cool for back to school...

Back to school is just around the corner for Ethan. He is starting kindergarten at a brand new school this year so it is a very exciting time at our household. We have our new school picnic coming up and he is attending a camp in the next few weeks where he gets to hopefully meet some of his new classmates. Then after labor day he begins his new adventure and is off on his educational journey or something like that. :)

the good old goodie bag...

I am in the midst of getting ready for Ethan's first 'school' party this weekend. Typically his parties have consisted of hanging out with our family in the backyard and having a cookout. It is usually a pretty big ordeal for me since I am a little of a freak about decorating for the occasion and always serve a TON of food. This year will be a little different.

You see, Ethan told us earlier in the year that he wanted to have a kid party. Yes, we have had kids at our party in the past but he wanted to have it at an actual location outside of our house with a bunch of kids from his school. He even had chosen a specific venue for the special occasion, that being Elevated Sportz which is a large trampoline party place close to our home. I was a little hesitant about it but it has worked out pretty well recently considering we have been on vacation for the last week and a half and my husbands (eek) twentieth reunion is this weekend. I have had absolutely no time to get ready for this party besides ordering a cake and picking up goodie bag supplies. Thankfully for us, they take care of the rest so all we have to do is show up and let the kids go crazy and someone else gets to clean up the mess.

Speaking of goodie bags, Target is my new best friend. I actually have a closet full of old goodie bag items that I either have not used or on a few occasions forgot to hand out. Ethan refers to this as my closet full of fun and it indeed is. Let me just put it this way, we never run out of bubbles. My stash was a little low so I made a run to Target and picked up an assortment of fun stuff without blowing up my wallet.

Let's hope that this party goes off without a hitch and we all survive!

cleaning house...

I've had a love/hate relationship with my old blog layout for the past several months and I finally came to the conclusion that we needed a break from each other. So I scoured the web and found a new format that works much better and personally I think looks absolutely fantastic.

I also wanted to share with you one of my favorite pictures I captured from our most recent road trip to Sun Valley. It really makes me want to build a cabin in the forest and have this as my view everyday.

I hope all of you enjoy the new layout and please keep coming back for a visit!

happy birthday ethan...

This past Sunday Ethan turned the big 6. He is just growing up so fast and I wish he could be little forever.
We made it a point to come home in time for Ethan's birthday. We like to make his day special and all about him. Here is a list of what we did.

-ihop for breakfast
-game works (where he won a couple of banana stuffed animals which were actually moons.
-trip to fireworks to pick up an ugly doll.
-lunch at red robin on the waterfront with a sundae and song.
-trip to toys r us to pick out a toy. He got a huge teenage mutant turtle play set.
-dinner at burger master
-cake and presents.

Ethan absolutely loved his day.

road tripin' cont...

We are still on vacation (and so not looking forward to going home.) We are definitely in vacation mode. Bed times have been thrown out the window and we've been sleeping in late. Our days have been filled with swimming, bowling, ice skating, and exploring. We even went to dinner last night at a place that you get to by a horse and wagon (and had the most amazing wine.)

We have loved this summer and all of the adventures we have had in store. I just wish it could go on a little longer.  ;-)

road tripin'

We are in the midst of our family vacation but it's been a little while since my last post.  We started out our road trip by visiting coeur d'laine and making a stop at the Silverwood theme park. It was a lot of fun (besides the part where I broke my phone on the roller coaster.)

Then we headed off to Sun Valley and went on a little off road adventure trying to get there where we had to avo I d cows and cliffs.

We are still enjoying our much needed break so I am sure there will be a follow up post.  Stay tuned. ..

outstanding in the field skagit dinner...

Last week Jeff and I were lucky enough to attend our first outstanding in the field dinner at the Skagit River Ranch with our good friends Jeff and Courtney.  It was quite a long drive from Seattle but was worth the effort and the dinner was absolutely amazing.

The dinner included a cocktail hour with yummy appetizers followed by a tour of the farm. The views from this farm were breath taking and lucky for us, the weather was absolutely beautiful.

I can't wait to see where they will be heading next year.