SUP

 We went paddle boarding today at Juanita Beach. We went to rent the regular size ones but they were sold out for the day so we ended up with this super sized one that holds 8! It turned out to be the best thing ever, we all had a blast!

It was 96 degrees when we were done and we were so hot so we had to make a stop at 7-11 for Slurpees! 

Ellie & Gretel

 Last Sunday Kevin and I went out shopping and out to lunch for our anniversary. On our way home I said how I felt guilty that we weren't giving our kids the "pet experience". He said, "want to go get a cat today?" I said, "I think so." We went home, grabbed the kids and told them we needed to run an errand. They were less than thrilled and we told them it was a good errand and they'd be happy. They started taking guesses and a cat was actually Lauren's first guess which was crazy! They were SOOOOO excited when they realized she was right! 

 We went in planning to "look" at "teenager" cats but of course the kitties caught our attention right away. These 2 were rescued from Ellensburg. which is where we went to school and met, and since we were celebrating our anniversary it just seemed meant to be. Since they were sisters they didn't want them separated so just like that, we now have 2 kitties! Their given names were Kim & Paula (after their rescuers) but we changed them to "Ellie" (after Ellensburg) and "Gretel" (Kevin's college car was named Greta the Jetta, so we wanted to name her Greta, kids liked Gretel better so they won). 

 We got them from Homeward Pet, a great rescue shelter in Woodinville. Loved them!

 We kept them in the bathroom the first night so they could get use to us and their new home. 

 The kids are beyond in love and barely put them down. Lauren actually asked me the other day, "Mom is this real? Did we actually get kittens or am I dreaming?" It was pretty sweet. 

 We've had tons of visitors over the past week- it's like we have a new baby. 

 Lauren is treating them like babies:) 

 They snuggle up together all the time, which is super cute. 

 Ben loves them but isn't super confident with them so he always wants me there when he's holding them. 

 Lauren's friends Lizzie and Lucy are obsessed with the kitties, begging for play dates and sleepovers (they are sleeping over tonight in fact!). They've decided that they are "Auntie Lizzie" and "Grandma Lucy" to the kitties. They are letting Lauren be the mom- so kind. 

 Gretel fell asleep in Lauren's lap the other day and she said, "This is the best moment of my life". 

She's been putting them to bed each night too. So cute to see this nurturing side of her. 

On Thursday we had to cancel some pretty fun beach plans to take them to the vet because Gretel had an eye issue and seemed low energy. Lauren was super bummed (and normally canceling these kind of plans would great a full on tantrum) but she said she understood and we had to take care of Gretel- this is a new Lauren and I'm loving it! {Turns out Gretel was dehydrated, needed fluids and just has a cold, hopefully she'll be back to new in no time}. 

"Grandma Lucy" made these blankets on her sewing machine for the kitties:) 

Wedding

 Last weekend we went to Kirk and Casey's wedding in Stanwood. Ben got hot on the way up...he's so dramatic! 

 It was in the bride's parent's backyard and they did an amazing job transforming it into a wedding venue. 

 It was the most kid friendly wedding I've ever been to- there were kids activity books, a treasure hunt with prize bags, bocce ball, a kids menu, jenga, s'mores, etc...the kids loved it! 

 It also happened to be our 12th anniversary:) 

Lauren loved dancing with Kevin, they were super cute together. 

Big Posts

I just posted a few big blog posts so be sure to hit "Next Post" at the bottom to see everything:) 

California Cousin Visit!

 We just had a super fun week with our CA cousins! Ben loved having Jacob here to play Minecraft with every day:) 

 We went to Cottage Lake to try and cool off from the 90 degree heat! 

 Dinner at Nana & Pa's with this crazy crew! 

 They all had a blast playing in the back of Pa's truck. 

 The girls had fun doing each other's hair at their sleepover! 

Sleeping Beauties

 The grown up cousins all got mani/pedis.

 We went to Open Gym and BGC so the kids could all do gymnastics together with Lauren!

The boys had a great time building Legos together. 

 We rode the ferry to Kingston for the day. It was so nice to have an overcast day where we weren't all boiling! 

 Love these ladies!

 The kids loved this park in Kingston. 

 We had amazing Lavendar ice cream at Mora in Kingston. And to top it off, they had gluten free cones, such a fun surprise!! 

 The sun came out of our ferry ride home, it was beautiful. 

 American Girl store

 We also got to squeeze in lunch with Kevin's cousin's kids! They moved to South Africa last year and were here for a visit so it was fun to meet up for lunch. It was Ben's first time meeting them and they hit it off right away (tons of Minecraft talk). 

 Lauren & Helena were instant buddies too and had a great time coloring together. Helena cried when they had to say good-bye, it was really sweet.

 On Wednesday we spent the day in Seattle. Since we'd just been up in the Space Needle for my birthday, Lauren, Ben, & I played around the Seattle Center while the rest of the crew went up. 

 The kids loved playing at the new park at the space needle- Ben was pretending it was on American Ninja Warrior:) 

 This park is crazy! Kind of scary to watch them climb all over it but the kids love it. 

 I just love watching this crew together- so fun to see my kids having fun with my cousins kids. Brings back great memories! 

 The kids loved watching the guys throw the fish. 

 Lunch in Post Alley at Pike Place. 

 This sign cracked me up- apparently the bathrooms are for women and men running with babies only! 

 Not sure what this is even a picture of but the girls had to have their pic taken in it! 

 Had to get the quintessential pic of the sign with Uncle Bob & Aunt Rosemary!

 5 kids on the pig! 

 Had to get pics in all the hot spots! 

As if spending the day in Seattle wasn't exhausting enough we decided to do a 5k in Redmond that night! Liz & Marie are doing a 5k each month this year together so this was their July one. Glad I got to participate with them! We celebrated post run at Redhook with the guys! 

 Carson & Hadley joined us Thursday- Carson had fun learning about Jacob's DS. 

 Spent the day at Juanita beach with everyone. 

 Brothers! 

 Beach Beauties!

 The kids all wanted Pa to bury them in the sand. He was a good sport! 

 Crazy boy! 

Love how Emma poses in every pic! (Our neighbor Lizzie joined us for the beach fun.) 

 On our last day together we went crabbing and hung out on the boat. 

 We only caught one crab. The kids all wanted to hold it. 

 Lots of kayaking! 

Since they were all leaving Saturday morning on Marie's birthday Doug wanted to surprise her with a birthday dinner Friday night. We had lots of fun decorating and getting ready! 

Doug picked up TONS of bbq from Carolina Smoke. It was a huge hit and everyone loved it! 

The kids loved catching frogs in the grass- Carson was quite proud of his catch! 

Such a fun filled week with everyone. Loved being tourists in our own city and really getting to enjoy the sights with some of our favorite people.  Thanks to everyone for coming up and for a fantastic week...Now I'm going to go take a nap:)