Blake Island Camping a week late!

We have gone camping to Blake Island with my brother Chris every summer since Lia was two years old.  It is a summer tradition that we love and look forward to every year.  Blake Island is honestly one of my favorite places in the world as well as my three older children.  Although we have been going there to camp on Labor Day weekend for the past several years, my brother decided to book a last minute trip with his family to Belize for the last 10 days of their summer break.  As a result, our camping trip suddenly got postponed to hopefully the following weekend in September.  With this camping trip off the calendar, Ron decided to take the three older children camping for one night and two days to a campground outside of Winthrop.  I must admit, it was so nice to just be home alone with Emmett for 36 hours.  Since I am still so exhausted and beat up from the past 1.5 years, I honestly could have used another day, or two, or week, but I will take what little I can get!  But I digress...

After Chris returned from his vacation, I called him on Tuesday night to see if his family was still open to heading to Blake Island the coming weekend.  Luckily, the good weather that we have been having for weeks and weeks was still promising to hold out through Saturday with a possible chance of showers Sunday morning.  We decided to overlook Sunday's forecast and just go for it!  Luckily, Logan's first soccer game of the season was scheduled for 9 a.m. at a soccer field literally on the way to Chris' house.  And since Ella had injured her foot jumping on our neighbor's trampoline on Labor Day, she was taking the week off from gymnastics and soccer and was skipping her 12 o'clock game.  So as much of a stress as it was to get everyone ready and fed breakfast and get our camping gear packed up and loaded in my car by 9 o'clock on Saturday morning, I managed to make it happen and only left a few minutes late with Lia to join Ron down at the soccer fields with Logan and the other two children.

After cheering Logan on for his first game and win of the season, the three older kids and I said a 'goodbye' to Ron and Emmett and hopped in our car to drive off to Port Orchard to meet Chris and his family at 11 a.m. at their brand new house right on the Puget Sound.  We then piled everything in the boat and drove to the launch where we were able to fit all eight of us and all of our gear in ONE trip to the island (which was a first as we have never had a group this small before).  We then spent a wonderful day playing on the island and enjoying each other's company.  After eating lunch and setting up camp, we spent the day playing on the beach, building driftwood forts, and playing softball.  After dinner, we ran around in the dark for an hour playing "Ghosts in the Graveyard" and "Capture the Flag" with Chris' awesome glow-in-the-dark game set.  It was such a fun way to end the day!

Unfortunately, the rain started to fall in the middle of the night which meant we woke up to a very cold, wet, and rainy morning.  After stumbling out of our tents to make breakfast, we took a vote and decided to just pack up and head back to Chris' house to spend the afternoon there instead of waiting for the sun to come out on the island.  We pulled out of the marina at 10:45 and then took a scenic ride home past two GIGANTIC, cargo ships that are currently waiting in the waters right off of Blake Island to unload their cargo in the Port of Tacoma.  Chris drove us right next to them which was unbelievable to be so close to a ship that is literally hundreds of feet tall.  I couldn't believe that we were allowed to get so close to them!  We then drove past the beautiful Bainbridge Island before finding some giant, sea lions sleeping on one of the large buoys before heading back to the marina.

Riley climbing the massive Madrone tree next to our campsite after we first arrived.

Lia and Ella hanging out at the base of the tree.

Ella attempting to climb the tree up to her cousin...which I quickly put the kibosh on!

All six cousins lined up in a row--Logan, Lia, Trenton, Ella, and Riley!  Oh, how I have loved watching these five kiddos play together over the years.

Logan building a Lincoln log style fort on the beach.

The boys playing amidst the driftwood.

Uncle Chris helping Ella put the roof on a massive fort.

Ella poking her head out from the "peakaway" hole (as she called it) in her finished roof.

Chris whipping the boys with the long piece of kelp Logan found.

Ella checking out another fort on the beach.

Chris wrapping up a very unhappy Logan with the leftover piece of kelp.

Lia and Riley hanging out in the tent.

Ella getting ready to hit the ball during our baseball game.

Lia waiting to run home while Ella guards third base.

Before dinner, we wandered over to Tillicum Village to check out the gift shop.

Ella and Riley modeling two of the Native American masks for sale in the gift shop.

A close-up of Ella and her mask.

Beautiful Mount Rainier at dinner time.

My kids and me at twilight.

The girls and me enjoying dinner in our campsite.

The cold and cloudy morning that we all woke up to on Sunday.

Logan, Trenton, and Ella finding refuge from the wind on the giant, fallen tree tucked away in the bushes.

Riley pulling Ella in the cargo wagon as we headed back to our campsite to load up our gear up to take back to the boat.

