his own. I asked him why he loved Jesus and his response in the mic was, “I don’t know.” So we wrapped it up pretty quick after that. After church, the kids had Mother’s day presents for me. They had drawn on kitchen towels for us. So cute, and useful.

Jameson wrote his name, a tree with apples, a fence, grass, and I think it was a wolf. His teacher also helped him make me a cookie. She told me he wanted to make me a big cookie. That he did.

Ella’s towel had her hand prints on them plus some doodles.

The back had a quote about motherhood. I’ll have to update that later, though. So even though Kevin was gone, it turned out to be a nice day.

Saturday, the 12th, we got a baby-sitter and headed out with friends to the gun range. Kevin gave me a new gun for Christmas, that I needed to try out, and we needed to teach another friend how to shoot. So after going through basics, and a few rounds, the boys decided it was time for some competitions. The first one they wanted to do was “kill shot.” At least that’s what they call it. Basically, who can be the most accurate while holding the gun up sideways. He even picked out his 1911 with silver side plates for the cause. Of course, the only picture I have shooting that day was of this pose. (This counts as a belly shot at 35 weeks.)

I will say the baby did not enjoy shooting. She jumped and kicked as Kevin started shooting the first round. She calmed down after a bit, but I’d like to see you be accurate while a baby is kicking around in your stomach. Not only that, it somewhat throws your balance off. I did hit the target if you were wondering. Our new shooter tied with Kevin for first.

After that competition, they wanted to do quickest and most accurate. I will say, I was hitting the target more than Kevin. The boys were making fun of us, though, because they would fire as quick as possible, where us girls still tried to aim.

We had a good time, and then headed home to get ready for a bbq with lots of friends later. Once we got back, we got the kids taken care of, then Lauren and I headed to the grocery store. We got our items for the bbq, and then went home to begin prep work. Friends started coming over at about 4. Everyone brought their own meat and something to share. We ended up with tons of food, lots of friends, and lots of fun. We had 8 families over, which resulted in about 19 kids. My neighbors thought we were having a huge party, but really, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy friends and the nice weather. It was such a fun evening, but I was not expecting what was to come. By Monday, 7 of the 8 families had majorly sick kids… but we’ll get to that later.

Kevin got home later then expected Sunday night.  We were out in the back yard enjoying the nice weather May brought us. He walked in, and Ella spotted him in the house. They were so excited after not seeing him in a week. I was too! They went around the backyard and found dandelions. Kevin was trying to teach Ella how to blow the seeds from the stem.

Something they frequently do is lay on the tramp and watch for birds. Or airplanes. Ella gets so excited when the planes go by.

We might need to upgrade to a larger trampoline. These kids love their daddy.

Monday, we had lots to do. We had Kevin’s birthday dinner to get ready, and I needed to get a few things done before my Tuesday night Young Women activity with the girls. Our activity was planning the camp fundraiser, which meant I had a few craft I wanted to finish to display for the girls. I saw an idea Sunday on Pinterest…yes I finally caved and signed up. But then, I needed the supplies for that project. So, Monday morning we got up and got going. We were out the door before 10 am, which is an accomplishment around here. We headed to Michael’s first for supplies. I needed medium transfer gel, and it was no where to be found. I had 2 ladies helping me look, and we finally found it facing the wrong way under the wrong sales label. Meanwhile, my kids were rearranging the opposite side of the isle. Anyway, it was finally found, and we pressed forward. Next stop was Home Depot where we got our wood and had it cut, along with a sander. I thought about wrapping it for Kevin, but really… I wanted it. Next stop, post office. Rose (the kids favorite post office worker who always gives them candy) was off on break so we were able to make it in and out pretty quick.

We continued on our was to the bread outlet store. The kids love going, because I let them pick out a box of donuts. They’re only $1, and I let them eat them as soon as we’re in the car. As you can see, Ella loves the powdered donuts.

Then we headed to Staples to get pictures printed. For the project, I needed pictures printed with a laser copier instead of inkjet. I got a few pictures in case I messed up, and they were pictures mostly of the kids, and my sister’s family. The girl handed me the pictures and told me, “These are the cutest pictures ever.” Why thank you. I think our kids are pretty cute, and it is now justified. We left Staples and as we walked out, a man came up behind us asking if I could get him some food. The fact that he asked for food an not money… sure, no problem. We walked into Safeway next door (which was our next stop anyway) and bought him a sandwich along with one for myself. Then we started our shopping excursion to get stuff for Kevin’s birthday dinner.

Are you tired yet? I was. We got home, put Ella down for her nap, made the birthday cake, and then started vacuuming while I waited for the cake to cool. I was determined to get rid of any trace of dog hair around the house, so everything was vacuumed, dusted, and febreezed. In the process, I realized I was supposed to go visiting teaching at 3:30. So we hurried and finished, then woke up Ella, and headed out. Made it back home, realized we didn’t want to have dinner by ourselves, so invited some friends to join us last minute. As I was cooking dinner, Kevin text me to let me know he was going to be late. Really!? On your birthday? I was far enough into dinner that I needed to keep going. So, we ate Kevin’s birthday dinner without him.

Kevin managed to get home in time for cake and a present. The kids helped him blow out his candles.

