it's a LOVE thing

We love to find a road and drive towards the tulips in Skagit Valley.



I will follow you...
Camille and her view.
We meander drive and meander walk feeling the land beneath us and open sky above us
converging

hands.
Camillekisses.

Home

We have ARRIVED in the town of "Home," near Gig Harbor where we stayed for Spring Break.

Gabe and Camille are excited.
We are surrounded by beaches waiting to be explored. We visited Penrose Park first. Brett is infatuated (okay, that is a bit much) by hermit crabs. We found many and we especially loved this one guy who had outgrown his shell but managed to squeeze his body into the tiny thing.


Camille is ready for stick and rock baseball.
Homerun!

The weather has been quite sporadic and it is a good thing we are on our way out because it has become quite the downpour. Camille is picking up cans to recycle because she said she "wants to keep the earth healthy."
A new day at Kopachuck Park.

Today is going to be fun because there is MUD, MUD, MUD!

Brett is carrying his sock. I had to save him. He crossed over into a sinking part of the beach and that is just what he did. His shoe came off and I being rather heroic ran over to save him. Except, I didn't realize I might get stuck, too. I did, but I had rubber shoes and that is why I bravely leapt to his rescue.

Where it went down.
Brett not posing. I guess I told him to act like he isn't posing. I think he pulled it off.
Camille studies the fuzzy sandollars.
Brett practicing for the summer ahead at Muscle Beach.

Taking a breather:)

Gabe and Camille loved mixing dyes and dipping eggs.
Joemma Park was by far the coolest beach.
These sunstars, as well as seastars, urchins, and sea cucumbers covered the pilings from the boardwalk and some had over 20 tentacles.

We lifted rock after rock looking for sea life. We saw sea snails, rock crabs, hermit crabs, and then a medium sized crab that was new to us, not the kind with the red flat shell for a back (like the one I tried to save) but a pointy dark one. We spotted some larger ones and of course, Brett thought it would be a good idea to fight one and talk to it in a funny voice (all for the kids he said). They would stand on their back legs and look like they were boxing with their front claws.

The red crab was on the sand baking in the sun. I grabbed this contraption on the beach and lifted him out of the sun and into deeper water. He wouldn't cooperate. He kept flipping onto his back and I kept wading in but he just refused to live. Brett said it must have been his time to die. If he was strong enough he would have sought refuge. Determination on both our parts. Nature won.

As we continued down the beach, we found ourselves in the midst of hundreds of geoducks.
Fountains were surrounding us at all times.
Headed to bask on the sunny driftwood.

Enjoying the sun on our backs.

Of course, we had to take our very professional family pictures, where either our heads (usually Gabe's) are cut off. "A Series of Spaz."

We had fun beach combing, painting rocks, dying eggs, fighting and saving crabs (I should have tried to save Brett from the crab and not the mud)!

The Tale of my Jumping Bean...for Camille

The Audition:

Monday, Feb. 8th 3:15-6:00:

Different tasks the directors asked you to do:

Line up from tallest to shortest, in a square around half of the gym.
Say your name and age like you just won a trip to Disneyland.
Second time, like that trip was taken away and you are mad.You say your name and age, loud and clear, extend your right leg forward and stomp that foot, hands on your jeaned hips with angst.

To see if you can follow directions, Ebe has the kindies play Simon Says. He also has you pretend a butterfly is fluttering by and when you reach out, it lands on your finger and whispers to you its name.

1,2,3,4 march in place, 1,2,3,4 forward, 1,2,3,4 circle to the left, 360, then 1,2,3,4 back with an arms out HEY! The oldest kids begin and this sequence moves around the square to the youngest. I thought they wouldn't ask the kindies to do that! They did.

Sing it sister: Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. . .

The Finale:

Be a mime and steal a monster cookie from the jar. Tiptoe slowly out into the middle of the square, climb high to reach the lid, steal the cookie, and get back without being noticed.

You amaze me. In September, at the beginning of school, I would have never pictured you out there stomping and singing in FRONT of 77 kids, parents, teachers, and directors!

You make the cast! Your name is called and BEAN is the part given.

The Schedule:

Rehearsals:

Wed. 3:15-5:45 (more like 6)
Thurs: 3:15-5:45
Fri: 3:15-5:45

Saturday Showtime:

Rehearsal begins at 10 a.m. and the performances will be at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tuesday evening: Camille says "I must be a bean who jumps while singing Row, row, row your boat" in anticipation of what her part will actually do based on the audition.

Wednesday, first day of rehearsal:

The beans learn their parts with Jesse. He arranges you in your bean order and you are sandwiched second to last (at different times second) in front of Liam and behind Brianna, both first graders. The first skit is titled the Bean Ballet and the second the Crazy Bean Dance. I am so glad I had the opportunity to observe you today. I am flooded with happiness when I see your eyes observing and your body moving. I love how expressive you are when Jack says show me your jump, beans, with a 1,2,3 vomanos! The beans retaliate with a fierce urgghh. During the second skit you land a bean solo act with Jack's mother. You stick your thumbs in your ears and thrust out that tongue in total defiance with a raspberry. Love it!

