I've been a bad mommy blogger. Why so quiet? It's partly because I've been super busy with my resume-writing business, partly because I've been really focused on my fitness routine (I'm on Day 44 of Shaun T's 60-day Insanity workout DVD series...but that's another post for another day), and partly because life feels a little more settled, a little less novel, and a little less worth sharing than it did in England. Not throwing a pity party...just saying. But a few gentle prods from family have spurred me back into the saddle again. So, here's some of what you have been missing...
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| Candy apples for Ollie's preschool bake sale fundraiser. |
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| Ollie is loving preschool, and comes home tired! |
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| Grape hyacinth are blooming all along the rock wall that circles our driveway. |
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| Ollie and I making peanut butter rice krispie treats (sweetened with agave). Ollie is practicing his counting skills. |
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| Here's the little guy, helping me out around the house. |
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| For Easter, we were invited to the home of some new friends for a hunt. |
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| Three families with seven kids between us. After the egg hunt, everyone came back to our house for an afternoon by the lake. |
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| On Easter morning, Ollie found an Easter basket with his name on it. |
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| The boys at the end of our dock. We have had some nice, sunny weather over the last few weeks! |
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| Mike and Ollie practicing their cast. We have seen largemouth bass in the lake...they like to hang out right under the dead tree by our dock. |
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| I mostly sit in the grass and read while the kids play. |
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| We have also heard that there are trout and catfish in this lake, too, but haven't seen or caught any. |
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| The water is super clear for a lake. We can't wait for summer when we can actually go swimming! For now, wading will have to do. |
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| Over the boys' spring break, we went indoor rock climbing. |
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| Even Ollie got on belay. |
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| I haven't climbed since 1995, when I took two semesters of rock climbing at NC State. It was great to give it a go again! |
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| Sign at the indoor climbing wall. Awesome. |
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| This certified instructor knows how to belay. I used to know how to belay and tie all the knots, but I'm rusty. If we wanted to keep climbing at this gym, though, I could brush up on my skills and pass their test to be certified myself. |
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| At the Seattle Aquarium, the kids talked through the glass to a scuba diver on the other side. |
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| She was wired up to be able to hear them and answer them through her gear. |
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| Outside the aquarium, with the Puget Sound in the background. |
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| Ollie checks out the Sea Otters. |
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| And that's how they get ya... |
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| The boys watched the ferries come and go from the aquarium lobby. |
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| What do you want to eat for lunch after a visit the aquarium? Fish. |
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| We ate outside, right on the water. It was a beautiful day. Too bad Mike had to work! |
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| Sadly, this is what passes for fish and chips here. I should have known better, but I was missing England. Tsk, tsk....lesson learned. Here's what fish and chips SHOULD look like. |
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| After lunch, the boys got some ice cream. |
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| We watched a boat builder for a while. |
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| And then found an arcade. |
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| The boys at the Seattle waterfront. |
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| On the recommendation of a friend, I found a hair stylist who will come to the house and do the kids' cuts for just $10. Awesome. |
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| More fishing. Is it just me, or does this seem straight off the Andy Griffith Show? C'mon, whistle along...you know you want to. |
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| We've literally been living in the back yard for the last three consecutive weekends. The weather has been lovely. |
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| Baiting up the hooks. |
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| I'm fishing from the end of the dock. We actually saw some guys in a flat- bottomed boat catch and release a huge bass last week. He's still out there, although probably a bit wiser... |
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| What we thought was a grill (it's been under a tarp since we got here) is actually a smoker. We gave it a go, but couldn't figure out how to get the temp above 200 F. We'll be in the market for a gas grill here soon. |
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| As the afternoon wears on, the temps get a bit cooler, but the boys still love to wade and splash around in the water. |
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| Skippy is really, really starting to dislike Ollie. We are trying to help him understand boundaries. |
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| Tulips blooming along the driveway's edge. |
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| Homemade pizza. Mmm. |
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| Getting ready to work out. Ollie likes to watch! |
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| We had some friends over for hot tub fun. |
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| What a funny kid...that's all I have to say about that. |
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| A couple of weekends ago, we drove up to the town of Mount Vernon for the Tulip Festival and Street Fair. More ice cream was had. |
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| Tree lined streets and a beautiful sunny day made the street festival a very enjoyable experience. |
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| The main attraction: field after field after field of tulips in bloom. |
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| After school one day, our boys and one of Merrit's class- mates played with giant bubble wands in the back yard. |
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| I baked up a dish of Toad in the Hole for dinner one night. Basically, it's sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter...a proper English dinner. |
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| These next few pictures were taken just last week, when Ollie's preschool class took a field trip to the zoo in Seattle. |
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| Ollie watching the orangutan.... |
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| ...then imitating it. |
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| We went for a ride on the zoo's classic carousel. The last time we rode one, we were in London. |
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| At the penguin exhibit. |
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| Playing near the San Juan Islands exhibit. |
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| Climbing with two school friends on a komodo dragon sculpture. |
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| This past Saturday, we went for a short hike in the woods near our house. We were able to walk to the trail head right from our front door. :) |
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| That night, we had a sleepover planned for Merrit. Mommy needs coffee! |
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| The boys helped Mike collect kindling and start the fire. |
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| Sometimes I can't believe this is our back yard. We are truly blessed to have found this house on the lake! |
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| Almost time for s'mores! |
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| Instructing Ollie on proper marshmallow toasting technique. |
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| Oh yeah! |
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| I limited myself to just one. Delicious. |
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| I have no idea how many Merrit ate. I think he lost count. |
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| Campfire cuddling. |
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| Merrit and his friend looking for fish. The lilypads are growing in. We aren't sure how thick they'll get by summer... |
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| Before bed, with a little help from Mike, the boys designed a raccoon trap. (That's catfood in a small plastic bowl, tied with dental floss to a pencil.) You may remember this box from our "goodbye friends" treasure hunt. |
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| PJ-clad boys strategize about what they'll do when and if they actually catch a critter. |
