Tuesday, June 17th, 2014
Happy Birthday, Dana!!!
Dana had fun waterfall hunting on his own. He found three waterfalls that are off trail. This is Spirit Falls. The others were Carson Creek Falls and Catherine Creek Falls. He had some nice time tromping through the woods, over rocks, and up streams. That night we had some tasty BBQ and a lemon roulade cake with huckleberry filling. It was a good birthday.
Monday, June 16th, 2014
We watched one of Dana’s Father’s Day gifts. It is a good movie.
Sunday, June 15th, 2014
Happy Father’s Day!
It was a good Father’s Day. Ruth even made some delicious caramel corn that Gideon really wanted to try.
Saturday, June 14th, 2014
Happy National Get Outdoors Day! To help celebrate, Fort Vancouver had an event with lots of different booths and activities for all ages. There were lots of things to touch and try. They even had a fishing pond set up (though the line was quite long). Magnus liked trying this raft out. He also painted a fish, put out a “fire,” and panned for gold.
Friday, June 13th, 2014
Heading home we stopped at the Hoh Rain Forest and walked the Hall of Mosses. We liked the dangling curtains of mosses and the twisted forms of the tree roots on the nurse logs.
Thursday, June 12th, 2014
9.3 miles of hiking was our goal today; and we all made it, though we were all very tired by the end. We wanted to see the petroglyphs at the Wedding Rocks just south of Cape Alava. The section of coast we hiked along was also very rugged and beautiful. That night we set up camp and had a feast of hotdogs.
Wednesday, June 11th, 2014
Our trip continued: Sol Duc was reached by following a beautiful forest trail. And the hike was worth it. Dana also went to see Marymere Falls. Then we all headed into werewolf territory to see Rialto Beach and walk to Hole-in-the-Wall. Ruth even got to do the traditional tickling of a sea anemone.
Tuesday, June 10th, 2014
Our day was filled with beaches and mountains. We collected lots of cool, round rocks for our garden on Whidbey Island and then caught a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula. We stopped at another beach and found more rocks. We searched for trolls on a farm. Then we headed into the sky at Hurricane Ridge in the national park. It was fun to play on the beach and in the snow in the same day.
Monday, June 9th, 2014
Catching a boat in Anacortes, WA, we were off on our whale watching tour. It was exciting and surreal to see orcas in the wild. We also enjoyed the view at Deception Pass. The day was finished after dinner at Seabolt’s, a seafood restaurant we like on Whidbey Island. Dana got some of the best calamari we’ve ever had.
Sunday, June 8th, 2014
We went to Dana’s old church ward (3rd Ward) in the morning. We have been wanting to see some people there and to go to church with Farmor and Anton. While we were there Bishop Fielding was released and Bishop Brewer was called. We have know both of them for a while, so that was special to see. In the afternoon we drove up to Seattle to spend the night with Jordan, one of Dana’s old roommates, and his family. It was good to see them and Magnus loved playing with Jordan’s two boys.
Saturday, June 7th, 2014
Terry had a special drawing for fans of her store Vintage Vignette to win a special prize. She invited Magnus to come and be the impartial name drawer. Afterwards we had a KFC dinner with Ivan and Terry at Frenchman’s Bar Park on the Columbia River. It was a bit windy, but we had a lot of fun. Thank you for the wonderful evening.
Friday, June 6th, 2014
A trip to the park is a great way to burn off some built up energy. Gideon is still unsure about that.
Thursday, June 5th, 2014
The part to fix our washing machine came and Dana got to fix it. Magnus helped by making sure all the tools were out. Yay for things that can be fixed.
Wednesday, June 4th, 2014
We found the box of baby toys for Gideon to play with. He is starting to entertain himself for short spans if he has something to hold while he is sitting.
Monday, June 2nd, 2014
Grilled asparagus.
Dana is a big fan of asparagus and this is my favorite way to eat it. We bought these at the Farmer’s Market and they were very good.
Sunday, June 1st, 2014
Magnus went bug hunting tonight at Farmor’s house. He caught an earwig and some rolly-pollies.
