a summer of fun.

While the (what we think) mono virus has almost officially run its course through our entire family we are finally getting out and enjoying this incredible summer. I'm still feeling pretty blah but the kids are healthy which is really all that matters. 

Meeting up with friends, checking things off our bucket list, relaxing at home...it's my absolute favorite season! Last weekend it was HOT and the kids needed some a/c. Matt took them out to see The Incredibles 2 and Simon got to experience his first movie in the theaters!

 We've kept the pool up almost every day so kids can just jump right in anytime they'd like. Our backyard gets super hot in the afternoon so a morning dip helps everyone cool down a little.

 I've been baking (early mornings before it gets too hot!) and almost perfected these double chocolate chunk cookies. A few more tweeks and they'll be perfect. Anyone need a sweet treat?!?

 Meals outside with the kids are our favorite. Easy clean up and they can just run and play when they are done.

We've been squeezing in as many beach trips as possible. This is always high on our list. We have such beautiful beaches just a short drive away and the kids can play for hours in the sand and water. With an unusually low tide last week we met up with some school friends for a few hours on a hot day. The kids searched for sea life, climbed on rocks and dug in the sand. So fun!

Simon is trying to be as independent as possible these days. I love to see him try to keep up with the big kids. Like...getting food from the fridge!

And he is just loving every single thing about t-ball this summer. Youngest kid on the team but definitely the most ambitious. Baseball is life for this kid.

A few days ago Carter had the opportunity to attend Brock Huard's local football camp at Husky Stadium. He got to spend 3 hours on the field running drills, practicing routes and hearing Brock talk about sportsmanship on and off the field. He loved it! We stayed to watch and it was so fun to see him out on the field playing. Carter said he'd love to attend UW someday and play football in that stadium. Dream come true for an 8 year old!

Another friend from last season's flag football team was there too so Lucy and Elise got to play together. Always fun with younger siblings around!

We got to sneak in to the Husky Ball Park while we were there too so, of course, Simon's day was made that much better. Baseball and football in 1 afternoon....the best!

A quick stop for frozen yogurt before heading home and then it was off to swim lessons!

It was the last lesson for this session (session 2 starts next week) so the kids got to jump off the diving board. Carter's dives have improved so much this summer and Lucy has mastered the breaststroke.

And then Simon. Oh gosh, he never ceases to amaze me! Once again the youngest kid at the pool but easily the most fearless. He was the only one from his class to jump off the board, all the other kids were a little scared still. He didn't just jump though, he leaped off the end as high as he could!  And now his teacher has encouraged him to move up to the next swim level!

Yesterday we celebrated Matt's birthday and I made him his special request. Homemade rainbow chip cake with a homemade marshmallow buttercream and extra sprinkles. Happy Birthday!! Tonight we get to go out to celebrate before a fun weekend ahead. Summer truly is the best time of the year.

Read more...

we jumped!

Yesterday afternoon, about the exact same time we said "I do" 11 years ago, we jumped out of an airplane. Yes, the 2 most ordinary, non adventurous, practical, responsible people on the planet jumped out of a freakin airplane. What?!?

Matt and I have always put skydiving on our lifelong bucket list. You know, that one where you just randomly say, "hmm..that would be fun some day." Like visiting Australia, going on a jungle safari in Africa or swimming with dolphins. But we never really thought we'd check it off our list. At least not in our mid 30s with 3 young kids at home. 

But, it has been a big year. Matt recently lost a lot of weight and has been working so hard at work, even getting a small promotion (which will hopefully lead to even more!). To celebrate I thought it would be fun to surprise him with a skydiving adventure. 

So, for a combo Father's Day/Anniversary/Birthday gift I excitedly booked 2 reservations for us to go skydiving on our 11th wedding anniversary. And then I got nervous. Ha! But, the surprise reveal wasn't for several weeks so I sort of forgot about it until I wrote him a little poem to reveal his gift on Father's Day. 

Both of us have been so busy with work, kids, end of the school year, birthday parties and sports that while we were excitedly nervous we, once again, sort of forgot it was coming. We didn't even really tell any friends or family, except Matt's parents 1 week ago to confirm they could babysit. 

But, yesterday we did it. And while I'm still processing how I feel about the whole experience, I'm really glad we did it. You only live once, we felt really safe and oh my gosh...we jumped out of a plane!!!

We gave the kids big hugs goodbye and went off to get some lunch. Look how happy we are!

A local food truck with authentic Al Pastor tacos were delicious! It's funny but more friends have commented about us eating tacos before we jumped than anything else. It was several hours before we actually jumped, we were hungry and we knew going on an empty stomach would be a recipe for disaster.

And then we arrived at the airfield. Still happy, still excited!

 We checked in, signed a million waivers and headed to the observation area to watch other skydivers coming down from above. We couldn't have chosen a more beautiful day! Not a cloud in the sky, 80+ degrees and absolutely perfect views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Baker in addition to all the local islands and even downtown Seattle. Incredible!

 We watched a short but informative safety video (which was SO helpful when I was actually jumping!) and then headed over to get our jumpsuits on. The little plane was going up and down all day taking skydivers to the correct elevation and then nosediving back to the ground for the next group. The instructors we had say on busy summer days they each do 15 jumps...crazy!

 It was fun and so interesting to watch the parachutes get reloaded into the backpacks. The instructors would get to the ground, disconnect the harness from their jumpsuits and drop off the parachute. Then a few guys would spend 20 minutes or so reloading them all back into the bags. Clearly they have an important job and methodically strung each and every parachute string into place before systematically folding it all back up.

