First and fore most....Zach turned 3 in the end of June. It was a small uneventful party as we were leaving town the next day. Besides that, he doesn't seem to be a fan of the birthday song; he screams every time we sing it to him. We had the Ferency's and my Vegas family over and had pizza and cake and ice cream. The next day we were off to scenic Seattle to visit Dwayne's family.
We were in Seattle for 5 1/2 days and as you can see from the slide show above we packed a lot in to those 5 days! The 4th of July festivities, parent's night out, the zoo, the Ballard Locks, Seattle Science Center, Lori and Denton's new digs, and a Mariners game.
One of my favorites was the 4th of July festivities in the quaint little town of Edmonds where Dwayne's mom and sister Leah live. The boys got to be in a kiddie parade that went right through town, followed by the main parade. Zach got a huge kick out of the fire trucks and cars in the main parade. Later that evening we went to Leah and Darryl's for a BBQ and then it was off to see the fireworks. It was a fun filled family day, much like the Independence Days I had growing up. I'm hoping we make it an annual tradition as it was a lot more fun than anything here and you really can't beat the Northwest summer weather!
My other favorite part of the trip was visiting the Ballard Locks. A lock is like a canal that raises and lowers to connect water crafts to different levels of bodies of water. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks located in Ballard provide a link for boats between the saltwater of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal connecting to Lake Union and Lake Washington. It was very interesting to watch the water drain down and the giant gates open to let the boats out. It's amazing to me that these have been operating since 1917.
I LOVE Seattle! It has sooo much to offer as far as culture and history. They have amazing museums and educational experiences for kids. We went in to the butterfly atrium at the Seattle Science Center, it was full of butterflies, fluttering about and landing on your head. The scenery is so beautiful too, so green and lush, a very different environment compared to what I've lived in my whole life. It's a simpler way of life there. Everything seems smaller....houses, cars, carbon footprints. I only saw 1 hummer while we were there! You see those EVERYWHERE here in the southwest! Here it's all about bigger and better, and that just doesn't seem the case up there. I wish that we could live there, but Dwayne hates the weather so I just don't ever see that happening. Oh well, at least we always have a beautiful place to visit!
Speaking of a living some where.........this house had an offer put on it while we were out of town. It says that their tentative closing date is August 30th! I'm sure that's a giant crock of shit though. The house we put an offer on has a tentative closing date of October 10th and we put our offer in a month or more before the folks did on this house. By the way , we still haven't heard anything more about the house we have an offer on. Last word was that the bank who holds the 2nd mortgage on it approved the short sale and now we're waiting for the original bank to hand it off to a negotiator. Who knows how long that will take! In the mean time Dwayne has been searching daily for a foreclosure that we like, unfortunately none of them have held a candle to the one we have an offer on. More and more pop up each day so we keep looking. It's a very frustrating time to be buying a house.
We have a feeling that it's going to be a very long process and that means we'll be in this house for a while and that's ok with me. I like this house a lot and will be sad to move out of it. We have such a great location and it's pretty quiet except for the occasional birds screaming at the bird sanctuary, or the occasional wedding or prom at the Groves. There's a lot of open space around us and that's the way we like it. The house down the street finally sold and the family is moving in as I write this. I guess they have a boy about Calvin's age. Let's hope I like this one! I'm still not a fan of a lot of the kids in our neighborhood and I think they know it. When they see me coming (with my big Meanest Mom on the Block crown gleaming in the sun) looking for Calvin they hurry up and get him for me. I'm sure they feel sorry for him, hell, I even feel sorry for him.........I truly can be crazy at times!
Which is precisely why I'm going back to school!! I NEED a change! I have NO IDEA how some women spend their whole lives staying home taking care of their kids!!! I don't get it! I can't take it any more, really. For my sanity and my family's happiness I am now officially on the road to higher learning. I had my orientation a few days ago. I must admit, I'm a bit intimidated and worried. I will have sooooo much to memorize and my memory has turned to mush over the past 4 years. I know I can do it though, it's just going to take a bit of getting used to that's all. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and that light is a job and more financial freedom for our family. This being broke and grumpy SUCKS!!
Well, I believe that's it for now. As you can see in the slide show above I added some pictures of Calvin with my Pa and Brother at a Diamondbacks game when he was down there last month. Jess just sent those to me. Also at the end of the show is some pictures of Zach and I at the Wiggles show. Sandi and I took our boys to see them and they both LOVED it! Below I've also posted a few videos from our trip to Seattle and such. We hope all is well with everyone. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this blog up while I'm busy with school, I promise I will do my best. Love to all of you!!
Oh wait! Another happy note to add is that Zach is officially potty trained! YAY!! Now I only have to wipe his butt for the next 6 months or so then I'm free from other's poop and pee!! Yay me!!