The beans join the rest of the cast and perform the parts they just learned.

Thursday afternoon rehearsal:

The beans are with everyone today and the entire cast goes through the play from the tippity top to the very last drop. . .of (words). i video some bean moments.

Getting ready to perform. Grab your sombrero, beans! You are pretending for now.

The beans are scared of Jack's mother. Hide under your sombrero!

Friday afternoon rehearsal:
Today's rehearsal is at the Sedro Woolley Highschool Auditorium where the play will be held. NO PARENTS ALLOWED! I do love watching you but that will have to wait until the show. Dad and I did sneak back early and grab a seat, arriving just as the beans perform their second act and in time to see you spit your heart out.

The BIG Day!
Arrival time: 10 a.m:
You are nervous and I am glad the small red bucket still rides with us. It holds the morning's oatmeal. I am worried for your stomach and the spaghetti that will fill it in between shows, but you are perfectly fine once entering the building.

I return around noon to bring you lunch. A sign at the entrance says Cast and Crew Only. Gabe and I walk down the halls and up the stairs Mom used to roam. The place where you get ready and wait before going onstage is called the Little Theater and when I was in Highschool was the only stage we had. I open a door closer to the stage and peek around the corner and am lucky to spy the beans in their costumes practicing.

2:00 show:
Grandma and I come at 1:00 and nab the first two rows! You have 16 fans to cheer you on! I find you right before the curtains go up to tell you we love you and to have fun. You are so tired and your eyes seem to be infected. This has been emotionally draining for you. You take it all so seriously. Who else would you be if you didn't?

Waiting in the Little Theater for your big debut!

I was glad I was able to be with you backstage for the 6 0'clock show. You do most things with a vicious seriousness and this picture captures this. You are exhausted yet you sit so very still.

The beans color while waiting...
Silliness occurs after the show during picture time!

I never got a picture with your sombrero, but there are the videos.

Back in the Little Theater you receive flowers from your fans! Thanks Ethan, Hayden, and Keaton!After the final show, cake is served and Jack and the Beanstalk shirts are signed. You had a memorable week!

Good Things and Finds in 2009

Chicken Noodle Soup:

G&G watched the kids one Saturday so we could scavenge antique stores. Our stomachs started calling for something hot in this moss-filled November. Our minds turned to soup and thought we would check out the out the deli dept. at the Safeway we saw earlier in Lynden. We entered and chicken noodle soup started sending steam in the shape of ocean waves our way. It was quite the welcome. We got the biggest container to share and grabbed its' oyster companion crackers. We love this soup. We even got one more container! We spent most of our alone time sitting in Safeway at a table savoring soup. It was perfect.

Library Cards:

Camille turned 6 and was able to get her own library card at the Burlington Library. She was beaming with joy at the opportunity to find and check out books on her own without mom or dad. Pure bliss. She checked out many "Nate the Great" books, as well as "There is a Bird on my Head," and "Fly High, Fly Guy."

Ahh, the world in her hands.

"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson:

This book was written in 2006 but I finally read it this summer. I found love in this book. It really helped me to understand more about lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan and fuel the interest I have in our (The United States') relationship with these countries. I am grateful for this.

Ucluelet/Tofino, BC:

Brett and I found our way to Tofino (which is on Vancouver Island in Canada) when we were just two. This past March we returned with our children, snow and all. There are numerous gorgeous beaches. I read in the magazine "Seattle" that the surfing parallels surfing in Hawaii. As we explored the terrain, we flew kites, identified various shells, basked between sun-salted driftwood with eleven eagles overhead, took shelter in old growth rainforests (we stayed dry for seconds in between being out on the open coast but it is called a rainforest for a reason and we loved being drizzly) and yes there were surfers, in March, the day after snow, but the sun was so big and bright. It was brilliant.

Apple Pie Larabar:

I live off of these. They really do taste just like apple pie but they are good for you. I am usually walking around with one in my pocket.

My children singing:

I love to feel the spirit at church when I am covered by the songs of children. I literally feel like I am wrapped in my grandmother's quilt. I am completely happy and filled with hope when my daughter belts out songs. My son is always singing. He creates the songs that make me laugh and laughter makes a gray day seem manageable.

Masterpeice Theatre's "Jane Eyre:"

I love this rendition of Jane Eyre in the film. It takes several evenings to watch and I looked forward to re-joining these characters all day long!

Gratitude Lists:

In November, we wrote lists of things we are grateful for and below is Camille and her list.

The list says: Mom and Dad, bed, warm clothes, Grandma and Grandpa, friends, Gabe. She added purse later on when we found a really cool orange crocheted purse at a craft fair.