Cruising past the front of the massive, cargo ship anchored in the sound.

A closer shot of us near the ship.  It seriously was several stories high!

The lounging sea lions relaxing on the buoy!

Logan's 1st Soccer Game of the Season

After putting Logan in club soccer last winter and spring, we decided to sign him back up for rec soccer in the fall after finding out that his two buddies (who we recruited to his club team) were doing the same.  Besides giving Logan a well-needed break over the summer from practices and games and saving us several hundreds of dollars, this change back to rec soccer has turned out to be a very good thing.  For starters, Logan was luckily placed on the same team with both of his friends and with one of their dads as the coach.  In addition, his team was assigned to practice on the fields of his very own elementary school which has been such a blessing to be able to quickly drive him down there and back during rush hour traffic twice a week.  In addition, I can just tell that Logan is much more comfortable playing soccer at the rec level than at the club level.  He has never complained once about going to practice and finishes each time with a smile on his face.  Today he competed in his first soccer game of the season and he was super aggressive and all over the place which was quite a shift from how he played during his club games last spring.  Instead of being timid and shy, we were blown away by the amount of effort and energy Logan put into the game.  It was so much fun to watch him play!  He even made a goal and helped assist with another goal which is a big deal for him as he never scored once during any of his club games.  I am so grateful that we were able to put Logan back on a rec team and look forward to watching him play many more games to come this fall!

Logan running down the field.

Logan kicking the ball.

Logan running up to kick another one.

And sending the ball flying through the air!

Logan heading back down the field.

For the first time ever, Emmett made a little friend with the younger brother of one of Logan's opponents.  They were so cute playing trucks and watching a little show together on their blue blanket.

Logan kicking the ball down the field.

Logan chasing the ball down!

Another aggressive run to the get the ball.

My big boy flashing me a grin after his game was over.

And tossing the ball into the air on our way off the field!

2 & 2/3 YEARS OLD TODAY!

This little monkey turned 2 and 2/3 years old today!  He is such a big boy now that this really doesn't come as much of a surprise to me.  Emmett is getting so tall and long that he almost takes up the entire length of his crib.  In addition, his vocabulary development has been out of control lately and he now speaks in complete sentences all the time.  I can't remember what is "normal" for a boy of his age, but I know that it is probably not as advanced as Emmett.  He is rough, tough, and wild and constantly is throwing things, breaking things, and messing up things.  I don't love this part of his personality, but if he is anything like Logan, I know that he will outgrow this one day.  Emmett also has a controlled, calm side of his personality and loves being read to and sitting on the ground and playing a quiet game, like pushing his choo choo trains around on the tracks.  He also recently discovered painting (by requesting it all on his own while I was on the phone the other day) and really loves sitting at the kitchen table doing this activity.  Emmett is still in love with all things trucks, construction, and especially trains.  Oh, how he loves trains!  He loves playing with his toys trains, seeing real trains go by in our town, and watching Thomas the Train on TV.  He also really enjoys listening to music in the car and at home and loves singing songs with us, too.  He often times will tell me to turn up the music in the car when one of his favorite songs comes on the radio.  Emmett continues to be a great eater for the most part and still takes a marathon nap every afternoon for 2 to 3 hours.  He has also turned a massive corner on his nighttime sleeping at the end of May (hooray!) and rarely wakes up in the middle of the night anymore.  When he does wake up, he normally just needs a little drink of water or his pacifier put back in his mouth before laying right back down.  Ron and I are no longer required to rock him back to sleep which has saved my life!  Emmett has really loved all of the warm, outside playtime we have had this summer.  He absolutely loved playing in the water all summer long, playing on the playground in our backyard, and riding his little trike on the sports court and on the sidewalk in front of our house.  He has also loved playing with his siblings, cousins, and nextdoor neighbors, Poppy and Daisy.  He is also totally ready to potty train and is able to pee in his little potty any time he asks to try.  As pathetic as it is, I am just not ready to take the plunge yet.  I thought we would dive into potty training full speed after school started, but I am still too exhausted from the summer to face the challenges that come with it.  So, hopefully, I will have good news to report in the next month or two if I can get around to potty training him soon.

Emmett has definitely developed a naughty side to his personality.  He intentionally disobeys us some times, likes to throw things at his siblings and chase them around with toys (especially Ella), and also has picked up on saying some not-so-nice words that he learned from his siblings and me.  During our trip to the Outer Banks, Emmett started saying "Poopie Ella" and then it evolved into "Darn, poopie Ella."  When he is unhappy with anyone in the house, he will say, "Poopie Mama" or "Poopie Logie," etc.  However, Ella gets the brunt of it and he will just say "Poopie Ella" for no reason at all some times.  No matter what we say or do, he has yet to stop which is a bit frustrating as I have never had a two-year old talk like this before.  And although he doesn't throw nearly as many as his older brother, Emmett also has picked up on the art of tantrum throwing and laying down on the ground while kicking and screaming--both at home, outside, or in a public place.  Since I now have bad knees and an injured back, there is no way that I can pick him up anymore, so it makes for some "interesting" moments for us--especially when we are in public.  Luckily, most of his tantrums have occurred at home.  

