The Coast

Isabelle had a swim meet in North Bend this weekend, so we had the opportunity to take a nice little drive to the coast.  It was a gorgeous trip!

Dylan got to see Autzen Stadium. Yell O!

We watched the sun set at Winchester Bay on our way into North Bend.  Amazing.  

Izzy swam like a rock star Saturday morning, then we hit the beach to see some sea lions.  The photos of the sea lions didn't really work, but it was neat to see them and listen to the Harbor Seals.  

We decided to get our feet wet and check out some tide pools.  We saw some really neat stuff!  We touched a sea anemone for the first time and it was crazy.  It grabbed our fingers...so cool.  If you look closely at the photo, you can see Luke, Izzy, Dylan, and Lance's reflections in the water around the anemone.  

We found a sea star.

Luke wrote notes in the sand.

I took a cute picture of my family.

The sun started to go down, so we left the beach and headed off to another spot to watch the sunset.

It was beautiful.  The kids hadn't ever seen the sun set over the ocean, so it was totally worth it.  Sort of cold, but worth it.

A great weekend all thanks to our amazing little swimmer!

Sunshine

These aren't spectacular pictures, but I had to post them anyway.  I took them with my phone while we were out and about.  It was just over 60 degrees for the third day in a row, and I couldn't help but take the kids down to The Old Mill.  Dylan grabbed his unicycle and Izzy put on her roller skates.  We made our way along the river path to the amphitheater and the kids got a kick out of hanging out on stage.  We played four square on the concrete in front of the stage and made friends with a cute little sheepdog.  I have to say that sunshine is definitely good for the soul.  It's amazing what a liberal dose of vitamin D can do for a person!  Just feeling the warmth of the sun on my shoulders and cheeks makes me feel content.  This is not typical weather for Bend, we really should be in the high 40's and low 50's.  I am not complaining, though!  Neither are the kids...Izzy was more than happy to put on a pair of shorts in the middle of January :)

Sledding

It's true what they say...a picture really is worth a thousand words!

Less is More

Progress

Science Party!

Click here to check out our afternoon at the museum.  The kids have been looking forward to the science party all week...who knew we would end up on the news!  Dylan is on the stage holding the letter "N" during the atom demonstration, and Izzy volunteered to have electricity run through her body.  Her hair started to stand up and she said her clothes were sticking to her.  They had "watts" of fun!  (attempt at electricity humor)

Swimmer of the Month

Every month, we get an email from Izzy's head swim coach.  It's a great way for him to highlight what has happened over the last few weeks, and give everyone an update so we know what to expect for upcoming events and meets.  It is always full of great advice and inspirational thoughts.  This morning, it was even more exciting than usual.  We got about halfway through the email, and read this:

Time for my Swimmers of the Month and I will start in the Blue Group by recognizing two swimmers that had absolutely awesome performances last weekend at the Winter Invitational.  This first young lady went 6 for 6 including a best time in the 50 back by almost 7 seconds.  She is a great listener and follows directions.  The second SOTM for the Blue group goes to a young man who also had a great meet going 5 for 6 including a best time in the 50 breast by almost 5 seconds.  Congratulations Isabelle Larsen and Hayden Ruggles.

Amazing, right?  She works so hard, and is a natural in the water.  We couldn't be more proud of her. Way to go, Izzy!