last day of school

I dropped the kids off today and then went for a walk on the beach. I had a nice walk and actually found two starfish on the beach. I actually think that is the first time I've seen starfish on the beach....and not in a tide pool area or clinging to rocks. There were 2 and they were the same size and color. I was tempted to take them, but I was certain they were alive...so I put them together back into the water. It was a cool sight. I didn't have my camera though, so no photos.
But, as I was leaving, this guy was off to the right, posing for me. We see deer ALL the time in Ocean Shores. But this guy looked pretty majestic! and he kept that pose for me. He didn't even blink until after I took the photos. and then as soon as I got back into the car, he moved his head, and started walking away. Maybe he was freezing so I would not see him, but I like to think he was posing for me, so I could get a good shot.
Anyways, I took lots of photos this week...and it looks like maybe someone erased the disc. I am not sure and hoping that isn't the case, or I may have lost lots of photos. It was spirit week this week....with dress up days and I got great photos for most of it. Also Kaleb had his graduation or moving up on wednesday ( and then had two more days of finals....how dumb is that!). There was also field day where Elijah went into the dunk tank. anyways, it has been a fun, crazy week.

We went to the graduation and awards assembly. It was nice but very long. You can see how excited Elijah is!
Here's Kas wit a few of her friends and classmates.

It's official! Elijah is done with the 6th grade, and elementary school!

With some of his friend. He had quite a relationship with his math teacher...the other 6th grade teacher.

His teacher.

Yeah! SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

Hopefully I will find the other photos and show you the rest of the week. It's been fun! and busy!

brownies

so, I was hungry for brownies the other day....and made the mistake of making them....because I couldn't stop eating them. I am usually pretty good at only having a few cookies...but I ate alot of brownies, until the kids finished them off....then I was just mad! not really, we just made more the next day. Generally I don't like box brownies, and I haven't found a good, easy recipe for awhile. I like chewy, gooey, not gooey or cakey. So, I decided to make my own. I think they turned out wonderfully! They are chewy, and stay that way....at least by the next day. They haven't lasted much longer than that!
I don't have photos but here's my recipe:

VERLEE'S BROWNIES

3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups brown sugar (you can use 1 cup white and 1 cup brown if you like) I used dark brown
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups chocolate chips
nuts

mix melted butter and brown sugar well. add eggs one at a time and beat well. add vanilla.

after vanilla is mixed in, add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees in prepared 9x13 pan. (I sprayed with pam) for about 30 minutes, or until edges are pulling away from pan.

Let cool. and cut! Yummy!

if you try them let me know what you think! I loved them.

Sorry I am not fancy with photos and such. I don't use pretty bowls and cake pans to bake with....and I don't have a beautiful kitchen to display! ;)

Memorial Weekend Visitors

AuntA and UncleA brought the boys for the weekend. It was Cutie's and Aunt A's birthday weekend, so we planned a lot of fun! They mostly wanted to go to the beach...which they did as soon as they arrived! It was pretty windy though, as is typical Ocean Shores weather, so they just stayed about an hour! (the adults were cold, the kids were fine!)

I guess for Cutie's birthday, he just wanted to buy a cake! so, as soon as we got to the house, he was anxious to get into his cake. It was yummy! His birthday wasn't for a few more days...but that's alright. We celebrated all weekend! I didn't get the camera until after we'd already cut into it and eaten some. He was that eager!

Here's big brother showing off!

Fortunately, sunday morning we got a glimpse of the otters playing. I didn't get a great shot though! I think there were 5 of them out there in the river! here they are getting out to go back to their home. We know it is across the dike road, but not sure where.

Sunday we went to church and then relaxed. It was a nice day. The weather was good, and the kids had a great time playing together!

Monday morning was the official BIRTHDAY, so we had waffles with berry topping and whipped cream. Well, some of us did.
Cutie opted for just whipped cream......Here he is attempting to smile!
and Big Brother chose the traditional dipped syrup!
Before they left, we had to go to the beach one more time. This time we went to the Copalis Beach near our home. It was very nice. Not quite warm, but not very windy either. A beautiful day.
Elijah had to bring a shovel. J and I were joking about how guys just like to dig...and later as we were driving on the beach, we noticed there were quite a few boys and men just digging in the sand! Makes me laugh!
Kas is CRAZY in her suit. It was too cold for that...but she was determined!

The boys loved chasing the waves!

After they got a little soaked and cold, they decided to play in the ponds...which had little fish in them! they were much warmer!My kids stayed out in the surf a little longer.
Kaleb found a new friend. This little boy came up to him and asked if he wanted to go out into the waves with him. Kaleb said okay and the boy grabbed his hand! CUTE! He really was too young to be out there by himself. His parents were standing by us, so it was a perfect scenario!

Look at this little sand dollar I found!