Terrible two antics set aside, we still just love our Emmy to pieces!  He has such a brilliant smile (that friends and strangers comment on) and just makes us laugh every day!  He is such a happy, funny, little guy and runs around our house like he owns the place.  We all still just think that he is so adorable and are so grateful that he is a part of our family!  Love you, Emmy Bemms! 

After taking his picture, Emmett asked me to take a few of him jumping off of the chair.  Here he is ready to go!  I just love that large smile on his face!

Emmett in mid-air!

Tickling the Ivories

Ella has been begging me to start piano lessons for quite some time now.  Since I learned years ago from my sis-in-law, Natalee, that the best time to start lessons is in 2nd grade once children have a basic grasp of reading, I kept on telling Ella that she needed to wait until then.  Since Logan showed ZERO interest in playing the piano when he was younger, I decided that it would be most beneficial to start them together when he is in fourth and Ella is in 2nd grade.  So, after doing some research and deciding not to return to the same teacher that Lia used for four years, I signed both of them up with another teacher from church who luckily had two back-to-back lesson times available on Wednesdays.  So, I dropped both of the children off today for their first lesson.  Ella was absolutely thrilled and Logan was so miserable that he was almost in tears!  This is so typical of their personalities as Ella is usually so excited and enthusiastic about trying anything new and Logan is so scared to death that he would rather crawl into a hole with his pile of blankets and never return!  Oh dear.  They both seemed to have a positive first lesson and I hope that this turns out to be a good experience for both of them.  Time will only tell...

Although Logan was totally uninterested in having his picture taken while practicing the piano, Ella was more than willing to sit down and tickle the ivories for a few moments while I snapped some pictures.  Isn't she just so cute?!

First Day of School!

Well, it finally happened.  After 1.5 years, all three of my children returned to in-person school five days a week.  If someone had told me this back on March 13, 2020 when school was first shut down for the Coronavirus pandemic, I seriously would have fallen over.  It probably is a good thing that I had no idea what was coming down the pike when this all started.  But I digress...

Anyways, for some unexplained and ridiculous reason, our school district decided last year to start school BEFORE Labor Day weekend for the first time since Lia has been a student in this district.  It's makes no sense and is a bit of a bummer, but I will just choose to focus on the positive and be grateful that all of my children are in school full-time.  Now that Lia is really attending junior high (as opposed to the pathetic, two half-days-a-week schedule of in-person instruction that she attended for three months last spring), she had to be out the door by 7:10 for the first time this morning.  This is crazy early for her considering the fact that she has slept in past 8 a.m. most mornings for over a year.  However, she got up all on her own when her alarm went off at 6:10 and I met her downstairs to make her breakfast and pack her lunch in time to send her out the door to meet her friend, Alyssa, who lives up the hill so that they could walk to school the rest of the way together.  Since Lia attended school for a half day yesterday (more to come on that below), she wasn't as nervous this morning as she could have been and quickly ate her breakfast and breezed out the door with barely enough time for me to take a picture of her.  She sure looked grown up walking down our driveway while calling Alyssa on her phone.  It's amazing to me how Lia has changed from the little girl I used to drop off at Shaw Road skipping and running towards school with a princess backpack on her back.

Since Lia left so early, we almost had two hours to kill before I needed to leave to take Logan and Ella down to their elementary school.  Ella was so excited for school to start that she could barely contain herself.  She seriously was as excited as she is on Christmas morning!  Since Logan is my one child who hates all things new and anything to do with change, he was less than thrilled to be heading out to school this morning.  Luckily, I know my boy and he will start to like school again in a matter of days once he gets used to his teacher and his new class.  Ella has Mr. Strand who was Logan's 2nd grade teacher and who is amazing!  She is absolutely thrilled about this and is also in the same class with three of her four closest friends from school (Elise, Madelyn, and Audrina), so that is a total bonus.  Logan has Mrs. Arnett who was Lia's 4th grade teacher who I really like, too.  Of his four closest friends from school, one (Eli) moved to Michigan last Spring and two (Mason and Bennett) joined the Quest program this year which means he will never be in the same class with them again.  Luckily, Logan's fourth and final friend, Benton, was placed in the same class with him which is a total blessing.  

We managed to make it down to school in what I thought was "on time," but due to the insane amounts of traffic caused by so many extra parents dropping off their kids on the first day of school, the final bell rang as we were walking to Ella's entrance.  She ran ahead of me and I barely was able to catch up to her to take a picture before she walked through the door.  By the time Logan and I made it to the back of the school so that he could enter through his designated entrance, we were a few minutes late.  Luckily, since it's the first day of school, our tardiness doesn't really matter.  Emmett and I said a quick 'goodbye' first to Ella and then to Logan before sending them on their way and then that was it.  For the first time in one and a half years, my baby boy and I were on our own.  I almost couldn't believe it.  I must admit that a massive weight suddenly lifted off my shoulders as Emmett ran to the school playground thinking that it was time to play.  And although Emmett has told me several times this morning that he also wants to go to school and has asked me several times where his siblings are, it is just amazing to be alone with him.  After running a few errands, we came home, put on our swim suits, filled up his baby pool, and spent an hour playing together in the backyard.  We even had a picnic lunch while sitting on our beach towels on the sports court before coming back into the house for naptime.  It was just such a joy to be with my little boy all on our own for the first time in a long time.

After such a difficult and exhausting 1.5 years of trying to manage a baby-now-toddler while homeschooling three older children while trying to run a household, I am so incredibly grateful that Washington state has seen the light and allowed our children to return to full-time, in-person school.  I pray every day that my children will not be behind academically, socially, and physically for years to come as a result of how strict our state has been with school, sports, and activities for children.  So, although we cannot go back and change the past, I sure hope that my children are allowed to continue with everything in their lives at a full-time capacity from here on out.  If it weren't for the Delta variant of the Coronavirus raging rapid in our country right now due to all of the incredible foolish and selfish people who have refused to get vaccinated, I would be extremely optimistic that this pandemic was on its way out.  However, since the numbers of infected people are not looking good in our country at the current moment, I worry that our state will pull the plug any day on in-person school and after-school sports and activities.  Oh well, time will only tell...

Lia on her way out to school yesterday, September 1st.

Since all of the junior high and high school students never even came close to full-time instruction last school year, our district realized that many secondary education students were not fully comfortable with starting school this fall.  As a result, they planned a voluntary, "Smart Start" half day for the day before the first day of school.  Although Lia did NOT want to go, Ron and I insisted that she attend.  This allowed her to go to all six of her classes, plus homeroom, for 30 minutes each yesterday.  She was able to meet all of her teachers, find all of her classes, and learn that she had a friend in two of her classes.  Although she is still very unhappy about not being able to go to the junior high downtown with her closest friends and 99% of her 6th grade class from elementary school, it still was nice for her to find out that she does know someone in two of her classes.  In addition, our nextdoor neighbor and very good friend, Kyle, transferred to her school this past summer and is her fourth period, English teacher.  Since he only teaches three periods a day, it is kind of amazing that he was assigned to teach 8th grade English and that Lia was placed in one of his classes.  So, that also will help Lia to feel a little more at "home" at Ferrucci.  Although she is still feeling lots of apprehension about barely knowing anyone at school and also starting x-country next week (when her one friend from church who was going to participate with Lia changed her mind), I am hoping that Lia will be brave enough to make friends, get involved, and allow Ferrucci to become her new home away from home.  If this doesn't happen, we have promised her that we will waiver her into Kalles for her 9th grade and final year of junior high.  We shall see how this all turns out...

Lia posing on the steps on her first official day of 7th grade, although it was technically her second day of school.

Logan, Emmett, and Ella posing for our traditional, first-day-of-school picture on the front steps without Lia at their side for the first time ever.

Ella posing for the first time as a big, 2nd grader!  I honestly feel like she should still be in Kindergarten.

Ella happily showing off the new, mermaid-themed backpack that we bought the other week.

Logan standing tall and proud as a big, 4th grader.  He is officially one of the "older kids" in his school this year and, although he looks the part, I still can't believe how fast time is flying!

The three kids giving me a smile behind their masks as we headed through the side gate to school this morning.

Ella pausing for one last picture before walking into school to find her classroom.

Logan and Emmett walking up the back steps to the entrance designated for 4th graders.  I had to tell Emmett to stop walking with Logan as he seriously would have gone right into school with him.  Emmett was so confused and distressed this morning when he saw all of his siblings going to school without him!  The poor, little guy.  He is really going to miss his brother and sisters for the next few weeks until he adjusts to them not being around all the time for the first time in a long time.

Ella getting off the bus first at the end of the day!

Ella walking toward me with Logan in the rear.

My cute, 4th grader giving me an exhausted smile from behind his face mask!