ferry to vashon.

One of the things on our summer to do list was to take the boys on a ferry. 

This past weekend we were graced with the sun and able to check this one off of our list. 

We took the ferry to Vashon Island and had a picnic in the park. 

It's very hippy-country on Vashon. 

Geno was the only dad at the park not in a tie-dye shirt. 

And all of the dads had longer hair than me. 

Still, despite our city differences, 

Vashon is peaceful and beautiful and the perfect place to spend a summer day.

Watching the boats at the ferry dock.

We watched our ferry boat cross over from the other side.

The serene view interrupted every few seconds with

"why is our boat going so slow?"

"is it ever going to get here?"

"how many more minutes?"

"15 minutes? 11 minutes?"

We were all very happy when it finally arrived and we could board ( but Noah most of all).

Lovely Mt Rainier to my right.

Such a beautiful place where we live.

A quick stop at the only grocery store on the island and we had ourselves a picnic.

And a Park.

Fingers crossed for more sunny weekends ahead. 

A few more adventures we are anxious to cross off our summer list.

timeless.

Some things in life never change.

 Finding the things from your childhood that you once loved

and sharing them with your own little ones

 is one of life's greatest treasures. 

This week we discovered the joy of Hungry Hungry Hippo.

Something that both Geno & I loved when we were little. 

Bringing it out for them was a sweet moment.

Sitting back and watching them find that same joy we once did

 made my heart beat a little faster.

 The is the first game they've ever played together, as brothers.

I love this.

I want to slow down these years of simple board games

 before the transition to video games begins.

It was a simple morning of sitting in the playroom
playing Hungry Hungry Hippo.

But it's a new chapter in my memory book.

weekend { the lake }

With promises of the sun lasting the entire day, we packed up the van with shovels and buckets and drove out to the lake. But when we arrived we saw that sun does not mean summer and our sand at the cabin was covered high in murky seaweed water. So much for sandcastles and wading our toes.

Max was brave. He was promised wading his toes and so wading he did.

We spent some time sitting on the dock. It was quiet. And peaceful. No boats, just calm water. And two sweet brothers skipping rocks.

But since they still wanted sandcastles we packed up our toys and headed home.

Luckily we have sand there too.

Barbecue cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries. Dinners in the backyard, the best.

After the dinner dishes were cleared Noah turned the table into his own grand prix raceway.

And anything that big brother does, little is sure to follow.

Determined to do whatever his big brother can do. Tiptoes required.

During lap 5 of the grand prix Noah took the corner too fast and his passenger, Boba Fett, went flying from the truck. Poor Noah. He went to save him and hit his head pretty fierce on the table.

Superhero ice pack to the rescue.

And a handful of m & m's. That he shared with Boba Fett.

Tomorrow morning brings a little friend's birthday party complete with a bouncy house. And a family wedding reception in the evening. Looking forward to a fun, full day. But my favorite will be this quiet one.

sunset bug hunt.

I came across this bug collector/easter egg hunt kit and snapped it up for the boys.

Last night we had a sunset bug hunt.

The boys were elated. 

You can see it on their faces.

Ready, set, go...

Max was literally bursting with excitement. 

Noah was all business.

We hid the eggs in pairs.

Because this one was so darn quick to find them.

And this one was, well... not so quick.

But he found every last one when given time.

I love these moments.

Discovery

Excitement

Happiness

Childhood at its best.

zoo day.

Over the weekend we felt it was vital for our survival to get the boys out of the house. Cabin fever for them equals a war zone, where matchbox cars sail through the air and you duck and take cover. We decided on a quick trip to the zoo for Luke's first excursion. 

When not riding high on dad's shoulders, Max mostly worked on his 50 yard dash. Sometimes he ran ahead and tried to join other families.

Noah insisted on pushing a stroller and every few steps rammed it into our ankles.

Boys like to venture off paths. In this case, we walked through the grass that turned into mud in the middle.  

Their favorite thing: {the big blue slide.} They would have been content to stay here all day and not see one animal.

My favorite things: {Luke in the moby wrap.}

{The baby tigers that don't look like babies anymore.}

{And this shot of Geno and Max walking along the trails.}

A much needed day of fresh air.