My Method of Housecleaning

nataliedee.com

Don't You Love It When...

Little kids use big words? Liam's current favorite is "apparently". He works it into a sentence whenever possible, and it's hilarious. It amazes me how he always gets the context right, even when he's not exactly sure what the word means.

Keepin' It Cool

Mikey doesn't need any fancy-schmancy swimming pool to have a great time. He and I cooled off in the Turtle Pool in the backyard and we had a ball.

Mikey sittin' and chillin' while WoWo dips her feet

"Hop In WoWo, the water's a refreshing 50 degrees, straight from the hose!"

Don't you just want to pinch those adorable round peaches!?

Hats! Hats! Hooray!

Liam has made an excellent start on his hat collection. Here are some of his chapeaux:

The "Tiny Fez". As the package says, 'Everyone Looks Good in a Tiny Fez!' Ain't that the truth!

The "Straw Boater". He found this in a thrift store on Lopez and we both decided it was the perfect topper for a charming young gentleman.

Ansel Adams Jr.

Liam and I left Lopez on Saturday thinking we'd avoid the long lines. We were the FIRST car to load up on the 3:30 ferry, after just missing the 1:00 ferry (yep 2 and a half hours sitting at the Lopez ferry is incredibly boring). Liam took some interesting pix, he's a budding photographer!

"Self Portrait in Rear View Mirror"

"Waiting for the 3:30 Ferry"

"Gramma Laurie Keeps Herself from Going Insane"

The Lopez Report

Liam's Self-Portrait of the Lopez Island Fun Run T-Shirt

What a fabulous place! This is the view from the front deck of the house we stayed in. The beach was just a few yards away.

We had a marvelous time in a beautiful house (how the owners can stand not being there 365 days a year is beyond me!), with all kinds of weather: warm and sunny, drizzly island weather, a HUGE thunder/lightning storm right over our house, cold enough to need a fire and just plain ole Pacific NW weather.

We beachcombed of course, finding many wonderful rocks (Liam is the skipping champ, with 10 skips on the perfect 'skipper rock' I gave him), shells, beach glass, kelp and more. We dug in the sand, we built forts, we played with the kids down the beach, and so much more. Lorraine kept us all well fed with her gourmet cooking and faboo bread from Holly B's Bakery in the village. We had a fun time on the 4th. Lorraine, Mikey (in stroller), Liam and RJ ran in the fun run while Al and I sensibly went to the Library Book Sale, then Alex and RJ rode their bikes in the island parade and Liam was in charge of scooping up all the candy thrown by the paraders:

Michael and Mama held our place on the sidelines and enjoyed all the action:

There was a great fireworks display to top off the festivities.

Home Sweet Home!

A quick note to let y'all know that I am home at last! Liam kept me company on the long long long drive from Lopez to Spokane, with an overnight stop in Bothell to visit with sister Susan (and sleep on The Back Breaker (TM) aka her hide-a-bed). Will post lots of swell pix and stories about our island adventures! Soon!