Carlsen Family Reunion

Sunday was the annual Carlsen Family Reunion out at my aunt and uncles on Hood Canal. Another great day out there, the kids cried when we left :-(.

Swinging

Shannon and Cameron

Who doesn't love swings?!

Family catching up.......

More family

Uncle Jim taking Ellie and Julia out

Now it is Ellie's turn to do it alone......

Boat Ride

Painting shells and rocks

Future Mathoner?

Julia participated in her first 1k run on Saturday. There was the annual Railroad Days in Snoqualmie and a friend of mine told me her daughter was doing the 1k Kids Run. I know Julia loves to run and loves being with Grace so I thought we would tag along for the fun. Going into it I thought Julia would walk or want to get in the stroller that Reese was in......boy was I surprised! Thankfully Grace's dad was with the girls (Jim was in Ocean Shores) because when the train whistle blew they were off! I went to put Reese in the stroller and fast walk with the girls, but when I looked up they were off and far down the street nowhere to be seen in the crowd! I waited about 100 yards before the finish line and in a short while there they were, still hand in hand running to the finish. Both girls ran the whole time, holding hands. Too cute!

Of coarse with Jim being out of town I felt a little frazzled that morning and I went to take some pictures and realized I forgot to charge my camera batteries......thanks Brooke for the great pictures!!!

The start of the race

All the kids got a medal for finishing

The girls posing with their hard earned medals

"Yea, I'm tough"

Too cute!

Waiting for the parade....the girls did not sit long in here, just until candy was being thrown out to the crowd

Sweet Reese enjoying the parade

Wow!!

With the weather being so hot we took advantage of the water this weekend. We packed everything we could into one tiny weekend, and boy are we tired. It was so much fun though and the girls had a blast. Saturday we headed to my moms for the day on Lake Washington. We rushed home so that Jim and Julia could go to the Seahawks game that night (no pictures of that as I forgot to have Jim take the camera). On Sunday we headed to Grammie's beach (Hood Canal)! All of my sister's were there and some of their friends also. We took Julia's friend, Logan, with us. It was so much fun to have him come along!

All the party boats out front of my moms

Jim with Julia, Cameron and Brady (Lucy tagging along)

Boat ride (I stayed back with Reese)


Cousins (Julia, Ellie, Brady and Cameron)

Lucy LOVES the water (she has not moved since Sunday night after being in the water all weekend!)

Julia fell in the water after a big wave hit her on the steps. She was NOT happy, but aren't we nice parents by laughing and taking pictures?!

Reese loves the water also

Hood Canal (Lucy, Jim, Logan and Julia)

Cousins, uncles and dogs on the raft

Julia and Logan, finding crabs, shells and whatever else on the beach

Painting their shells

Reese being Reese, just silly!

Blue Angels

Our friends the Helmen's and my sister and her kids all headed out to see the Blue Angels on Sunday. We watched from the I-90 bridge deck. Not quite as close as we could have been if we were on a boat, but we did have the next best view. All the kids did amazing and loved watching the Blue Angels roar past. What an amazing show!

Julia high a top on Daddy's shoulders

The dads and their girls

Stanley's (Reese sleeping again, why is everything during nap time?! She did wake up for the big show and loved watching it)

Helman's

Holliway's, minus Danny who was working

Sisters

Love that my girls have each other. Julia is such a wonderful big sister, so helpful and always wanting to make Reese happy (well, almost always!). Just this morning when I got in the shower Reese started whaling. I guess this woke Julia up and she came running in and held Reese and sang to her and rocked her. Reese was all smiles and I was all tears!

Sunriver!!!

We just got back from a fabulous and exhausting trip to Sunriver, OR. This annual trip is for the Moore family reunion, Nancy's side of the family. We are so fortunate to be included into this wonderful family. We had such a great time, but it was also a really hard trip. Reese got overwhelmed very easily so wanted to be held only by me the whole time, and she cried quite a bit :-(. But, despite all of that we were able to enjoy being with family, being away and seeing a lot of new things. We are truly blessed, and I know it!

Our gracious hosts, Sue and Marv Moore

With Marv and Sue at the County Fair

Bumper cars at the fair

Boat ride, only ride Reese was big enough for :-(

Reese and her Opa at the fair, her buddy the whole trip

Lava Lands "Hike" (a hike the kids could do)

Cousins! The bigger cousins went on a real hike this day, thus not shown

The scenery was gorgeous, wish we could capture it better

Reese sleeping on my back

The Burley, later nicknamed the "Hurley". 15 minutes into our beautiful ride Julia threw up everywhere, even on Reese. She got motion sick!

Tye-Dye shirt time

The cousins in their handmade shirts

Bike Riding every day

Concert on the green night, my favorite by far! Reese and her Opa playing "this little piggy"

Reese and Eli playing in the sand, looked so innocent

Until Reese got it thrown on her!

Game of kickball, got pretty aggressive

Beer was gone, now only water

Branden

Opa and two of his granddaughters

Pool Time!

Wyatt, Cameron, Brady

Mya, Cameron, Julia, Ellie

The whole "Carlsen" gang......I don't yet have the whole family photo, will in a week or so