Did I forget anything?

I once had a nursing supervisor say, in frustration to push back that she was receiving about a new charting request,

"If you didn't write it down, it didn't happen!"

While this may be a good guideline for medical documentation, I find that this notion seriously gets in the way of my blogging. I feel like I have to write EVERYTHING down. Why? So that I can one day prove that I did indeed take my kids to the splash park?

Obviously, I can't come close to writing about everything that happens, and let's face it--no one, especially me, wants to read that novel. Yet, I have a really hard time finding a balance between writing about the facts of life (which is all my nursing instincts tell me I am supposed to write about), and sharing more intimate thoughts and feelings (which, when I read later, I always think sound ridiculously dumb and boring anyway). So, I try to compensate for my lack of ability to write by taking lots of pictures which effort succeeds in severely annoying Joe, and frustrates me further when I look at the poor quality images I have created that are supposed to tell the story of my life.

So here I am rambling away--wondering exactly what I should write about. I do know that I would love to read a compilation of my mother's thoughts and feelings when she was my age, so I am trying to expand what I write about, even at the risk of reading this later and thinking myself a moron.

On that note, I am going to write more about the facts of our lives this summer. The kids and I have continued to have a rockin' fun summer. There are just so many fun things to do in Seattle. Poor Joe is not having quite as much fun, but every once in awhile he does get to play with us.

Here are some highlights from the last few weeks:

• More berry picking at Harvolds. Vanilla ice cream, heaps of raspberries, chocolate chips. Seriously  heaven. I am going back again because I want to gluttonously eat more raspberries.
• Newcastle beach--probably my favorite beach park yet and I finally got to swim
• Festival at the Center for Wooden Boats and sailing on Lake Union in a 118 year old (I think) fishing  boat.
• Fourth of July festivities including small town parade, BBQ with family, and 3 firework shows across  Lake Washington
• Discovery Park playground and lighthouse
• Visit to the LDS Seattle temple grounds with my kiddos
• Olympic Sculpture Park and the waterfront. Yummy fish and chips although nothing compares to  Malibu Seafood. Malibu Seafood I miss you.
• Widbey Island, Ebbey's Landing Hike, and deception pass. BEAUTIFUL. More about this later.
• Crossroads Splash Park and Lake Union Splash pad
• Seattle Premium Outlets. Okay, so I spent more on gas than on stuff and didn't even get to shop for  my own clothes because I was looking for a dumb sunhat (which I never found) but whatev
• Freemont and the "con-troll". More about this later too.
• More time at Magnuson Park which is still our go-to on days when we don't have anything else going  on
• Chinafest. Best food: Mango tart. Worst food: Curry fish balls. I accidentally spit them out when my  friend said they were made of fish testicles (they're not) but he did surprise me and they didn't really  taste all that great anyway.
• Greenlake park and Volunteer park. I really like both of these parks.
• Wallingford Park
• Maggie is finally potty trained. WHAT? I know! That is the biggest highlight of all.

Well, that is all that is coming to mind right now. Plus I need to go wake up Maggie so that we can go have a picnic dinner and a dip in the lake.

Maggie's "Robot House" She was playing with Jane the Pink Robot (the girl whose voice first inspired the robot and who apparently also inspired a drift wood robot house) 

Newcastle Beach

Sailing on Lake Union

Lake Union Splash Pad

Cute little buddies

Jack spraying himself in the face at Crossroads Splash Park

Loving the sandbox at Magnuson

Golden Gardens

Okay, here is one more beach post. You'd think I could find something else to write about, but I can't seem help myself. I love the beach.

Golden Gardens seems to be the beach to visit in the Seattle area. It is the one that everyone keeps recommending, so of course we had to visit. I liked. Didn't love. I think living a summer in Hawaii and three years in Santa Monica must have turned me into something of a beach snob.

Still, the kids had a blast, and it is a very nice park. Maggie was one of the few people at the beach braving the water even though the sand was blazing hot. I can always count on her to go in--in this way she is definitely my girl. Jack had his fun army crawling through the sand and, of course, eating it too.

We have already returned to the park for a sunset evening on the beach, and I am sure we will be back again.

 Both kids were stubbornly determined not to look at the camera.

Maggie has started taking pictures for me. She loves it!

"Mom, I want to do this again next time."

This summer Joe is working hard and I am playing harder.

So far, I have mixed feelings about Seattle. It feels like a bit of a gloomy city to me. Beautiful, but gloomy. Maybe Santa Monica spoiled me forever. Or, maybe Seattle just doesn't quite feel like home. Or, maybe I just miss Joe, seeing as he has pretty much been owned this summer.

