Busy, Busy

Well, like normal, last week was crazy! We went rollerskating Tuesday, to Anacortes parks with a friend Wed, Thur was speech and errands, Friday we went to Fort Casey with friends, Sat we went for a train ride with friends - Whew! I was glad Mark decided NOT to go get firewood Sun, we just needed to unwind.

So, some of you may be wondering about our trip to GA/FL. I actually made a list of parts of the trip to blog about, so I can do it in sections! So todays segment is on our road trip to FL....

Grandma took me to the rental car place, but they didn't have the car yet - they were being driven down from Macon. So I had them come and get me when the car was available. I got a white (no surprise there!) Toyota Yaris. Excellent gas mileage, not great on hills, and NO cruise control or power door locks - I now totally appreciate those things! We drove down to Leahan's, only getting lost on the last little bit, which is amazing considering the construction in Jacksonville - they have signs up with names, but the lane markers are taped over! We made plenty of stops for potty breaks and snacks; and stopped at a Indian Fruitstand place which as a little tourist trap was cool - each of the girls got a shell, and we got hot sauce for my BIL. We chilled out for the rest of the night with Leahan and David, and their Dalmatians, which Jenna got used to quickly - she was herding them around! Next day we went to the horse farm Leahan's daughter lives/works at, and saw baby horses/ponies. Her daughter has a beach club membership - boy is that place nice! We had fun in the surf for a while, played in the pool, had great hamburgers at Five Guys, and played in Leahan's pool when we got back. The next day we headed back to GA, stopping at the Okefenokee swamp on the way up. There was nobody but us at the gift shop, and a couple people in the visitor center (aside from employees). We didn't see any alligators, but we can say we've been to the swamp. We made it back to Grandma's in time for dinner. The girls did absolutely wonderful - the driving was around 7 hours each way, and I didn't hear a single whine. I had taken some of their toys with us, and the girls played, slept and sang. They are true road warriors!

Bear with me...

Computer demons, weed demons and life are intruding on my blogging time, so it may be a bit longer until you can read about our great adventure - and see some of the almost 300 pictures I took! I'll have some great stories to tell, as soon as I get a chance!

Your Majesty

Thur a friend picked Jenna up from school so I had time to go to the Quilt Museum in LA Conner. They always have such cool textiles, but they don't open until 11. We had a fun weekend, just kicking around the house (literally sometimes, Meghan loves playing withe her soccer ball). Mark took them to speech Sat, so I had some time to myself, which was refreshing. Mark took them for a ride on the mower yesterday (no blades engaged) (picture). They were playing at King and Queen for a while today (picture). Jenna fell asleep leaning against me on the couch this evening. I woke her up to get a bath, now she's wide awake when she should be sleeping!

And then we...

I apologize for so long without a post. Things we've done - Jenna's field trip to Padilla Bay, Free Kid's Day at the fairgrounds with lots of free stuff to do (Jenna especially loves the bouncy house), took the boat and went fishing, rearranged 8 out of 10 rose bushes and planted a white lilac bush and a snowball bush (I guess they call them pompoms here), put borders around the pumpkin patch and blueberry bushes with new soil and mulch, Meghan lost her 7th tooth and had sealant put on a set of molars, life went by faster than I want it to! (picture is Meghan at Rasar park enjoying the oddly warm river water)

I am sewing up a frenzy making some dresses and clothing for the girls to wear in GA. My sewing machine has been giving me fits, but this time I think we've got it fixed. I couldn't sew when people were sleeping, it thunk-thunked so bad. We've got 8 days of school left, then a trip to the zoo, and only 16 days until we fly. Meghan's psyched about the zoo, and knows that a few days after the zoo she's riding a jet airplane. (picture is Jenna on fieldtrip, looking very philosophical - I also have shots of scientist, gymnast, rock climber and architect)

Mark has been busy working, and doing yardwork when he has time (all that planting and borders, a truckload of soil and one of mulch). He's still working 5-6 days a week. At least we got to take the boat and go fishing, so we can say we at least got it wet this year!

There's now 2 houses for sale on the street (including Fort Knox - again!), and the neighbors to our west may move soon too - they have a 2 bedroom house, and are expecting their second child. They tore out most of the landscaping the previous person spent so much time putting in, and now they're looking at moving. Oh well, it's not my yard - that keeps me plenty busy!

Dentist, Fort Casey

We went to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island for mother's day. It's a large concrete structure, with paths, a beach and a great kite-flying area. You could literally put the kite up in the air a good ways and just stake the end of the string down and let it fly by itself. The girls had fun exploring the different paths and all the nooks and crannies in the buildings.

What kid cheers when they go to the dentist?! Mine do! We went for their regular cleaning, and the girls go in together, but without me. I could hear them giggling in the waiting room! Meghan goes back in 2 weeks to get molars sealed, and the dentist requested that he be the one to do it! I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm glad they like to go, it's easier than dragging them in kicking and screaming!

Photos, and there's lots of them!

Ok, so much later the same day...

Finally got the pictures straightened out.

We start with Friday's excursion to Tulip Town. We have rock-star Meghan, with her pants falling down. She says it,"Rock on, bay-bay!" The girls posed with the cutout - Meghan was tall enough to reach, but Jenna wasn't. I was wondering what to do when an elderly man offered to hold her up. Then a lady in his party said he shouldn't so she would. He didn't think she should, since she was pregnant. She held Jenna up, and I snapped it quickly, thanking her! We went on the tractor trolley ride, and walked around a bit. I was taking pictures with my tripod, trying something new, and Meghan swiveled the camera around from that lower viewpoint and took some great shots. She really has a good eye, and a very creative streak - wonder who she gets that from?! Jenna posed for us a little, but mostly was running with Meghan and our friend that came with us. Fortunately it had been dry for a few days, so the field wasn't very muddy - though Jenna did manage to step in a mud puddle that sucked her shoe off!

Next we have Jenna riding her truck (a sturdy Grave Digger monster truck) that she loves to ride around on in the house now that more of the floor isn't carpeted. Meghan showing off her face-painted hands. She really wanted her face painted at Tulip Town (we did last year - the guy is incredible!). I said no, since I didn't want to pay that much and just have it washed off in a few hours (bath night). My consolation prize was that I would paint her the next day. So while each of them had their turn at speech, the other got painted while sitting at the nearby bakery. I didn't get a shot of Jenna, she had a grey unicorn on her cheek and a red butterfly on her hand. Meghan has a unicorn and a kitty on her hands.

Meghan has come down with a cold, and set herself up to watch movies yesterday. She put the laundry basket next to her to hold her buddies, water and cereal. She's using a unicorn for a pillow. She stayed home again today, fever and sore throat, etc. I've tried getting all the photos lined up where I want them, and it's fighting me tonight. I need to go to bed, so I can hopefully not get whatever Meghan has! So it'll just have to stay slightly wonky.

still trying...

We went to Tulip Town Friday with friends, and I have some great pics, but the software seems to be having issues tonight, so it will have to wait. We actually got a little flushed from all the sun - way too many days spent inside with no sunlight! We probably OD'd on Vitamin D! I'll try again with the pics tonight (it's already tomorrow!).