thehanramans

field day and school barbeque

2011-06-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Not quite the last day of school, but almost. Starts with a BBQ that the principal runs. Flips every burger himself. Then off to the 6th grade vs. staff softball game, which the staff always wins. Then a fun-filled field day complete with a free snow cone from the PTA. And let me tell you, that is the longest line you'll ever see. Now, on to summer!

Guemes Island

2011-06-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

When Gramma and Papa came to visit, we took the 5 minute ferry ride over to Guemes. Had a treat at Anderson's General Store and then played on the driftwood and skipped stones. Earlier that morning we had already feasted on huge cinnamon rolls at the Farmer's Market. Then later that evening, we got a babysitter and took Gramma and Papa to Anthony's for a lovely happy hour on the waterfront.

Momma's taking us to the zoo tomorrow

2011-06-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Actually, it was a first grade field trip to Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. I was lucky enough to chaperone the 3 smartest and most well-behaved gentlemen on the trip... rather from any school there. We spent a wonderful day running from exhibit to exhibit, thankful for no rain.

Michael, Liam and Abel. My three musketeers!

Junior Ski to Sea

2011-05-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here's Logan finishing his leg of this most fun race in Bellingham. A group of his classmates formed a team to race in one of Bellingham's finest traditions. The adult race starts at Mt. Baker and finishes in Fairhaven, involving, skiing, running, biking, and kayaking. The Junior edition features running, 3-legged race, biking, soccer, and obstacle course. Logan did his team proud and gave them a huge lead by coming in 6th out of 75.

The Anacortes Challengers(pun intended, as their class is called the "Challenge" class) before the raceAnd... after. A cold, rainy day on Lake Padden, but very fun. Michael was a trooper to stand for two and a half hours supporting his brother. Opa made a showing as well as David. Cynthia and Ava stayed warm in the car, but we got to play with them after the race.
These kids are the sweetest, smartest, and just great all around kids in Logan's class. Well done, Challengers!

anything better in the spring????

2011-05-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

No real captions necessary.

practically perfect and almost first

2011-05-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last October our church offered group ticket prices for the Broadway tour of Mary Poppins, and since the show was in May, we thought we'd add it to Michael's birthday gifts. Needless to say, Michael was thrilled and Logan's response was, well, also predictable: a heavy sigh. But they rallied once they found out their best friends Aidan and Liam were also going. And, as luck would have, we ended up sitting in the same row. While they were the only boys in the audience of the grand Paramount Theatre, they couldn't have been happier. And Michael is still skipping around the house singing, "just a spoonful of sugar..." and "chim chiminee, chim chiminee...". It's delightful.

Despite the following picture, Logan ended up in first place. He's with his good friend Dominic, and you can see Oma, Opa, Auntie Fay, and yours truly in the background cheering him on.
This is the finish of the mile run. Notice that Logan only has one shoe; he lost the other on lap 3. He ended up in second place, behind the 6th grader in the picture.

birthday bash

2011-05-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, there was a two hour window of no rain and that was exactly the time of Michael's 7th birthday party. Whew. A relief mostly because I had no rain contingency plan. An outdoor obstacle course, cake pops, build a hackey sack out of balloons, and go home. That was my only plan. And it worked like a charm. I've never, ever seen michael so happy. He literally laughed and smiled for two solid hours, plus the after hours smile that lingered all evening.

Yummmmmm

2011-05-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be easier to make cake pops than a complicated Star Wars battle ship. And to some degree, I was right. But then reality hit and I was left holding one cake pop on a stick at a time waiting not-so-patiently for the chocolate coating to harden before I could dip another one. And then there was the question of where to store all of them? After I filled the three styrofoam bricks and still had over 25 to go, I ran out to my garage, got the old, I mean, ancient, cooler from the 90's that has seen so many campgrounds with Brian and me, and turned it on its side. There... instant cake pop stand.

music music music

2011-05-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

The boys' music concert went off without a hitch. The compromise minutes before we headed up to the high school auditorium was that Logan could keep the "mohawk" he had worn to school that day if he agreed to wear a "church" shirt. Anything with a collar sends him in a downward spiral, so I picked a battle I could live with: hair or shirt, his choice. I had a feeling which one he'd pick. And Michael just sang his little heart out.

Happy Easter

2011-05-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

You can dress them up, AND take them out. My handsome boys. Haven't had a picture with them in quite a while. And now, since it's mid-May, I should really update this blog. More pics to come.

We've been flocked

2011-04-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a flock of flamingoes all over our front yard. Yay! Fun, cool a great fundraiser for our church youth group: you can send a flock to another family for $20. Then they have to pay a removal fee. You can, however, buy insurance to block the flock. Then the sender will have to pay extra to make sure your yard is pink. As I was saying, this is all well and good... unless you get flocked the day before Easter. And then--all your neighbors think you decorated your yard for Easter. Ugh!

The boys are loving the birds; I even enjoyed them until four or five people drove up and told us how much they liked our Easter decorations. NO!!!! They're not Easter decorations. This flocking has been going on all month and will continue for many more weeks. And we get the pink on Easter. Sheesh. So here are the boys after two services, which is why Logan has lost the tie and is ready to lose the rest of his church clothes any minute. They looked really handsome when we left our house for the first service this morning. Where was my camera then?

p.s. Flamingoes in the tree as well:)

goodbye, paas. hello silk ties!

2011-04-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

A good friend invited us to "tie-dye" eggs. I was thinking groovy sixties, but then she told me I needed to go shopping for 100% silk TIES. Oooohhhhhh, "tie"-dying. A quick trip to Soroptomists for all the silk ties they had(.75/tie), and a few minutes cutting them up was all it took for these gorgeous works of art. Not kidding. It was easy and fun for all our kids. The best was the big reveal--unwrapping them after they had boiled in the ties. The oooohs and ahhhhhs were precious, and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more: the moms or the kids. And, as is often the case in life, the ugliest ties made for the most stunning eggs. Happy Easter everyone!

handsome handsome

2011-04-23T11:35:00.001-07:00

Upon Logan's insistence, we took the boys for haircuts. While I loved watching Logan's flowing locks blow in the wind as he ran like a gazelle, his hair was driving him crazy. And we are foolish enough to think that it will one day be warm here in the Pacific NW that we figured short is better.

The other day we got home from school, and I made the boys their usual afternoon snack. Routine calls for hand-washing and then homework while they eat their snack. But on this particular day, I was pleasantly surprised to walk in to the dining room to find both boys working assiduously on unassigned creative writing: comic strips. They both just wanted to write stories. Now, these tales included blood and death, of course, but I am thankful for baby steps. They were writing. And there was no hair in their eyes.

redhead hogs

2011-04-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

Rest assured, my son will NEVER have a motorcycle.. at least not while he's under my roof. However, what are you going to say when Uncle Ed offers to take you for a ride?

bat caves

2011-04-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

We got to go spelunking with some friends last week and had a blast. Who knew our forestlands (trails and mountains we hike on all the time) had this great bat cave? Just above Little Cranberry Lake.. a semi-steep climb to the top and voila... a deep, rather scary cave that goes quite a ways back. This picture is actually within the cave at a fork. I was trying to show just how deep the path went. But alas, I only have a little digital.

Michael, well into the cave at another division.
Daddy and Michael at the entrance. Logan didn't venture in as he spotted a spider hanging from the cave roof. I couldn't fault him; I almost stepped on a snake on our way up. Gross. Yuck. Damn. Shit.

fun in the sun

2011-04-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

The one day we had sun, boys came out of the woodwork. This was the scene in our front yard when Brian naively put on his glove and asked if anyone wanted to have a catch. 7 boys. 7! Oh my. He has the patience of a saint. I was inside getting snacks ready and saying goodbye to our grocery budget. Oh well, fun was had by all, including the patient saint.

march in and out like a lion. no lambs to be found.

2011-04-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

March was Read Across America month and both boys were charged with recording the number of minutes they read each and every day of the month: one ticket per 100 minutes. At the end of each week, there was a drawing, and the winning ticket holder got to pick a prize: Mr. Selting's huge penguin collection among them. This was Michael's pick. Logan also won and chose one of his principal's penguins.

Logan's Read Across America State Fair book report project. He had to read a book that takes place in a US state and then create a state fair exhibit that the entire student body would view as well as an evening "fair" for parents. Logan worked so hard on this and was very proud. He wrote to two of Oma's friends from Colorado and got a ton of things back from them. His book was Hard Gold: The Colorado Gold Rush by Avi. Background of his display is the Colorado flag.

spring break

2011-04-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Despite schizophrenic weather(snow,sun, rain, snow, hail) we had a super fun time at Gramma and Papa's: playing Harry Potter Clue, Farkle, chess,drums, bonfires that wouldn't really take because everything was so wet, Rango--Gramma closed her eyes for almost two thirds of the movie--and so much more. Visits with family were the highlight as always. And then, boom, spring break was over. Back to the grind.

and he swam and he swam right over the dam

2011-03-27T17:03:00.001-07:00

march birthdays

2011-03-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Logan did not want a big party this year; he simply wanted to spend the day(and night) with his good friend Andy, who no longer attends the same school as Logan. So a day of rollerskating, basketball and legos was followed by a night of ice cream cake and late night giggles

While Logan was born nine years ago on March 7th, our beautiful and sweet cousin Ava Lauren was born one year ago on March 8th. We were so hoping she'd come on the 7th, but she was in charge, so she came when she darn well wanted to.

Late winter blues

2011-03-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Oh.... six days of high fever, no school, the Tylenol and Ibuprofen dance, and forcing liquids on kids who didn't even want popsicles. Finally took them to the doctor and was told to quarantine them. The sickness: the REAL influenza. That's what we get for not getting shots this year. First time in the history of Brian and Treva. Ever. Ugh. Bad parents.

Yay!

2011-03-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of many

2011-03-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

Snow had fallen, snow on snow. But do you think I had my camera when there were 6 boys playing all day in my front yard? Nooooo. And what about when the boys built the coolest fort/ barricade? Nooooo. But here is a beauty of our poor butterfly bush I took from the comfort of my warm kitchen.

news

2011-03-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I suppose I could have taken a picture of the champagne glasses we used to toast Brian's new job, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. Plus, we had one boy with a fever. Now, 6 days later I have two boys with fevers, and am under strict orders from the doctor to quarantine them. Lovely. I've taken 3 days off work to stay home with them, and I'm not even sick. And... they're getting better, which is proving a jolly good time for me. Not. It's sad when they're down with a high fever, but at least the house is quiet. But once they start feeling better, here comes the whining, nagging, and arguing with each other. "He's looking at me, Mom." "Mom, tell him to stop smiling at me." I am not kidding. ugh.

Needless to say, we are over the moon about Brian's move to Anacortes. How it will change our lives. No more commuting, no more being torn between two rival teams. Goodbye Bulldogs. Hello Seahawks. So many good things. The boys have been great. Michael doesn't really understand all the implications, but Logan is putting things together and has already asked some hard questions. We will love him through the tough things he might have to face. He's a strong kid and knows his dad is a good person. The rest, we'll just cross when we get to it.

Pictures of things will be posted after I take them:)

Days of Christmas

2011-02-18T08:06:00.003-08:00

So a few quick photos of the days following Christmas. Michael recovered enough to try out his new electric scooter from Santa. And fun was had by all... until Logan got sick. Can't win them all.

Michael tried so hard to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve. His lids finally dropped at 11:45. whisper:Happy New Year!

Christmas

2011-01-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

The boys were allowed to open one present Christmas Eve after church. Fortunately, they opened the one from Uncle Ed's family: Star Wars Lego set. This was perfect because they sat in the kitchen peacefully working together while Brian and I prepared our traditional German Christmas Eve spread: knockwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad, all of which was plastered on the walls and floor of the boys' room when Michael violently threw up at 11:00 pm.

Pa in his cap and me in my kerchief had just settled down for a long winter's nap, when blitzen and donner, what did we hear above? What sounded like furniture moving turned out to be Michael getting very sick, projectile fashion, from his top bunk. Brian helped Michael in the bathroom while I tried to clean up the room. This involved actually removing their rug to the deck and washing it under the Christmas lights. We very well could have seen Santa and his sleigh. Then on to the laundry and getting Michael to a different bed. We didn't want to put him with us because we didn't want Logan to come down on Christmas morning without his brother; so we set up camp in the upstairs TV room. We even moved Logan in there so he wouldn't wonder where his brother was in the morning. Michael and I stayed up pretty much all night, dozing every now and then between bursts. He kept saying, "Mommy, I'm so scared that Santa won't come because I'm still awake". Poor lamb.

Michael did manage to open one present from Santa. The rest were opened for him by me. He just rested on the couch with his head down most of the morning. We eventually decided to go ahead and go to Oma's later that day. Had to pull over on the way for Michael to get more out of his system. What a trooper.
Logan didn't quite know what to do without his brother. He had all these presents to play with and just walked around like a deer in headlights. He eventually got the hang of playing solo.

SAM

2010-12-21T16:27:00.001-08:00

As a surprise Christmas/good report card celebration, we took the boys to Seattle for two exciting exhibits: Picasso and Harry Potter. Neither allowed cameras, which was just as well, since I forgot mine in the hotel room the first night. But I did manage to snap this just outside the Picasso gallery at the SAM. The jacket is made entirely of military dog tags. Haunting, yet beautiful. The boys were well-behaved and complete gentlemen despite their being quite tired by the end of the exhibit.

And Harry Potter. Well, words can't describe their excitement at seeing the real wands, Buckbeak, Fawkes, Dobby, and all the wardrobes from the movies. We actually spent just as much time in the gift shop afterwards as we did in the actual exhibit. Brian and I simply walked around with our jaws dropping to the floor... $45.99 for a scarf. Really? $75 for the Maruader's Map. As if the tickets were free. But the joy in their eyes and voices as they literally ran from room to room was ... priceless.

my music men(yeah, we got trouble, right here in anacortes)

2010-12-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

Logan's big recital went swimmingly. Twenty five students, a couple of hours, and some good cookies later, we finally arrived home for a late dinner with Oma and Opa. Not to be upstaged by his performing brother, Michael added flare to the evening by gracing us with his harmonica, dancing, and directing skills. The video is more elaborative, but these still will have to suffice.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock...
Opa, under the direction of Maestro Michael

Western Kegels Thanksgiving/Christmas

2010-12-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

Since Gramma and Papa are going to NJ this year, not only will we not be with them for Christmas, but neither will their nieces and nephews(sniff sniff). So we just had to have Christmas early(and Elizabeth's birthday). Really, it was all about Ava.... and pretty drinks in pretty glasses.

This was an impromptu picture. Had I been more on the ball, I would have had a few more people actually sitting on the couch. Sigh.

MMmmmmm. Tasty.
Michael is a patient and loving teacher. If she doesn't know Ode to Joy after sitting with him, we're all in trouble; he plays it 4 million times a day.

Thanksgiving morning

2010-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we didn't have water, but we had heat and electricity, Gramma and Papa, and SNOW. The greatest thing about snow on Thanksgiving morning...? Brian took the boys up to their school to snowboard(it's the closest hill), and Gramma and I got to do laundry next door at the preschool(remember, no water) and start on the dinner.
We enjoyed the white all afternoon until regular Anacortes weather took over, and alas, we were left with our typical gray backdrop. No worries, we feasted on a scrumptious turkey we had fried the night before at our dear friends' party. And we had a wonderful day with Gramma and Papa. As per our tradition, we got our Christmas tree the following day and had Chinese take-out while we decorated that night. I'm not sure where my camera was hiding because I mysteriously have no pictures of the family fun.

piano for sale

2010-11-12T16:42:00.001-08:00

not to be upstaged by the kids...

2010-11-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

Assistant Principal Hanrahan got to get "pie-ed" at Little Mountain's Harvest Festival. Many a student lined up to throw a shaving cream pie in Mr. H's face... including his own son.
Joseph, complete with technicolor coat and Mrs. Potiphar. Michael took this lovely picture of us and apparently, he thought the crystal needed to be in the picture, too.
What the heck? When Michael decided not to wear it at the last minute, I thought, hey, I can be an owl just as convincingly. Not as cute, but...

Treats, definitely treats!

2010-11-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

This costume came together minutes before trick-or-treating. We had been to so many parties all weekend, and Michael had worn the owl costume he had begged me to make, but he just really wanted to be something scary. Fine. Put some teeth in and grab your cape. You go, kid!
Logan so wanted to be a sea monster. After searching for gauze, cellophane, and the other makings of a cool sea monster, I decided to actually purchase the costume this year. ugh, shudder to think. How can such a sweet face possibly scare anyone?

We've been reading the Legends of Ga'Hoole series, so Michael wanted to be Soren the owl. I asked him 72 times if he was sure he didn't want to be Harry Potter, or the cool Ninja costume from last year. No. He wanted to be an owl. And a fine owl he was.

Hayride 2010

2010-10-21T14:30:00.001-07:00

The annual hayride was the best ever this year: perfect cool, clear weather, fantastic chili, incredible desserts, and the two best things--a hayride and an uber bonfire. Wow. Duane and David Vaagen and Uncle Erne outdid themselves. After most of the hundred guests left, there were only a few straglers(the usual suspects: Porths, Uncle Erne, and Vaagen brothers, and Elizabeth and company). Someone started timing how long it would take a can to melt. That led to roasting wine bottles. Eventually, everything left on the food and beverage tables was being burned, which made clean up quick and easy. Too fun.
Helping with Gramma's fluffy eggs.

work hard, play hard.

The only thing missing from this annual picture is our friend, Bo.

Try to Remember the Time in September

2010-10-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Lazy days of Blokus and Monopoly coming to an end. We spent many a summer night playing games, some that lasted for days. Monopoly actually brought out the worst of Logan, who proved to be a real estate tycoon. Not charitable at all.
I can never really comment on Michael... I have no insight into his ways. All I know is that he is always donning some costume, hat, scarf, high heels, or in this case, tape. Again.. what is there to say? I love this kid dearly and simply enjoy watching the show.
Soccer. To so many parents around the country this is life for several months each fall. We love it. When it's not raining. And we've been extremely lucky this season. Both boys got on "black" teams this year. Convenient. Logan's team is "The Blacks"(???? PC????) and Michael's is "The Black Snakes". Joy. Brian is coaching Michael's team and thoroughly enjoying the time with Michael. We don't keep score; we just have fun. Good mantra for this year's team. Logan's team, however, is undefeated and lovely to watch. Just very pretty soccer playing. He is even going to be on an indoor team late fall into winter just to keep his foot touching the ball. He enjoys soccer, but continues to obsess about running. His mile time is done to 6:32 and he wants to get 6:00 by the end of the school year. His goal is to come in the top 5 for the Fun Run( a 2 mile race around hilly Washington Park, usually 75 kids or so). Last year as a 2nd grader, he took 7th.

