Fun Times with Bryn and Harvest

We had a great week with Bryn. Yesterday we went to the Central Library downtown for what I thought was going to be a bilingual puppet show. It turned out to be a few actors talking about

the Day of the Dead. It was interesting but because I had told the girls we were going to a puppet show all they kept saying over and over and over was "where are the puppets, where are the puppets?" It was a packed room so it was a bit embarrassing because everyone else heard them too. Thankfully after the show was over I remembered they had little hand puppets in the kid's section of the library.

Earlier in the week Bryn met us at the zoo. We have discovered that the fake animals are sometimes more exciting than the real ones. Josie might be holding on just a bit too tight. Bryn's little sister, Ansley, is in the front.

We stopped by the bird cage where you buy a stick with bird seed on it for $1 and the birds fly right up and sit on your stick or hand and eat. It was a big hit!

It seems that the 100 degree weather really ripened up the fruit and vegetables. Above Marty and Josie picking plums from our tree. We never really had many plums from this tree until this year. We had to prune it back to fit the swingset and that must have really put the tree into production mode. We have more plums than we know what to do with. Josie is still working on not swallowing the pits. She must have at least 8 pits in her belly.

These are our first tomatoes and our first cucumber this year. We ate them last night for dinner and they were delicious. Nothing like fresh tomatoes from the garden.

Earlier in the week Josie and I went blackberry picking near our house. I picked the full bucket and Josie picked the not so full bucket. Notice the blackberry juice around her mouth... hmmm... wonder why her bucket is so empty :) Actually, given the fact that blackberries are not that easy to pick, she did great. She picked the low ones and I picked the higher ones. After several run-ins with the thorns, she started getting pretty good at steering clear of the prickly branches.

Good Friends and Hot Days

Wednesday was the hottest day on record in Seattle. It got up to 103. The last time I remember being that hot was in Sevilla. Except for there it was 120+ the entire week I was there and I didn't have to worry about anyone other than myself. It is a lot different when you have someone else to worry about and try to keep hydrated, cool and rested.

To beat the heat, we tried out a new spray park down in Tukwila. Josie had a great time with her friends Bryn and Lowen.

Josie and Bryn spend a lot of time together and when they aren't together they are always asking about the other one. "When will I see Bryn again, when do we go to her house, will Bryn be at the park" We have met several times at parks or wading pools this summer and every time we pack lunch Josie always has to pack two of everything so that she can give some to Bryn. Bryn does the same thing. Needless to say lunches have become quite the buffet for the girls.

We started our PEPS group when Josie was 3 months old. We are both so fortunate to have met such great friends. Thankfully all of her good friends have GREAT parents who are also my good friends. And to think, I wasn't even going to sign up for PEPS. Oh, how different our lives would be if I hadn't.

Along with Lowen and Bryn, Boyan is also a friend from our PEPS group. Unfortunately, Boyan and his family are moving to North Carolina at the end of the month. We had them over for a farewell BBQ on Saturday. Boyan and Josie had a ball on the swingset, eating ice cream....

and what evening wouldn't be complete without a kiss goodnight. The funny thing is when they were just 4 months old, Shannon (Boyan's mom) and I joked that we were taking them on the their first date when they were riding in the backseat together on the way to the mommy and child movies. Boyan and his family will be dearly missed but now we have a reason to visit North Carolina. I hear it is beautiful :)