Man of Mystery

Parker just finished spy camp. I was lucky to snap a rare photo of him before his cover was compromised. He's had a long week of infiltrating, tracking and surveillance. We are happy he's safe at home. For now.

Easy does it.

 

We spent a glorious, sun-filled, river running six days in Plain last week. It was amazing. And quiet. And unplugged. I adore that there is no tv, no phone, no internet and no cell service. A lack of all that creates a sense of peaceful meandering through the days.

 

We made a dam in the river. Then we made it bigger. Then we added a river rock jetty that created a warm pool on the banks of our river. We caught fish in tiny nets. We cooked our dinners and roasted vegetables over the open fire. We laid in warm rooms at night with fans blowing on our sun-drenched bodies. And we rafted the river. Every.Single.Day.

Along with that rafting, Parker and Evie ramped up their bravery. These kids step out on a lot of faith in their life, trusting their instincts and their risk taking skills. (One of the attributes of learning at Parker's school is being a "risk taker", which he prides himself on. He'll read a book aloud to the class, painstakingly sounding out each word, he'll volunteer for something he's still a little unsure of, and he'll walk up to any "new friend" despite their grade level and invite them to play. His teacher even noted his keen ability to take risks on report card). It's no wonder that one of the ways they really encourage each other is by telling one another "take a risk!" and "great job risk taking!" and "ooooh! look at you! such a risk!!". It's awfully cute. Their bravery this week manifested in The Big River. The Wenatchee runs fast and deep. Much faster than usual at this time of year. And at two different points during this week, both of the kids fell out of their rafts on some pretty big rapids. I watched their rafts enter into churning waters and hit a combination of waves and rocks just right - their rafts heading high up into the air and flipping over - the kids tumbling out and disappearing under the churning waters. But THEN, then they did exactly as we practiced. They swam up to the surface, their life jackets helping them bounce up, they took big breaths of air before the rapids sucked them back under, and they swam hard. And within seconds, minutes, a tiny span of time, someone (dad, grandpa, the nearest adult), yanked them back out of the water and onto a raft. I looked at them, squinting my eyes in the sun, reading their little faces - and then they smiled. And talked about how BRAVE they were, the big RISK, how PROUD they felt that the remembered exactly what to do. And my heart soared with pride too. After that, jumping off the boulder at the swimming area seemed trivial. But still a little scary. They propelled themselves off the rock and into the swift currents of the deep river and let the waters guide them back to shore just like we showed them. They trusted us and they trusted the river. By the end of the week Evie wanted to wait until more rafters were floating by to make sure they could see her (and hopefully cheer for her). Which they especially did when she asked me to toss her out farther and "try and get some air this time".

That's my four and six year old. Braver than I. Even still.

 

I kind of believe them...

Parker's favorite book when he was a baby was a boat book titled On The Water. And in Evie's preschool photo (you know, the one's with the adorable chalkboard where they say what they want to be when they grow up) she said she wants to be a shell finder. Which is very rare. And quite lucrative, I'm sure. She comes from a long line of shell collectors. And rocks. And interesting sticks. And a pressed flower or leaf or two as well.

This weekend we went to The Cabin again while Jeremy worked smack dab in the middle of it. We took the boat out, pulled up (a lot) of crab, wandered the beaches, and dug an amazing system of channels and dams with the natural springs on the beach, just in time for the tides to wash them away. We found shells, crabs, hermit crabs, fish, and eels. We played store and house and family amongst the rocky shore. The kids are at home on these beaches.

And Parker has been saying for a couple of years now that he wants to be a biologist. He studies the shoreline and the water. He has a bazillion books about sharks and whales. And he can spout of facts like nobody's business. Evie has been saying for a year now that she wants to be a diver. A deep sea diver, to be exact. And between her curiosity about sea life and her amazing aquatic skills at swimming lessons, she just may.

I kind of believe them...

Sunset trip

Jeremy was supposed to have this weekend off as one of our summer vacations we planned back in December, but he ended up having to work the weekend. So we made the most of it and I met the kids and Jeremy down at the cabin after work and we went out on the boat to see what we could catch for a couple hours. The sun was going down, the waters were blustery, and the view was gorgeous. A fine few hours indeed!

Oh happy day!

On Saturday we celebrated our dear friend Lisa's birthday amongst family, friends and kids in the heart of Seattle. We started out at her gorgeous condo in Belltown and then walked under the Space Needle to The Ducks. Where we all rode The Ducks. Much to the children's delight.

This wonderful girl, Lisa, is Everly's godmother. And one of my most favorite people on the planet. She is amazing and I felt so lucky to be able to spend her birthday celebration with her. The kids made "I love you" cards for her because that's how we all feel. We LOVE Lisa. From the bottom of our hearts.

Celebrations

Way back earlier this week, Jeremy worked 72 hours out of 96 hours keeping streets and people safe in, around and on the Fourth of July. The kids and I kicked it at home alone while I wished him home because I grow increasingly terrified, slightly concerned, about all the fireworks and mayhem that accompanies the fourth. So this year whilst Jeremy was away, we headed down to my dear friend Brittney's house to kick it with her family for the day. It was glorious. And I managed to convince the kids that the 10 bottle rockets and the 6 sparklers John happened to have on hand (God bless him), were THE FIREWORKS! Yay! So fun! Isn't this fun? Yes, it is!

We spent the day on their amazing waterslide, eating crab for dinner, and devouring a bottle of champagne (Britt and I. Not the kids. We're pretty sure). A good time was had by all. Then I drove back after 9pm, pulled into Bellingham at 10:30 at the top of our hill that overlooks the city and the bay where Evie screams "There's the city! AT NIGHT! THIS IS SO COOL!!" and Parker grabs my hand and looks at me and sincerely says "Mom. Good job. This is the best day EVER." as huge fireworks exploded all around us. Literally. Like 30 feet from my car. While my kids squished on my lap in the driver's seat and stared in wonderment. I'm still patting myself on the back.

Sun Streak

Last weekend we enjoyed the unusually hot weather by spending our days on the beaches of Fidalgo Island and all the other little islands the boat can make it out to. The sun scorched hot on the beach, sending the kids into the cold waters of the bay and we relaxed on the deck with coloring books and shrimp. Ah, a good weekend indeed.

 Parker shows off his muscles on the shores of Hope.

Water diversion, dam building and building of boats. For five hours.

 Evie thought the fish jumping were HILARIOUS.

 Getting prepped and ready for opening day on Monday.