After the boys played in the puddles, they went up and played in the dunes, and the sand! J decided to bury a few.

I HATE this...so as soon as I got over there, I insisted he get out. I get clausterphobic, so I think this just looks like torture to me. Plus I heard about a boy who suffocated last year being buried in the sand. J was there, so I knew he would be okay, but I still insisted.....ohhhhh....

Here he's getting a little help! Not from the guy who buried him though...notice that?

and he's out!meanwhile, Cutie is over here posing for us in his sandy underoos!

He kept giving us good poses! while he was obviously enjoying the sand.....

While big brother played!

We had such a good time. The weather was great. The kids had plenty to do. I was so glad we got to share their birthdays with them. The boys are happy and beautiful. They have so much of their mom in them. Their grandparents are doing a great job with them. It was a joy to see.

Baseball, Hotdogs......

Well, baseball season is almost over! YEAH! It is soo time consuming, but it was also quite fun. This is Elijah's first year at baseball. His best friend, Knolen is in it and got him interested. Their family was so nice to get him set up with all the gear: cleats, glove, they even got his hitting hat for him and put TANK on it. It was soo nice...otherwise we would have had to fork out a ton of money just to get him started.
Elijah ended up being a natural at batting. He had a respectable batting average, especially with no other experience. He still needs practice in the field though, so was always in the outfield.

I guess he is also quite fast between bases, which is a bonus!

Elijah has a great team. There is quite a comradarie between the boys. They are always cheering each other on, and encouraging each other. I really liked that. He had about 5 coaches, cause a bunch of the dads were quite involved. The head coach wanted all the boys who were interested to be able to play, so we had a team of about 15. Most of the other teams only had the exact number they needed or only one or two extras. Our coaches knew ultimately this would be a disadvantage for our team and winning, because there were always 4-5 guys alternating in....I was grateful though, that they cared more for the boys and letting them play than having the best team. We still had a great team, though. Going into the finals they are in 2nd place!

Isn't he cute!

It is going to be interesting to see how Elijah does next year. He is going into Jr High and loves football, wrestling, basketball and baseball! I know he would do great in track as well. He is going to be quite busy, and have to make some difficult choices. Neither Jeremy or I were much into team sports...so Elijah's skills must come from farther back!

Relay For Life-Kaleb

Relay for Life started last friday at 6:00 pm. Kaleb's friend had talked him into joining their team. Usually the team will take turns walking, so that there is always someone on the team out on the track at all times....maybe 2 people...I am not totally sure of the specifics. Anyways, Kaleb and his friend decided they were going to walk the full 24 hours. I thought they were crazy and knew they didn't know what they were getting themselves into but figured this would be a memorable experience for Kaleb. Little did I know!
We've never been to a Relay for Life before but there were displays all around the track. This one was of Ocean Shores...the buildings were local stores. It as cute. I think the HOPE was lit up at one point.
Here's Kaleb and his friends at the beginning, probably 1-2 hours into the walk. Look how energetic and happy they look! It going to be a great night! YEAH RIGHT!

Kaleb had an envelope on his back for donations. He actually made money in it! It also says he is a 24 hour walker!

There was such a wide assortment of people there. Jeremy asked me to snap a photo of these ladies. He liked their outfits! Logging is big here, so they fit in for sure!

We stayed friday night just for a bit. I got the sense he was on his own adventure, and we were cramping his style. We walked around with him for a few laps, then went on home, and told him to call if he needed anything. I also brought more clothes, food etc....anything he might need for the night. I also talked him into bringing a sleeping bag if he decided to take a little break. Frankly, I didn't think he was going to be able to walk the full 24 hours!

Well, around 4:30 am he started texting Jeremy and I. Jeremy was at work (at the FD). He told us his friend had quit at 1:00 am. I was soo impressed with Kaleb, that he kept going without his friend. He said he was having a hard time, and had hit a wall. We both told him to get something to eat, which helped....I thought about suggesting an energy drink or something like that but resisted. I also told him he could stop and take a longer break. That even if he didn't walk the WHOLE 24 he was still accomplishing something great...but he resisted that! After texting back and forth for about a half hour, he said he was feeling better, which was good.

Later the next morning when we arrived at the walk, Jeremy said people would come up to him and ask if he was Kaleb's dad....and say how amazed they were by him. Other people told his he looked pretty funny in the early morning hours, cause he was walking sideways! half asleep. But, he fought through it. They saw and were also impressed. We have always been complimented for Kaleb's strengths, so that wasn't new, but having total strangers, who'd only briefly seen Kaleb, comment on him was cool.

This is around noon saturday. Everytime we went to see Kaleb, there was someone talking to him. Others walking would come up and encourage him, or keep him company. The guy in the black was one of them. I was so amazed by the goodness of people there. Everyone was walking, earning, remembering loved ones who'd suffered from cancer. There was soo much love at that track. It was amazing.

