A Day Out With Thomas... And then Daddy got to see the Thunderbirds

We have had a fantastic weekend. And there's still a birthday party tomorrow to attend.

Ellie is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan and I had a surprise for her on Friday. The Northern Railway Museum is one of the places where they bring a Thomas look-a-like for rides and pictures. We got in the car and told her when we were on the road where we were going. She was ecstatic. We got our first taste of "Are we there yet?" Fortunately, Snoqualmie is under an hour away. When we saw Thomas parked on the tracks, she went berzerk. I think it was the happiest I have ever seen her.

Ellie in her new conductor hat. She was all ready to run the train. We were a little worried about whether she would like the ride. Well, our fears were completely unfounded.

Campbell was all grins. She had just as much fun as Ellie. By the end of the ride, we couldn't keep her on the train. She was leaning out the window, waiving at cars and generally having a blast.
The train ride goes down toward Snoqualmie Falls. From the tracks you can't see it but we drove down the line after the train ride. The Salish Lodge & Spa is on the bluffs right above the Falls and I think it's a prime candidate for a Daddy/Mommy getaway.


Nana watched the kids on Saturday afternoon and I took advantage of the break by going over to McChord Air Force Base for their Air Show. I had never seen the USAF Thunderbirds and they did not disappoint.


Charlie: So lieutenant, where exactly were you?
Maverick: Well, we...
Goose: Thank you.
Maverick: Started up on a 6, when he pulled from the clouds, and then I moved in above him.
Charlie: Well, if you were directly above him, how could you see him?
Maverick: Because I was inverted.
Iceman: [coughs whilst saying] Bull****.
Goose: No he was man, it was a really great move. He was inverted.

It's fun to play at the YMCA... And the zoo... And just chill out at home

Yeah, yeah. I know the pictures are out of order. I took the Y pics last week and didn't get around to posting them until this week. We go there 2-3 times a week to burn off some toddler energy. It's great for them and we've made some playdate friends there as well. We went to the zoo on Monday with my cousin Sarah and her kiddos. The Point Defiance Zoo has expanded the "playground" section and we learned that on sunny days, we're going to need to bring a change of clothes after Funky and Crash get done running around in the water.

Hot weather? Ha!

So we went over to Ocean Shores for the day to escape the heat. Great idea and I only wish that we had planned ahead and gone over on Saturday. It got up to 92 in Tacoma and the temps were still in the upper 80's at 7:30. The water on the Washington coast it too cold to play in but the 65 degree temps with cloud cover was a nice break from the heat.






I think we'll be finding sand in weird places for the next few days. I don't know how I managed to live in Texas for 20+ years. Summer heat down there would kill me now.

Mini vacations rule!

With little kids it can be kind of a pain to travel. With Jennifer's school schedule it wasn't very easy to get away for more than a day or two at a time. She's finished with the commute to UW for classwork and is now at Ft. Lewis full time. She's off to D.C. for 3+ weeks next weekend so we wanted to squeeze in one more mini vacation before she left. Fortunately, the Puget Sound has a treasure trove of places to visit for the day or a short overnight trip. We took the girls back to downtown Seattle last Saturday for a night and had a lot of fun. We did this back in February and enjoyed it.

The Grand Hyatt is 7 blocks up from Pike Place Market and right in the middle of a lot of shopping and restaurants. Very convenient and we got a really good deal on an awesome suite. Heck, the 1/2 bath off the entry was more than big enough for Campbell's portable crib. Jennifer and Ellie got the king bed and I got the comfy couch. The girls were entranced by the view out across Elliott Bay and down onto the streets. Right over Ellie's head is Pike Place. Off to right we could see the Space Needle. The ferries come and go up until midnight and several cruise ships departed in the late afternoon. We got to check in a little early so we did the Market first and then came back to the room to clean up and get ready for dinner. Each time we visit downtown we end up finding somewhere else great to eat. The girls really don't give a hoot but Jennifer and I like the variety. On Sunday we went to the Seattle Aquarium. Small crowd for such a nice day but we weren't complaining. It was nice to let Campbell walk around with us without worrying about her getting run over.

After the girls were in bed, I walked down the street and took some pictures. I was trying to get some street scenes and while there were a lot of people out and about I just didn't seem to see anything that caught my eye. Until I got back down to the Market. The neon "Public Market" is the icon of area and is picture friendly. After I got back to the room I kicked myself for not bringing my tripod because the added stability would have really helped. But that's just something I'll add to the list for next time. It's not like we don't bring enough stuff as it is! We're heading to Ocean Shores tomorrow to escape the heat. Officially, it hit 87 today but the temperature downstairs was 80 as of 11:00 pm. Upstairs was even warmer. The girls' rooms stay a bit cooler but the master bedroom roasts for some reason. I know the Monkey Twins will love playing in the sand. Hopefully Ellie isn't dead set on playing in the water. She tried that last time we went and ended up with 50 degree water up to her knees. So here's to 70 degrees and some shade tomorrow at the beach. Even if we do end up with sand in odd places.

I am the master of my domain

This was the scene in our laundry room last Saturday...
I managed to overload the washing machine. A bunch of towels was too much for the old girl. I called a buddy who does appliance repair but he doesn't come this far south for work. But he walked me through 90% of getting the machine apart. As I got the motor unclipped, he says "when you get it off, you'll see what the problem is. I gotta go." Uh. Well, I pulled the motor off, turned it over and there is was. A broken coupling that costs $15. My friend just saved me $200 for a house call. I picked up the piece from Sears on Monday, put the washing machine back together and was doing laundry 10 minutes later. Thanks to Bill, I learned an easy lesson in home repair and managed to feel manly all at the same time.

80 degrees and it's killing me

Four years away from Texas and I'm a wuss in the heat. We'll be up over 80 again tomorrow. If we had some ceiling fans it might make being inside a bit more bearable but for now we're getting some good breezes. The temps are back down in the 60's right now but then again, it is 11:15 at night.

I dropped the girls off at the Ft. Lewis Child Development Center this morning, came home to do some quick work around the house and then headed out to take some pictures on a beautiful sunny day. The Olympics were stunning off to the west and Mt. Rainier looked bigger than ever but not seeing it for 2-3 weeks will do that to you. There's a park down in Steilacoom that runs along the shore. Apparently, today was Senior Skip Day from Lakes High School and, well, I feel old.
The girls have been enjoying life outside more and more. Prior to today, we've had some nice "warm" weather with temps in the mid 60's. The girls think it's ALWAYS time to go to the playground. We spend as much time as possible outside. Ellie thinks every flower needs to be picked and Campbell loves to pour sand down her shirt and pants. I think she'll learn that sand in the diaper sucks soon enough.

Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party!"

I can't take credit for that. Robin Williams said it at some point. But Spring has sprung finally for us. We had fantastic weather on Friday and Saturday last week and today brightened up after lunch time. Obviously, the Monkey Twins are enjoying the chance to play without having to avoid wet slides or swings.

The parade ground at Ft. Lewis was a great place to celebrate. The girls were competing in a "who could make a bigger shadow" contest. Then it was "who can run around in circles the most before getting too dizzy."