End of August

After a great stretch of summer sun, we finally got some major rain at the of August.  It was such a novelty that Ethan really wanted to go out  and play in it.  So the boys suited up and headed out to play (in between the thunder and lightning).

 Lovin' every minute!

 Carter wasn't so excited about it.  Once we finally got him out in it he quickly ran for cover!

 Stompin' in the puddles!

 Dirty from stompin'

 After all that fun the boys came in, changed their clothes and relaxed.  We thought it was funny how Carter had his leg up!

 On the Friday of Labor Day weekend we headed down to check out Harbor Days in downtown Olympia.  There wasn't a whole lot going on yet since Friday was the first day and we went down in the morning, but we had fun walking the boardwalk and letting the kids play on the playground.  We went to the top of the observation tower and got a good look at all the boats and the capitol building.

 Even though it was a warm day, Carter insisted on wearing this beanie.  Luckily we were able to get it off his head while we were running around outside, but once we were back in the car he wanted it on again!  He kind of looked like a little thug because he had a black eye, too.  Poor kid pulled a bookshelf over on top of himself, totally bruising and scratching his back and then fell and hit his eye on a toy later that day and got a black eye.  How do little boys ever make it to adulthood??

 I love this one.  He looks like he doesn't trust us...

We were so glad to have decent weather after all that rain so we could go out and enjoy the waterfront!

Olympic Airshow

The airshow got moved to August this year, which worked out well because Tristan's sister, Krista, was in town visiting with her family.  It was fun to have cousins to run around and play with.

We got there early to set up the canopy and hang out for a bit.  Tristan worked with Ethan on learning how to throw a frisbee.

 We had a quick picnic while we waited for Tristan's family to arrive.  The boys love hanging out in the back of my car, so they chose to eat in there instead of on the blanket we had set up for them.

 Annette, Desiree, Nicole and Kelsey and Krista and her family all showed up right as the airshow started.  There were some changes this year due to lack of funding for some of the Navy jets to come down, but we still enjoyed the show and had a great time eating, visiting and playing.

The helicopers did a cool "dog fight" simulation.

 Some biplanes flying in formation

 The clouds did eventually burn off and the kids enjoyed the sunshine!

 Skywriting

 Another big helicopter

 Some close-ups of a few of the biplanes.

I didn't get a good shot of the helicopter lifting and dropping the truck this year.  But it was fun to watch and Ethan talked about it for the whole rest of the show!  We had a great time, the weather was better than it usually is (Tristan heard the tower talking about the "airshow curse" on his HAMM radio), and the kids had a great time--just another fun Olympia tradition we enjoy every summer!

Celebrating Ethan's Birthday

That afternoon Ethan opened his presents before we headed out for an early dinner to continue our celebrating!

 New boots with bugs on them!!

 A frog backpack for preschool

 Walkie Talkies!  This was by far his favorite.  We had to stop and get batteries for it on our way to dinner so he could try them out.

 The birthday girl and the birthday boy.  We decided to go and use our free birthday meals together.  We couldn't get one with Ethan's eyes open, so this is as good as it gets!

 A birthday sundae!

 Carter really enjoyed mine...probably more than Ethan did!

 Another beautiful view of Mt. Ranier to end the day.

It was a full day, but a day full of fun!

Northwest Trek

We really like going to Northwest Trek each summer and it just worked out that the best day to do it was Ethan's birthday this year.  We have had wonderful weather and that day was predicted to be a really hot one, so we headed out to get there right when they opened when it was cooler.  We hoped that would help us to see the animals more before they hid in the shade of the woods and also that it would be a little easier on me!!

We stopped by the discovery center where the birthday boy checked out how he measured up!

 Ethan and Carter had fun dressing up as a Bald Eagle.

 They also had fun balancing on this little obstacle course together.

 Carter getting some help from Dad

 The "train" ride is always a favorite--at least for Ethan.  Carter was really clingy and subdued, so I'm not sure if he was tired just feeling uncertain.  We saw these Blacktailed deer while we were waiting for the tour to start--a good sign that the animals were out!

 A happy birthday boy (notice that Carter has assumed the position)!

 He kept wanting to be passed back and forth between me and Tristan, but no matter who he was with, he looked a lot like this!

 I have never seen the bison this close to the tram before.  We literally could have reached out and touched them!

 We even saw some of the babies that had been born recently!

 We had gorgeous views from up on the ridge.  It was a beautiful day.

 The moose were laying in the grass right off the road, so we got a great view of them as well!

 The female Elk herd was hanging out in woods by the time we reached that part of the tour.  The males were all laying in the grass down by the lake, but I couldn't get a good shot of them because of how the sun was hitting the area.

 Finally perked up at the prospect of some snacks!

 Another beautiful view with Mt. Ranier in the distance!

 The caribou were waiting at the station for us when we returned.  Again they were so close we could have reached out to touch them!

 Cute little baby caribou

 After the tram, we went to go see some of the enclosures.  Carter was much more excited about this part of the day--probably because he could see things better.  He kept pointing like this at each animal.  The woodland animals were all out, so we got to enjoy the raccoons, beavers, wolverines, porcupines, Fisher and otters.

 This porcupine was so funny looking.  I swear he was drugged or something!

 Finally an excited boy!

 We stopped to watch some of the trainers working with the ducks.  Funny enough, this trainer was helping the ducks WANT to go in the water.  Who would have thought?

 Carter with the otters

 We didn't have very good luck at the predator enclosures.  None of the bears, wild cats or wild dogs were out.  It must have been their nap time!  I know the keepers were setting food out in the bear exhibits, so my guess is they put the animals in while they do that.

Ethan and Carter trying to get a look at the wolf pack...they must have been sleeping in the woods!

We had a nice little picnic and then headed home.  It was fun to go spend the day as a family for Ethan's 4th birthday--how is he 4 already???