Cougar Mountain Zoo

Some friends of ours asked us to tag along on their zoo trip today. This great little zoo is closer to our house and is smaller than the big zoo in Seattle. Sometimes it's nice to have a change of pace and a bit of a smaller spot to explore with the kids. You don't feel like you have to "see it all" and so you spend more time at each exhibit.

The kids love posing for pictures with the animal
sculptures. I took about a million pics. This was one of the cutest ones.

The kids watch the alpaca eat. Watch out! He spits!

Emus. We got to see the zookepper give the emus a bath with a hose,
which was pretty cool.

Our friends' little boy, Brennan, feeds the alpacas.

Our friends' kids watch the macaws.

Forgot what these birds were called, but they are super cool looking.

The stars of the show: The cougars. This cage has three
siblings. We got to see two handlers go in and interact
with them and talk about cougar habitat, diet, etc. 

Ollie actually fell asleep in my lap during the bird show, so he and I napped while Merrit went with our friends to see the tigers.  And we finished off the day with ice cream. What a great day. Summer here in the Northwest couldn't be lovelier. The weather has, literally, been PERFECT since July.

The zoo overlooks the Cascade mountains, and (though you can't see it in this picture) Lake Sammammish just at the base of the hill. The sky was absolutely clear and gorgeous. Temps in the mid-70s.

When we first moved here, everyone kept saying, "Just wait til summer; all this rain will be worth it." 

They were right!

Happy Birthday to Me....

Well, this pretty much sums out how EXCITED I AM to be turning thirty-nine:


But, in all honesty, we had a nice little party after Mike got home from work. He came home a little early. We grilled out some ribs. We cranked up some dance music and the four of us just danced around the living room (even the conga line, which the kids thought was fun). After we ate, we had cupcakes that Mike had bought from a cupcake store here in town. LEMON! Yay.

Campfire Friends

Our buddies Aidan and Graham came over for the afternoon and to cook out an old-fashioned campfire dinner last night.

Graham and Ollie clowning around.

Aidan trying to catch fish with plastic buckets.

Mike using proven Boy Scout technique to start his fire.

Aidan and Merrit discuss how, exactly, to wrap a hot
dog in canned biscuit dough and cook it over an open fire.

There's a bit of art, a bit of science, and a bit of luck involved.

Merrit, who loves to cook, wasn't sure about this method.

Sort of looks disgusting, doesn't it?

But, when served alongside roasted corn...Not bad...
Not bad at all... :)

Father and son pig wraps.

And, for dessert, banana boats--of course. Chocolate chips and mini
marshmellows, stuffed inside a split-open banana, wrapped in foil, and
warmed through in coals. (Who comes up with this stuff, honestly?) We used to eat
them when I was a camper in Montreat Clubs every summer. :)

Issaquah's "Tuesday Evening in the Park"

Friends of ours invited us out to the live music on the Issaquah town green earlier this evening. There was a band playing big band, swing, show tunes, and the crooners' greatest hits. We brought a picnic dinner, sat on blankets, and let the kids run around. What an all-American, summertime evening.

Angie got out there and danced with Gabe while Merrit and Bren spun each
other around. :)

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. :)

Paddle Boarding (Merrit, too!) at Juanita Beach Park

Ollie just pretended to paddle board from the shoreline.

The boys waded out a little while Dawn paddled out.

Merrit hopped right up like a champ and did awesome!

He's a natural!

I love the colors in this picture.

Dawn, paddling with the Seattle skyline behind her,
across Lake Washington. (I can't believe she has to
leave tomorrow! Boo hoo.)

Dawn and Ollie hung out on shore while Merrit and I paddled. 

Ollie fell asleep on a life jacket next to his Aunt Dawn. :)

I took Ollie out for a while, too. He sat on the front of the
board; it was awesome!

Ollie and I paddling back in from our adventure.

Merrit drying off and warming up.

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.