Annika is a Whopping 11

Well, today Annika is celebrating her first-ever palindrome birthday. YUP! As of 1:55 this morning, we there was an 11-year-old living under our roof.

While Annika soundly slept, Conor decided that he wanted to make her breakfast in bed. Fortunately, I was able to head him off at the pass and convince him that he should eat the bowl of Fruit Loops that he poured for her and after she had more time to sleep, we'd make her breakfast in bed. Reluctantly, he agreed. We got to work making waffles, knowing Annika would think a Belgium Waffle would be a fun treat. Once I saw Annika stagger out of her room (waking up fast isn't her approach to mornings), I told her that Conor had a surprise and she could wait in her bed. We quickly assembled a waffle (including whipped cream, sprinkles, and a candle), and delivered it to her while singing "Happy Birthday". She was in Heaven! :)

After a fairly low-key morning, it was time to head out for the kids' tennis lessons at Klahaya, where the instructors and other students all shouted "Happy Birthday!!!!" to her at the top of their lungs. Again, the girl probably couldn't have been happier if she tried.

Right after their tennis lesson, we headed north to have their bikes adjusted by the folks we bought them from. Conor's gears weren't shifting correctly and Annika's front wheel and handlebars weren't in proper alignment. While we waited for the bikes to get adjusted, the kids and I went to a nearby MOD Pizza for a very yummy (and filling!) lunch. As a special birthday treat, the kids even got to have orange Fanta... yeah, living the wild life!!

We ate our fill and returned to the bike shop, only to find out the bikes hadn't even been looked at yet. (Grr!) We'll head back on Wednesday, in order to give them PLENTY of time to look at the bikes.

The rest of the day was filled with dinner prep (chicken alfredo, per the birthday girl's request), presents, and dessert (grasshopper pie, again, per the birthday girl).

One of the sweetest presents was Conor's present to Annika: a poem
Awesome
Nice
Neat
Interesting
Kind
Athletic

Favorite TV Show: Liv and Maddie
Favorite thing about school: All of the nice teachers
Thing you do best: Art
Favorite color: Seafoam green
Favorite toy: Bunny 1
Future career goal: I don't know
Favorite toys to take to bed at night: Bunny 1 and story bunny
Favorite book: Cleopatra in Space
Favorite song: A Million Dreams (Greatest Showman soundtrack)
Favorite cereal: Frosted Flakes
Favorite movie: Smurfs Lost Village
Favorite season of the year: Spring-ish Summer
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite animal: All
Favorite ice cream flavor: Cheesecake with Raspberry Swirl
Favorite sport: Soccer
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Dream vacation spot: Disneyworld
If you had $1000 to spend: 1/2 would go to charity, 1/2 to owning a kitten
If you had a wish: World peace
What do you like to do with your friends: Hang out
What do you want to do before your next birthday: Get my ears pierced (note from Mom: not gonna happen)
Favorite thing done as a 10-year-old: We went to Disneyland

2018 Summer Getaway on Whidbey

Last night, a bit after 7 PM, the kids and I rolled up to the house after our 5-day stay on Whidbey. We were tired beyond belief, but due to having had so much fun and lots of activities the entire time. 

All four of us (five, including Buca), drove up to the island Saturday morning and got ourselves moved in for our short-term stay. By the looks of the amount of stuff in our cars, you'd probably think we planned on staying from now until the end of time, but alas, twas not the case. 

On Saturday, we hung around the house and generally kicked back. We played lots of games, threw a ball for the dogs countless times, rode bikes, and caught up with each other. Eric, his mom, and I also got a head start on Conor's class project for the school auction, ta da!! Eric's dad was off fishing when we arrived, but his absence meant he got to bring home an insanely gorgeous salmon (some of which is now in our freezer, soon to become dinner)! Conor and I also spent a little time walking up and down the driveway picking blackberries that were turned into freezer jam (yum!) for us to take home at the end of our stay. And if all of THAT wasn't enough, after Jack got home from fishing, he took Eric, the kids, and me to the rifle range to get in some target shooting. I'd like to point out (brag alert!) that I hit the bullseye multiple times.... and two of my hits were right on top of each other. The kids did a great job, both with respecting the safety rules and with their rifle skills. We wrapped up the day with a mini birthday celebration for Annika, knowing that Eric's parents wouldn't be able to join us the following weekend, when we will have family over to celebrate. 

