Old Friends

Here are AnneMarie & Jack posing with "Little Jack."

They are so cute! Melissa and I have been friends since second grade. We had dinner at their house one night and also met up for lunch another day.

Here we are with Kim and Addy. I hadn't seen Kim in many years but we reconnected on Facebook. She has two beautiful children and we had a fun time visiting them in their home in Marysville.

Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater

We went to the Thumbnail Theater in Everett, a really cool place for family-friendly music. On our first visit, we saw a pirate-themed show performed by Cindy Soup, and AnneMarie got picked to go up on stage and dance!

After the show we got a pic with Tim Noah! He was there, although he hadn't performed. When he heard what big fans we were, he invited us to a show the next weekend. It was a field trip, but we got to come and sit in the back for a real Tim Noah performance!

One of Tim's songs was Western-theme. I think I was way more excited than the kids, although they do like Tim Noah.

After the show we thanked Tim and Jack mentioned that he hadn't sang Wow Wow Wibble Woggle Wozzie Woodle Woo ... so he busted out an encore just for us! We had our own private performance of his signature song. The kids weren't sure what to do with themselves, but it sure was a blast.

Mukilteo Beach & Ferry Ride

One day we met up with our friend Bradey and his daughters Amelia and Gigi at Mukilteo Beach. Then we took the 20 minute ferry ride to Clinton and came right back on the same boat. It was a blast! Typical Washington drizzle the whole time.

The girls found a yucky crab shell on the way to get on the boat.

Gigi, Amelia, Jack & AnneMarie.

AnneMarie gives the ferry a thumbs up!

Gigi & her daddy.

Posing for the camera!

On the return part of the trip, there was another passenger who brought a cat onboard. The kids, especially AnneMarie & Jack, were so distracted by the cat that they barely noticed they were riding a ferry boat! The man with the cat kindly let them talk and poke at it quite a bit, and the cat actually seemed to enjoy the attention.

Hanging with Grandma!

Walking off the ferry ... look to the right, there's the cat!

After the ferry ride we got some lunch at Ivar's. These kids ate a lot of fish over these two weeks!

Mmmm ... clam chowder!

These two made some discoveries!

A teeny tiny hermit crab.

A group shot!

Can't remember what he was pouting about this time.

A picture that Amelia colored for AnneMarie. Too sweet!

Brackett's Landing in Edmonds

AnneMarie is a beach lover and that's the first place she wants go to when we visit. This was the first of four trips to the beach during our vacation.

I could not convince AnneMarie that she didn't have to hold up her capris, since they didn't hang below the top of her boots. However, I didn't realize that she didn't quite understand how boots worked - that she must not wade in the surf past the height of the boots. So, she got a ton of sea water inside the boots and they did not serve their purpose at all. She didn't master the art of wading in the ocean with boots on until our last visit to the beach.

Jack is not exactly a beach comber, but he did seem to enjoy it more this year than on past trips.

AnneMarie & Papa down by the ferry dock.

AnneMarie liked the seagulls, but didn't like seeing them eating fish or crabs.

Jack doesn't like to be wet or dirty - the beach is not his favorite place.

Blair & Javier's Wedding

My cousin Blair got married over Memorial Day Weekend, and we couldn't think of a better reason to visit Seattle! It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception, and a great chance to see lots of family.

Here comes the bride.

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Perez!

AnneMarie hugs the bride.