BUT, there is a lot to see and do, and we are trying to fit in as much as possible. It has been awesome. The only thing that would really make it awesomer, is if Joe was able to join in on a bit more of the fun. This post is going to be a jumble of some of the highlight activities so far, because, let's face it--I am never going to catch up if I try to write about everything. Almost every time we have to leave whatever activity we are doing for the day, Maggie says, "Mom, I want to do this again next time!" or "that was an awesome adventure!"

Cheers to Seattle and awesome adventures like . . .

Center for the Wooden Boats
Pacific Science Center
Strawberry picking
Zoo
Pike Place Market
Magnolia Farmer's Market
Pioneer Square
Mariner's Game
Golden Gardens Beach Park
Library (the red room is awesome!)
Museum of Flight
USA vs Panama Men's world cup qualifier
Carkeek Beach
Gleneden Beach, OR
Leavenworth, WA
Parks, parks, parks . . .

See. We have been busy.

Sadly, my picture taking has been abysmal. It is hard to lug a DSLR around, along with a baby and all the kid stuff that I seem to think I need, so instead, I have been settling for quick snapshots or nothing at all. Here is a smattering of pictures that I do have, in no particular order. I think I will dedicate a post or two to some of the larger adventures, so those pictures are not included.

Cousins!! At the zoo.

Strawberry picking before Jack was covered in mud and strawberries He only looks like he has the grumps because he is looking into the sun. He was as content as you could imagine and didn't make a peep until I picked him up to get him cleaned off to leave. Then, he was unhappy.

Pacific Science Center

Center for Wooden Boats Buddies!! At the Museum of Flight.  Carkeek Park. Our first weekend here. It was FREEZING.

Fat purple starfish and sea cumcumbers aplenty hiding in the rocks

Wow, slacker and where we are now which is Seattle

Two months. How did that happen? Two months since my last post, which means I don't know what to write about because too much has happened. I am gonna start with where we are now (which is Seattle) and then try to back blog (is that a thing?) if I am still feeling motivated.

Yes, we moved to Seattle. It is only temporary, a 12 week stint to be exact, for Joe to intern with Amazon. This stint means that we will likely make 4 cross country moves in two years. Of course, being that this move is for such a short period of time it is more like an extended vacation but with a little less free time (mostly for Joe). He would have already worked his tail off if he had had one to begin with.

Speaking of vacation, did I mention that Amazon is paying for someone to come clean my bathroom (and the rest of my house too) every other week? Thank. You. Amazon. One more reason to love them. I guess the fact that they are paying Joe may be of  slightly greater importance, but only slightly.

So, here we are and so far it has been great. Our apartment (fully furnished--Maggie and I have taken to calling it the hotel house) is right on the edge of this fantastic park that has miles of trails and borders Lake Washington.

The location of our apartment and the proximity of the park means that yesterday I tossed my kids in the second expensive running stroller that I have purchased (got a double Bob off Craigslist and I am in stroller heaven!) to add to our ever growing fleet of strollers (I think we own 6 which is not justifiable at all even though I keep trying to justify it). The original plan was to buy the stroller at the beginning of the summer and sell it at the end, but my used-to-be-secret plan is to just not sell it because it is amazing!!! I am getting a little off topic. Let me try again.

Yesterday, I tossed my kids in the stroller and ran on an incredible trail bordering Lake Washington until we arrived at a massive playground at which point we had a picnic and the kids played and played and played. As I was running home, I thought to myself, "I don't think it can get any better than this." Then I remembered that I used to run with Maggie on a bluff over looking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica where it never rained on me and the sun actually shined, but I didn't have my little Jack yet. Finally, I decided that I didn't know if it could get better or not, but I do know that I am a mighty lucky gal.

Speaking of being a lucky gal, Joe and I have been blessed with such great friends. It has been so fun to reconnect with Jen and Mike whom we have been friends with (in Joe's case) since before our marriage even began. We used to have dinner at their house nearly every Sunday while we were all still at BYU, and the Sunday dinner tradition has been rekindled. I am gonna have to dedicate an entire post to the fun that we have had with them since we have been in Seattle because there has been too much fun to talk about right here.

We spent Memorial Day with Teri (Joe's sister) and her family and it was wonderful. Teri and I scheduled  play dates each week throughout the summer at various Seattle highlights so that  I can see the sights and more importantly see Teri! And, I am really excited!

Wow. This post has included lots and lots of good. How lucky I am. On the slightly bad, I think it has actually rained every day except for 1 since we have been here which is a kinda blah (I was hoping that Seattle just has a bad rap, but I think my time in Santa Monica just gave me unrealistic expectations). The payoff for all the rain is some serious green, though. This place is beautiful! It is my opinion that mossy trees are one of the most magical, whimsical treats of nature. I adore them. On that note, after lots and lots of words, I will conclude with 1 picture and no more rambling.

Carkeek Park