San Juan Island day two

Our second day on San Juan Island was spent exploring the island. I spent some of the time sitting in the car with Seth while he napped some of the day so Dad and the three big boys did the exploring. We went to a spot that had a lighthouse we could walk to. Dad and the big boys enjoyed this spot. Then we went to the American Camp. We had a picnic lunch here and then hiked down to a spot called Grandma's cove. We also went to the English Camp and the three big boys got to become Junior Rangers. We also drove all the way around the island. We saw a Camel and its baby in some ones pasture. It was a fun day exploring. We will be up early the next day to catch the ferry and head home. This was a fun mini vacation for our family filled with some great memories!

Exploring at Grandma's cove. Love this family photo!
Part of what is left of the American camp
At the English camp
Junior Rangers!

Camel and it's baby. The baby is white.

San Juan Island

This summer we planned a mini vacation to visit San Juan Island, WA for some Orca Whale watching. This is a area in North Western Washington right along the border of Canada. There are some resident orca whale pods that live up here and the summer is the time to go see them. We had to take a hour long ferry to the island. This was the first ferry trip for our family together. The boys were super excited for this little trip. The ferry was fun and we saw some seals while on it! The boys loved that we drove our car on to it and then could get out and walk around the large boat. We had a lovely apartment/suite to stay in on the island. Once we got check in and settle we head out to a local market to get some food for our meals since we had a kitchen. Our first day was about Whales! This was really the first time the kids had been on a boat and they were super excited! I must admit I was excited about the whales but super nervous about the boat ride since I have been sea sick before. So everyone got some Dramamine for the ride. There was about 2o people on our tour plus some naturalist to share lots of information on the area and the animals we would see. The boat ride out to where the whales were was smooth and fun. We saw some seals and cool stuff about the surrounding area. We actually ended up in Canadian waters to see the whales! We saw lots of whales too. There are 3 pods in the area and we saw J pod which also had a baby whale with it. It was just amazing to see. We watch them for about a hour. I will admit the boys thought the whales were so cool, but lost interest after a short time. We also saw a small island of seals and some bald eagles feasting near by on a seal carcass. The way back was a bit wet! There is a small cabin on the ship which is were everyone on the tour ended up due to the spray off the boat soaking the back side of the boat. Once back at our suite we all feel asleep due to the Dramamine! We had a fabulous time! I am so glad we got to share this trip as a family!We were packing a life jacket for Noah to wear on the boat and also found some swim caps. Had to snap a photo of his outfit!
waiting in line to get on the ferry. You have to get in line about a hour before you board. Glad we had movies and DSi's in the car!
Dad and the boys on the ferry.
The big boys room of our apartment/suite
Baron, Seth and I slept here. We did have the pack n play for Seth too.
The Kitchen area. Next to this area is a sofa with a pull out bed where Noah slept.
Somebody cute checking out the drawers
This is the boat we went whale watching on
Whales!
Lots of Whales!
More Whales!

hard to see but lots of seals sun bathing here.

Day out with Thomas

This was a special treat for out family since we have been Thomas the Tank Engine fans for about 8+ years. I always wanted to take Andrew and Joshua when they were preschool age but it was always too far from our home. This one was about a hour and a half away. Our scheduled train ride was at 1:30. We arrived about 2 hours before our time. This was set up at a train museum in Snoqualmie, WA. We had a bite to eat and then got in line to board the train. The boys were super excited especially Noah. We got on and went for about a 25 min ride with Thomas at the head of the train. We got to see the lovely Snoqualmie falls from the train. After the train ride we got photos with Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt. The also and a train play area, temporary tattoos and of course a gift shop! Noah picked up a flashlight and balloon while Joshua got a ball. Andrew was a little big for most of the toys. Over all we had a great time with Thomas!

On the train! Above is Daddy, Noah, and Joshua. Below Me, Andrew, and Seht

Hard to get a good picture of the falls but this is the top just as the water goes over.

Happy Forth of July

Happy Forth of July! Here is our annual family photo in Old Navy flag shirt.

We went to our neighbors party and had a great time and saw lots of fireworks.

Backyard Campout

Now that the weather is a bit warm Baron decided that it was time for a backyard cook out and camp out. We roasted hot dogs on the fire pit and ate dinner outside. After dinner we also did smores on the fire pit. Then Dad, Andrew, Joshua, and Noah slept in the backyard out in the tent. The weather was great for it and they all had loads of fun.

Summer Toys

One of the first things we did to start the summer off was hit Toy's r us. We got a new sprinkler for the boys to play in. We also got a punch bag. Here are some photos of the boys enjoying these new toys.

Park and Lunch

One of our nice neighbors gave Noah her son's old bike! We had to go try it out. Off to the school to ride bikes and play at the playground we went. Noah did pretty well except that I forgot to check the tires and they were both flat. Oops. The boys had a great time playing at the playground. After that we did "make your own pizza" for lunch. Andrew and Joshua were just amazed that I thought of this for a lunch. They all loved it and ate it all up!