In my mind I'm going to Carolina

2010-09-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Our annual field trip was Destination Seattle this year. We've done Friday Harbor, Port Townsend, and Minna's backyard, but it doesn't really matter where we are; we ALWAYS have a freaky good time.

Friends since '88. WOW.

Fun times at Washington Park

If there's one thing that defines summer it's lazy afternoons with the Ahn clan. We've been getting together since our babies were only 3 months old and thank goodness, they are the best of friends... a continent apart. Each June the Arrival countdown begins, and when they finally arrive, it's a daily race to get through breakfast so that Romy and Alexander can come over.

67 Grand slams and counting

2010-09-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

I forgot my camera at Opa's party, but here are some pics of the cake. He was very surprised... in his queit Opa fashion. Yes, I made two cakes. The grandkids couldn't believe the ball was edible, and one cousin asked how I fit the bat cake in my oven.

First Day pics

2010-09-11T16:21:00.001-07:00

How is it that I have a third grader and a first grader?
French toast was the request for the first day breakfast. Then, a nice walk up the hill(sniff sniff) and a very LONELY walk back home alone. Alas, I have little 3 year old lambs to distract me.

Yay, I think it works

2010-09-11T16:12:00.001-07:00

A few shots of our summer party. The girls had a great time creating a "stash" behind our garden. What, you ask, was in the stash? Oh, just ALL the boys' nerf bullets, guns, and any and all balls they could find.

happy 100th to our house and happy back to school

2010-09-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Keeping Up

2010-09-11T15:58:00.001-07:00

Until I can figure out how to attach photos(this has happened by luck a few times, but never consistently), I need to at least use prose to record our last days of summer and first days of school.

We had a great end of summer with a Back-to-School/100th birthday party for our house. It was also an excuse to show off our new kitchen. Over 25 adults and almost 25 kids ran around our yard, hung out by the fire, and had a great time living up those last moments of freedom.

While the boys were gearing up for their first day of school(meet and greets, etc), Brian and I also had to get ready for our own classes. He has a little more on his plate than I do. Although, we did have a fun surprise in that the 3 year old class was moved to the parsonage next to the church, so I hauled my fair share of furniture and boxes. Brian is assistant principal at Little Mountain Elementary this year, which, after three days, he is loving. Says he's learning exponentially daily.

Logan is back in the Challenge class with Professor Heffelfinger and Michael has Mrs. Wahlgren(who Logan had and we love). While Michael did tell me he had butterflies on the walk up to school the first day, there were no tears.... at least on the boys' part. I confess I was a bit blurry eyed on my way down the hill after the goodbye.

And my first day with the little bunnies was as predictable as ever. One screamer and the rest were just into playing and having fun. All in all, a great first week of school for all four of the king-hanrahans. And hopefully, there will be photos to prove it soon.

cousin games

2010-08-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July this year was cool. As in "wear your fleece" cool. But we had Ed's family and Oma and Opa here, so we had fun depsite the un-July weather. We even got the courage up to light fireworks in the church parking lot across from our house(we never do this because it's illegal in town, but everyone else does, so we thought, why not?) Well, when the officer pulled up to kindly tell us it was a $170 fine, he couldn't really cite us as sounds of cracks and pops sung all around us. We politely told him we'd clean up, and he drove away to bust some real lawbreakers. Very exciting for this ho-hum family.

After and Before

2010-08-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

The snowboarding pic is from last week when we went up to Mt. Baker(I'll post more pics when I get a chance). The new one is from yesterday after Logan's haircut. It was his idea, and half the town is in mourning, including his mother. But it was really bugging him having hair in his eyes. We're proud of him for doing what he wanted despite the entire neighborhood telling him to keep it long.

2010-08-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

On our way to Whistle Lake one day.

We rode our bikes to Guemes Island for beach fun and dinner on our anniversary(11 years). Had a great meal at Anderson's and a super fun time skipping rocks through the channel. You can see Anacortes in the background.

Oh my... it's August, school's almost here, and I have just avoided this blog. Mostly because my computer is so slow I dread trying to download pictures. So, here are a few to keep things updated... which is much different from "upgraded"; hey, I have boys, so I know all about upgrades. My living room floor is covered with individual Lego pieces that simply cannot be put away because they are upgrades.

Camping at Lake Wenatchee

2010-07-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

It is July now. The month of June was cold, cloudy and cold.. and cloudy. We did have two or three days of sun, but mostly, cold and cloudy. We had to find warmth. We headed east of the mountains where everyone from Western Washington goes to find sun. Armed with sunscreen and bug spray we filled our van with all the camping accoutrements possible and drove to Lake Wenatchee. And not two seconds after pitching our tent, we all ran down to the lake to get wet and bask in that elusive fireball in the sky.
Day 2: windy. This, to those who are crawling out from a rock, lowers any temperature, even if it is sunny out. So, we drove across a mountain pass to rid ourselves of fleece only to put the layers back on to protect ourselves from the elements. No, it did not rain. And, for the most part, the sun shone brightly and happily. But it was teasing us as its laughter created the highest winds imaginable. In fact, it was very similar to the Gorge at Hood River... you know, the world's wind-surfing capital.
Don't fret. We had a fantastic time, watching the waves, playing on drift wood, playing Battleship in the tent with flashlights, riding bikes, and warming ourselves by the fire(we did this a lot).

Locals do Seattle

2010-06-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the boys to Seattle for Father's Day weekend and just be tourists. We did the Seattle Center, Pacific Science Center, Space Needle, and Pike Place Market. It would have been even more enjoyable had it been warm and sunny, but we didn't let chilly and rainy weather stop us. Every time Michael saw a taxi, he said, "Look, Logan, there's another cash cab." We have some Discovery fans in our family.
Michael had a great time feeling all the fish at the Market, and we got to see several flying fish thanks to some tourists who must have shelled out over $500 on salmon and halibut.

