Hoffstad's Bluff and the Fixer

We took Tor to see Tierney at work at Hoffstad's Bluff.  She did bubbles with Tor for a short time then we had lunch.  Tor shared Tierney's chicken strip and fries.  While we were eating Tor got to watch a helicopter take off.  He got a Bigfoot frisbee with his lunch so he got to throw it around outside with Tierney before she had to go back to work.  When we left he cried, since she didn't leave with us.

Tor is showing his mechanical mindset.  This bubble gun lights up but doesn't work otherwise. He dropped it and the batteries fell out, so I put them back in.  So then he dropped it many times to put the batteries back in.  If it didn't work since the batteries weren't the right way, he would do it over and over until he got it right and was very proud when it lit up again.

  

Day 2 of Beach Trip

It was another beautiful day at the beach, so we spent lots of time in the sand and water. Tor was content to dig and wade in the tide pools for awhile, but ended by diving in. At the end of the day, we went to Funland and won a couple prizes, the most important being a balloon. Tor also posed for a photo as Jake.

Tor's Beach Trip

Tor and Daddy took a "man trip" to the beach cabin for a couple days. The weather was sunny and warm on the beach, and the water was also surprisingly warm. Tor was fearless, as always, running headlong toward the waves. Of course, he got soaked.





Since he didn't take a nap, he went to bed early, which meant an early rise. Both of us needed our coffee and hot chocolate in the morning at Bailey's Bakery.

Ice Cream with Daddy

Tor and Daddy treated themselves with some ice cream at DQ. Tor has been doing really well as the only child at home this past week, getting lots of Daddy's attention. He often asks "Where's Mommy?", and when told that she's in North Dakota, he says "I want go to a-kota too."

County Fair

Daddy and Tor went to the Cowlitz County Fair to check out the sites and maybe enjoy a carnival ride. Unfortunately for Tor, he isn't quite 36" tall, so he's too short to get on most rides. There were a couple small rides he rode on, like the small cars on the track, but his attention was mostly focused on the really big rides. He kept pointing at them and telling Daddy he wanted to ride them. This photo shows how focused he is on those big rides.

Backpack Boy

Tor decided that he needed to take his backpack with him whenever he goes somewhere. In it he has: a ball (of course), a book about football, and an action figure.

Travelling Girl

Here's a picture of Bridget waiting patiently (kind of) at the Vancouver train station, ready to travel to North Dakota with Mommy and her bag of stuff. This trip has been all she's talked about ever since Jillian left. The train was 3 hours late, leading to some very tired and impatient kids (and parents). When Bridget and Mommy finally boarded the train, Tor screamed "I go too! I go too!" He kept that up all the way home.

Swingers

With Jillian gone, Bridget took over the big sister role with Tor.  She pushed him on the hammock and when she asked if he wanted to go higher, he always answered "Higher!".  It was an adventure.  Notice Bridget standing on a plastic tub.  She didn't want to walk in the bark dust as she was afraid of getting a sliver.  Papa solved that by putting down a piece of plastic.  Then Bridget proceeded to bring out pillows and blankets to make the hammock cozy.  She was a good big sister.

Little Diggers

Bridget and Tor went out and helped Daddy with digging out the foundation for the house addition. Bridget worked on scooping up her own little piles of dirt, while Tor used a croquet mallet to bust up the dirt clods.

Papa Ken even stopped by just a few days after hip surgery and helped out.

The Big Trip

Jillian left for North Dakota this morning with Auntie Greta and cousin Adam. She was very excited to finally go. We said our goodbyes, and Mommy shed a few teardrops, but Jillian hardly even looked back. That's our strong, independent little Sweetie-Pie!

Handprint Wall

The kids decided that they should have their handprints on the wall of the tree fort at Grannie and Papa's house, just like their cousins. In photo, Jillian's print is light blue, Bridget's is pink and Tor's is light green.

Construction workers

 Jillian, Bridget, and Tor came up after swim lessons and discovered a project underway.  We had taken off a couple boards to put on new siding and they were intrigued by what was underneath, so they put on goggles and got flashlights.  They were going to go under the deck until I pointed out the spiders and bugs so they were content to lean in and inspect.

Later they decided to cover up the holes.  So they got hammers, nails, and old boards and went right to work.  Surprisingly, no smashed fingers.  Jillian could hammer that nail down and even Bridget got pretty good at it.  Later Ty came down to rip off some more siding so Jillian turned into his helper, pulling the nails out of the boards he took off.  She is a good worker.

