New Pics

I made some new photo albums which are located in the side column. They are of camping, Thomas the train, boating, fishing, et cetera.

Summer Fun

What a full summer it has been! Jason is really enjoying having no school and his rowing class. He is already signed up for the next class and would like to eventually get to do a little competing in it. He is looking forward to the relay coming up. Him and his cousin have been occasionally running together to prepare. As a matter of fact, Jason is out running right now! I have been enjoying pilates, but I've been so sore it hurts to cough or breath! I love it. Work has been going really good for me, and I actually enjoy getting to go to different areas around the city, see different things, meet different people, et cetera. Riley has been having a great summer. Her daycare goes on two field trips a week during the summer. Last week she went to the reptile house and held a snake! They also went to the kangaroo zoo where she saw a little joey in the mama kangaroo's pouch! Wow - I've never seen that! She loves her gymnastics class. We're at a point where she is waiting patiently in line for her turn, which is a huge plus for us - trust me:) Riley loves riding her new bike, and I can hardly keep up with her. She has had two accidents, but she gets up and right back on her bike without so much as a whimper. She can open doors now, and when she does it she will say, "Look at my arms. I'm getting so big! " I bought a new shirt the other day and when Riley saw me she said, "Mommy, I love your shirt; it's beautiful!" Okay, you gotta love that! We won't even mention the fact that Jason didn't even notice it was a new shirt, huh?!!?

Fishing with Poppy

Riley loves fishing with her daddy and poppy. She reeled in her first fish with poppy the last time we were there for a visit. I think Jason and dad are looking forward to the fishing trip coming up. Do you think they would take Riley? Hmm - sounds like a good idea, dad!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July. We went out with some friends on their boat, Danielle, Brent, and their 3-year-old girl, Lauren - oh, yeah, and Winston, their dog! We went to the San Juan Islands, where we did some hiking, crabbing, and ended the evening with watching some fireworks from the boat that were being displayed on Anacortez. We even saw dolphins from the boat. It really was a perfect way to spend the 4th! The guys, Jason and Brent, are getting very excited about a marathon that they have coming up. It's a relay race that lasts three days! Danielle, I, and the girls are going to stay at Seaside while they're doing that. I'm looking forward to some time on the beach and shopping.

Camping

We went camping last weekend and had a great time. It was so nice to get away from it all and have some nice meals over the campfire. I don't think there is anything more relaxing to me than camping: the outdoor smells and noises of nature. Oh, and did Riley love it. She was so busy in the tent, pretending it was her house. Riley could sit by the water forever and throw rocks in the water. She just loves it. Hopefully, we'll get to do some more camping soon. I've picked out several spots I would like to go to!

A Few of Riley's Favorite Things!!

Riley has so many favorites right now. Her favorite toy is her Thomas the Train tent, Little People, and kitchen stuff. When I was doing a job in Oak Harbor, the hearing officer was telling me about a website called starfall.com. So when I got home, I tried this website with Riley, and she loves it. It's helped her with her alphabet, letter sounds, and she simply had a lot of fun with it. Riley's Aunt Sue then told me about this website, as Brayden and Cheyenne enjoy it also. You gotta love fads, huh? Riley loves to help me cook, anything from toast and eggs in the morning, to cupcakes or something fun to take to her school. She helps me set the table in the evenings for dinner. She loves art projects, riding her bike outside, pretending, pretending, pretending!! She is always pretending something wild: sharks are chasing her, her bike is a car and she is driving to the grocery store, she likes to pretend she's tough and says, "I'm gonna bring you down to China town," with her tough voice and fists up in the air when mama and dadda tickle her too much, and much more! Riley absolutely loves books. Story time at the Mill Creek library is a real treat for Riley and I! Her favorite breakfast: egg sandwiches, lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Dinner: Pineapple pizza and cottage cheese, favorite snack: Fruit chews. Riley insists on doing "everything" herself, no matter how much it drives Jason and I crazy. When we try to help her go potty, she says, "I need my privacy!" Riley loves routine. She looks forward to her morning when mom and dad get her dressed, breakfast, and off to daycare. In the car with Jason, as he is the one who takes her to daycare, she "always' watches a movie and enjoys the process of deciding which movie this will be.

Gymnastics

Riley loves her gymnastics class and goes at it with no reservations. This was an awards ceremony where family was allowed to come.

Black Bat!

Look at this cute little black bat! That's right - in the middle of the day a little black bat landed on Mom and Dad's patio. He flew off and when dad and I went to look for him, we didn't see him anywhere.

A Day Out With Thomas

We had a great day out with Thomas! Check out all of the album pics on the side. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for going with us. Even though your hearts were hurting over the weekend, you still put out a smile and had a great time with us. Thanks you.

RILEY, GET OFF THE TABLE!! (yes, Riley likes to peek out her window at the little boys who always play in the front yard there!)

Daddy's Little Helper

Riley spends the day helping mommy and daddy do some cleaning and afterwards makes us some yummy banana splits! She makes a killer banana split, I might mention!

Summer of Firsts

This is Riley's new bike. Every night we take her out she gets a little better on it. Now, she takes off, and we have a hard time keeping up with her. She also saw her first movie, Shrek 3. She loved it, and the part she liked most was how they brought all the characters from the Disney fairytales into the movie.

Just Another Day at the Ranch!

We had a great time in Idaho over Memorial Day weekend. As a little girl, I have many great memories of the ranch. It makes me feel so fortunate that Riley will be able to have some of the same memories. Wish Grandpa Zain could be here also, however. Part of my memories are of him coming home from logging. I can remember the smell of pine and hard work on him as he would walk through the door, sit down on his kitchen chair, remove his boots and socks, and grandma would pour him a nice cold beer, and of course put just a little bit in the glass for herself. Then they would just talk about their day and just sit there relaxing with one another. When I was there, I would sit on the porch step eating my strawberries and cream that grandma had made me from the strawberries I had picked that day.

Riley had a great time driving the truck with papa, watering flowers, and many walks enjoying the fresh air!