Kevin was able to get a nap in after dinner festivities. His friends had planned to come over with cake later on. They did their run for the night, and then had their own little celebration. While they were gone, I started my project. I know, you really want to know what it is. 🙂

So Happy Birthday to my man who is finished up his twenties. It was a long busy day, but we got everything accomplished. I’m glad we were able to take a family vacation the weekend before to help celebrate his birthday, because Monday wasn’t the best day for him. Maybe next year, we’ll do better.

We got up Sunday morning to head back home. Only problem, it was daylight savings. We didn’t know if that applied in Canada or not. Luckily, management left a note saying to turn the clocks. The ferry was leaving at 10:30 am, but we needed to be there about an hour early, but due to daylight savings we needed to leave by 8:30 am. Ouch. We got checked out and waited in line for the ferry. U.S. customs checked our paperwork, along with scanning it. As we were talking to him, I asked since he was U.S. customs, if he lived in Canada or the U.S. He looked at me like I was the dumbest girl. But really? Was he born in the states and then move for his job or how does that work? Anyway, we made it on the boat, and headed up top to get breakfast. Kevin was out not long after we sat down due to Dramamine, so the kids and I checked out the boat.

These were the “pirate ships” in the harbor before we left.

The Empress Hotel… This place was huge, and apparently it’s sinking. They filled in the harbor and then built on top of it in like 1908. Not sure why, maybe to get water front property?

We landed in Port Angeles, and got some lunch. Then, I took a quick picture on my movie outing with Bella and the gang. Actually, we didn’t see a movie, because nothing was appropriate, but it was fun anyway. There was supposed to be a Twilight store nearby, but I didn’t see it. So we took off and headed for our next ferry stop.

We took a ferry north of Seattle this time. We got there right before the ferry was leaving, so we had to wait for the next one. In the process, I could see some girls walking between all the cars. As they approached our car, I realized it was girl scouts selling cookies. Smart little girls. We had 20 minutes to kill, so of course we bought some. I think we ate almost the whole box before even getting on the boat. We made the quick trip across the water and then had the last leg of our journey to finish. We made it home all sane and still liking each other. It was nice to get out of the house, and we had lots of fun.

(Part 3)

We were told that the tide pools at Botanical Beach in Port Renfrew were worth the drive. I was told it was about a 2 hour drive away, but totally worth it. We had planned to go to some tide pools in Sooke, which was only about 30-45 minutes away. I did some research and found that people said it was just a short hike to the beach if we went to Botanical Beach. If we chose to go to the beach in Sooke, we would have had to park and hike about 40 minutes to the beach. That didn’t sound so fun with the kids. We figured we would take the drive and short hike. I checked the tide, and low tide would be about 10:15 am.

We ended up getting out the door a little late, but by 8:30 am. So, not too bad. The problem was, that after the first hour, Ella was car sick. We stopped at a church and let the kids out for fresh air. The highway ran along the coast, which meant it was pretty windy. When we thought we were in the clear, we got back in the car and started off. We made it 5 minutes down the road, and Ella threw up. Luckily, I packed extra clothes, so we cleaned up and headed on. She finally fell asleep, but for the rest of the trip, we had to stop every few miles to let Jameson out. He did really good, and told us every time he started feeling sick. Needless to say, it took us longer than 2 hours with all the stops we had to make. The short hike down to the beach, actually took us at least 15 minutes. So, by the time we got there, it was almost noon. That meant the tide was halfway back in. *Side note, Jameson got out of the car and threw up. We were so proud of him for making it out of the car first, and not getting anything on himself. Is that sad? We are proud of our child who was car sick for making it all the way and out of the car, before throwing up?*

I’m guessing the more interesting tide pools were already covered by water, but we did get to check out a few. Ella and I sat on the beach for a snack while Kevin and Jameson set out on their explorations.

But, when Ella saw that the boys were out discovering new tide pools, she was not about to stay on the blanket with me. We made our way over the rocks to the boys to check it out.

We decided we would go check out the other tide pools before high tide. We hiked back up the stairs (partially man made partially natural) and down the path. We found an opening where we could get down to more tide pools, but it was a little dangerous to climb around the rocks. We headed back to the trail to find another way, but the trail kept going. After about 2o minutes, we decided we were on the trail that looped back to the cars, and turned back to go to the beach we were originally at. Along the way, Jameson found a great new spot.

Ella was destroyed by this point. So we got down to the beach, laid our blanket down, and Kevin smoothed out a bed for Ella. We laid her down, and she was out within about a minute.

I felt about how Ella looks, so we took a break while the boys went exploring again.

I sat and watched the waves crash over the rocks.

The boys watched the waves for a while, then decided to chase the waves. Jameson loved trying to touch the wave and then run from it.

It was pretty fun, but then the rain came. So, we packed up and headed back to the car. Bad news, it was uphill the entire way. We made it back, and headed out. We stopped at a general store for some Dramamine. Turns out, Canadians don’t know what that is. They gave us whatever they use for motion sickness. Only problem, it came in gel cap form, so dissolving it in the kids juice was not going to be easy. I finally bit the gel cap so we could put a few drops in their juice to help them on the way home. A few minutes later, I realized my lips and tongue were numb. I don’t know what is in that gel cap, but I was numb for an hour. The kids, luckily, fell asleep for the roughest part, only after Ella threw up again.

Kevin did spot this street sign on the way.

We made it back, gave Ella a bath, and went out for some dinner. We ended up at the Old Spaghetti Factory. While we waited for a table, the old ladies next to us adored Ella. That night, Ella went straight to bed, and Jameson did after a little coaxing.