Boys of the summer

2010-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

We joined some friends at Bowman Bay for an evening picnic.

Logan gave this picture to his teacher in his thank-you letter, with a note assuring her that dreams can come true.
Michael's t-ball medal ceremony. A bit anti-climatic, but he was none the wiser.

Last Day of School

2010-06-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

Our annual trip to the Snowgoose for mammoth ice cream cones. The boys are wearing shorts but I was wearing a cahmere sweater and was still cold. It's June 21st today(yes, summer solstice) and I'm wearing fleece. I guess I'd rather be pale and cold than clammy from humidity.
"Graduation" from Mrs. Strainer's kindergarten class. What will we do without Mrs. Strainer?
Michael reading a poem to the parents. He had it memorized but since the other kids "read" theirs, he said he didn't want to just recite it.
Signing autographs with friends.

Father's Day prep

2010-06-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Brian had two offices this year, and we noticed that he didn't have a pencil cup on one of his desks. Since he'll be at two schools next year, the boys decided to paint desk things for him for Father's Day.
Mamma Mia. This might seem like a special occasion, given the fancy shirt and heels, but no, it's literally a daily affair. Michael gyrates and grooves to "Does Your Mother Know" and "Gimme a Man After Midnight" each evening after dinner. Even Logan, who makes a habit of denying that Michael is related to him, enjoys the shows.

Pacific Science Center in Seattle

2010-06-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Best friend du jour, Eric Kumar. There are days when the drama of raising an 8 year old boy surpasses that of bringing up a teenaged girl. sigh.

Logan's Challenge class(just the 2nd graders) got to go to the Pacific Science Center with the other second grade classes. This was huge because normally they don't get to go with the other classes. I deleted almost all of the pics with Logan making the "rock on" sign, but had to keep one just to prove to him later in life that when he was eight, he truly acted his age.

The IMAX movie was the HUBBLE; super cool and very interesting, although I think myself and the other chaperones got more out of the narration than the kids did.

Nearly finished kitchen

2010-06-10T14:36:00.001-07:00

Here it is in all its glory. This is dedicated to those far away who won't be able to see it for awhile. We still have a few finishing touches: hardware, base trim in places. But it's a working kitchen and we LOVE it. Keith has now moved to the mudroom. New ceiling, walls, floor, and tile around the utility sink. The last touch is for Gramma.

miscellaneous leftovers

2010-06-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Two front teeth gone in 2 days: 1 was taken by the tooth fairy and 1 ended up in Michael Patrick's stomach. He was fine with both events. Yes, that's Obi-Wan-Kenobi's robe he's donning.
Boys in trees. It never gets old.
No rain cancellations in Anacortes. If there were, we'd never have any events.
Michael's end-of-the-year field trip. Despite rain that morning, the kindergarten class walked to Storvik Park, played their hearts out, and had a super fun(not necessarily nutritious) potluck lunch. And, at 6, MPH sill looks like the Campbell's soup boy.

Spring Sports

2010-06-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Just watching the dandelions grow.

This spring, Michael chose t-ball and Logan chose track... good choices for both of them, it turns out. We were actually relieved when Logan said he didn't want to do baseball as that would have meant a longer season and more practices per week, something that is just really hard with his homework load. Michael had a blast and gave every practice and game his all. His sincerity kills me. He just worked hard all season.
Logan, too, was in heaven. He's turned into a true runner, constantly trying to beat his previous times. At the beginning of the year, his mile time was 7:14, which impressed the heck out of me for a 7 year old. As the year progress, he shaved it down to a 6:44. He took 3 first place ribbons and 1 second place at his final track meet (out of 5 events). I don't understand how a kid can run so fast and manage to smile the whole time. Ahhhh, the boundless energy of youth.

Michael's 6!

2010-05-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

What's a birthday celebration without a serenade by Opa? This is the first time that Michael has actually wanted to invite friends to a birthday party. He's very shy and has always preferred to just celebrate with family, which works out well since he shares his birthday with his dad. Despite living in a construction zone, we plowed full speed ahead. Luckily, it was a nice day, and the boys mainly played outside.

Michael was pleasantly surprised at how much fun he had and even asked if he could have another party next year. His innocence warms our hearts daily. A side note: whenever the school sends home flyers about things going on in the community, Michael takes it as a personal invitation." Mommy, Mrs. Strainer invited me to join the Cub Scouts. She gave me an invitation" or "Mommy, I get to go to a SummerFest. Mrs. Strainer gave me an invitation( this was just an announcement about a fundraising event at a local church)". There are days when I could eat him alive.

may birthdays

2010-05-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor Catherine asked if I'd make her birthday cake this year. I asked her what she'd like, she said anything, so I told her I'd surprise her. And this is what I came up with.
Michael didn't want a cake this year. He asked for cupcakes, but I couldn't just make plain old cupcakes. Our printer wouldn't print the picture from Up, so I drew it by hand while looking at the computer screen. Fun.

kitchen progress and dunkel

2010-05-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

The only reason we have lower cabinets is because my brother Ryan was in town and helped haul them in from the garage. As I write this, the kitchen is actually almost complete, but I haven't been taking pictures because I've been busy cleaning, unpacking, and rearranging things

Proof that we were actually in the same state(at the Brown Lantern, of course). We love when Dunkel comes to town, even if he's alone(without our cousins and Auntie Melissa) and even if he has to go to work/meetings in the day. At least he gets to play Legos and swords at night with the boys and take in a burger and beer at the greatest pub ever.

The Jewel Sale

2010-05-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Logan, Michael, Andy and Bailey dug up "jewels" from our driveway and worked very hard to prepare the display from which to "sell" them. Michael came running in, asking for cups of water. "We're going to give our customers free water, Mommy, so they'll buy our jewels(rocks)!" ONe of the cutest things I've ever seen. Sincerity is so sweet.

Some Logan Time

2010-05-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Anacortes High School Robotics team made it to Nationals in Atlanta, GA, which rocked our town. The team brought their robots( actually they stayed up for several nights in a row to build "dummy" types) to Island View for PTA Family Fun Night. Super cool science fun.

