First Comes Love...

We attended our first concert as a family last weekend and had so much fun -DMB was the perfect band and the Gorge was ( obviously ) the perfect venue ✨

Last Friday while we were in Leavenworth celebrating Kevin's birthday, Mamie, Papa, Lucy, George and I floated the river during nap time!

Another memorable year at Alderbook is in the books!

We've discovered a sort of family sub-culture this summer that we're totally digging - we spent this past weekend at Camp Don Bosco family camp and had such a great time!

Anne and Ian flew into town last week and we had an awesome weekend hanging out with family at Lake Samish.

Happy Mother's Day, ladies! This year we celebrated with a trip to Suncadia for the weekend.  Kevin and the kids surprised me with this trip and after George's karate class on Saturday, we headed to Roslyn for a fun-filled 24 hours.

Kevin, the kids, and I got away last weekend to San Juan Island!

We enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend with close friends at a cabin on Lake Cavanaugh this year. Somewhat last minute, Kevin found a rental house on the lake and we spent three days and two nights playing in the water, relaxing on the dock, and enjoying great food and company.

We enjoyed another great 4th at Alderbrook this year! The daytime entertainment (live music, oyster eating contest, crafts for the kids) was wonderful, the fireworks show was amazing, and the parade the following morning was again a huge highlight for the kids (for Kevin too, who got to sing the Star Spangled Banner while standing next to Melinda Gates!) George loved running around on stage with the other boys and all three loved dancing to the music.  George, Ben, and Kevin even made a cameo in the local newspaper (although we have yet to receive copies). This is a tradition we hope to continue for a long time! Here are some pictures from this year:

Mamie and Papa offered to watch the kids this past weekend, so Kevin and I were able to get away for Valentine's Day. What a treat! We spent the weekend on the coast and found a house just north of Ocean Shores. It was the perfect chance to relax, unwind, and reconnect. (We even spent both mornings simply looking out at the ocean, drinking our coffees, and talking to each other!) Disconnecting from our devices is hard, but so worth it. We had our fill of high cholesterol seafood (we managed fish and chips, clam chowder, crab cakes, and shrimp louie all within a 48 hour period), took long walks each morning, spent Valentine's evening at an adorable wine bar and restaurant in Seabrook , and soaked in the ocean air as we drove down the beach each day. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I hope you enjoyed an equally relaxing weekend. Happy (belated) Valentine's Day.

Kevin and I escaped to Walla Walla last weekend for some much needed time away.  We devoured every (kid free) moment together while Abigail and George stayed with Mamie and Papa to enjoy a weekend full of sweet treats and fun outings. We stayed at Areus and were once again impressed with our gracious host, accommodations, and breath taking grounds.   We are pretty familiar with wineries in the West and airport regions, so we focused on the South this time and while we were charmed by the beautiful tasting rooms and breathtaking views of the Blue Mountains, our attempt to find new wine we love proved fruitless  (pun totally intended)  ;) We did however hit up a few old favorites: 3 Rivers, and Charles Smith (of K Vitner), and were delighted with a new discovery: Pepperbridge. Long Shadows tasting room and Chihuly glass Enjoying the sunshine at our belov...

We enjoyed a fun, relaxing Mother's Day in Sequim this year. The plan was to leave bright and early Friday morning (around 5:30-6am) when George usually wakes, but we ended up closer to 8am.   With our track record, that's close enough  :) The kids enjoyed the ferry ride.  Abigail and Kevin played on the deck while George and I sat inside eating oatmeal (George hasn't learned how to breath in the wind, so the ferry deck terrifies him).   We got to the place, baby-proofed everything (removing all knick-knacks, and half of the furniture), then settled in to enjoy a weekend at the beach.   Later in the day we drove to Port Townsend for dinner at Addie Mae's (ah-mazing!)  Then back at the place that evening, Abigail and I shared a room ( she doesn't sleep well in unknown places; who can blame her) , and Kevin and George had the other room.  Did I mention it was a romantic weekend ...