In PJs on the ferry ... our kids' to-Whidbey tradition

Painting party

Eric working on his ombre technique

Conor with Bestefar and the 20-lb salmon

Annika modeling Bestefar's salmon

Conor, the berry-picking master

Buca "helping" us pick berries

Our blackberry haul

Safety first at the rifle range

Eric taking aim

Conor receiving instructions from Bestefar

Annika getting ready to take her shot

Why, yes, I DID hit the bullseye multiple times

On Sunday, Eric's dad and I got up before the crack of dawn to go fishing at mid-channel between Keystone (Whidbey Island) and Pt. Townsend. The sunrise was truly picturesque. While we didn't have any luck snagging salmon (a few ate our bait, so we were close to catching some!), we did catch a number of dogfish (boo!), a flounder, and 5 rocks (I caught 4 of them!). Even though we returned to shore with an empty bucket, it was still an incredible day. I got to spend 1:1 time with my amazing father-in-law. It's rare that we get time like that, and he taught me so much about fishing. By the end, I was able to tie a hook on my line, put 2 hooks in a herring, and find the bottom of the Sound (hence, all of the rocks!!). After we pulled out of the water at the end of our fishing excursion, our fun came to an abrupt halt when another driver hit the boat's motor (ugh!!). Come to find out, the witness to the accident was an off-duty Sheriff's Deputy (woot!). It was a hassle that included the at-fault driver not having his drivers license and his insurance card was newly out of date, which resulted in us having to call the police (both the Sheriff and State Patrol responded - wow!!) who took care of getting everything sorted out. While we were still on the water, Eric had to head back to Seattle so he could go to work the next day, leaving Eric's mom on kid patrol for most of the day. (Best Bestemor Award winner right there!!) 

Sunrise

Heading out to mid-channel

My 4th rock of the day

Boat snack!!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all about golf, golf, golf. OK, there were also swimming, a park trip, and a little hike in there, too. On Monday and Tuesday before golf camp, the kids opted to swim in the club's pool. Monday was a hot day, so cooling off in the pool was a big deal. On Tuesday, it was a bit cooler, but the kids still had fun. By the time Wednesday rolled around, it was downright cool and the kids opted (with some nudging from yours truly) to visit a local park instead. Our visit to the park was a little sad for me because I realized our kids are outgrowing the play structure there.... it is the end of an era. After some time at the play area, we decided to check out a hiking train in hopes that we might see the mama deer and her fawn that we saw about a half hour before (no luck, but we did see a bunny!). 

Our little fish

Conor practicing his driving

Annika at the driving range

On a hike with Bestemor

Reading chair carved out of wood, complete with book and cat (under the chair)

As soon as the golf camp wrapped up, the kids enjoyed a little BBQ meal with their golf buddies before being whisked back to the house so we could gather up Buca and the last of our un-packed belongings (mainly things in the fridge/freezer and the kids' bikes) and we high-tailed it to the ferry terminal. We missed the boat we were aiming for by about 10 cars (bummer), but in the big scheme of things, it wasn't a big deal. We still got our annual "heading home from golf camp ice cream" on the ferry (I even worked a little magic and procured some ice cream for the CKS auction thanks to the fact the ice cream company's guy was in line behind us... bonus!)

On the ferry.... we're on our way home, Daddy!

A HUGE thanks to Eric's parents for hosting our crazy group for such a long time. We are eternally grateful for your hospitality and generosity.