Family Swim Day

The kids had their last day of swim lessons this summer, which included popsicles while watching a water safety video followed by free swim in the pool. All of them did really well this year:  Jillian continued becoming more of a little fish, Bridget showed that she could swim without floaties, and Tor kicked with his feet to get around.

Chilly Sprinkler Park

Jillian had been bugging us about going to the sprinkler park at the old Catlin Pool. We warned her that it wasn't very hot out and the water was cold, but she still wanted to do it. Jillian jumped right in and got soaked, while Bridget hung out on the edges and mostly watched (she wasn't feeling very good) and Tor dodged in and out of the sprays. Here's a photo, with the girls sporting their new suits.

Dentist Appointment

Jillian and Bridget went to see their dentist Dr. Pond (and Tor tagged along). They both did really well with the cleaning, though Bridget gagged on the fluoride treatment. When Dr. Pond checked them, he said Bridget had some 6-year molars coming in,while Jillian had to face her dental fears and finally get sealant put on her molars. It was a bit of an ordeal, as Jillian was petty tense the entire time, but she made it. The highlight of the visit was that all of the kids got 2 tokens each to buy a trinket.

Papa Ken & Bev's Anniversary Picnic

Papa Ken and Bev had their first anniversary party at the "green park" at Lake Sacajawea. There was lots of food, lots of people and the kids stayed busy playing on the park equipment.

Saving the Earth

Jillian has been wanting to go out and pick up garbage for some time, after seeing trash on the ground when she's walking outside. When she sees it, she complains loudly about people littering. Bridget has also gotten on board the anti-litter campaign. So, today Mommy took them to Lake Sacajawea to pick up trash there and on the way. Here's some photos of them with trash that they picked up, and their final haul (a sack full)!

More Swimming

I borrowed this from Aunt Dianne's blog.  After swimming lessons Monday, Jillian, Bridget, and Tor came to play and they got invited to Rielee's pool to swim some more.  Harper, Jillian, Rielee, and Bridget all jumped in together.  Tor would have jumped also but he had a fever and sat on my lap the whole time.  They swam for over and hour and I had to pry them out of the pool which was as warm as bath water.

Winter Wear

The kids played a new game this afternoon ... the Winter Snow Blizzard game. It was over 90° outside, so they stayed inside the whole time.

Fireworks!

We took all the kids to the fireworks show at Lake Sacajawea, meeting up with Papa Ken & Bev and Auntie Greta & cousin Adam. The last time we were there, Jillian was about 2 or 3-years-old, and she screamed and cried the entire time. So, we weren't sure how it would go with Bridget and Torion. No worries, though, because they both liked it. Bridget snuggled up with Mommy, and only hid during the loud gunshot blasts, but Jillian and Tor were cheering for every explosion, saying "Wow!" and clapping their hands. Jillian yelled out during the show "This is the best Fourth of July EVER!"

When it was over, it was about 10:30 pm, and the kids could barely keep their eyes open. They slept in 'til almost 10:00 am the next day.

Cannonballs

We went to The Paul's house for a Fourth of July BBQ dinner, and with it being so hot out, the water in the pool was pretty warm. The kids spent hours in the pool, taking short breaks for eating or the potty. Jillian's favorite thing to do is a cannonball off the side of the pool, trying to make big splashes. Bridget has been getting more brave lately about going under water, so she has been jumping off the side of the pool, too. Tor split his time between doing cannonballs and his new trick, belly flops.

Go Fourth Parade

The kids and Daddy watched the Fourth of July Parade this morning. We found a spot next to our neighbors Matt & Sarah and Hazel & Ila which was also in in the shade (Yay!). The kids got lots of candy, and Tor figured out what to do pretty quickly.

The Jordan Tongue

Whenever Tor is doing something kind of wild, he usually sticks his tongue way out, just like Michael Jordan. Here's a photo of him playing in a stream of water, which tended to spray him in the face.

Bouncing at the Lake

The kids went with Daddy to Lake Sacajawea to check out the Fourth of July festivities (Mommy was at work). We walked around and played at the park, but their focus was always on the bouncy houses. They all went on the obstacle course bouncy. After 3 trips, Daddy called them in ... and Tor threw a fit! He settled down after a bit, and then we watched the Cardboard Boat Regatta with Bev and Ryan.

Backyard Pool Time

It got hot enough yesterday to put up the inflatable pool in the backyard. When the tap water was first put into the pool, the kids stayed in for just a little bit before they were frozen and headed back in the house. Later in the afternoon, the water had warmed up, and they were in the pool for a good, long time. Today was more of the same. Jillian likes to do running jumps into the pool, Tor likes to scoop and pour water on himself and others, and Bridget stays back from the chaos and plays with toys.