Logan's Challenge class has been lucky enough to be able to visit the MONA in Laconner(Museum of Northwest Art) three times this year. Each family got a year's pass, too. I chaperoned an earlier trip, and Brian took off a day to chaperone their final field trip.
Calder, Logan and Eric doing fantasy scapes.

dust and more dust

2010-04-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful, custom cabinets, which are not only built like brick ______ houses, but ended up being more economical than anything we looked at in Lowe's and Home Depot.
The deck is our new "dumpster". Pretty, isn't it?
Keith kept the dishwasher in the room to serve as a countertop. We have no sink, no cabinets, and no appliances. Living the Dream!
This was before we took out all the cabinetry.

SURPRISE!!!

2010-04-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

There's really no need to explain these photos as everyone except my brother's family and my cousins from Nevada and California was there. Brian worked harder and more stealthily than I would have ever given him credit, and Mom outdid herself on the cake. And I thought sewing my wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses was a stress.

Family... friends... food. What more could a 40 year old girl ask for?

Some great shots of the wonderful people I'm blessed to call friends. Friends who helped my incredible husband in the conspiracy that was my 40th Surprise Party. And boy was I surprised. Didn't really expect to see over 70 of my closest friends and relatives at the celebration of my friend's book release. God bless that Brian Hanrahan!

Easter 2010

2010-04-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

When Gramma first told me they were thinking about coming over for Easter, my heart sank. What? We're without a kitchen. And most of our kitchen is now in our living room(or bedroom). Notice the spatulas and knives behind the couch? Little did I know that they needed to be here for a certain surprise-more on that in a later blog. So we all dressed up and had a great Easter, seeing many of the people we'd partied with the night before.

The one battle I have chosen to not fight(trust me, I choose a lot of others) is the hair battle. Logan wants it long, and so far, he's actually taken care of it--washing, conditioning, brushing, etc. Our deal is that it goes if his school marks go down or if he doesn't take care of it.

State Fair Project

2010-04-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Logan' Challenge class was assigned a "state fair" book report project: read a book and research the state in which it takes place. Logan read The Fighting Ground, which, fortunately took place in New Jersey. Se he wrote to his super cousin Emma, who came through for him swimmingly!

living through the remodel

2010-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is a shot from our dining room, looking into the kitchen. Keith keeps finding cool things in our walls: church program from 1920, a Country Gentleman Journal,complete with Norman Rockwell cover from 1921, and a grocery receipt from 1919. Too cool.

On the other side of this wall is the staircase to the upstairs.

And yes, this is again from the dining room: a new doorway. Not really. Keith had to bump the wall back a few inches to fit the new frig, and as a bonus, he's making us a new wall. Yay! New grounded outlets, drywall, the works.

Student Art Show

2010-03-25T17:18:00.001-07:00

Each year, the school district hosts a show of student art work. It takes place at the Depot(an old train depot) and Opening Night never fails to impress: student music, great food, and the pride of your kids make for a fun evening. Michael's piece was a leprechaun and Logan's was a japanese wood block print. This year, Gramma and Aunt Alice Louise got to attend, too. How special.

IN PROGRESS

2010-03-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

The mud room: what a lovely color of green.

I came home from work to find Keith ankle deep in black insulation from our ceiling. I am not kidding. This stuff was at least 7 inches thick.

Above: where the cigarette butts and beer cans were stashed.

This is the chimney that is causing so much grief. We had just settled on the idea of exposing it with a wrap-around peninsula, when Keith uncovered this: someone in our house's history plastered it, making it virtually worthless. No problem... we weren't super excited about having a chimney exposed in our kitchen anyway, but we were going to gain cabinet apce by doing so. The rub... now we can't get rid of it. Well, we could, but we'd have to sell our boys. So, we get to build the wall back, wasting what little space there is, and I get to apologize for all the times I cursed the previous owners for the dumb things they did with this wall. Eating humble pie now.

BEFORE

2010-03-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few "bare bones" before pics of our kitchen-- the kitchen we have loved and lived in for 11 years. The kitchen we have been saving to remodel since we made an offer on the house. The litchen with only 3 drawers. The kitchen that was, as we are learning from so many interesting clues left behind, patched together so randomly it leaves our contractor scratching his head... daily. Our house was built in 1910, so you can imagine the stories these walls hold. We have found a collection of beer bottles and cigarette butts in our ceiling(from the upstairs floor???), a shot gun shell with the powder removed, and a quaint index card with a handwritten note from 1955 detailing what work was done at that time. Very cool. Guess at some point there were teenagers doing things their parents didn't know about upstairs. Surely that will never happen in our family:)

This was once the "art" wall, but I didn't think to take pictures until after I had taken all the boys' art off the wall:(

Our mud room. Again, I took this photo after I had removed all the shoes, coats, and other c-rap that lived here for years.

Welcome little Ava!

2010-03-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

The newest member of our family was born one day after Logan's 8th birthday: Ava Lauren Boyd, proud parents:Cynthia Gintz Boyd and David Boyd. Our boys were so excited to go see her, and the icing on the cake was getting to hold her. Scrumptious. Just perfect.

Olympic Fever

2010-03-10T18:02:00.001-08:00

Michael took this shot of the fireworks barge where they set off fireworks each night of the Olympics.
Couldn't resist a picture with Aslan the Great. At least that's what we chose to call him.

Robson Square, along with many other venues, offered free, family -fun activities throughout the Olympics. We just missed the noon ice-skating session and opted to not wait for the following one. Once we saw all those Canadian toddlers skating we knew we'd made the right choice. It's in their blood. We also decided to skip the free zip line that was running directly over the heads of the people in this shot. Too cool. But by this time, the boys and their little legs were quite tired. Instead, we headed over to the Olympic Superstore to wait in line for 40 minutes. Hey, souveniers are souveniers.

We didn't see any famous athletes but did have a friendly conversation with a Norwegian coach, who stood an imposing 6'10". Alas, no mittens to be had, but we had a great time and were glad we decided to make the trek, which, was made extremely easy by the friendly Canadians.

2010 OLYMPICS

2010-03-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

We decided to head up the road to Vancouver to just take in the sights of the 2010 Olympic Games. We didn't have tickets to any of the events but knew we'd regret it if we didn't at least go up and be tourists. It's only a 2 hour drive to the border, and there was virtually no traffic: 2 cars in front of us at the Peace Arch. We drove to Bridgeport then hopped on the Skytrain to downtown. Then... we just walked all over, enjoying street entertainers, music, family activities, and just gawking at all the international visitors.

