Bardsleyland: Holy Boatload of Pictures, Batman!

In case you have a couple of hours, here are some pictures I've been meaning to post for a long time. Of course I meant to include detailed stories with each one, but since I haven't yet figured out how to stop time, here is the reader's digest version of all the things I've haven't been able to post about.

Sam- I love this picture. The little string of drool has become a permanent accessory lately, and we have no idea why. I swear this guy weighs about 100 pounds, or at least it feels that way since Nate was born. His 2 new favorite phrases: "Oh, I love that!" (pronounced: oh, I wuv dah!), and "Why?" A recent conversation went like this: Sam, you're poopy again? You're out of control! Why? Because you've pooped 4 times already today. Why? Just lay down, buddy. OK.

Oh yeah- Sam was evaluated for and accepted into our school district's Special Ed Preschool program due to his speech delay. That means in September, he'll be in preschool 4 days a week, riding on the short bus, and it's all free. Way to hook us up with the sweet set-up buddy!

Mia graduated from preschool back in May. She thanked her teachers, her parents, and all the little people who made it possible. "I'm just a girl from Bothell with a dream," she said. Way to go Mia!

Mark + kids + 1 hour car ride + big box of diapers= the latest in interior car decor (all the cool parents are getting it).

We bribed them with 3 cookies each to take this picture.

About 10 minutes after the cookies...

Sam and his little buddy Zach. Sam is driving them to work, while Zach surfs the net. Apparently, they thought this all up themselves.

From our raspberry bush: our first harvest of the season. Since then we pick, and promptly eat, about 30-40 each day. This makes the endless yard work all worth it.

4th of July parade: Mia and her friend Jenae. The parade people throw candy at the kids and of course Mia thinks this is the best thing ever. I'm sure she thinks that July 4th celebrates the freedom to eat candy.

The boys watching the parade.

Sam at our "little" July 4th get together, which turned into a gathering of 60 or so of our close friends: proof that I'm still way too sleep deprived to make sound decisions or do simple math. It turned out great though- perfect weather, tons of yummy pies, and lots of fun. The only flop was our attempt at homemade root beer, which ended up tasting a lot like Aquafresh, and not so much like root beer. Better luck next year.

All decked out for Independence.

Fireworks are permitted here, and apparently everyone takes that as permission to go to the Indian Reservations and buy the illegal kinds too. So around dusk on July 4th our neighborhood, and the entire surrounding area, turns into a fireworks extravaganza, and all we have to do is sit on the front lawn to enjoy the show. And it lasts for hours and hours, and even a few days for some people. It also means that I'm afraid to go anywhere for fear that our house will burn down. Here is a video of Sam's reaction to seeing the fireworks outside. He was pretty alarmed by the whole thing, and I think he's trying to say "Boom, pop!"

Watching the fireworks- as you can see, Sam is less than enthusiastic. Even our sparklers were a little too scary.

This is the end result of a day of Bardsley fun. We woke up one Saturday and had a hankering for that low-tide smell, so 4 hours later it was off to the beach for a guided nature walk with an ambiguously-gendered marine biologist ala SNL. After learning more than we ever thought possible about sea cucumbers and creatures that looked like discarded orange rinds, we ended up at the ferry docks so what did we do? Hopped on the ferry that was just about to leave of course. Once across the Sound, we had just enough time to stand in the super long line at our favorite crepe place and run back to the ferry so we wouldn't get a ticket in our 3 hour parking spot. I kept telling the kids, "isn't this a great family adventure?" so they would think that sitting in a ferry lobby eating cold chocolate banana crepes was the funnest thing in the world. But I tell you those crepes are worth it- even cold! And where did our adventure take us next? To the library to return some videos (man, we know how to live it up), and by the time we got home our kids were adventured out. What a day.