All Fools Parade

For the first time ever we got to be in the All Fools Parade representing our gym Northshore Gymnastics Center (NGC). All of us kids were in it except for Caleb who was at a church conference. Dad was the camera man (It's all thanks to him we have pictures) and, ever since Rilla and Cian joined the team, Mom has been an assistant coach to help out with the younger kids and got to walk with us in the parade. [Emma 11]

Valentine's Week

Valentine's Week has been a virtual whirlwind (that's speaking metaphorically, of course). It's been a good week for chocolate. The kids and I made heart shaped sugar cookies, based on the success of cookies baked the previous weekend for a trampoline meet, as well as fudge, cut out in the shape of hearts. Even with giving lots away, we consumed plenty ourselves. Valentine's evening, we had dinner with our good friends, the Thompsons, which meant the kids went to bed an hour after bedtime. I did not help put them to bed, as I volunteered to shut the chicken coop door to keep out unwanted critters. Ever since our Christmas night encounter with the most ENORMOUS possum in the coop, eating eggs and chicken feed (one chicken as well - but not that evening), we have been shutting them in at night. We've only forgotten once to let them out the next day. Anyway, I put on my boots and marched out into the night with my flashlight, only to discover a new, smaller possum in the coop. I won't say how we dispatched the creature, but it won't be eating my chickens or their organic $22 per 50 lb. bag of feed any more either.

Just so you know, the best way to deal with possums is to drive over them with your car - it's compassionate and quick. Also, this evening marked our 22nd engagement anniversary, and I must say we have become quite the efficient possum dispatching team.

Last night, Jack and I enjoyed an authentic Brazilian meal in the U District, with friends Uschi and Luis. The kids had pizza at Grandma Bev's house. The food could not have been better, and it was nice that Uschi and Luis speak fluent Portugese. As a bonus the restaurant is right across from R&E cycles, where we bought our first mountain bikes many years ago.

Emma had a gymnastics meet today at our home gym. She had plenty of family to watch, although Rilla & Cian spent much of the time eating chips or jumping in the pit of foam. As soon as Colin hooked up with his friend, Spencer, he was lost to the world of Nintendo DS. Caleb brought art supplies and generally wandered around.

Level 4 State Gymnastics Meet Trip

Emma has had a remarkable first year in competitive Level 4 Girls Gymnastics. In fact, she did so well at Sectionals that she qualified for State! So on May 3rd we packed up the car and drove clear across the state to the Tri-Cities where we stayed at the Wingate Inn in Kennewick. If you think that we made the trip without any stops you haven’t driven any distances with children; how about five (actually six on the way home). Here are the stops: One (Snohomish Library – yes, this still counts!); Two (the pit toilet rest stop just East of the pass – note the wee bit of lingering snow); Three (dinner in Ellensburg); Four (bathrooms at the Bi-Mart in Sunnyside – probably best not to visually chronicle that one…). Actually four stops before our destination isn’t bad…

The first day we drove around to figure out where Emma’s practice session and meet was, had a picnic at Wye Park, did a short hike across an isthmus, and even found the Costco! Plus swimming at the hotel and dinner with the whole team at Red Robin!

The next day after dropping Gail, Emma, and Emma’s friend Ariel, at the TRAC pavilion for the first day of competition, Jack and the rest of the crew went to Columbia Park. Here is a shot of the kids and some baby geese. That afternoon we collected the girls and went to Sacajawea Park where we had lunch, played, and soaked up some sun in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. Alas, we only spent a few hours here rather than the few days the Corp of Discovery stayed. But we did go through the newly opened Sacajawea Interpretive Center and even dropped in on a medieval group, the Barony of Wastekeep, a branch of The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). With the Hanford Nuclear Site in its realm, the name ‘Wastekeep” is truly fitting(!). Anyway, here are pictures of the kids: Caleb; Emma; Colin; Rilla, & Cian at the park.

Before Emma’s competition the second day we zipped up to the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Snake River where we went through the Visitor center and watched spring Chinook heading up the ladder. Here is a picture of the kids with the dam in the background (and including Emma’s friend Ariel!). Then back to the TRAC pavilion and lunch at the baseball park across the street before warm-ups.

At the meet a local beauty school did the girls hair. Here is a picture of Emma’s web.

At the meet Emma did a great job! In fact her all-around score at State was the best so far! Here she is right before her salute and floor routine – and you can tell she is really focused! Obviously her parents need to get a better camera to focus those distance and speed shots since most in the set are blurry! Oh well!

Here is Emma's State Certificate.

The trip home was uneventful except for finding Winegar's Ice Cream in Ellensburg. Sort of, ‘icing on the cake’ of a packed but fun weekend/trip/meet/vacation.

Here is the 'good-luck' ad we created for Emma for the Level 4 State Meet Program: