The benefits are endless

The benefits are endless with the Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department.

Last Friday was the outdoor movie.

The location, Storvik Park. The movie, Despicable Me and the time Dusk.

The Dads of our group. Josh what is really in that coffee cup?

Best night of Grace's life. Hanging with the older girls and endless access to Skittles

Eli & Emmit

Sweet Caroline

Friday night summer concerts at Seafarers Park sponsored by the POA.
Interesting.
Beautiful.
Tail Gating for those 60 or better.
Great views.
Fun the kids.
Fun for the adults.

This last Friday the Swapps joined us for Cherry Cherry, a tribute band of Neil Diamond.
They sounded ok, but it was free and the kids loved it.

A farewell to Sugar

Thank you Sugar for many great memories you have given Grace & Emmit.
You were a major pull to get the kids to jump in their double stroller in the summer/ fall so mom could get her fitness on.
You let us feed you endless apples and grass and always came over to greet us as if you've been waiting for our arrival all day long.
Last night Grace and Emmit got some sweet Sugar time in thanks to her owners.

While we were walking the back loop, we had our apples ready for Sugar. Like always we started to feed her with our big open flat hands.
Bob the owner came over to me and whispered that this is Sugar's last weekend with them.
They sold her to a family with young kids out of town.
It is a good thing. She was needing more attention and someone to ride her everyday.

We will miss Sugar.

My heart breaks a little only because I know this weekend the kids will go to the fridge to get apples to feed to Sugar.

Get out the Kleenex box people, I am about to tell a 4 year old her dream horse is no longer just up the hill form us.

On a side note, I didn't even have my camera on me so the owners of Sugar ran into the house to document Grace with Sugar.
That's good stuff.

Oh Leavenworth

Josh shared stories of walking through the town with his parents and getting stung by his first bee in front of the ice cream shop and I shared stories of my brother and I watching my parents give us $5 each as they drank beer and clinked glasses in a beer garden they we could not go into.

No really, we shared , OK I over shared everything that I know about camping in Leavenworth, WA. Some people got to go to Lake Chelan, Hawaii, Cannon Beach  or where ever else with their families growing up. I got to go camping for weeks at a time at Eight Mile Campground, located well about 8 miles up the canyon.
You know what?
I would not have changed it for the world. Something about dipping into that icy cold river each summer makes you feel alive and freaking cold as nuts! I am happy that my parents got me outside!
Enjoy below a few pics from our first Johnston Family camping trip to Leavenworth. It was only one night, but what the heck I documented the heck out it.

Even though we ate out, went to the community pool, hat shop, ice cream shop and petting farm on the way out of town. It still felt like we were really camping.

Maybe next time we will get the kids up on the rock and then stare at the sun for 8 hours at the swimming hole!

A Night At the Safe

Safeco Field that is.
Monday night we took the kids to their first M's game. I will be honest I have not watched a M's game all season and I didn't even know who they were playing. But it was family night at the Safe and the kids were excited for a big city adventure.
We met up with our friends the Browns and we all held on as long as you could with three kids!
We did it.
We survived it.
Kids got hats, hot dogs, cotton candy, a chance to visit with the Mainer Moose, time in the play den area and chance to run around the stadium.
We must be the M's good luck charm because they did win the night we were there!