Saying goodbye in Sequim

Talk about great hosts!

While we stayed in Sequim, we were hosted by a lovely couple, Elaine and Bob, (and of course their dog Penny... who was missing having goats around to herd, but wasn't quite confident enough to herd the kids) who we knew from the days when our lived in Sequim (just before, during and after the twins came along). They took us in at the last minute, let us stay longer than expected when we had car trouble, and even let me soak in their hot tub!! Thanks you guys, we are missing you already!

We drove past the first house that the girls ever lived in, stopped and chatted with an old neigbor, and discovered that the house had been bought recently and the new couple was really fixing it up! (It used to be beige-yellow when we lived there.)





I took the kids to play at a small playground that was located one block away from the house. When the girls were little, I used to walk them there in their double stroller and let them play, and allow mommy to get some fresh air and exercise. The kids enjoyed this break, and loved trying out all the playground equipment.

The big hit was the tire swing - they loved it! Maybe a little too much... 'cause about 15 minutes later we were stopped at a local country store and all the kids said they felt sick... then one of them painted the parking lot - it was all rather dramatic, and took me a while to figure out how everyone could come down with the flew simultaneously... needless to say, we didn't go into the store after all.

After church at PEFC on Sunday, Steven had a playdate with his new friend Marshall (I hope I spelled that right). They hit it off like a house on fire, and apparently did everything but set the house on fire... like two peas in a pod! Here are Marshall's parents, displaying that they hold the theory I do on acting respectable. (Yes, that is a child's Knight's helmet on his head!) I had a blast getting to know them, and discovered new friends of my own.



I also got to spend a bit of time renewing an old friendship with Lisa and Craig. Their daughters (Jessica and Rachel) hosted my girls for the afternoon, and the family graciously hosted us for the rest of the evening - we had such a great time it was hard to leave. Highlights of the evening were a tour of the new addition to the house, watching Rachel take her puppy for a ride on a shovel, and watching the girls do a "beading/ironing" project, eating pizza, reminiscing, and lots of laughter! Eventually Marshall's family joined us and joined in the merriment too! The four boys (two big and two small) were trying out different sports in the back yard and from what I hear, the little guys were pretty tough on the big guys! I bet you can guess who came inside first!


















After a good friend had a look at our brakes (thanks Dale and Martha... sorry we never made it to riding the horses, maybe next time!), I decided to curtail our trip back home and detour over to my folks house instead (Auburn, WA), whereupon my kind brother, Rusty, replaced the brake pads on our van, and my mom got to spend more Grandma time with the kids. The rest of the ride home was uneventful. Thank goodness!