August: Road Trip!

Tommy came home from Argentina! So we piled in the car and headed out to see him. Of course there were lots of adventures there and back again and all in between. I hope I can do this exciting trip justice! And while I got a lot of pictures, I did more visiting than picture taking, so I didn't get pictures of some very exciting things, sorry, I guess the images will just have to stay locked in my heart. On our way to Washington the boys saw some wonderful mountains, enjoyed running around the rest stops, but most excitingly, we ran into Bumblebee (the transformer) at dinner!

Bumblebee!

When we pulled into my parents' place Ryan took the longest nap ever (having done most of the driving, electively) while the kids played and I visited. I got to see Tommy right away, which was fun. We had a great catch-up talk. We had cousins visiting and immediately started planning out the week! On Sunday everyone came over to celebrate Eli's birthday with him. Aunt Melanie made him a Batman cake!

Happy Birthday Eli!

That night and the next Elliott got to sleep over with the boys and they had a blast! On Monday Ryan and Tommy went to get some very special geocaches, taking them down to Oregon and to Seattle to get the first 2 of the Triad.

Mom and I took boys to the park and generally let them enjoy themselves with their cousin Elliott. I got to see my sisters in the evenings after work. On Wednesday we went to Bainbridge Island to look for sand dollars. We took a picnic and walked along the beach. When we came to a pier we noticed a couple out fishing, and were excited to find that they were fishing for crabs and had caught a starfish inadvertently. As we checked out their catches and chatted with them, they became interested in Renton's name (as he worked for the City of Renton) and they promised to send some stuff out for him from the city. Just as promised we ended up with a fabulous package of treasures from the City of Renton!

Bainbridge Island

Some fun old boats, no longer seaworthy

The Pier

The Starfish was actually eating a crab!
Heading back to Seattle on the Ferry

Seattle

Popcorn on the Ferry

That evening David and his family came to play, so we had more cousins and more fun!

On Thursday we went to Pike's Place Market, one of Ryan and my favorite places to go. We invited Tommy and his girlfriend Carlie to come. We lunched on exquisite foods, enjoyed looking through the stalls, watched them throw the fish, and came home with crab to cook up for dinner. It was a perfect day!

Pike's Place Market

We had more geocaching, more picnics, and more visiting throughout the week. On Friday, Ryan finished the Triad by going by the geocaching headquarters. On Saturday morning my sisters and I went out for breakfast and a pedicure. Those who really know me know that I rarely indulge in something so pampering as a pedicure. I felt thoroughly spoiled!
Jory discovered a wonderful friend staying at Grandmama's and Grandpa's house! He loved this dog, even if the feelings weren't mutual. Jory would chase him and try to pet him, it was adorable. I almost broke down and said we should have a dog. While I'm glad that I didn't, I know Jory would love a dog!

Saying Goodbyes

So glad that Tommy is home!

My Mom and Dad

Somehow or other we spent a lot of time with Elliott and I don't have any pictures of him (if you have any Sandie, let me know!) And my pictures of Saturday are on my phone, and I'm not savvy enough to know how to get them off!

Our treck home was fun, we took it slower and did some geocaches on the way. The boys watched lots of movies and Ryan and I plowed through Hunger Games. The boys all did pretty well with the long drive, and we all had lots of fun!

Playing hide and seek at the hotel.