Bicycle Safety Rodeo: Unfortunately this event was started after a young boy was killed in our community after being hit by a car. It was not the fault of the driver but indeed was a sad and tragic event. Now, we remember the loss by attending the annual bicycle safety rodeo that over the past few years has turned into quite the event. They give out free helmets and food, perform free bike maintenence, have an obstace course set up for the kids done by our local police, and then there are all sorts of festivities. As you can see face painting is one of the highlights:
Greenlake, Seattle. So finally after hearing about Greenlake from a friend, we made a trip to check it out. It's located in Seattle and is a HUGE park with good size lake in the middle. They have bike paths, a wading pool, and all sorts of typical park things. We were actually pleasantly surprised to see all the roller bladers making their rounds around the lake. It totally brought back memories of our Saturdays spent roller blading around Central Park. It didn't make the list for places we must return to only because we feel that there are many more nicer places closer to home but the kids still enjoyed swimming here (at least until they were asked to take a swim test). Many of the lakes require that if the kids want to jump off the docks into the deeper water, they must first complete a swim test that is basically swimming in front of one of the lifeguards for a certain length without touching or stopping. Sadly, every time my boys try it, they are just barely short of completing it. I truthfully don't know that I would pass it but I'm always proud of them for trying. In the meantime, they were able to do a few jumps off the dock before being asked if they had passed their swim test...
Pine Lake with Grandma Roddy. Grandma Roddy hadn't been out to visit in a while so we were thrilled to have her arrive to our fabulous summer weather. It's a big change from the Vegas weather she is used to. We enjoyed sharing with her some of our favorite places including Pine Lake where she got to go for a ride in the family "boat"...
Seattle Center International Fountain. This definitely makes the "return to in a hurry" list. It was loads of fun. I accidently forgot to pack Sage's swim suit. She was not happy at all about this. So when she saw the boys taking off their shirts and heading out, she refused to keep on her shirt and insisted that she be allowed to play in the water without a shirt just like her brothers. Note to self: Copying brothers won't be allowed in a couple years... What makes the fountain so cool is that the water flows out of the different holes at different times and at various pressures. The kids loved to see if they could touch the fountain without getting wet...very tricky!
During the summer our playgroup friends all get together to enjoy different parks, lakes, or anything that will keep the kids happy and get us out in the sunshine. Here are some of the many places we've enjoyed:
Crossroads Park, Bellevue
Grasslawn Park, Redmond (Seriously, who comes up with these park names?)
Pine Lake, Sammamish. I was so proud of Ty for offering to take all the kids on whale rides. He was so cute pulling them around and making sure they were on and not falling off. He is our little caretaker.
The Snoqualmie Fire Station. This was a perfect indoor activity to break up all the beach/park days. The funniest thing about this day was that Ty insisted on bringing his bicycle helmet to the fire station because he wanted the fire men to autograph it. I thought that was so cute because it showed how much admiration he has for our fire and police people. I think he made their day as one stated "I feel like a rock star"... It also started a trend with all the other kids lining up for autographs on their plastic fire hats that they received! I had to also include the photo of Sage and Issy holding hands. It's a common theme between the two of them and so so cute.
