Karin's Life in America

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend

As bad as last years spring was, this years spring/early summer is most glorious. It has been a very long time, since Memorial Day Weekend was sunny all three days. I am scrambling to get my garden done, because nature is just exploding.
We went on another field trip with Amelia's class. This time we hiked through Ravenna Park to the playground. It was a beautiful warm day, the kids got plenty of playing in and we had a picknick. Amelia walked hand in hand with her friend Lucy; at school they are inseparable.
Jason went with John and Cam to Sasquatch this weekend, so the girls and I took that opportunity to visit Jen and Zoey in Bellingham. We had a great time. Being gone just one night was a mini vacation. On Saturday we went to the Bellingham Farmers market and sampled some local food. The girls loved the Shaved Ice bus. Marlene demonstrated her exelent Hula Hoop skills. We walked around Lake Padden, where we picked plenty of flowers and played on the playground. Instead of movie night, the three girls opted for playing in the yard until bed time! That is a first.
On Sunday morning we met up with more friends to go to the Fairhaven Festival. Fairhaven is the end of the "Ski to Sea" race and everyone was in a festive mood. We had a nice walk in the park and listened to great music. The drive home was hot, but fast, since not many people were on the road.
Monday we cleaned house and had friends over for dinner. I love pulled pork and it always makes more sense to make more for extra eaters. We had a great afternoon with Tor, Jess, Paula, and Paris. And the best part: waking up on Tuesday in a clean house and food for the week!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Busy end of the school year

Time is flying and spring seems to slowly turn into summer!?! Well, you never know about summer here until July 5th. But fact is, that we only have 4 more weeks of school left. So what have we been up to? Marlene's baseball season has kicked into high gear and she has 2 games a week. Her team is called the "White Sox". Originally she was supposed to play in an all girl softball team, but the team was 4 girls short, so the remaining 6 players were distributed between the baseball teams. Jason is one of the coaches and gets to pitch for the kids. So far only one game was rained out and we only had to play one game in the rain. She is doing really well and hitting strong. It seems 1st base is her best position, even thou she says she likes 3rd base best. It is hard for Amelia during the games, because they are now 90 minutes long. There are a few other girls there watching and sometimes she gets to play with them. I can not wait until she plays T-Ball herself.
We went to a nature talk down at the Beaver pond. We learnt a lot about beavers and actually saw three of them. It was very funny, because the Fish and Wildlife person had just finished talking, when all the beavers came out.
I have been busy with the school auction. My gig was the Dessert Dash and I am proud to say we raised $ 2250 with desserts. This years theme was "Viva Las Vegas" which was a lot of fun. I dresses up with old dance clothes and fake hair and got my picture taken with not one, but two Elvises!
Amelia's class went on a field trip to the Wedgwood Fire Station. The kids love to see the big trucks and all the gear. There was a female fire fighter, too. Amelia liked talking to her and sitting with her in the fire engine. (My camera was out of battery, I hope someone is emailing me some pictures).
REI had their big spring sale and we spent our dividend and some gift cards. I got a rain jacket (finally no more wet during walks), Jay got cloths and Marlene got new shoes. I was able to find a pair of hiking boots for her, so she is very proud to look like Daddy.
Last but nor least we have been working in the yard. I have been getting the plants ready and already put some in the beds. We have a potato/strawberry patch this year and at the auction I bought a raised bed. The raspberries are doing great, and out new cherry tree might have some fruit this year. Unless something happens, this might be a great fruit year. In addition to actual gardening we finally finished the deck yesterday by staining it. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will not rain for the next 24 hours. Well, we will see.