24/7 Storm Trooper

How can I put this delicately? 

Ollie wants to eat, sleep, and live in his Halloween costume. From the moment he wakes up til he goes to school, and from the time he gets home from school til he goes to bed, he wants to be "in character." I should take more pictures of him...you know, eating spaghetti, checking the mail, running the Swiffer, playing Legos. Mostly, I have just caught him falling asleep in it. But here are a few pics I've snapped.

With Luke, R2-D2, and the X-Wing.

The firemans' boots are an integral part of the costume in Ollie's mind.

You know your kid is tired when he just falls asleep in the middle of the
hardwood floor. That can't be comfortable! 

Living La Vida Lilypad

Merrit, Ollie, and I have been enjoying the lake behind our house so much this summer. (Poor Mike...has to work! But, he definitely gets out here on the weekends!) Honestly, we are out there almost every day. I just love to think about the memories these boys will have someday when they think about this house, this city, and this time in their lives. :)

Weekend in Review

Mike's out of town so it's just Dawn, the boys, and I. We had a super relaxed weekend together! Here's the recap:

The neighbor kids kayaked over to play with our boys.

We got Greek and Mexican food at the food court while
we waited to get my iPhone fixed. (Ollie cracked the screen.)

I spent some time editing while Ollie floated offshore in
his life jacket. He looks far off, but he's only about 10' offshore
and the water is only about three feet deep where he is. 

Using a sand shovel as a paddle. 

We went out for Thai food. Dawn treated. Thanks, Donger!
Pad thai with tofu. 

Eggplant with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. To die for.

The boys warming up in the hot tub after swimming in the chilly lake water.

Riding the tractor outside of Whole Foods.

There goes our retirement plan. (Not really.)
One night, while Dawn and I sat out on the deck listening to music and talking til about
11pm, Ollie--who we thought was asleep--pulled out four boxes of 1980s-era,
still-in-the-box G.I. Joe's that Mike has collected as "investment pieces" ;)
He opened about half the boxes. Oops. I've got some 'spainin' to do.

Around the House

Just some pictures from around-the-house over the last week or so...

Silly string fight!

Run Ollie!

Coffee--a Seattle staple. Served up in one of our
Dripolator-Black Mountain mugs.

Ollie chilling in the room he shares with Merrit.

Crab cakes and homemade slaw.

Mike showing Merrit pictures of us from our high
school yearbook. I think Merrit's exact words were:
"Mom looks weird."

Off to school. Only a few days left before summer break!

Canoeing through the lilypads.

Sure signs of summertime.

Got our guest room all ready for Mike's parents, who'll be visiting soon!

Getting Outdoors

View of the lake from our beach. The lily pads are really
coming in now.

Just bought this new-to-us canoe on Craigslist a couple
of weeks ago. It's been raining a lot, so last weekend was
the first time we were able to take it out.

The boys are super excited.

And properly attired.

We had a fun time paddling through the lilypads.

Wading in the water. Still too chilly to really swim...though Mike did
flip me in the canoe (accidentally on purpose?). Freezing cold! The
kids, watching from the shore, got a big kick out of it. :)

I'll forgive him if he'll make dinner.

Ollie runs down to the water while we grill up some
burgers.

No real outdoor dining area yet, but balancing plates
on our knees works just fine.

On Memorial Day weekend, we camped out Sunday night.

Mike and I have had this tent since before we had kids,
so it only sleeps two. Guess who's outside on the ground?
(Full disclosure: Mike bailed on us and went inside sometime
around midnight.)

Merrit is learning to how to build and stoke a fire from Dad.

Perfect. Merrit and his friend Aidan made this fire ring
themselves by collecting stones from around the yard.

Life is all about  balance.

The yard is literally FULL of rabbits. They are so freakin' adorable.

Hanging out in the hot tub after school one day this week.

Lazy Week

We've had a bit of a lazy week. Here's a little of what we've been up to:

Hanging out in the hot tub.

Some sort of dwarf cherry tree has been blooming in the yard. It's so pretty.
Also blooming: rhododendron, azalea, and lilac (smells HEAVENLY!).

Not entirely sure that these ethereal blue flowers aren't a weed, but I
am enjoying them so much, they're staying. 

A camelia that we can see from our bedroom window.

A lazy day after work. I'm reading my Kindle, Mike's napping, and Merrit
is snuggling with Skippy. (I believe Ollie was jamming out to his air guitar.)

Last weekend we went out for brunch at a lakeside cafe in Kirkland, then
walked around the marina.

A little family of ducks came to say hello.

Gorgeous wooden boat. So nostalgic. 

Me at the waterfront. 

Just across the lake, we can see the Seattle skyline.

This little car was actually a bike. Wow, looks like a death trap to me.

Ollie eating his quesadillla al fresco one day before school
this week.

I made chicken and dumplings for dinner one night this week to the excited
cheers and smiles of my boys.

And the after-dinner snooze. Yep. Carbs will do that to you!