Paper Lantern Forest. This was super cool. Hundreds of lanterns hung to complete a street of art.

Logan's favorite

And my favorite. So much color and texture.

FIX IT!

2010-03-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Last October a treasure was lost: the trestle part of the Tommy Thompson trail burned. And boy, did it burn. It lit the entire sky up with black smoke for hours. This is the trail we ride our bikes on along the water, the trail Brian uses to commute each morning at 5:30am. This loss left a huge hole in our town's heart. And so, a group of determined citizens and private businesses, along with the Samish Tribe has set about raising money to FIX IT. This is happening by donations from all over, and hopefully, the bridge will be fixed by late spring. Brian has been risking his life in the dark on Highway 20 each morning and evening. Orange vest and flashing lights don't comfort me much.

Logan's class, along with the "Older Challenge" kids(5th and 6th graders) put on a "Walk-a-thon" to raise some money to donate. Well, suffice it to say, there wasn't much walking. The kids just ran and ran and ran... for an entire hour. Logan ran 5 1/4 miles in that hour, and his class raised over $2000. What a great way to support a local and good cause and to learn about giving back to the community.

And the Hanrahan Clan will continue to wear our FIXIT buttons with pride.

A rubberband around the wrist to tally how many laps each student ran. Makes collecting the pledges easier.

Our little author

2010-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

And the winner is... Michael decided to write a story for the PTA Reflections Contest. It was about a dog who picked flowers and gave them to a balloon dog. Because of the warmth in his heart, the balloon dog came alive. So sweet. And really, I was just happy he decided to enter. Never dreamed he'd place, let alone win first place. We were all so proud when shy Michael went up to receive his award from his principal, Mr. Selting.

Still more Christmas pics

2010-03-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

One day, the Kegels/Hanrahans decided to take a walk to the pond: Erne, Nancy, Alice Louise, Brian, Treva, Logan and Michael Patrick... and Fletcher, the Fetcher, the Snowball Catcher. And thus was born the award-winning story that Michael wrote for the National PTA Reflections Contest. More on that in a later post.

Two Kegel girls on a frozen pond

Just a really long day.

Uncle Erne convinced us to watch some crazy show about a man in suspenders who invents silly things. This on New Year's Eve.

Olympic hopefuls? hmmmmmm

2010-03-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

We managed to scrap together enough of the little fallen snow to make a few runs with the snowboards. And really, how much snow do two boys need when they're in the woods of Kegel Mountain?

Watch out Canada!

2010-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

When we arrived at Gramma and Papa's for Christmas, the boys got the best surprise of all:Papa had handmade hockey sticks, and seeing as this was the only winter in the history of the world that didn't involve feet of snow, we actually got to play some great hockey on a little ice pond down the back road. The boys, including Brian, had a fabulous time out there. It was quite addicting, and it got us primed for the Winter Olympics!

The Christmas concert

2010-02-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

So Michael and Logan got to sing at Brodniak Hall(the big theatre at the high school) for their Christmas concert. It's really dark, so the pictures didn't really turn out. And I only got Michael as he was coming in because once they started singing, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He did a fantastic job given the huge audience and intimidating size of the stage. Logan's an old pro, and his class(the Challenge class) got to play several instruments as well: Logan's on the giant xylophone.

Michael and buddy Liam

Michael and Jojo sharing something funny. Who knows?

Hanrahan-Mafnas men

2010-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to posting some Christmas pictures. We had a wonderful time with Uncle Ed's family before Christmas. As always, Opa graced us with Christmas carols on the guitar while the boys couldn't stop playing with Legos.

western kegels pre-christmas

2010-01-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness Elizabeth needed to deliver a bunch of cookies to Cynthia because it gave us all an excuse to have dinner and a little Christmas cheer. Kolbe, Cynthia(David was sick), and Elizabeth all made the trek to Anacortes for some fun music and food.

Elizabeth helps Logan make beaded bracelets for his cousins and his class secret Santa.

Day After Thanksgiving

2010-01-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have so many pictures of this very pose... cousins on the couch, watching cable(we don't have it at home).

Annual trip to Alan Acres in Stanwood to get our Christmas tree. This is the first year, in the history of the world, I think, that we didn't freeze or get dumped with snow or rain.

Thanksgiving at Oma's and Opa's

2010-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Many cooks do NOT spoil the broth at Oma's. Everyone helped to make this a wonderful feast and good time. The cousins played until they dropped, and the adults ate until they couldn't walk. Then, as per our annual tradition, we headed to Alan Acres farm to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving. And Logan and Michael even made it on the evening news.

hayride!

2010-01-08T14:22:00.001-08:00

We made our annual trek east of the mountains for the great hayride. Now that the boys are in school, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it, but Brian and I took time off, and the kids survived missing a day of school. As always, we were not disappointed. Cutting roasting sticks down at Uncle Erne's is always a highlight. Gramma's chili, a close second, and Debbie's hot chocolate "secret" takes third. Yes, we love the hayride!

More halloween... finally

2010-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to updating this b log. We had a great Halloween(if memory serves. Trick-or-treating downtown with our friends Jay and Marcia and their kids. The school Halloween parade added to the fun. Michael ended up taking his mask off after about 5 minutes, though, because his classmates kept punching him in the face. Guess they wanted to see what it felt like?

Halloween

2009-11-19T15:14:00.001-08:00

And... I go from discussing themes in Hamlet and symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird to this. Is life good or what? My students are the best and cutest-ever! Well, a few exceptions do pop up every now and then.

Brian takes a dip

2009-11-10T19:32:00.001-08:00

We innocently walked past our church parking lot one fall afternoon to take in a Back to Sunday School rally. My gracious husband couldn't say no to a desperate youth leader who needed a body in the dunk tank. What a sport. Needless to say, Logan had a blast throwing pitches at his dad.

Logan's Field Trip to the Anacortes Forest Lands

2009-11-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to be able to chaperone Logan's walking field trip to our forestlands in September. Each student was given a plant to identify on the walk, then they stopped to draw and journal every half-mile or so. We spent about 3 hours in the forest. I LOVE this town!

