Thorns Swag....from the Thorns Game

At the Thorns Game there was a table to sign up for raffle to win a Thorns jersey signed by all the players. Henry begged to sign up...and only at the end did I realize the table was sponsored by the FBI. I thought it was a bit odd...but moved on.

A week later the FBI called....to tell me he won.

Turns out they were celebrating the anniversary of the first female FBI agent.

So, he got to go pick it up at the FBI station and get a tour!!! I didn't get to go, but Gordon took him and they said it was so cool!

There are no phones or cameras allowed, so the folks at the FBI took a pic and posted it on Twitter.

First Day of School - 2017

The 2017 School Year started off great!

Everyone seems really happy to be back and thrilled with their teachers/schedule....although Henry still doesn't know who is block teacher is. Maggie worked through a "outfit disaster" when she decided she did NOT like her first outfit and did four wardrobe changes......it stunned us all. 

We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Embracing Hood River Glory

Our last day in Hood River was fantastic. Mark and Frances went mountain biking and I met Brookie and kids at the park. We went home and watched the Thorns BEAT Seattle- yahoo! For the afternoon, the water was really calm and we made the most of it. We went to the beach and it was honestly one of the top ten experiences of my life. I took my SUP out to the middle of that big beautiful columbia river and just took in all the mountains and beauty. AMAZING. The kids swam and swam and we had a wonderful dinner of fresh salmon- caught that day - and other goodies from the Farmers Market that am. BLISS. BLISS. BLISS.

Hood River Day with the Watsons

The Watson Family then came out to play in Hood River. It was so much fun to get a whole day with them -- we hiked, went to the beach, and went to our favorite restaurant in Hood River with kids...Solstice. We let them all have root beer... in bottles....and it was HILARIOUS....and then a scary foreshadow of future days considering they will all blend together in the same school for middle and high school. 

A year difference at Lost Lake

Lost Lake With Brookie

Our next Hood River adventure involved going up to Lost Lake and visiting Brookie's family. At first it was cold and cloudy and that darn mountain was hiding....but then it came out and was glorious. That place is magical. The water is so clear and the view breathtaking. I was able to get my SUP out there and took little journeys with each kid. Mac spent approximately four hours in the lake straight. Dog Heaven. We ended our adventure at Lost Lake stopping at one my favorite spots with the best view for a beer - Solera brewing.

Hood River with Katie

After seeing the INSANELY awesome eclipse, we went drove out to Hood River. The roads were eerily calm and the view stunning. We played on the river, went for hikes, and had a wonderful dinner. My favorite part of the trip was the dinner. We had the kids sit at the table with their grandparents and each got a question for each grandparent about their own childhood OR their parent's childhood. Their questions were so interesting and it was SO much fun to hear my parent's responses to the questions. A precious evening and gift of time and learning.