Moving Right Along

Uh oh. Time for baby proofing...

What do you get ...

when you combine two boys, a dad, some creatures....
swimming in a lake....
our best buddy, Mona....
a happy baby and a content momma...
perfect weather...
an adorable baby...
a little duck family...

our best buddy, Hannah...
a relaxing hike in the woods...
with a dog...
and the perfect woods (all during the week - with no crowds)?
Well, I guess you just get lucky when a spontaneous idea falls into place, and there's an incredible state park just 20 min. from our house that Evan can drive up to after work. Thanks, Zabriskies, for taking us camping!

Day of Rest or Day of STRESS?

Sundays are a lot of work. I'm too tired to talk about it.

As you can see, I'm not alone.

So, if Sunday is a day of rest, then Monday is a day of recovery from that "rest."

When Evan leaves for work on Monday morning, he has this certain smirk and he says, "well, I gotta go to work" ... trying to hide his utter joy that he gets to go to his sane, quiet, predictable work place.

okay - i'm gonna go collapse, now.

The Catch of the Day

Today, Cole reached a new level of cruncherdom.....are you ready????
Ta-da! HE CAUGHT HIS OWN SNAKE! Wow! I told the boys to go pick some raspberries (to keep them out of our poor neighbor's yard, their favorite frog hunting spot) and a few minutes later I heard much squealing with abundant joy. Here he is with his trophy. (When dad came home for lunch an hour later, Cole emphasized how "BIG" the snake was. Heh, heh.) Then, over the next half hour, we reviewed all the places you do not put snakes (as he tried each spot... namely coolers, pockets, water bottles etc.) It's all part of our B.E.A.T.A (Boys for the Ethical and Affectionate Treatment of Animals) program. How's our organization going, you might ask? Let's just say these baby snakes are remarkably....unhardy.

Anyway - GOOD! This means I don't have to catch them anymore. Sure, I've caught several for my boys, but I admit - there's just something creepy about snakes.

The Rescue

As noted in our last post, the fireworks invoked great fear in the hearts of some...
Getting Grant from our friend's house to the car required some strong arms, great speed, and a comforting voice to talk him through it the entire time. He covered his eyes just to be absolutely sure he didn't see one go off. Once in the car, we broke out the Twizzlers (our munchie meant for the fireworks show) and it was a blissful, quiet ride home. Even Brynie got one - aaahhhh, peace. Sometimes you just need a Twizzler. (Thanks, Emy, for documenting the drama!)

O Say Can You Scream?

We started off our day at the Lewis River park. We had never been before but we will be back. It's wider than our little Salmon Creek but more accessible and generally shallower. Bryn loved the water. And us boys don't mind it either. But the real waterworks began when the fireworks began. We went to a neighborhood party with some friends. As soon at we began talking about waiting until dark for the fireworks, Grant got a worried look on his face and actually shed some tears. When the first boom echoed from a nearby explosion he ran into the house and refused to come out. Note that Grant's shirt has the ironic command "I want you to take me to the fireworks."

Cole was mostly unimpressed with the whole thing, although he did throw a few poppers. Bryn was clearly in Grant's camp. We made an early exit and declared our independence from blowing up money.

Happy Birthday America!

Ted and Mary's Day Spa

The Crunchers are pleased to announce a new service available to guests of our bed and breakfast. In addition to our scone breakfasts and field mowing package our neighbors have opened up their own mud bath and fitness center, called "The Garden". There are a plethora of invigorating activities to participate in. Of course, there is a mud bath, with only the purest, high quality, genuine garden mud.
But don't forget the fitness center with lots of activities, like races, jumping, stretching, and yoga. (Clothing optional. After all, mud is almost modest.) Of course, we have non-traditional techniques like bucket therapy, and time outs. Here are a few satisfied clients: Now, what is the SPF of mud?