Memorial Day Kayaking

Happy Memorial Day! Jared got the day off so we made the most of it. The boys met with some of Jack's football friends at the trampoline park this morning. Then we went to a ward picnic lunch at Cascade Park, where there were delicious burgers, hay rides, and lots of friends to play with. Then after Alice's nap we loaded up the little kayak I got for my birthday to take it for its inaugural ride on our town's little lake. It was a hit! I got one of the Lifetime Daylite kayaks that are at the front of most Walmarts here this time of year. It's lightweight enough that I can carry it and load it onto the car myself, but holds enough weight that I could take Alice and Jack on a ride with me. Jack even paddled it around the lake himself this afternoon and loved it. We'll likely get a second one at some point, especially if I use it multiple times a week all summer long like I intend to. 

Jack's ear infection went away quickly last week and he was able to perform in his Kindergarten spring concert. First he was "really nervous" to be in the concert, so much so that he was having trouble sleeping, because one of his class friends told him how nervous he was. Then the next morning at the bus stop one of his neighborhood friends said, "Jack are you so excited to be in the concert tonight? I can't wait!" And then all of a sudden he was so excited about it. Kids are so impressionable when it comes to their peers at this age. 

We're expecting big news this week (probably Friday), so keep us in your thoughts. Jared handles the anxiety by shutting down and sleeping all the time. I handle it by snapping at everyone. We're a good time! I'll keep you updated next week. In good news, we got a new nephew this last week--baby Hunter! That's 3 new nieces/nephews this year so far. Can't wait to meet and spend more time with all of them. Here are some pictures from our week:

^^Kayaking this afternoon. It's wild that this is jsut the everyday backdrop to our lives. 

^^For our date last week we went to an enormous antiques mall in Snohomish. It was like having a bull in a china shop to be there with Alice so we just browsed and got out of there, but I wish I had grabbed these brass butterflies. We stopped at a normal thrift store afterward and found the dining chairs of my dreams for $4 a piece! I saw the same ones on Facebook marketplace a few weeks ago for $100 and didn't get them, and have regretted it ever since. They're not a common chair either, so this felt like fate. I'll take a picture after I reupholster the cushions. They're sturdy with a shield-shaped wood back. They look great in our dining room. 

^^Jack third from the right on the top row at his Kindergarten concert. Each kid said what they wanted to be when they grow up. Jack's go-to is usually "paleontologist" but he went with "zookeeper" this time.

^^juvenile bald eagle sighting on my walk! It was enormous and looked like a salt-and-pepper chubby bald eagle in person. They don't get the white head until they're a little older. Very cool.

^^Kayak crew. Jack swam out to his own tiny "island" and tried to climb on top but there were lots of spiders. "It's not spider island anymore, it's Jack island, suckers!"