Stats for the 8 year old

Height: 4 feet, 4 inches (82nd percentile)
Weight: 63 lbs. (75th percentile)

And, very healthy by all accounts. Our only follow-up will be a visit to the eye doctor....he seems to have my vision (perfect in the right eye, not so great in the left). Our dr. doubts he needs glasses, but suggested that we have him checked out anyway.

Birthday!

Eight is great!


The Mariners are not so great. They lost 6-3 in 12 innings.


And, in case you're wondering about the fleece on July 23rd, gametime temperature today (1:40 p.m. start time) was 61 degrees.

Dude

This was a great birthday party.

Dude, the pirate cupcake pinata* was especially cool.

Yes, Andrew's 8th birthday party is done. We survived 7 boys spending the night (including our 2). Actually, they were really good, well-behaved, and polite, even if every other word they said was "dude".

*The pirate cupcake pinata was really cool. It was a bummer to beat on it (in my opinion). It came from the Sandpoint farmer's market, and we hauled it all the was back to Federal Way last weekend.

Violin Camp

Both Andrew and Sam went to Suzuki day camp in Tacoma this past week, and they did great! It was especially good for Sam, who really learns well in a group environment. We have violin group every week during the school year with our studio, but not during the summer, so this was a nice chance to get back into it. The teachers are all professionals in the area (several of whom I work with in orchestra), and they are wonderful with the kids! Their final concert was at the Museum of Glass (a.k.a. Dale Chihuly's museum) in downtown Tacoma.

Only a Boy Would Come Up With This, Part II

Last night, Andrew and Sam invented a new game at home. It involves turning on the ceiling fan as fast as it goes, and throwing a paper airplane into it. The airplane alternatively gets beat up in the blades of the fan, or gets thrown around the room at unexpected angles. They think it's hilarious. Alan and I, not so much.

Only a Boy Would Come Up with This

We invented a game at the beach in Idaho. It started with hitting a target rock with a rock from the beach. Then Stan built a structure to hold a target, initially a pine cone. But this kind of quality sporting contest just needed an authentic target – an aluminum can. With no Miller or Kokanee cans available, we had to use an Arizona Iced Tea can. All the boys and a few of the girls threw at it and the winner got their picture taken. Several knocked the can off, but none were more proud than Sammy.

Images from Idaho/Montana

We really enjoyed our time in Idaho this year. Here are a few highlights:

• Our unexpected 4th of July visitor was....a goat. And three dogs. The goat ate everything in sight and pooped all over the place. This, actually, was not a highlight of our trip, but makes for a good story.
• We attended 2 minor league baseball games with the Ray family, in Spokane and Missoula. Both stadiums are really clean and nice, and the kids had a great time. At the Indians game, Libby even won a $50 gift certificate at a Spokane-area gas station!
• We took the ski lift up to the top of Schweitzer ski resort. It was really beautiful, with full views of the lake. We hiked around at the top, found a few patches of snow(!) and saw a moose on the way down.
• Many nice visits with family. Andrew and Sam especially loved spending time with Ryan, their 3rd cousin.

Blogging from Idaho

Happy 4th of July from the log house!

We've been here for 5 days, and have been enjoying lots of time at the beach and visiting with our cousins. Yesterday we went to see the Bergets at their home/farm in Hope, and spent the evening with the Cvitanich family on Oden Bay. Andrew decided (after seeing the 20-something year old Cvitanich boys go) that he would take a turn on the inner tube behind the boat. He said it was really fun! They also threw endless balls for Luka, the dog who never got tired.

Pictures to come when we have something other than dial-up internet!