Hedge Maze, Padilla Bay, Deception Pass

 We had a wonderful Saturday playing with friends. We started our day getting lost in a hedge maze. It was a lot of fun. We found all the stations with a little work and a lot of traveling in circles.

 The kids enjoyed the slide the best.

 These two cut through the hedge to find one of the stations.

 They also had a rope maze nearby that was harder than it looked.  We also enjoyed yummy ice cream, fresh berries, blueberry salsa, and a wonderful marionberry pie purchased at the berry farm. Delicious!

We had a little picnic at Padilla Bay. If you look closely, you can see the blueberry salsa in front of the tomato salsa. What a yummy treat:)

 The beach was covered with hermit crabs. Padilla Bay is a good place to see creatures and we saw plenty.

 Not sure what this is, but there was definitely something alive in this shell.

 The Padilla Bay interpretive center is really nice. I especially enjoyed the aquarium.

 Love this poem that was on the wall...

 Supposedly, Padilla Bay is good for bird watching. We didn't see many birds. We saw an airplane and the kids had fun with the binoculars. We did see a blue heron at the beach, but we didn't need binoculars for that. Apparently, fall and winter are the best seasons to see birds. We should go back in then, but we probably won't.

 We stopped briefly to enjoy the views from the Deception Pass bridge.

 We also spent a little time playing at the beach at the Deception Pass state park.

 And of course, the ferry ride home is always a favorite...

 We had a yummy late night dinner at a Chinese Restaurant that was probably not too happy to see us walk in so late. They were very gracious and made us lots of yummy food. I was impressed with the fancy garnishes.

As usual, I took too many pictures. I had enough for a movie so if you want to see more pictures, feel free to watch the movie. The music has nothing to do with the pictures, but it is music from the CD my kids have been listening to in the car lately. Each girl picked her favorite song. I figure they might be the only ones who watch the movie so they might as well enjoy the music!

Baseball game, full moon, and hair cut

 We had free tickets to a baseball game because of all the books my kids have read this summer. Did we watch the game? Not really. We made it through the first two innings and caught the last of the 8th inning and the 9th inning. The rest of the time was spent enjoying the bouncy houses.

 We also enjoyed a beautiful full moon. Soooo excited that the next full moon will be Mid-Autumn Festival! My favorite Chinese holiday. Too bad it isn't recognized in the USA...I have back-to-school night that evening. I'll have to enjoy the full moon from the window of my classroom. Shucks.

Erin Joy got a free hair cut from the fabulous students at a local beauty college. I'm not sure if the free hair cut was worth the 1 1/2 hour wait in line.

More full moon pictures....not sure why they are down here and not in order and I don't feel like moving them.

 Rachel didn't want her hair cut. She wants it to grow until Chinese New Year. She had a free manicure instead. I forgot to take her picture so she is posing by the wrinkly curtains that I never ironed because I thought the wrinkles might fall out. Nope. Wrinkles haven't fallen out yet.

 This really isn't a very good picture of Erin Joy's hair cut which is really, really cute. This is a picture I took of her really cute hair cut after a shower and before it was combed. Should have combed the hair before the picture. Maybe next time....

Reading Award, Stuffed Animals, and Reptile Man

 

Look who won a bicycle and a helmet for reading so many books this summer! Nice job, Rachel!!

 This is why there is never any room for me on the couch. When we watch movies, so do several of Erin Joy's stuffed animals.

 Here are a few pictures from the library sponsored "Reptile Man" show.

Mt. Rainier/Grayland Beach

We had an amazing week full of camping and fun. I took over 600 pictures and just chose a few to post on the blog. If you want to see more pictures and hear a report from my children, be sure to watch the videos at the end of the post.



Our first stop was at Boulder Cave. It's called a cave, but it is really a tunnel. I originally thought it was caused by a volcanic eruption, but it was formed by river erosion.

We met my parents at Ohanapecosh Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park. Erin Joy always camps with a few stuffed animals.  She was excited that Grandpa gave her a penguin.

We hiked around Sunrise to Shadow Lake. The wildflowers were beautiful. 

 

 

We also went to Paradise and Tipsoo Lake.  

 

 

The Grove of the Patriarchs is a nice short hike leading to an island full of big trees. The water surrounding the island protected the trees from fires and volcanic erruptions. 

 

 

 

After camping at Mt. Rainier, we went to Grayland Beach to camp with other adoptive families.  It was colder than Mt. Rainier and rained a little. My parents found shelter in my tent.



 

My girls with a couple of friends.

 

We had fun going up a lighthouse.

 



 

 

A road named after my mother! 

Playing on the beach...fun, but cold! 

I love this smile. She generally scowls or sticks her tongue out whenever she sees the camera. I get excited when she doesn't know I'm taking her picture and can catch a real smile. She has a beautiful smile. 

Rachel just has to do cartwheels on the beach! 

 

Rachel and I enjoyed the sunset while Erin Joy played with friends at the campsite. 

 

 

 

 

We followed my parents as far as Oregon and stopped at Oneonta Falls. We had to climb over a huge log jam and wade through a stream which eventually got too deep for my children.  On the way over, Erin Joy swam on the way over and I carried Rachel. On the way back, I carried both girls. It was very COLD! The waterfall was beautiful so it was worth the effort.

After Oregon, we went home long enough to unload the car and take a shower. We then joined our friends for a hike in the Carbon River Valley side of Mt. Rainier.  We saw Spray Falls followed by Spray Park which is a meadow full of wildflowers and great views of Mt. Rainier. Spectacular.

 

  

The kids had fun playing in the snow. Erin Joy tried to save three pieces of ice in her shirt and pockets. She ended up with a wet shirt and wet pants.



 

The Magenta Paintbrush can only be found on Mt. Rainier. It is my favorite wildflower.  Scarlet Indian Paintbrush can be found elsewhere, but the magenta is a special Mt. Rainier flower.

 

Mowich Lake...

Grayland Beach report....

Mount Rainier report....