Washington 2010

Miracle

For the first time, we were all able to take Grandpa's boat, Miracle, out for a spin! We explored Liberty Bay on a gorgeous Washington day! We first had to stop to get life jackets for the non-swimmers. Faith picked the pink and purple fairy one (big shocker, I know!) and I'm sure, would still have it on if we let her. Josie, on the other hand, was having nothing of it. FYI: Boats are one of the LEAST baby proofed places EVER.

"I'm on a Boat!!"

A new kind of "Captain Derrell"

Josie says "Let's get this baby underway!"

Safety First!

Faithie and Grandpa enjoying the Puget Sound on a beautiful day!

The seals were soooo close! We got to see a number of baby ones too!

Island Lake State Park

Less than 2 miles from Grandma and Grandpa's house is this awesome little lakefront beach! Lots of shade, a clean beach, and calm waters. It's insane that we had never been here before! Next time, I'll plan on that being a go-to activity for the kids.

The Pack n' Play portable crib was a LIFESAVER for outings like our trip to the lake!

In the canoe with Daddy and Grandpa. I'm told she just hung her arm off the side and was so still and quiet, dragging her hand in the water, that they thought she had fallen asleep!

Meeting Cousin Ewan

We packed up G&G's "Tin Lizzy" and took off for Portland to see Uncle Danny, Uncle Jess, and new Cousin Ewan! The girls did awesome in the RV (well, Faith did well both ways. Josie cried almost the entire 4 hour drive home), and Jason and I got to "relax" for the first time on our vacation! The kids were strapped in to their carseats and Grandpa was driving. We played on our phones, listened to our music, and read our books. The best 3 hours ever.

While in Portland, we checked out the awesome garden in Uncle Danny and Uncle Jess's front yard, went to the park with the fam and dogs, had our obligatory McMenamin's dinner, FINALLY saw Uncle Danny's INCREDIBLE bakery, and hung out with the family. Of course, high on my priorites was to get a new family picture, because last time, Josie was just weeks old and Jess was very newly pregnant with Ewan! My, how things change in less than a year!!

Our Furry Companions

It just isn't a trip to see our Northwest Family without including those 4-legged kids too! Mia and LeeLou, Bella and Desi are always good for a few laughs and MANY slobbery kisses!  

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's House

Whe we weren't out galavanting, we were just enjoying our time on this beautiful piece of property. The weather was much warmer than we had anticipated, but luckily, I threw Faith's bathing suit in the bag at the last minute. Faith had her annual tractor ride with Grandpa and then spent the rest of the warm day water-logging the dogs.

Diving Puget Sound

When Jason was 16, he was certified to SCUBA (in SCUBA?) in order to dive on a trip to Hawaii. It's only taken him 22 years to get back in the water! Thankfully, his dad chose diving as one of his retirement "hobbies" and is now a Dive Master! He was able to borrow the gear necessary so even the Frugal Family was happy!

Illahee State Park

While Daddy was off sinking swimming, Faith and I played on the beach and, of course, I took pictures.

Until Grandpa and Daddy, quite literally, dragged their butts out of the water, and back to the truck.

That's one tired guy!

That's our vacation in a nutshell. In general, we saw what we wanted to see and hung out with/ met the people we love. Really, you can't ask for much more in a good vacation. However, Josie also had the pleasure of cutting three teeth while we were away, which disrupted her sleep a great deal, and Faith fully decided naps were for chumps (except for the last day. She slept on the last day. The.LAST.day. Nice, kid. 

We are so very grateful and lucky to have family that cares for us and has such a picturesque place to play in for 2 weeks! We are blessed and hope for it to not be another 10 months before we make it back up here.