Kaleb is looking a little tireder!

It was a beautiful day. Especially for Grays Harbor. Probably somewhere in the 80's, which is very hot for us beach folk. so, Kaleb loved this ice cream truck. We had to stop there for a cool treat! One of his coaches was walking for his team and offered him another. once again, the kindness of others!...amazed me.....
Someone brought a climbing wall, to earn money. $2 or $3 to climb. Kaleb said after his 24 hours were up he was going to climb it...He wanted me to as well. Fortunately for me they left an hour or two before! I had flip flops on...not the right shoes, otherwise, of course I would have climbed! HA!

I took this photo to show more of the difference of people out walking. do you see those bright pink stretch pants? The girl also had on high heels and was walking. I was amazed. Let me tell you those pants were much more interesting in real life! ;)

BUT, the better part....I think the couple in tourquoise were also 24 hour walkers, at least the boy on the right. He was probably about the age of Kaleb. I think he was walking with his mom. Do you see they are holding hands. They walked like that for a long time. I was amazed, that this young boy was walking with his mom in such a manner. Kaleb and I are close, and he will put his arm around me and kiss me and stuff, but he would not walk miles with me holding hands. I wondered if this family was walking for someone specific. But, I appreciated their display of love. A mother and her son!

Some friends came and walked with Kaleb, Curt Begley (LT) and Travis and Savvy. We appreciated that.

Around 12 or 1 we came back after Elijah's game. Kaleb was soo tired, He still had about 5 hours to go. It was very hot. I just couldn't part with leaving, so I asked Jeremy if he would let me stay and he could go home and do our list of things to do. He agreed....and so I walked the last 5 hours with Kaleb. I am so grateful I had that opportunity. I wasn't well prepared. In flip flops, like I mentioned earlier.

Earlier, Jeremy had traded shoes with Kaleb, cause his were in a little better shape. After I got there, I convinced Kaleb to trade into flip flops to let his feet cool down. That lasted for a few laps, maybe a few miles, but then he was back into tennis shoes. Amazingly, he did not get any blisters! I knwo he changed his socks a few times, and maybe changing up his shoes a bit helped. I don't know.

This isn't a great shot, but there was a group of people on one of the corners who always cheered Kaleb on every chance they saw him going around. He told me that early in the morning they asked him his name....and then cheered for him the rest of the day. It was awesome. There was nothing in it for them. They were just there to do good! I loved it! and loved them for caring about my son!

Kaleb's team was IGA, our local grocery store. The ladies that worked there LOVED Kaleb. They kept saying he was their hero. and were at his beck and call. Most of the booths had drawings for prizes. They had Kaleb do the honors. I think by then he was soo tired that he could have cared less. Doesn't he look tired!

Here are some other friends we ran into on the track. They are both volunteer Firefighters.

Another friend in black. We have about 1 hour to go! Kaleb is beat.

The ladies from IGA walked the last few laps with him. Jeremy and the kids came and walked with us as well. It was fun...but I think by then Kaleb was beyond caring. He was soo beat! But, he kept going.

At the end, they had all the walkers come to the starting line. All the 24 hour walkers came to the front of the line. The had everyone come together to walk the final lap together. When they started everyone out, many of the 24 hour walkers began to run. Kaleb was one of them. He was soo tired he could hardly put one foot in front of the other, but he ran his last lap! and I ran behind him, in my flip flops! I wanted to be there when he finished. We were soo happy for him! HE DID IT!

At one point he was very tired, and he was texting me, I think later in the morning. I told him IF HE WANTED to he could get an energy drink and sip at it. I was worried about it giving him a stomach ache. His response was: MOM :0! I told him he could get a cola...and he said he was doing this without caffeine! When I made the suggestion, I didn't want to cause I didn't want my 14 year old to decide he liked energy drinks. I guess I don't need to worry about that! There were probably about 15-20 other 24 hour walkers, but I would venture to guess that none of the others, or very few, did that race without caffeine! I was proud of my boy!

At the end, we found out Grays Harbor earned $400,000 for cancer research! with 14 % unemployment! that is pretty awesome. The Grays Harbor event is the largest earner in the west and the 2nd largest in the country! There was one man who earned $15, 000 on his own by making and selling pepperoni sticks at ball games and (I think) having jars at the local bars! We live in a great community!

Both mine and Jeremy's maternal grandmother passed away due to breast cancer. I had a cousin die too young last year from cancer. Gramma Jello lost a kidney last year due to cancer. and I am sure there were others we are not thinking of right now...but we walked for them! I wasn't there, but I guess the first lap is walked by cancer survivors! I imagine that is a tear jerker! but anyways, I was grateful to be a part of this event. I am grateful for a strong kid who is persistant in doing good! What a memorable weekend! I am sure we will be involved next year! Both Elijah and I are tempted to try the 24!
Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support! We appreciate it.