Bed of Roses: Farewell to warms...

Monday, September 16, 2013

Farewell to warms...

I love the summer and it is always sad to see it end, no matter how long its length. There were a couple of years in the beginning of our stay here, where the summer lasted all of two weeks before descending into dreary gray drizzle, but this year has been like a long, slow, romantic courtship of warm beautiful weather. Well, summer gave us one last great week of 80 degree temperatures, so I tried to make the most of it with the kids. We went to a beach park on 4 different days. My favorite, as always, is Discovery Park

Discovery park is unique in that you have a lighthouse, a pristine shore with few visitors, and views of the Cascades, the Olympics, and Mt. Ranier all at once. And unlike the lake parks we usually go to, you can also smell the salt water and hear the waves. When I am feeling especially stressed or low, this is the place I go to get rejuvenated. And the kids love it too-- bonus!

Anna and Benjamin both love the water, so we have had a great summer. Everybody gets to be happy-- except Anna when she gets her picture taken...

More and more I am noticing Anna and Benjamin playing "together." It makes me so happy to see siblings enjoying each other. Anna is also becoming more tolerant and helpful to her little brother and Benjamin just adores her.

I love this picture below. Anna was playing and just stood up and said "Hi Guys!" and waved to the paddle-boarders. That is her personality. Everyone is her friend.

Anna found this great tree trunk that became her balance beam. Benjamin was constantly trying to solve the problem of how to get to where she was.

Benjamin's main form of communication is pointing. He will extend his arm, with finger pointing, and say "this!"

Richard titled this picture "the young man and the sea"

I took an almost identical picture of Anna in this same pose 3 years ago at this very beach. Like I said, it is my favorite beach, and the one I turn to if I need a rise in my spirits.