Nostalgia

Just look at those cute boys.  Hot August Hoops champs in 2007.  Almost exactly three years later they won another August 3 on 3 tournament.



I was looking at this summer's photos and comparing them to photos we took three years ago during July and August of 2007.  Alyssa, Forrest, and I don't look so very different but just take a look at Noah.  It's amazing!  He's grown more than a foot. I hope his feet have stopped growing.  He's been a size 15 for 9 months now.  Usually I have to order his shoes online, but last week we actually found a pair at a mall store that were his size and on sale.  That almost never happens. 

Camping

We spent four days in eastern Washington on a family vacation with a couple of spare children along for the ride to keep the kids busy.  Forrest, Noah, Kaleb, and I drove to Sun Lakes/Dry Falls State Park on Thursday.  Alyssa and her friend, Amanda, joined us late Friday night. Forrest and I have decided that we don't like weekend camping any more.  Thursday and Friday were so peaceful, quiet, and uncrowded. As the sun set Friday night the campground filled up and got noisy. 

In the loop adjacent to ours were two 

very large family groups.  Forrest said it was like a refugee camp (he's so politically incorrect) since neither group spoke English.  One was a large Hispanic family with at least 17 kids and the other was a large Russian family. There are only supposed to be a maximum of 8 people per campsite, but apparently the rangers didn't feel like enforcing that provision. The kids kept running back and forth through the middle of our campsite. Next year we're going to camp mid-week.

One of the highlights of the visit was a quick trip to Wilbur to visit my grandma. Her 101st birthday is coming up soon. The girls love to take their own photos.  Here they are at Soap Lake.  It was too cold to swim, but we did dip our toes in the healing mineral waters. The kids loved jumping from the basalt cliffs into Deep Lake.  Forrest shot video of their jumps from above while I floated on a tube in the water below.  We weren't brave (or stupid) enough to jump in.  Other than the wind the weather was lovely and warm.  All in all a great family vacation.

Too Hot for Me

Bradey, Noah, and Kaleb show off their champions shirts in front of the bracket proclaiming them the winners.

All the kids pitch in and help keep score for other teams when they're not playing.



Spending the weekend in a casino parking in mid-90 degree weather is trying.  There is not nearly enough shade and we can't take the kids into the casino to cool off between games.  Today we took the boys to a nearby grocery store to eat lunch and chill out between games.  Noah's team has been trying to  win this 3 on 3 basketball tournament since they were 9 year olds getting ready to start 4th grade.  That was the first time Noah teamed up with Bradey and Kaleb.  They've been a team ever since. They usually pick up a 4th player so that they will have a sub, but this time it was just the three of them, and they prevailed and they were the champions of their age group. Their bracket was a combination of 8th and 9th grade teams.  However, Noah's team only played one 8th grade team.  The rest of their games were against freshman teams from Lummi and Burlington. 

Last night we had a potluck at our house after the first round of games.  It was a beautiful night to sit out on our deck and enjoy our view of the water.  It was a great evening with yummy food and the wonderful friends we've made through Noah's experience playing ball in Arlington.

Fair Time

Last weekend was the local Stanwood/Camano Community Fair.  The weather was wet but the kids had a great time any way.  I don't think Noah appreciates the animals any more, but Alyssa always takes time to see them.  She was especially fond of the little piglets.  I think she took 10 pictures of the pigs. This horse was waiting its turn in the show ring.
Noah and his friend, Nate, got their money's worth out of their $20 unlimited ride bracelet.  They were at the fair for six hours.  The boys ran into some girls from their school and spent the day with them.  They later went to one girl's house to hang out for the evening before spending the night at Nate's. It seems like Noah never spends a full week here ever.
Alyssa and her friend, Rachael, kept their hoods up trying to keep their hair dry during the damp fair.  They spend so much time straightening it they hate to get it wet.  After the fair Alyssa went to a Mariner game with Forrest.  They had a good time despite another loss for the home town team. I had the house to myself. I could watch whatever I wanted on TV and I didn't have to share my Ben and Jerry's ice cream with anyone.