Saturday, May 31st, 2014
The landlord has been unwilling to do anything with the cat, so we told them that if they gave us a trap, we’d get the cat out from under the house.
We trapped the kitty and took her to the Humane Society this morning. She was pretty relaxed for being in a cage. She didn’t even cry very much on the car ride.
We wish the kitty many more days of being happy and healthy (and not living under an apartment).
Friday, May 30th, 2014
Gideon is six months old (as of Tuesday)! He can sit for a little while without any one holding him. When he lunges too far forward, he falls. But I think he likes being a little independent.
Thursday, May 29th, 2014
Magnus’s breakfast. It was a Nutella sandwich on a hotdog bun. Magnus drank his juice and then put the sandwich inside… and stabbed it with this straw. He said he was saving it for later.
Wednesday, May 28th, 2014
The Young Women went to the temple visitor's center tonight for mutual. I made Dana drive and he and Magnus walked around the temple while Gideon and I went with the ladies.
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
Magnus has been working on using the toilet for all his expulsion needs. He reached a milestone today and earned this LEGO jet that can also become a space shuttle and a plane. We have started using underpants and Magnus is (generally) enthusiastic about using the toilet! Yay!
Monday, May 26th, 2014
Memorial Day! Thank you to all who have served this country.
Anton and his girlfriend, Amanda, joined us today on our adventure to the Gorge. After picking up my friend Brian in Carson, WA, we continued east to just past Bingen. We went on a great little hike that is a bit obscure called the Indian Pits Hike. The first part of the trail goes through a wildflower wonderland. Then you come to a large talus field where there are dozens of Indian Pits. These are pits that have been dug out and built up among the loose rocks. Some of these are estimated to be thousands of years old. The purpose for them is not fully known, but they are believed to have some religious significance. It was pretty cool to see them. We also enjoyed the hike to Catherine Creek Arch.
Sunday, May 25th, 2014
We have been having issues with a stray cat living under our building since last Fall. The problems got worse when it had kittens about a month ago. Yesterday, some of our neighbors thought it was a good idea to take the kittens away, but not the mother. So now the mom cat wanders around at night whining and looking for its kittens. And it seems to think we have them, so it likes to stand in front of our door. So now we have to try and catch her for good.
Saturday, May 24th, 2014
Planting time at Farmor’s house. Magnus got to help out with the potatoes. Ruth got to go see X-men: Days of Future Past, while Dana and Elina took Magnus to The LEGO Movie.
Friday, May 23rd, 2014
We are trying to grow some herbs this year. This is our little basil plants, or cilantro, I can’t remember which is which when they are this small. Dana went to X-men: Days of Future Past, and loved it (Ruth went the next day).
Thursday, May 22nd, 2014
Happy Birthday, Natalie!
There are some petty flowers around our apartment.
Wednesday, May 21st, 2014
Gideon is showing a lot of interest in what his big brother is doing. But sometimes the big brother likes to copy Gideon.
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
Happy Birthday, Dave!
The boys had fun at Farmor’s house while Mom and Dad went out to see The Monuments Men. It is always nice to have a night out.
Monday, May 19th, 2014
I made curtains! I have been wanting curtains on our windows since last summer and I finally got them done. They are nothing fancy, but they do the job.
Sunday, May 18th, 2014
Magnus wanted to watch the Firebird Suite segment on Fantasia 2000 and show it to Farmor. The segment was inspired by Mt. St. Helens, and Magnus loves it. He has now watched it many times. It was also the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens 34 years ago.
Saturday, May 17th, 2014
We went to watch the Hazel Dell parade this morning. The bands were good and Magnus got a whole bunch of candy. After the parade we drove out to Woodland to an Alpaca farm to meet the animals. It was a busy day.
Friday, May 16th, 2014
I made this pillow! I got some fabric from a friend and have been trying to think of things to do with it. This gold fabric wanted to be a moon pillow. I got some books about embroidery from the library and figured out a few stitches to make this. It’s very poofy.