Soccer

2009-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

He shoots, he scores! Both Logan and Michael wore #7's this season. Logan played for the Prowlers(can you tell we have a Naval Base nearby?), and Michael played for the Kicks. Both scored goals almost every game, although, who's counting?

Touch-a-Truck

2009-10-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of the greatest nights for kids in our town. Island View (Logan and Michael's school) fills its parking lot with tanks, firetrucks, garbage trucks, police cars, dump trucks and anything else a kid would like to climb in and on. Then the kids and parents get to come up and go wild... for free. Just a fun PTA Family night event. I, of course, forgot my camera, so I borrowed from Michael's teacher, whose husband happens to be a photographer for the local newspaper.

try to remember the time in september

2009-10-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Michael plays on The Kicks.

This is what happens when you fly over your bike at a skate park.

First day of school. Yeah, we got the back-to-school haircuts after this.

Michael is home with a fever today. The school called me at work, and I immediately raced up only to find him playing in the nurse's office with some other kid. Real sick. Some fever. The distric policy now is that no child can return within 24 hours after being sent home with a fever. Fine. Except that my kid doesn't even have a fever anymore. He's fine. And now he has to miss his Halloween party, the costume parade, and so do I. I can't help in either his or Logan's class tomorrow, and I won't see all the cute kids. Just a little disappointed.

Since I can't really run the errands I was planning, I thought I'd update this blog that has been sorely neglected.

School started with a bang for all of us. Brian is part-time teacher/part-time Dean of Students and loving it. He also is going to Western in Bellingham for Admin. classes. It's a family effort. As is Logan's Challenge class. He's learning a ton, but the work is tough. We're hoping his funky combo of perfectionist/lazy boy will straighten out, so he can fly right.

Michael is shining in kindergarten, really blossoming. We weren't sure what living in Logan's shadow would be like, but it doesn't phase him. He loves school and while he is still a sideline observer, he's enjoying "his" school.

Soccer took off and we're just now winding down. Phew! With two nights a week and games every Saturday, it can eat up a fall season. The boys are both having fun and improving, though, so we can't complain.

And me? Well, I have the greatest job in the world. I get to hug kids every day who tell me they love me. The 3 year old classes I have are shiny and happy, and so darn cute. Even if they do wipe their noses on my sleeve.

So here are a few shots from our fall. Can't beleive October has already come and gone. Should get the Halloween shots on here by New Year's.

Last days of summer

2009-10-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's Papa on the carousel.

This was made more fun by the gusts of wind that rocked us at the top.

Taking after Papa.

Blurry, but if you could see the genuine happiness of this kid.

What was I thinking?

Since Brian had a two day gig in Spokane, we tagged along and got to play a little with Gramma and Papa. The best memory the boys have is a trip to Sonic. Go figure. I need to be voted Best Mom as I continued to go on rides that made me green, just to please my seven year old son.

Water buddies

2009-09-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix seven smart, beautiful kids, hot weather, water, and moms who've been friends for 20 years? Bliss. This was one of the best days of our summer. What a cool lagoon. Thanks, Lochlin, Maggie, Charlie, Min, Romy, Zander, and Nicole. We can't wait for next year.

2009-09-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

One of the daily summer activities: hiking and climbing in our beautiful forests and beaches, all within five minutes of our house. We spent the day at Bowman Bay with Zander, Romy, and Nicole, hiked out to an overlook to see Deception Pass Bridge, and then played with drift wood forever!

hanrahans and ahns

2009-09-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Before Logan and Zander could crawl, they've been thrust together because, damnit, their moms are the best of friends, and by God, they will be too. Troopers that they are, it's all worked out just duckie. These two boys were as cute a school girls... playing, giggling, hugging, never wanting the day's playing to end. And not to be upstaged by their older brothers, Romy and Michael held their own. We are blessed to have such great kids who actually enjoy playing together... every day for almost a month, once a year:)

old(?) friends

2009-09-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

True friendship really does stand the test of time. For 20 years now, Deanna, Minna, Nicole, and I(and a few honored extras thrown in now and then) have managed to get together at least once a yaer, despite goegraphical hurdles. For many years, we'd gather with the husbands for a Christmas party. More recently, we'd meet with our families for a brunch/playdate.

Since the Gerhigs retired in Anacortes, it's easy for me to see Nicole and her family, but this year, the girls finally got to do an overnighter... without families. After much ado about, well, nothing, we loaded onto the ferry to Friday Harbor to spend the hottest day in the area's history shopping, biking, drinking, and being merry.

Other than a tiny snag(Minna hyperventilating on a steep hill of our bike ride) the entire trip went swimmingly.

ahhh, the lakes

2009-09-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Dunkel putting the finishing touches on Gramma's garden stones. These things will take over her garden soon, at four a year.

random fun at the party of kings, or kings of party

2009-09-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what to write.

Thank you, Uncle Stan, for hours and hours of good ol' country fun!

And what's a night at the King's without games, drinks and snacks, and of course, the Porths.

damming it

2009-08-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

I think the sequence is self-explanatory. Now multiply this by 7 hours a day, and you get the reunion from the kids' perspective.

Kegel-King-Hanrahan installment 2.. or is it 3?

2009-08-25T16:21:00.001-07:00

Rich and Jen and family remembering Sonja.

The walk up to spread Sonja's ashes at the original site of the homestead.

Gramma pouring tonic into our stealth gin and tonics

Early arrivers help set up for the weekend.

cousin fun at the homestead

2009-08-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

boys, camping, creeks, dirt, firepits, stars, fish... that's what summer's all about.

a thespian in every bunch

2009-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

The rehearsal for the play was as far as the kids got this year. Last year, the drama overflowed. This year... well, there were too many other things to do. Michael, however, is still singing, "So we sing homestead here we come..."

Kegel-King-Hanrahans Installment 1:Deck fun

2009-08-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

I tried desperately to edit some of these out... but I just couldn't. There are simply too many cute pics of the cousins, and so, I am including them all... in installments, lest my computer fry its poor brains. Drinks and snacks followed by dinner on Gramma's deck. Need I say more?

Ahoy!

2009-08-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Arrrrrgh, matey! Logan was very specific in his request for a pirate's costume for a friend's birthday party: you have to make triangles, Mommy. My shirt and pants have to have triangles on the edges!