Why is there sun in the fridge?

It's amazing how as adults we have been so conditioned by the world to not really ask questions anymore. Luckily I have a spirited 3 year old who is curious and eager to understand the world around her. This morning we all walked into the kitchen to get the kids thier morning frozen waffle. I opened up the fridge and then closed it. Tatum asked me "Mommy, why does the fridge have sun in it?" It was so cute.

Bubbles Bubbles!

The kids had a great time playing with bubbles tonight outside. Carson doesn't know how to blow bubbles yet, but he had a good time pretending. Looking at all of our pictures, I am realizing that I have a few more of Carson than Tatum. The only reason is that Tatum is too busy to fiddle around with staying still and taking a picture. Carson is enjoying a shortlived spotlight for the moment!

Carson running away!

Dinner time smiles from the kids tonight. Thank goodness for Kid Cuisines. Because there are just some nights...

If by chance you meet a frown, do not let it stay...

Tonight I was really missing Ned. So I went on Youtube and found some things that made me laugh about Navy life instead of feeling sorry for myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I found it so funny...I hope you like it, Ned! This is SO THE NAVY, that's all I have to say!

Ah, the Navy...

Burger Queen

With Ned gone, I really miss his smiling face and sense of humor. I came accross this video that we took a couple of days before he left. It reminded me of his good nature and how he makes everyone laugh. He is such a great Dad, the kids just love him. Tatum always says to him "Dad, you're such a fancy guy!"

Ned left yesterday for Japan. I haven't talked to him yet, but I did recieve an email saying he landed. I am missing him like crazy today. The first few weeks are always the hardest. We miss you, Ned! And we are so appreciative of everyone serving in the military right now and families who are making it work back at home.

Today was Dad's last day with us. We went to Ft. Ebey State park this afternoon. It's a beautiful place that's about 15 minutes away. It was really cool, because there were 2 hang gliders gliding around where we were flying our kite. I had never seen anyone do it before, and the kids were enthralled. It seems like a really fun sport. I decided against bringing along the camera today. Sometimes I am so caught up in "capturing the moment" that I don't enjoy it as much. So I just enjoyed the family.

Well, the clock is ticking on Daddy being home. We are trying to be out and about with the kids everyday and have plenty of family time. Our favorite place to go on the island is Deception Pass. It is a bridge that connects to the mainland. It's the only bridge to get off of the Island, because it's a reasonable distance to the other side. Everywhere else you have to take a ferry! But we are fortunate to live only about 10 minutes away from the bridge so we don't have to completely rely on the Ferry system all the time!

We tried setting Tatum up on this log. She was not happy. But I didn't want to leave her out, because I thought she'd get jealous of Carson getting up there.

If there is one thing Carson loves, it's an adventure! He has loved being outdoors this week with all the sunshine. He didn't want any of us to help him walk, he had to do it by himself. At one point, he made a break for the ocean. No fear, I guess!

A view of Deception Pass.

Learning to walk on the rocks...

Learning to skip rocks with Daddy!

I've been working with Tatum on her letters the last few weeks. She has mastered writing the letter A. It was so cute, because she found a stick and wrote A in the sand. She was so proud of it!

After we left Deception Pass Park, we drove over to the mainland to get a treat with the kids. This is a picture of the East side off the pass. The edge of the island is about 10 minutes North of our home.

We found this cute little cafe just over the bridge. Tatum wanted to stop because of the big ice cream cone!

Our anniversary at the Space Needle!

Ned and I decided to go all out for our 6th wedding anniversary. We ventured up a cool 600 feet to enjoy a romantic and scenic view of Seattle and the Puget Sound in the most recognizable structure in the US: The Space Needle! It was amazing, breathtaking and out of this world! I am such a lucky girl to have a husband that appreciates the finer things in life, and likes getting dressed up and making memories. It was a wonderful night. I had a much needed break from the kids and recharged for the upcoming deployment ahead of us. As a little girl, I had always hoped that I would meet the man of my dreams who would sweep me off my feet. I had envisioned our marriage to be a balance of everyday hard work with fun and exciting adventures that we could share together. I am blessed to have that dream come true everyday being married to Ned. I love you, sweetie! Happy 6th!

Here is a picture the waiter took of us as we were passing the skyline at sunset.

I didn't want to be too annoying and snap pictures all night. I found this photo online and it just shows the inside of the place. We had a window table. The tables are on a disc that revolves in a circle. It took about 40 minutes to do a complete revolution.

This is just a photo from Sky City's website, but I had to show it off! They have this famouse dessert called the Lunar Orbiter. It's an ice cream sundae served above dry ice. It billows everywhere once they serve it. Anyway, we had decided that we weren't going to get the dessert before we went there just becuase it was a waste of money. But once we got there, we were given a comment card survey and because we filled it out, we got a free lunar orbiter! Ned was so excited. Plus the smoke in the picture didn't do the real deal justice. It was so out of control, it took like 2 minutes for us to even see our ice cream. It was a great end to a perfect evening.

Here are some pictures from our evening 532 feet above Seattle. We got there at the perfect time- the sun was just starting to set and we saw the city at dusk, sunset and into the night. It was magnificent.

Ned and I at the Monorail in Seattle.

Happy Anniversary, sweetie! It's been a great 6 years.

An afternoon in La Conner

Ned and I have been meaning to get to La Conner since we moved here last May. It's only 20 minutes away and we have heard nothing but good things about it. This afternoon we checked it out and we absolutely fell in love! There were so many cute shops and fun places to see. We feel so blessed to live in such a wonderful area with so much natural beauty. Here are some photos from our afternoon. Of course, we are trying to get in as many family activities in before Daddy leaves on Sunday!

Here's our little Tatum chilling out on a stone boat!

Here are a couple photos of La Conner, WA.

For those of us blessed with a less-than-ordinary name, it has its pros and cons. The pro is that it's not the same name as 50 other girls in school. It is unique. The con however, is that you never see your name anywhere, thus losing credability as a "real name". When we first moved to Whidbey Island, I was looking in the phone book and noticed there was a little restaraunt called Kerstin's in La Conner. We actually have reservations there for Wednesday, but after looking at the menu we may do something else. Great name, but the dishes didn't really apeal to us. I'll have to settle for a picture for now! Bon Apetit!

We stopped in at this adorable chocolate shop. We told Tatum she could pick out a treat...and of course she goes right to the biggest peice of chocolate she could find. I had the most wonderful lime truffle in the world. It was so good! Ned of course, had to try thier fudge. He claims nothing is as good as his Mom's fudge, but he's willing to test the theory whenever he gets the chance!

I tried to get on a picture with the kids. But they were more concerned with the fudge in my purse.

I know it's not the best picture. But every shop in La Conner is set against an ivy wall backdrop. They all have these adorable little courtyards with stone and flowers. The shops face the ocean so you get a beautiful view from all angles. It reminded me of Europe...so pretty!

We got a snack at this local fruit market with outdoor seating. Carson was SO EXCITED when a big boat came by. It was just the cutest thing.

We had been planning a trip to Portland, OR this weekend. However, things at work got crazy and Ned only had 1 day off instead of 3. So we went into Seattle yesterday and had some fun with the kids. It was a great day just being together. Ned leaves in one week, so time is precious. Here are some pictures of our day in the Emerald City.

The Children's museum!

We took the kids to the Seattle Children's Museum. They had a blast learning and playing. Here are some pictures of thier time at the exhibits!