Mariners

We try to go to at least one Mariners game every year. Last night was our first (and likely only game) this season. Although it wasn’t the most exciting of games (the Mariners lost to the Kansas City Royals 4-8), we still had a great time and are glad that Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher were able to join us.

This was Jason’s first major league baseball game. I think it’s safe to say he got very little out of the game itself. Instead of watching the game he pointed out each and every airplane that flew over head as well as all the trains the went by. If you know anything about the location of Safeco Field this occupied most of Jason’s evening. In typical Fletcher form it was also all about the food for Jason. With all the kettle corn, candy, and French fries he downed he had enough energy to stay awake until we got home after 11pm – way past his usually bedtime. Jason made friends with a guy sitting two rows behind us and was quite entertained with the silly things he doing to get a reaction out of Jason. Here’s a short clip of Jason doing a little gig for his new friend after the Mariners hit a home run:

When the girls think about going to a game they too look forward to yummy treats. They also enjoy walking around the stadium and playing in the kiddie-area. They even watched some baseball.

Here are the kids meeting the Mariner Moose in his den.

Olympic Peninsula

Justin’s been talking about exploring the Olympic Peninsula for ages and we finally managed to find a weekend to do it. We haven’t done much hiking recently (or really ever) so my hiking boots definitely needed a little dusting off.

On Friday afternoon we went on several hikes at Hurricane Ridge. There was quite a bit of clouds and fog, but it still afforded great views of the Olympic Mountains. I think it’s so beautiful to see the mountains completely covered with evergreen.

The deer at Hurricane Ridge were fearless and we ran across several along the hike.

There was even a family of deer that we were able to watch. Jason got a kick out of watching the fawns jumping through the meadow (they hop much like a rabbit).

We stayed in Port Angeles that night and headed out bright and early on Saturday for an entire day jammed packed with sight-seeing. We hiked around Lake Crescent and found some fun little cabins right on the lake that we’d like to stay at sometime. The lake was crystal clear and so peaceful.

Check out this tree that had been hollowed out by a forest fire.

Next stop was Forks, WA – “Home of Twilight.” In my opinion, if you’ve seen the movie it’s pointless to go to Forks. The movie was not filmed in Forks so nothing resembles what is depicted in the film, but since it was on our way we drove by a few stops on the Twilight Map. Yes, there is an actual map. The Forks visitors’ center is covered in Twilight paraphernalia and they hand out maps of Twilight points of interest. Below are the Forks welcome sign, Bella’s pickup truck, and the Swan house.

We also went on a few hikes in the Hoh Rain Forest. Thankfully we were able to borrow a child pack from friends so we wouldn’t be stuck going at the pace of our two-year-old. Jason liked it as long was we were moving and he had snacks to occupy himself with, but he preferred to walk with the rest of us and actually kept up surprisingly well.

Next stop was Ruby Beach. When we saw this view we knew the hike down to the beach would be worth it.


There were lots of huge logs we had to climb/walk across to get there, but we all made it and had fun trying to keep our shoes dry (Justin and the girls were unsuccessful). Jason and the girls enjoyed collecting some of the smooth rocks on the beach.


Our last hike was to see the largest spruce tree in the WORLD. I thought it would be cool for the kids to see, but really all I wanted was a picture of Justin being a tree-hugger. Justin even got Jason to give the tree a little squeeze.

In the 34 hours we were gone I figure Jason got 10 hours LESS sleep than normal, the girls hiked several miles, we drove more than 450 miles – and EVERYONE loved it. We had a great time and are looking for more local outdoor adventures – any ideas?

Our Week

Last weekend I was sick. Fever, nasty cough, persistent headache – sick. After three days of my miserablness, I woke up Monday relieved to find my fever had moved on, but unfortunately it simply moved down the hall. We kept ourselves confined this week as we each took our turn. We did a lot of this,

and not much of anything else

Today we left the house for the first time since Monday and took a little trip to the library to renew our book stashes. Then before it was off to nap for J and off to play outside for the girls we turned on Grandma’s bubble machine - Man, that little contraption can blow!

Blue Angels - 2009

While Holly was in Tukwila, I decided to take the kids to see the Blue Angels and invited Grandma Fletcher to come along. We sacrificed a little bit of a view to stay cool in the shade and we had a good time right on the lake. Jason was a bit scared at first but caught on after a few fly-bys.

Jason Turns Two

Yesterday was our little guy’s 2nd birthday. To celebrate we invited Justin’s family over for dinner and dessert. Jason woke up just as the party started and wasn’t happy that I wouldn’t go outside with him and push him on the swing. (Yes, I realize it was his birthday, but we’re having a big of a heat wave here and it was 90+ degrees outside!). So as a distraction Grandma Fletcher let him open one of his presents early. As it’s been previously mentioned, Jason has a fixation with toys that have wheels (cars, trains, fire engines, etc…) so of course Jason loved his new car toy from Grandma and Grandpa.

(if you look closely you can still see a huge crocodile tear on his cheek)

Abigail and Carly are at the age now where they really wanted to get something for Jason so we went to through the toy aisle and they picked out some Hotwheels and bubbles. The bubbles go perfectly with the bubble machine my Mom sent (which we’ll try out as soon as it cools down enough for me to join the kids outside).


more fun toys from cousins and grandparents


I decided not to decorate a big cake for Jason this year (selfishly, I think it’s too much work for an egg-less cake). Instead we had simple egg-less cupcakes and nut-free four layer dessert.

