So good to see these guys!!

Mom and Danielle have been through a lot together, from hoping their dates would stand them up for their freshman homecoming dance to rooming together in college and trying out for the WWU cheerleading team. (Not really, but they practiced a lot and managed to convince many of their friends that they were serious.) Mom is so glad that Dani and her family have moved nearby! Now they're hoping that their boys will be as good of friends as they are!

Last Chance for the Lagoon

This was most likely the last chance to take a dip in the lagoon behind Grandma and Grandpa's house this year. What a beautiful late-September day!
We played a really fun game. Nathan throws the log; Evan rakes it in to Nathan; Nathan throws the log again. Hours of entertainment.

We celebrated two birthdays, too!

Elsa made me a hula hoop!

Dad's First Century

Dad completed his first century ride on Saturday. It was HILLY! We are really proud of him!

Mom and Dad stepped inside for just a minute...

When they left, we were playing nicely with the hose; we were dry and it seemed like it was going to stay that way.

But look what they found when they came back outside! (And they swear they were only gone for a minute!)

"We're giving each other showers!" Said with such excitement and happiness that it diffused the "Oh-no-dinner-is-on-the-table-and-now-they-have-to-dry-off-and-change-clothes" thoughts that were going through Mom and Dad's heads.

"Want a drink, Nathan?" Check out Nathan's cute belly sticking out through his soaked shirt!

School is back in session, the weather is still nice, and the animals are out in full force. Time for the zoo! We met our friends Zoe, Cullen, and Lauren for a trip to the zoo and aquarium. Hard to get these kids to stay still long enough for a picture!

That's RAD!

Mom, Dad, Aunt Katy, and Uncle Joe teamed up to traverse Bellingham on Saturday.

The Greenways Run.

The Mountain Bike.

The Road Bike.

The Trail Run.

The Kayak.

The end. They had a great day AND they raised over $10,000 for Action For Africa.

Our Favorite Four Year Old

Happy birthday, Evan!

I've been eyeing this one all day!

Mom and Dad gave me this fun crane. It was the first present I opened, and it was more than an hour before I opened the second one.

Uncle Keith and Aunt Amanda sent these fun party favors. They were almost as big of a hit as the crane!

Multi-tasking: Reading with Oma and playing with the party favors. And still coming down from the sugar-high.

Hard at work rolling out playdough.

Another picture, Mom? Really?

Life's a Beach

Dad snuck out to get a few casts in after dinner. We might have missed the action, were it not for Elsa saying, "I don't want to play this game. I want to see what Uncle Adam has on his line." So much pressure as we (and the next door neighbors) rushed outside to see him reel in his fish. Watching Daddy filet his fish. (This actually might have been Grandpa's fish. There were so many it's hard to keep track!) Daddy's total was three salmon. Not bad for a weekend's work. I love my new fishing pole. And I even love to fish for a few minutes at a time! Mom and Aunt Katy took Grandma to get pedicures for Grandma's birthday. Then they came home and painted our nails, too! Our second annual clam boil.

We're having fish tonight!

Dad caught his first fish since he was a kid. (And he caught the fishing bug, too!) This fish was so feisty that it broke the reel off the pole, so Grandpa had to help hold the reel to the pole while Dad reeled it in and a neighbor waited with the net. It was a tough one, but Dad was NOT GOING TO LET IT GO! Plus, they ended up with a great "fish story"! Lucky for them, they have the broken pole and reel to prove it.  Perfect day for a kayak, too!