 All the waiting made us a little nervous but our instructors were so nice and helpful, checking every harness strap over and over again. Then, we were off! We opted out of paying an extra $90 each for video and pictures up in the sky but instead chose to pay a little more to jump from a higher elevation. It meant we left the plane from 13,500 ft and had a freefall of 60 seconds instead of 30. Honestly at that height 60 seconds felt SO fast but I'm glad we did it. The first 10 seconds were terrifying and we just had to focus on breathing so having the extra time for our brains to turn back on and experience the moment was incredible.

 I can't even fully describe the experience. The plane ride was fun. I thought I'd get more nervous as we sat on the ground of this little plane, all straddled between each others legs but the views were amazing. Matt jumped first and as he and his instructor shifted their bodies to the edge of the plane I saw a brief look of absolute terror on his face. I mean, he's leaning halfway out the open door of an airplane, high up in the sky with his legs wrapped around the bottom of the plane about to just fall right out. I don't really blame him for being a little scared! Surprisingly that part didn't scare me. It was the first 10 seconds. We were spinning in circles and going SO FAST! 180 mph to be exact. I remember the safety video telling us to breath through our teeth so my brain just kept repeating, "teeth, teeth, teeth" and that helped. My instructor did a lot of hand motions to make sure I was okay and once the first, smaller parachute opened we slowed down to about 120 mph, making it easier to breath and take in the experience. That was where I fully realized what I was doing and just screamed out of joy, shock, relief, fear....a little of everything!
He then counted down by 3 and the main parachute opened. That was another strange feeling but once it was fully open we just began to float. My ears were popping quite a bit but otherwise I felt great and really safe all harnessed in. He pointed out all the beautiful mountains and islands surrounding us and then we looked over to see Matt and his instructor not too far away. They directed the parachutes towards each other so we could get closer, wave hi and blow a kiss. Realizing we were both floating down to the ground was probably my favorite moment. Then it was my turn to fly! My arms were out wide and I grabbed the parachute handles to turn from side to side. Honestly though, I didn't like that part. Those wide turns just made me feel nauseous so we chose to just float down slowly for a calmer ride. I tried to take it all in because it's not like you do this kind of thing every day! Finally, we prepped for landing and scooted in right next to Matt. Whoa.
Both of us just looked at each other with big eyes and said, "THAT WAS INTENSE!" Ha! My instructor told me to stand up so he could disconnect my harness cords but my legs were absolute jello. My shoes were completely untied from the force of the wind and my heart was pumping. It actually didn't slow down until probably 30 minutes after we landed on the ground.

 We got our certificates, thanked our instructors and just tried to catch our breath. The only thing I can relate it to is labor. That crazy feeling you have afterwards where your adrenaline is going so fast but you are oddly exhausted. Surprisingly, I'm not sore this morning like I thought I would be. The harness straps were so tight around our chests and legs I was certain I'd have a hard time walking today but the only thing bugging me is my ears. Those are still a little sore from the intense pressure change when we fell.
We went and got a cupcake to celebrate before heading home to hug our kids again.

 Matt and I are both unsure if we'd ever want to do it again. I mean, it was incredible and scary and exciting and so.not.us. but I'm really glad we did it. As we ate a late dinner after the kids went to bed we brainstormed our next adventure. Don't worry, something a bit less ambitious is probably on the agenda!

Read more...

an all-American week.

Having 4th of July in the middle of the week has completely screwed me up. I'm so confused what day it is, where I'm supposed to be or what the heck we are doing! But, thank goodness the weekend is here and even though I have to work we'll return to some normalcy after a fun week away. 

Monday we were able to squeeze in a playdate with friends at the beach, an afternoon playing at the school and evening swim lessons before heading out to the beach house for the 4th. 

 Simon is so "ambitious" about swimming it took 3 lifeguards (besides his teacher) to watch over him. Despite only 1 other kid in his class! He followed directions by holding on to the side of the pool when he was waiting his turn but couldn't help bobbing up and down in the water, blowing bubbles, jumping in like a crazy person and attempting to swim all by himself by the end of the 30 minutes. Everyone was impressed with his comfort in the water and by the end of the night every single teacher was talking about "that kid Simon." Good or bad it was definitely entertaining!

 Matt had to work the next day so me and the kids took off to meet Grandpa and Grandma at the beach house.

 We sent a good morning picture to daddy when we woke up (excuse the tired eyes, this was pre-coffee) and then got ready for a fun day ahead.

 These 2 just adore each other. I'm not sure who was giggling more, Simon or Grandpa. Either way it's always fun to watch their relationship when they are together.

 We headed outside for lunch and then went to the local commons to spend the afternoon at the Farmer's Market, getting snacks and playing at the park.

 Matt was able to meet us for a library visit before having a delicious pizza dinner and heading back to the beach house.

 Simon crashed after a fun day. Ha!

 The next morning I got up for my usual run and enjoyed a quiet morning as the sun rose. Then it was time to put on all our red, white and blue and decorate for the 4th annual neighborhood parade. This has become one of our favorite summertime traditions and the kids really love to participate.

 We made it down there just in time for the local fire truck to start the parade and head down the street. It was more like a neighborhood walk than a parade this year since so many people chose to participate rather than watch and we were all a bit spread out. Either way still fun!

 We spent the afternoon grabbing one more ice cream treat before playing in the yard and getting ready to watch fireworks that night. Only Lucy had the energy to stay up late enough and actually watch the fireworks. The boys went to bed early and never woke up during all the loud booms!

 I had to work early the next morning so Matt spent time with the kids at the beach before heading home. Simon's nap on the couch says it all. Fun week at the beach but it's always nice to come home!

Read more...