The Firehouse Glass Blowers in Langley is an old– get this–fire station that keeps the station doors fully open and lets visitors wander in and out while glass flowers, bowls, ornaments, balls, sea stars, and yes, pumpkins are being made.  These items are frightfully expensive, so when you look at the price to make on yourself, it’s not so bad comparitively.

So Dwayne made me a glass pumpkin!

 

 

Perhaps with a smidgeon of help from the owner.

Dwayne loved the experience and I get a beautiful, new fall decoration….that I have asked my mom to keep at her house at least for another year.  Because I would scream and sell a child if said child broke my new glass pumpkin.  So now I post his picture so I can visit him when I want to.

Cool, huh?

My OR brother (and his darling wife) hadn’t been to the cabin in the year that we’ve owned it, but they finally had a small chunk of time to come up and do a half-dozen things, one which is to play with us on the island for a day!

 

We always love the ferry ride over!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still occassionally try to collect poses of the three of them together.  Here we are in one of my favorite little towns, Langley, as we meet up with Brian and Sandi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, look!  It’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Sandi!

 

We got ‘em, Mama!

 

 

 

I tried to get as many family shots as I could, but Fast Children beat Slow Camera almost every time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a second before Kyla photo-bombed them.  Score one for the Camera!

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, the afternoon really was this good!

 

The next day, after church, we made it to Meerkirk Gardens, which is a place we’ve always loved.  Wesley and I didn’t get further than the parking lot (our two cars were the only ones there), and he took a long nap while the others stomped around the grounds. 

 

Great Dahlias!  (And I love Piper’s hair—it’s the best way to keep hair out of her eyes while she grows out her bangs.)

 

 

And then we say good-bye to our favorite Oregonians!  We loved our 24 hours with you both!

Over the last few months, Kyla has asked for various and sundry items for her birthday, but the two things she kept coming back to were a date with Mom and Dad (and more importantly, without her siblings) and a nice necklace—a fancy one like the one Mama always gets.  And under my breath, I would add “and you always break.” 

But her birthday came, and we promised her that we’d drop her siblings off at Grandma’s, and we would take her necklace shopping. 

How fun!

You think I’d have a picture of the necklace, but she chose a garnet (red) heart on a silver chain that, at $30, seemed just the right fancy for a little girl who tries very hard to take care of her things…until she forgets. 

But one can’t shop for jewelry all day, so even with an excursion into the delightful-smelling Bath & Beauty Works, we still had time to drive to Seattle for to see an IMAX.  We chose The Hubble, and It. Was. So. Cool.  Totally vegetables for the brain, but really yummy veggies, like grilled asparagus and red peppers with garlic.

And you can’t end up at the Pacific Science Center on a sunny day without playing at least a little bit.

Dwayne has some justifiable concerns about heights, but he did this without screaming like a child.

 

Look, Ma, no hands!

 

Happy 7th year, Kyla!

T-Rex pajama shirt, new rain coat (a $5 steal at Value Village—it’s actually waterproof!), gym shorts (please, Almighty One, let him be wearing underwear!), and a polka dot tie.  

 

Not as good as yesterday’s plaid shorts, striped shirt and same time, but close enough.

 

Hey, I’m working on my emotional depth.  I think I’m improving.

Other parents: Oh, my [1st, 2nd, 3rd, last] child is starting school today.  I feel a little bit sad and nostalgic.

Me: {sob] I still have one more at home!  For two. More. Years. WAH!

 

This brand new kindergartener should have a wanted poster around her picture.  I kid you not, Piper laid down on the classroom rug, declared Kindergarten to be “boring”, and chose to spend part of her half-day in the office instead of joining her classmates in first day activities.

Just one more story for the Piper legend.

    

 

I think Kyla is trying to hug me  as we struggle to get out of the house.  That’s my best explanation for this pose. 

The night before, I helped each girl pick out her school outfit.  The next morning, they were both dressed in something  completely different, and neither matched.  They also both decided to do their own hair.  Let’s just say they can both stand out in a crowd….

Coordinated outfits notwithstanding, it might be a long year. 

[Dwayne made this pop-up card for Kyla—using a box cutter because we couldn’t find the Exacto-knife! (Hopefully, if we can’t find it, the kids won’t find it.)  Isn’t he amazing?]

 

I have lots and lots to say about this girl, but I’m going to spend more time collecting my thoughts. 

First, plan the party on the middle day of the last long weekend of summer, so your guests can avoid the first and last day ferry lines.  Instead, they get to just wait in just as long as a line and get to be more surprised by it.  Oops.

Second, invite all guests for a, ahem, walk down to the beach. Consider plying them with beer before they get to the rappelling ropes.  Next time.  Do not look at the tide charts so that you can be surprised when the tide is in all the way and the party cannot walk along the beach. 

(That punk on the end is my husband who is allegedly not throwing stones at me.)

As a good hostess, be the first to fall into the water.  Delete the digital evidence.

Swing, swing, swing, swing!

Before returning to the cabin, climb a tree for the heck of it.  This particular tree all but has stairs built right into it.  My mother’s  (my  AWESOME MOTHER!) climb would be slightly more impressive if the dog hadn’t climbed up right after her.

Eat. Drink. Rinse. Repeat.  Use up every dish in the cabin.  Twice.  (Hand wash before reusing for dessert.)

Open gifts. 

Collapse.

 

Thanks, family, for making this special effort.  It meant a lot to Kyla to celebrate her birthday with loved ones!

Kyla turns 7 in two days*, so she had a small swimming party with the friends she’s had since she was a few months old.  It was pretty easy—swim, eat pizza, and smear neon frosting all over your face. 

I like how Piper and Wesley matched their frosting to their shirts.  The first time they try to color coordinate something….

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Yes, yes, I post-date the heck out of this blog.  But let’s get back to my virtual reality now.

The first thing that must be noted, is that although the car is packed with all sorts of camping….crap…., Piper carefully cradled the brand-new bag of marshmallows in her lap the entire distance to Camp Casey on Whidbey Island (yep, just 30 minutes from the cabin—talk about temptation!).   Wesley still likes to hold hands all the time in the car and Kyla still, usually, obliges.

 

Why I Went Camping:

1) We bought a ridiculously big tent (it actually has four rooms) and I feel we should use it once a year.

2)  Some of the people I love most in the world—and their children (who I also love very much)—were going.

3) It was at a great place that had a private campground for just our church group which meant….free-range kids!!

4) Some of the meals were being provided.

5) Again, because it was greatest factor, our tribe was there.

 

And, gangbusters, the kids loved it.  Which kids?  I’m not sure. There was just this blur of kids running through the forest together.  Some I had given birth to, some just birthday gifts. 

Walks along the beach….  

 

and the old fort….

 

and forts on the beach!

 

There were the Family Olympics, which featured…balloons!

 

Talent (and “Talent”) show

 

And the most marvelous sunset.

 

See, with a little time and editing, one can forget the babies screaming at night, the gangs who ran around—yelling—before 7am, and the 90 minute ferry wait.  We’ll do it again next year!

One cannot have said to have conquered something until one can stand on top of it.  So must be the kids’ philosophy.  Unfortunately, a neighborhood friend is getting indoctrinated.  Sorry, Kelsey!