Jason thought his cupcake was delicious

and didn’t let a morsel go to waste

Annual Neighborhood Picnic

Yesterday was the annual summer social for our neighborhood and since our HOA dues pay for it, we try to attend each year. I think this year the heat may have kept the numbers down. It’s been in the high 80’s and low 90’s here (threatening to reach near 100 in the next few days)!!!

It sure doesn’t look like we live in the evergreen state

The low turnout meant there was plenty of food and treats to enjoy.

Jason enjoying a yummy popsicle…

(it got a little messy there after a while)

another popsicle for J

again Jason was well taken care of by his little friends

okay, so I noticed all the pictures were of Jason, but even mid-blink he’s just so darn cute!

Pioneer Day

We’ve been looking forward to our ward Pioneer Day activity for several weeks now. July 24th is the day the pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake valley in 1847. It’s an official holiday in Utah and since Utah was settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is a great opportunity for us to remember the sacrifices of the early pioneers. The evening was filled with good friends, great food, fun and games. Justin and the girls rode their bikes to the activity. We live on a very steep hill so I was nervous about them biking down it, but apparently they did a great job and they all arrived at the park safely.

We decorated the girls bikes for the children’s parade (which they ended up not participating in… how is riding your bike in a circle with dozens of other kids something to be shy about?)

Some friends of ours fashioned their wagon into a covered wagon. Jason couldn’t get enough of it and had several different people giving him rides throughout the evening, including the little wagon owner.


There was a Dutch oven cook-off for dinner – seriously, not much better outdoor cooking than from a Dutch oven – yummy!

Abigail had a little part in the program and was assigned to read the story of a pioneer girl named Alma Elizabeth Mineer. It was neat to find out that Abigail is actually related to the Mineer family. Abigail read her part so many times over the past week that she had it completely memorized. She did such a great job that I’m hoping she might gain enough confidence to participate in future school plays and programs.

Jason walked right up to Abigail while she was speaking and gave her a big hug. Abigail acted completely unfazed by it and thankfully Jason didn’t cause any further disturbance.

H2O

Have I mentioned how much my kids LOVE the water? Water activities this week included…

Playing in the neighbors pool last Saturday afternoon

Playing at the local spray ground Monday night

Playing at Wild Waves (equivalent of Lagoon for you Utahans) all day Wednesday. I took my camera, but left the battery charging at home. We took this picture of Jason enjoying the kiddy car ride using Justin’s phone.

Playing on a friend’s gigantic inflatable pool/slide on Friday afternoon

Running through the sprinklers at another neighbors yesterday afternoon

Dance Camp

This week the girls participated in a Sleeping Beauty dance camp. Abigail took the same dance class 3 years ago with a friend.

The class is geared for kids ages 4-7 so I was concerned about Abigail feeling uncomfortable being the oldest girl in the class. But because the girls were taking it with a friend, Abigail was all for it.

This afternoon was the parent’s opportunity to watch the “performance” they had been working on all week. Here are a few clips:

Summer Flyin' By

How can it already be mid-July? Didn’t we just start summer? While we’ve definitely stayed busier than I prefer there are still so many things we want to do this summer and I’m feeling the pressure to fit it all in. Scheduling around three kids, even at their young age, is already proving to be difficult. Especially with a little guy who sleeps most of the afternoon. While Jason naps, the girls have spent nearly every afternoon outside with neighborhood kids. They are already sporting sweet summer tans.

One of the few occasions the girls are playing in the backyard instead of the front yard

Jason also loves to swing; too bad he can’t push himself yet

Of course the girls have their “jobs” they need to do each day. On this particular day they were asked to trim the grass around the playset. It sure took them awhile using their little scissors.

Otter-pops are a daily treat around here.

As if Jason’s helpless without his sisters

Jason upon rediscovering his abandoned otter-pop


What better way to cool off than to play in the sprinklers

Victoria, BC

As a result of the I-5 adventure my Mom and I experienced last summer, I was issued a credit on the Clipper ferry. Justin and I decided we would take advantage of the opportunity and go to Canada for an overnighter on Monday. We stayed at a great hotel right in the harbor near the famous Empress Hotel.

Legislative building (by day)

(and by night)

A huge portion of any outing for us is the food. We decided we wouldn’t eat anywhere we’ve been to before and found some amazing restaurants. Our favorite was The Tapa Bar where we both tried a cubanette… seriously, one of the best meals I’ve had. Unique and incredibly flavorful.

When we started planning our little trip and I found out Victoria had a zipline course I knew I wanted to try it. The idea of soaring through the air sounded wonderful to me even though I am somewhat scared of heights. It was awesome! Definitely a little unnerving to step off the edge of the platform. And feeling the tree you’re standing on (150 feet in the air) swaying in the wind was slightly worrisome, but sooo worth it!

We went on eight different ziplines. Here’s Justin on the longest zipline at 1000 feet and the highest at 150 feet off the ground.

To make the following zipline a little more exciting (it wasn’t very high or fast) we were given the challenge to make two 360’s before reaching the other end. Much harder to do than you would think.

After a fabulous and very filling breakfast at the Blue Fox Café we headed over to the Butchart Gardens.

This is my favorite view – the Sunken Garden… very Garden of Edenish. Justin and I enjoyed listening to the ooh’s and aah’s of people as they walked onto the overlook.


The Rose Garden was in full-bloom

Even the trash cans were lovely


Thanks for watching the kids Grandma Fletcher, they had a great time!