Oh Snap!

I wanted to share just ONE more story about our trip last weekend. I promise you this, it WON'T be sad.

Seriously.

Honest!


Why are you looking at me like that?


I was going to take a picture of Maria with the cove behind her, but I realized that the sun was behind her and I couldn't see her face in the picture at all. So I told her to move out of the way and I took a picture of just the water.

She may have been slightly offended.



After we parked on the front of the boat, we ran upstairs to watch the cars load on, just like we did when they were little.

Wouldn't you know, she thought it was just as fun as when she was little.


Did you see that car Dad? It was this long!

The people who work on the ferry and direct traffic are very good at puzzles. They know just how many cars will fit on, where to put the big trucks to balance the boat, and keep everyone moving.

Except for last Saturday.

They may have over estimated the amount of space they had left.

They squeeeeezed on one more pick up truck.




Just barley getting the safety net around the back and narrowly missing scratching up the truck when they were directing him to park.

But wait!

Oh Snap!

There is still one more truck waiting to get on. They had directed him all the way down the dock to the boat. Then they told him to back it up and get back in line!

Guess you can only sandwich so many pick ups on the back of a ferry boat.

The girls just loooved "watching the water" when they were tiny as the ferry moved away from the dock. They would watch the water swirl and turn white and make waves. Guess what?

This girl still enjoyed it!

(Dad, stop telling me to look at the mountains! I am looking at the water!!)

Time Travel

On Saturday we drove a few hours to a soccer game and as we took the long way back, we stopped by our old neighborhood. We lived in a very small town that was pretty rural. We were sandwiched between the Olympic mountains and the Puget Sound. Everywhere we went there seemed to be amazing views. This is where we lived from the time Maria was born and Izzy was 2 until Maria was 4 and Izzy was 6. It is where I was a stay at home mom and snuggled my girls close and listened as they said their first words. It is where I hung up a list of all the states in the kitchen and Morrie asked if we were running a preschool. It's where we had our first dog. It's where we listened to frogs croaking late at night and took walks in the woods and had the best neighbor friends we have ever had.

Just driving into the neighboring towns got me choked up. I wanted look down the street and see us driving our car in 2002 with giggling little girls singing along with Toddler Tunes (a CD we nearly wore out). I can still hear Izzy asking me questions in her sweet little high voice and Maria agreeing with everything her big sister said.

How am I not still with those little ones?


I never thought just driving by the old house would bring back such strong feelings. I remember every inch of that small house. The trees I painted on the walls, Sesame Street playing on the tv, the girls coloring at the kitchen table, and me cooking dinner in the smallest kitchen you can imagine.

I so badly wanted to walk up to that front door, nudge it open, and peek in on those girls and maybe sit down with them and play for a while.

This is the park where we would go to light off fireworks with all the neighbors on the fourth of July.

This view I probably saw a million times, getting ready to go visit the family on the other side of the water.



It was a lot to take in and absorb. I am not really ready to have the girls be so old and mature. I think I super enjoyed 18 month old Maria and 3 year old Izzy. I think I would like to have them over. I think I need a hug.

Sigh..

Sniff*

Can I just lay down on the sand and wake up in 2001?

Meanwhile, Morrie thought I was off my rocker and went to look at starfish with Maria.

Isabelle couldn't be with us that day as she had more pressing issues. Like hanging out with a bunch of other teenagers.

I really missed her. Really. I would have liked all 4 of us to have been together so she could share her memories with us. Maybe she could have held my hand.

As it was, Maria had to continually hug me and hold my hand everywhere we walked.

Where are these girls???

I need a tissue.

I think I know why some families just keep having kids.

Because if you don't, you will wind up curled up under your blankets moaning about how much you miss your babies. Then you teenager will roll her eyes and ask you to stop holding her so tightly and if she can go do her homework, or text someone, or do ANYTHING else. Then your almost 12 year old will get you a tissue and giggle because she thinks you are funny. She will ask to use your iphone flashlight app and blind you in the process. Then you will get up from under your heavy emotional blanket of memories and wonder if it will always hurt this much.

Yup, I think it will.

I will just keep my sunglasses on to hide my weeping and ask Morrie to hold me a little longer. Then I will probably tell him that I want the girls to live with us forever.

Fall

It was really cold this morning!! The dog even looked chilled, so we threw a blanket in the dryer and made her into a burrito.


Morrie and I went for a walk last week while Maria warmed up for her game, and the trees were amazing! What is even more amazing is that we took pictures with our phones the whole time and looked like the nerdiest couple ever.

EVER!

Maria runs into fall like you wouldn't believe.

There is no way I would look this stunning after running a race.

Can I have what they're drinking??




Turns out, if you hold your phone up to a kaleidoscope, and take a picture, it really works!

Turns out, if you miss 9/10 of your daughter's 9th grade soccer season, you will curl up in a ball and cry every night (she's in the back row on the right).

She really wanted her goalie to have the opportunity to play on the field for once. So before the last game, Izzy asked her coach if she could be in goal so her goalie could start the final game as forward.

Can someone get me a kleenex?