Fridays

The other day as I was waiting for the overdue school bus to arrive I thought it would be great to ride bikes to school with Odin. So I decided on the spot that we could ride on Fridays if Odin wanted to. (I am pretty sure we will be fair weather riders, but I'll keep you posted).  On Friday morning we hopped on our bikes and off we went. On the way to school we passed by a woman watering a garden bed. "Mom! She looks like Rachel Carson!" Odin beamed.
I am not sure who had a prouder moment, Odin, for making a connection between a book and real life, or myself - mother of a boy with a good ecology upbringing!

The ride itself was great. I escorted Odin to school locked up his bike then rode home. Later I rode to school to pick him back up. He was so excited to ride home and show off his bike to his schoolmates.

First Grade!

Today was great. We started with blueberry pancakes,



then off to the bus!



A little sugar,



And off he went!

Big Day tomorrow!

Backpack?
        CHECK!

Lunch bag?
        CHECK!

Haircut?
        CHECK!

Fresh School Supplies?

CHECK!

 Silly Back to School Picture?

CHECK!

 Enjoying Summer to the last drop?

CHECK!

 


I think he's ready!

Man date

Hi there, this is John.  I figured it was about time that dad added a little to the post.  So, what's a man date you ask?  Well, every couple of months myself and some of the guys from work get together for some food and drinks and then go out to a movie that our wives wouldn't really been interested in.  We took to calling it a man date.  That way when you ask for permission to go out you can say "my attendance is mandated"!  Anyway, so what does that have to do with Odin?  Well, one Saturday morning a few weekends ago Michelle got up early to go ride horse before it got too hot leaving Odin & I to fend for ourselves.  We were having some good guy time (probably doing something mom wouldn't have approved of) when Odin said "dad, it's like we're on a man date"!
So, this last Sunday Odin and I spent the day on a proper man-date.  He has been wanting to check out the Space Needle since we moved here.  We started there.

On the drive in he was afraid it wouldn't be as tall as he imagined. 

But the view did not disappoint!

 We then got some lunch and met up with our friend Mike K. at the Museum of Flight.  It was a good days worth of guy time!

Setting sun

Yesterday on the way home from Odin's gymnastics practice, we noticed how low in the sky the sun appeared. The days are getting shorter, and for some reason it took me until yesterday to notice. We have one more week of summer around here. For Odin school starts right after Labor Day.

Since returning from Michigan we have been able to fill our summer with great things. The day after our flight home we went to the county fair.  It was fun watching the FFA and 4H kiddos show their (unruly) animals.

We took a trip up to the Skagit River for a day trip on the river. It was a great day to be out on the water.

Last week Odin and I went to Horse camp! I volunteered for the week and helped out and took some pictures. It was at the farm where I am training Zarah. She has come a long way recently and I was very pleased that she was able to be used for the camp.

The eye says it all!

So what are our plans for the next week and a half? One day at a time. Tomorrow's plan is to go to the farm and then on a bike ride. Over the weekend we plan to go to a sandcastle festival downtown.  And a little savoring the moment I think. . .

Michigan

The past week has flown by. Odin and I went to visit my parents in Michigan. The first couple of days were a bit stormy and I wondered if we would get adequate pool time. Not to worry, we got plenty. We also played with flying toys, legos, watched Olympics and had an all around great time.

Fun Fun Fun in Michigan

The diving board was all he could talk about before this trip. It took until the last day for him to decide to jump. He loved it and decided to do another!