School Begins!

We began another school year this week. We were all well rested and ready to jump into the fall season. (Even though the temps. are still over 100 degrees!) Katie had her last first day of school as a Senior on Monday. She seems to be off to a great start and loves all the privileges being at the top of the school has to offer! Kamryn, Troy and I began at RCS today. It was great to see so many familiar faces. As Troy said, "It's nice not to have to be the new kid." Again today I was reminded what a blessing our Christian schools are. The kids have excellent teachers who love sharing Christ with them each day. Katie helped lead chapel time at ACA today and we had a great chapel/ worship time at RCS led by Mr. Mercer and friends. I love the last picture of all the kids getting into the song with their hands raised.

Troy-second grade, Kam-sixth grade

Katie-mighty senior!

Kamryn and her teacher, Mr. DeBoer. (Yes, I put it on the blog, Matt!)

Chapel time.

Troy and his teacher Miss DeDoes.

It's fun to see how the kids already are excited about their new teachers. We're off to a great start! (Now we're off to two soccer practices and youth group tonight!)

The Plunge

Meet the newest member of our family...Cobi!

So we took "the plunge" and adopted Cobi from some friends from church. She is an Australian Shepherd (mostly) with a sweet personality. She has made the adjustment well and seems protective of our family already. She loves to play and is helping us get our exercise. I was very hesitant to get another dog, but she is doing well. She is crate trained, very social, and does some neat tricks. She often tilts her head as she is doing in this picture.

Klavers

We were blessed to have some of our dear friends, the Klavers, come see us last week. They are from Grand Rapids, but were out in So. California for a wedding. We got to spend most of the day showing them around Redlands, swimming, sharing meals and playing a new game. It's such fun to continue friendships and show people our new area (even in the extreme heat!). Thanks for coming, Klavers!

Wrap Up

So that's what I (we) did on my (our) summer vacation! We had a wonderful time of just being away as a family. We got to see some family and great friends and experience a new part of the country. We loved visiting the Pacific Northwest, but decided that Scott and I both like the warmer, drier climate of Southern California! (Good thing, huh?) Scott had some allergy troubles that cleared up as we made our way home. We are now rested and ready to get back into the routine of life that God has blessed us with.

Enjoying the splash park on Sunday afternoon. It was a little chilly-in the 70's.

Troy in his element.

The adults chatting and staying dry.

The Troll

We got to visit the troll under the bridge in Fremont, WA. It's a little creepy and dusty, but a neat touristy thing nonetheless.

Ballard Locks

One afternoon we spent a couple of hours down at the locks. While we sat and ate our lunch we were entertained by a sea lion eating his meal of salmon. He knew right where to find lots of fish as they were heading up the fish ladder. We then observed the fish fighting their way upstream. Later, we made our way over to watch the boats as they went through the locks. The most fun was the larger one which they filled up with lots of boats that had to be tethered together. The water was then let out so the boats were at a lower level to continue on. It was a lot of fun to watch the whole process.

The sea lion working for his lunch.

Letting the water out.

The big lock full of water.

Eating our lunch.

The lock with the water lowered.

Heading out.

All of the boats tied up together.

Tide Pooling

One overcast morning, we decided to go tide pooling. It was amazing to see some beautiful creatures up close. It became a game to turn over rocks and see how many sand crabs were underneath. We saw deep purple and orange star fish all over the rocks. Matt and the kids were brave and waded out to see what they could find in the water. All was well until the limpits "attacked" Anna. (She was OK, though.) After we were all a little chilly and wet, we thought a visit to one of the local Starbucks would make our morning complete. (We even saw the Statue of Liberty on our way.) Thanks, Matt and Gail, for being great tour guides during our visit to Washington!

Ferry Ride

Being so close to the water, Matt and Gail suggested we take a ferry ride. We took the ferry out of Seattle over to Bremerton. It was a beautiful trip which took about an hour. We got off the boat, got some lunch and then the kids and Matt did a little geo-caching. It was a great way to spend part of a sunny day in Washington!

Gum Wall

There is another famous "gum wall" located in Seattle. We had to check it out, of course. The kids all added to the mess, I mean art.

Pike's Market

During our time in Bellevue we got to explore neighboring Seattle with our excellent tour guides, Matt, Gail and Anna. Our first adventure involved wandering through Pike's Market. We had so much fun trying some new food (peroshkys are the best!), seeing the first Starbucks, people watching, seeing them throw the fish at the fish market, checking out the colorful flowers, etc. What a neat place!

Happy Birthday, Katie!... (Again)

We eventually drove all the way up to Washington to our final destination...The Borst Home. We got to spend several days with our dear Seminary friends. They graciously hosted us and introduced us to the Pacific Northwest. The first night we were there was Katie's real b-day. We celebrated at Red Robin and then had delicious cupcakes at Matt and Gail's. We were blessed that some of our other Seminary friends, Geoff and Ashley, could be there too. Katie missed being home but enjoyed getting to celebrate with family and friends that she wouldn't normally see. (Now if only she could get that driver's license!)