Merry Christmas from the Hays family

Only Kern men...

Only the Kern men would inflate an air mattress with a CO2 tank.

Finally Framed and immortalized...

           I ordered a life size poster of Ethan's big catch this summer and framed it.  It looks great!

Hiking at Fort Casey

They must be radioactive ( I am quite sure they are dangerous at the very least...)

Kapaw's

First stop in Coupeville - ice cream at Kapaw's, or as Rich remembers fondly, The Wet Whisker.





At the whale wheel

Lunch at Bob's

Lunch at Bob's Chowder Bar in Anacortes- they have AWESOME fish tacos.

A musical

We went to see The Producers at the Everett theater. It was fantastic! Below is the ad for the next show. Too bad we don't have time to see it - sounds interesting...


Urine Town - to pee or not to pee...

At Mukilteo Beach

Finding jellyfish


Ethan salt water fishing from the ferry dock.

Arrived!

We are here! Here is Wesley on the Heatherstone in Nana and Papa's yard. 78 on arrival. Look at the green grass!

Fun in Park Ridge

We ate at The Noodle Co. for dinner and walked around a bit. On the plane tomorrow! It got up to 106 on the drive up until it rained and then promptly dropped into the low 80s. Whew!

Lego Battlebots

Wesley and his friend Noah spent the week at Lego Battlebots camp with Mr. Edgar. They had a lot of fun. Their highlight was flipping over Forkbot, another student built robot.

A New Personal Best

  Ethan caught a 22 inch, 5 1/4 lb largemouth bass today, a new personal best for him! 

Caught on the south shore of Webster Lake, on Willis Park Drive shore.

   

Froggin'

Ethan went fishing with his uncles last night. He hooked three HUGE bullfrogs with his fishing pole. We've never seen frogs this big!

Hmmm...

Ethan (in response to Wesley enjoying potty humor in the book
"Darth Paper Strikes Back") -

"Nine year olds, when will they ever grow up?"

Mmmmm...

     Rich and Ethan went red raspberry picking this morning.  They brought home  five pounds of fresh berries and I promptly transformed  them in 24 jars of fresh jam.

     Can't wait to have some over vanilla ice cream tonight.  Mmmm...

     My annual marinara canning spree was also earlier this week.  I made up 22 1/2 quarts of homemade goodness and easy dinners for the next year.  Yay!

Summer Activity Forms

Just posting some local summer activity sign up forms for family here.  No gymnastics forms yet.   Gymnastics form near the bottom.

You should be able to click on these individually and then print them.

 

DARE graduation

Ethan had his DARE graduation Thursday night. Way to go! We are proud of you and your classmates!

Reality Mother's Day

Sunday morning in the Hays kitchen:

Boys: Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Ethan: Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I really love you.

Me: Thank you, sweetheart. I love you too.

Ethan: Here is a gift for you.

In the gift bag is a tootsie pop sucker, a pack of fun dip, and a chocolate covered peep ( repurposed from Easter and the candy bowl.)

Me: (hugs and kisses) Thank you - how sweet!

Wesley : (grumpy look). Ethan! That's my peep! (grumble, grumble)

Rich : Wesley, wasn't it nice of your brother to include you in the gift?

Julie : (just smiling and holding her laughter inside and thinking how funny it is sometimes to be the mother of boys.)

Happy Mother's Day all!!!

Mustache, part 2

     I went back out with Ethan and then my mustache fell off!  Then I was walking around some more and I got some big, bulgy eyeballs.  I couldn't see very well and I kept running into trees.  Then I fell in the lake! Then my eyeballs fell off too.

     by Wesley

Mustache

     I was out with Ethan, who was hunting turtles, and I decided to grow a mustache. A big grey one like a rock. And it felt really uncomfortable. It was like having a rock permanently stuck on my face!

By Wesley

My first poppy of the season

     One of  my first posts when I started this blog last year was about poppies.  Guess what?  They're back again!  Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, reminding me of my childhood.  I think the boys are as excited about them as I am this year.  Ethan has already counted nearly 40 blooms, miracles in tiny oblong packages waiting patiently to explode into beauty.  Yay!!!

Duct tape tool belt

     Ethan has been helping his grandpa and his Uncle Jon out with a remodeling project on the weekends. He apparently decided he needed a tool belt to be appropriately attired. In true Ethan style, he made his own - from duct tape! He probably won't misplace it anywhere since it is blaze orange. He chose a carabiner closure.  I got him the book Ductigami and a box of different colors of duct tape for Christmas two years ago and he has gotten lots of use out of it since then. He made a bandolier and a wallet during the winter months, along with other miscellaneous projects.  He even led a DIY duct tape wallet workshop for his scout group last year. He really doesn't need the book though.  Often he just comes up with his own ideas and execution for them.  What a creative mind!