Ellie & Pete

Taking Cade and Claire home and then our trip to Scenic Beach

we hadn't see Ellie and Pete in 3 weeks

So off to Redmond we went

Pete likes Charlies paws

Brooke and Chris got out some toys Ellie used and they

stored away.  Now Pete is ready for them

and Ellie is enjoying them too

Ellie has to teach Pete how things work

and be patient

and reteach

and then put on somethings that had been taken off for storage

Ellie was so funny.  She went to work and worked on her laptop

with a cell phone and her keys near by.  Then a while later she came into the living 

room and let us know she was done working and was home now!

Pete just watched her

This is kind of a relaxed setting

She's still enjoying her doll house

They are growing up so fast.  Ellie will be starting preschool in two weeks

Pete now has two teeth and scooting to reach what he wants

Annual Scenic Beach Trip

We go to Scenic Beach State Park every August.  

We've been going with four other couples and their kids since the kids were in

grade school.  This is the 29th year but only the 25th year at

Scenic Beach

We set up camp in one spot and that's where all the dinners are

eaten with all five families

This is the food table

This is the dining area with two picnic tables under canopies

We do a group picture one of the nights.

Some of the kids are now married and bring their kids

So the gathering of families starts

Carol's family with one of their kids (and Fran's kids)

Mary Anne's family with one of their kids (and Ryan's kids)

Walt front and center

The group on Sunday night

Reeve one month younger than Pete

The soon to be newlyweds

Brynn & Ben

Playing in the street

Games after dark

To dry for campfires but we could use propane to cook

Smore's happens to be cooking

Our site is one of the well sought after, hence the price is higher

Our table gets taken over to the main site for one of the dinner tables

It's a pull through site and this is where we will pull out

and it continues down further

This is the end we pulled in to

It's a very big secluded site.

Look who won this weekend's Championship Trophy

El Dorado Hills Hornets

Tournament Champions

Aug 14 &15

Cade is second from the left in the back row of kids

Andrew helped coach.  They play two games each day

if you lose your out.  Pretty good playing this weekend 

in 107 degrees

Good Job, guys!!

Cade & Claire visit Gram & Grampa

Amy had some classes to take for her new job and Andrew had

a bunch of meetings he couldn't get out of so they called

Gram & Grampa to see if they wanted Cade & Claire for a week.

Duh!!

We met Amy in southern Oregon on a Saturday and brought the

kids home with us.

Of course, at Gram & Grampa's it's not all fun and games

I had Claire trim my rhodie

and Grampa put Cade to work on the new trailer

First you have to watch to see how it's done

Then you get a little closer

They were drilling holes to put a new jack on and 

sparks were flying, hence the sweatshirts on an

80 degree day

Cade got the job of grinding the old paint off the trailer tongue

Claire found Auntie Brooke's doll stuff

The tongue being primered

Some fun put in there just to keep them interested

Cade waiting for his turn on the bike

Claire in the blackberry patch out back

Not many got inside

The kids wanted to go over to see their cousins

so we met up with Brooke and Helen at 

Paradise Valley Conservation Area 

for a hike with cousins and second cousins

Ellie, Giuliana, Anthony, and Brooke with Pete

Giuliana, Claire, and Anthony

The rock was a big hit

Cade and Grampa were actually on the hike we just 

didn't see much of them

Pete loves the front pack

Lex

Cade

Giuliana and Claire

Lunch on the rock

Yum!!

Back to Brooke's for some cousin time

Pete's sitting up pretty well now

Cade's favorite "Red Bird"

Kickball on the new grass 

Claire found another blackberry patch

Popcycles for all, well the girls anyway

Pete had oatmeal

Claire 'reading' Pete his book

He liked the red square best

Another thing on the kids bucket list was to ride the 

ferry to Seattle and eat at Ivar's

So we headed to the waterfront one afternoon

and watched the ferry come in at the waterfront park

There are 5 of these submarine like tops in this park next to the ferry

They all erupt at different times or all at once

East Bremerton in the background

Bainbridge Island in the background

Need I say more?

feeding the seagulls

Yikes!

The Seattle waterfront is all torn up because they are putting

in a new sea wall.  Fighting with the fences and traffic wasn't

much fun so we planned to just go over and eat and come back 

Cade in front of the two sports stadiums

It was a beautiful day for a ferry ride

and of course windy on the ferry

a few games were played

Brooke and the kids came over one day and we all went 

to Salsbury Point County Park north of the Hood Canal Bridge

The water was cold but it didn't stop the playing

One of the bathing beauties on the beach (Ellie)

Back at the house for some relaxing

 some smoothies

and a silly dance

Cade's only boy cousin, so far

The four cuties

Then a quick trip down to return the kids before we 

go camping 

We spent the night at a casino in southern Oregon

that had a swimming pool and an arcade 

Tickets were won

games were played

and then they cashed in all their tickets for the little

trinkets you get in machines, UGH!

We had some time at their house to play a little

So I played with Claire's hair

We decided it was cute for a littler girl with less hair

Peyton was so excited to see the kids home and to see

Grampa (the popcorn man)

We stayed long enough to see them off to their

first day of school (Cade 5th grade, Claire 3rd)

and then we took off for home.

Fun Time!!

Thanks Amy and Andrew for sharing your kids with us  :o)