Germs

Gryphon started up preschool a couple of weeks ago, and loves it!   He goes in the morning three times a week, and Alice does daycare while he’s in school.  Alice got some roseola shortly after starting, and followed it up with a with a wake-up-coughing-every-hour kind of cold, which is still working on spreading itself around the family.  Gryphon is exhibiting strange behavior, but we don’t think it’s related.  This set the stage for Anniversary Number Eight on the 18th. 
 
Gryphon asked for “scary” pancakes one morning…

Alice has been trying out some hairstyles lately, to keep her hair out of her yogurt.
 
 

Saipan Highlights 2

Here’s a follow-up to the first Saipan highlights video:

And a bonus:

Finding home

On Friday Midwife Debbie and her family took us up the newly un-dammed Elwha river to see the salmon returning to their spawning grounds.
 
 
I noticed that I haven’t included much about the relentless house hunting that we’ve been doing for the last couple of months.  Well, like the salmon, we’ve managed to find our home, and will be moving in shortly.

Yesterday we spent the morning on Dungeness Spit, making teeter totters and rock sculptures.
 
 
Cheri’s Lentil Soup is delicious:

Simmer 3-4 hours: {3 cups (1 bag) dry lentils, 7 cups vegetable stock, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp salt}
Sauté in butter until onion’s soft: {3-4 tbsp minced garlic, 1 sweet onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery}
Add 3 tbsp Patak’s Curry Paste (hot) and fry 1 minute
Dump the sautéed stuff into the lentils.
Add 1 can petite diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp lemon juice, lots of pepper
Simmer 30 more minutes

Kelp didgeridoo

Gryphon and Alice are enjoying “Live Y’ers” at the YMCA, particularly when the big inflatable house and slide are there.  Luckily adults are allowed in them too.
 
 
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve gone on several blackberry eating campaigns in the neighborhood, and have spent a lot of time in the back yard.
 
 
The 13th was Roald Dahl’s birthday – Gryphon has been enjoying reading The Minpins.
 
Later I took the kids down to City Pier for some beach time.  Gryphon found some kelp, which quickly turned into a didgeridoo.
 
  

Water parks

Our Bellingham trip was punctuated by various watery excursions, this time with elusive Aunt Laura’s company.
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Then Cheri found out that she was supposed to be in the clinic so we had to make a hasty retreat.

On the road again

We said goodbye to our hosts and began the trip North on the 2nd.  First stop was to visit Farmers Greg, Amy, Sadie, and their various dogs, pigs and chickens.
 
 
 

Of course we couldn’t leave without another stop at Namaste.  My teacher friend Rainie brought her husband and son to visit over lunch.  Gryphon was immediately enthralled by the iPad.  Math teacher Shawn and his lady Kris showed up to say hello too.
 
We chatted with Cheri’s parents and grandparents before the kids needed a nap.
 
We made it to Bellingham just in time for dinner at El Rinconcito