Cheryl's visit, or in Kat's world, Kat's new toy!

There were many airplane rides this AM. There's a video of this on the video bar to the top right of the page.

Kat's turn to give Cheryl a ride....

Yesterday on the ferry, in the wind. There's a (sideways) video of this on the video bar to the top right of the page.

The bubble gun...and Ben

We went to the Salmon Days festival the other day and saw lots of kids with these bubble guns. Now I HATE bubbles. And Kat LOVES them. I always wind up covered in sticky, slime as she wings the wands all over the place and licks the bubble solution out, as blowing them with her own mouth works for her. So I asked a mom where they got it and beelined over there to get us one. We got it out this evening and fun was had by all. And I stayed slime free, though I can't say as much for the dogs. Actually, I think it's a good cleaning tool- as she covered many of the outdoor play items with the bubbles, so when we get a good rain, and I'm sure that we will...they'll all get clean. As will the dogs, I guess.
Once she got the hang of the trigger, she was a maniac. Poor Boo had no idea what was happening (and I hadn't run for the camera yet) and she pretty much covered him from behind, so he didn't even see it coming. He made himself pretty scarce after that.

Cleaning the yard toys.

That face just killed me! It may be the funniest face ever.

Ben actually loves snapping at bubbles. Though tonite, he was more interested in hanging with me, which made for difficult photos and lots of blurry closeups and walk throughs.

The last game of the season

It was the last game of the season. Possibly Junior's last game of his career. He got a standing 'O' each time he batted. And again after his last bat- for a long time. It was pretty cool, as he was clearly the heart of the Mariners this year. And after last year, when they had a losing season, and some of them hated one another, this year it was clear that they were all having a lot of fun, and winning, out there. Alas, they didn't win enough to go to the playoffs, but it was way more fun this year, for everyone.
After the game ended- those are all Mariners, staff and ground crew. The M's all mad ethe rounds of the stadium throwing out t-shirts, balls (dan got one- an unsigned game ball from Junior's last game, maybe) hats and other Ms gear to the crowd.


Kat likes her 'aid. That's lemonade to the rest of us. Mostly one straw at a time. Woe to the people around us who she showers with lemonade when extracting the straw over and over and over....

The tree hugger kid. She would run from one tree to another and hug it. Then she was picking up a pebble at the base of each tree and..I don't know, try to find somewhere in the bark to insert it?

Then the game evolved to taking pebbles from one tree to the next and on and on...I'm sure that it would have made perfect sense to any other two year old...

nothing too exciting, but some new pics

Running through the tall grass after cooking class today (hey, someone in our family has to know how to cook).
Last night at the M's game.

We expected it to be cool.....she wore these for about 2 seconds (and is apparently tired of getting her pic taken).

On Saturday we walked (part way) around green lake and hit the playground.

No one I know in the pic (couldn't get them in the right place....) but I liked it anyway.

We still love the swing.

Dan and Kat self portraits. Love her eyes in the first one.

A few more....

Jim & Madeline's Visit

Jim & Madeline (Dan's cousin) were in town from Cleveland for a brief visit, which of course, included a baseball game (against the Yankees, and they got their butts kicked).

We hadn't seen them since the family reunion the summer before we left Buffalo. It was great to see them and they became two more members of the Kat fan club in no time.

They had no fun at all....
At breakfast today after she crawled under the table to see what was happening on their side.

At Kat's swim class today.

A few weeks ago at the park with Kat's favorite neighbors, Nicholas and Rodrigo,or as she says it, 'Drigo. She adores them and vice versa.

Guatemalan Adoption picnic & Darth Vader

Kat and I went to the Seattle Guatemalan Adoption picnic on Saturday. Dan really wanted to go, but he had 50 (big, corporate, international) tax returns to get out the door by tomorrow, so he couldn't join us. Apparently there was a company picnic next door and they had a clown who did face painting and balloons, a magician and the reptile man. And they had 5 kids in their group. So they told our kids to come on over and they did! The reptileman was cool- he had an alligator (about 3 ft long, with tail), a 12' python, a devenomated (I think I just made that up) king cobra, western diamonback and I think another venomous snake). Kat petted the gator, the python and I tried to get her to ride the tortoise, but she wasn't having it. I tried to tell her how cool it would be....
This is the gaboon viper.

The group photo. Or as Dan put it, Kat standing next to her future self (they're even dressed in the same colors).

Group photo of many of the kids.

Kat wasn't too sure about this character...... it was hysterical, she just stood there, hands in mouth, refusing to acknowledge his presence. I think she went to her happy place. I did get her to give him knucks, after I did, but didn't get pics, as I was holding her. We may as well start the therapy now.