Our Island Escape

Par for the course, we seemed to pack as much into our 3-day Labor Day weekend as possible.

Saturday was filled from stem to stern with errands, including a trip to the local fabric store so we could buy the fabric for Annika's Halloween costume; she decided she wants to dress as a witch, but not just any witch. She wants to be a witch in a pink sparkle dress with a purple hat thank you very much.

On Sunday, we packed up the crew (minus Smudge, so stayed home to relax in the peace and quiet) and headed up to Whidbey Island to have a sleep over with Eric's folks. After arriving and putting our feet up for a bit, we headed to the health club that Eric's parents belong to and took advantage of the club's salt water pool. Three generations of Olsons were in the pool splashing, swimming, and playing together. It really was a treat to go swimming together and not stink like chlorine after climbing out of the pool.

The real reason for our visit this weekend was a surprise to our kids right up until the last minute. A few weeks ago, Eric's mom's told her friend (Cindy) about the cowgirl hat and boots she and Jack gave to Annika for her birthday. Cindy extended an invitation for the kids to come over and ride her miniature horses, so Annika's cowgirl gear could get some horse time. Really, how could we pass that up?? We kept this adventure a secret from the kids just in case the plans fell through, but all worked out and we got to visit the pint-size equines. Oh, how I love horses.... great and small, and it seems that Annika has been bitten by the same hose-lovin' bug. :)

We started out with a little introductory time with the horses Tawny and Prince. Cindy told us about how Tawny had colic the day before (UGH!) and how impressed she was with Tawny's rapid recovery thanks to the vet's intervention. She also explained how Prince was nursing a sore hoof (poor guy) and wasn't feeling at the top of his game. Cindy's granddaughter Avery was there, too, to meet our kids and share "her" horses with our kids. The girls were adorable in their pink cowgirl boots, I have to say! After we got the low-down, the kids got some hands on time with the horses; Conor wasn't overly interested in riding, at first but Annika was all over the idea from the get go. We are so grateful to Cindy and Avery for sharing their Monday and horses with us!

Cindy and Avery walking Annika (on Tawny) around the yard

Tawny, Annika, and Avery mozying around

Annika taking Tawny and Avery for a walk

Conor and Prince getting to know each other

Our cowgirl

Eric showing Conor how to feed flowers to Prince

Eat up, Prince

Conor feeding snacks to Tawny and Prince

Staring contest

Conor going for a ride on Tawny

Our kids: The next generation of city-born-but-country-at-heart kids

Annika taking Tawny for one more lap before heading home

 

Annika's 5th Birthday Celebrations

I can tell the month of August is getting away from me when it isn't until the 19th of month that I get around to blogging about Annika's birthday. Shame on me!

We decided to keep things a bit simpler this year and scaled back from previous year's birthday extravaganzas. We invited a couple of her classmates over for a kids' party and then had family over for a BBQ dinner out on the deck later in the day. The weather was incredibly cooperative, which was a definite treat. Even with the low-key approach, we were completely exhausted by the time we fell into bed that night, but it was more than worth it!

During the morning celebration, Annika was joined by her buddies Allison and Violet; these girls play beautifully and could practically form the first-ever professional giggle team. The girls had a blast playing games—including pin the starfish on the mermaid and pop the sea bubble, building their own sea-themed snow globes, bouncing in the bouncy house, and beating the heck out of a mermaid pinata (which, ultimately, Eric had to take a few whacks at to open it ... that sucker was well engineered!). 

After a bit of cleaning and food prep, the family portion of the day got under way. Fortunately, we planned a BBQ on the deck; the weather was just hot enough that we wouldn't have wanted to be cooking in the kitchen; that's for sure. We had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and we are so grateful that our loved ones were with us to have some fun together for Annika's birthday. All-in-all, a wonderful way to celebrate our sweet 5-year-old little girl.

Allison trying her hand at pinning a starfish on Ariel

Annika's turn

Annika, Violet, and Allison ... the three amigos

Blowing out the candles on her mermaid cake

Conor really gets into his desserts

Eric's parents gave Annika a much-coveted cowgirl hat
and pink cowgirl boots that light up. Really, could it
get any better?

Yeeee-haw