Summer in Portland

Our first activity in Portland on Saturday morning was a yummy breakfast at Bread and Ink.  Forrest and Alyssa each had a beautiful plate of waffles like this.  My omelette was yummy but not nearly as eye catching as this plate.  I did get a bite of Forrest's and it was delicious.  I keep thinking I'll have the waffles the next time I go to this restaurant, but their egg dishes are so good, and besides someone at the table always gets the waffles so I usually get a few bites anyway.  Then we went to Lloyd Center to do some tax free shopping.  During the heat of the afternoon Michelle, Suzanne, Alyssa and I went to walk through the gardens at Edgefield.  We saw two bridal parties.  I felt a bit sorry for the gals in formal dresses as it was 90+ degrees.
It figures that one of the few times Forrest actually smiles in a picture my eyes are nearly closed. This was part of a mass photo op after Forrest and dad grilled salmon, potatoes, and portobello mushrooms.  We took lots of group shots. 
Mom and dad posed with Suzanne.
Three 40 something cousins who still look great.
Here's one of our traditional photos of the kids.  By height Alyssa is now in the middle.  I think in a few years she'll be in Rowan's spot. Noah is 6'2", Fuller is nearly 5'9", Alyssa is 5'7". I'm sure Grayson and Rowan will pass the girl up by the time they're teens.
Here's the group arranged by age:  7, nearly 10, 13, 14, and 18.  They're a lovely group.  They get along so well.  Noah took on Fuller on the basketball court and Alyssa kept an eye on the younger ones at the playground. I wish we could have stayed for a longer visit, but Forrest and Alyssa had to work today, Noah had basketball camp, and I had a dentist appointment.  I'm glad we were able to get away for the weekend to go to Portland while Suzanne was in town.  Unfortunately we didn't get to see Jim and Enid, maybe next time.

Summer is Finally Here

The chickadees have built a large nest in this planter on my deck.  They whiz by our heads as the travel back and forth to feed the babies. They're getting very brave around people and the dogs. In the beginning they wouldn't visit the nest if we were outside.  They'd sit on top of the roof and chirp at us.Our walnut tree has grown tremendously this year.  We're expecting a bumper crop of nuts in the fall.  The nuts are weighing down the branches.

The weather has warmed up enough to encourage the lavender and roses to bloom.  The yard smells amazing.

After we dropped the boys and coaches at the airport to go to San Diego on the 9th for a basketball tournament I spent the day in Seattle with a couple of other basketball moms. We explored Pike Place Market and had a yummy seafood lunch outside by the water.  It was a great day. We deserved a day to play after getting up at 4:30 AM to get everyone to the airport.

Noah came back very tan with a bag full of dirty laundry on the 14th.  He's hardly been home at all this summer between Hoopfest, camp at CWU in Ellensburg, and San Diego.  Tomorrow he'll start training at the Redmond Athletic Club with a coach who works with college and pro players.  I'm hoping to get pictures from some of the coaches and post them soon you and I can see some of his activities in San Diego.

Hoopfest 2010

Coach Forrest dispensed words of wisdom and Alyssa cuddled with her youngest girl cousin, Savannah.
What a hectic weekend we had!  We managed to combine Hoopfest in Spokane with Alyssa's college orientation in Cheney at EWU.  This left us with no time for sidetrips to visit grandparents, cousins, and friends.  Our nephews, Roland and Kris came downtown to see Noah play.  Roland brought his girlfriend, Sydney, and daughter, Savannah.  Roland helped out by keeping score during one of Noah's games.  Noah hit the game winning basket in this photo.  Alyssa met up with a friend from high school who had a sister playing in the tournament.  The weather was much cooler than we've come to expect from Hoopfest, temperatures in the low 80s instead of 90-100 as in years past.