The kids have been hoping all summer long that we would need to drain our pool. Well the time had come, and what better way to enjoy the last day of summer than sliding and playing in a 1/2 full pool. I have to admit that Kirk and I really enjoyed the shallow pool too. The kids are begging us to keep it like this :) 
Who doesn’t love cool science projects. We checked out yet another wonderful science project book from the library and I dug out my preschool science projects notes/books from college. We spend the morning in the kitchen having a great time.
I remember this science project from my high school days. You put raisins in water and vinegar mixture with some baking soda and watch the raisins dance and float to the top and drop down. My science teacher told us that they were some strange species of bugs that she had found and then when we least expected it, she ate one. I thought it was disgusting, but now I think it is hilarious. By the way Kaleb and I both ate one.
This is Carter’s own experiment… how many spice containers can YOU stack???
Six! Way to go Carter.
In an effort to find some fun INDOOR activities we have starting making paper airplanes. We checked out a book from the library and found this great website www.funpaperairplanes.com So far we have folded about 20 different kinds. Some definitely fly better than others but we were surprised with how many airplanes you can make out of a piece of paper. What great cheap fun!!!
(great form Kirk)
Note: I know I said indoor activity but we had to try them out in the open skies, so we waited until 7:00 pm and braved the heat. Emma and Carter were thrilled to finally be outside.
Katelyn has waited all summer long to get her fish. She had to wait until we got back from vacation and then the aquarium we bought was missing the filter so we had to wait another couple of weeks for it to come in the mail. She has checked out every “How to care for your fish” book at our library (literally) and knows far more than Kirk and I about fish. She bought 2 common goldfish because “they are a good start for beginners” and “goldfish are social animals and it is cruel to keep one in the tank by itself” (from the words of Katelyn). Unfortunately one of her fish died a couple of days later. Katelyn informed us that he had ich (a fish disease). We looked it up and I am pretty sure she was right. WOW, she is one smart kid!!! And yes, you can call animal rights activists because we have only one fish in the tank right now :)
After staying in the Redwoods for a couple of days we were on the road again, Seattle here we come. The Northern Coast of CA was absolutely beautiful.
Do any of you Goonies fans recognize this?
We drove through Oregon and played at a wonderful park and also found out that it is against the law to pump your own gas. As soon as you pull up to the pump an attendant is waiting- great service! We finally made it to Seattle after 13 glorious hours in the car, just in time to make the last part of Josh’s b-day party.
We spend one morning in Seattle. We ate lunch at Ivars and fed the waiting seagulls our leftover french fries. Apparently Carter was still hungry after our french fries were gone so he went to the table next to us begging for food and a nice lady shared her french fries with him (just a little embarrassing).
We went to the Puget Sound aquarium and saw some great marine life. Anni was watching the seals swim and mentioned that she would Love to have one of those for a pet.
They had an awesome touching pool, and a great octopus.
Look at all those suckers! (meaning the octopus, not the Smith’s)
The otters were so playful and fun to watch.
We have decided that Seattle has the BEST parks ever. The kids could have played here forever, and did I mention the weather was absolutely beautiful.
We asked the kids what their favorite part of the vacation was and they replied “playing with cousins”.
On our way to the Redwoods we thought we would quickly see the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, we didn’t plan on it being the gay pride parade day. WOW, is all I can say. An hour later, and after seeing many interesting and crazy (and naked) people, and a nice talk about the Family Proclamation we finally made it to the bridge. That will be the most memorable trip to the Golden Gate Bridge I think I will ever have.
We stayed at an awesome little cabin that was literally in the middle of the Redwoods. We could walk down the road 1/2 mile to a trail head and be in the middle of these giant trees. We enjoyed days of playing badminton, relaxing on the hammock, picking fresh herbs from the garden out our back door and evenings in the hot tub. Basically we just loved being outside.
This tree trunk was amazing. We all held hands around the tree and only got about 1/3 of the way around.
These are such cute pic’s of Jacob I just had to include them (Jeanna I will send you the rest soon).
