Back in Business

Alright my followers - my glorious return is now at hand! I had a nice little break - that break included checking google finder a few times a day but not actually logging on to my blog, then deciding my blog needed a face lift - which meant, dang it, I have to log in, and hey while I'm here why not do a few of those posts I've had rattling around in my head and not post them but just have them as a draft . . . what a break it was, isn't that how it always is :)

Well a few weeks ago I had a friend, Michelle, from Boise come to stay. She has two girls - Nicole is 5 who Dillon is convinced is the girl of his dreams and Alayna who is 2. Just before we moved their favorite activity was making "beds..." T R O U B L E :) I was so excited about her coming! I had a few (dozen) activities planned and we were going to be happy and busy the whole time :) Enter - Seattle weather :) Oh well, we had a few nice days. My friend Karri and I planned a big trip to Seattle - anything is big when 6 children are involved! We walked a few blocks to take the bus and took up the entire handicapped section! Kids from left Thomas & Kiersten (Karri's kids) Kenzie, Alayna, Dillon & Nicole.
It was such a blast!!! A little crazy and hectic at moments but so much fun. We got off the bus at Pike Place Market, walked all over the market, then walked to the ferry and went to Bainbridge Island. We had planned to get off there but we had done enough walking, so we got off the ferry and then got back on the ferry to ride back to Seattle :) Then we had to walk back to the bus stop wait for a bit, ride the insanely busy bus with 6 very tired children (all of us separated because it was so crowded) through a few dozen stops, then walk back the few blocks to our homes. We walked a lot! It was very worth it!
What better thing to do when you are exhausted? Lay around and watch a movie - well actually this was a different day - when we got home we ran around frantically trying to get the house ready for dinner company :)

Now I'm sure you are wondering how I could be in Seattle for 9 hours and only take 2 pictures... the camera was just too difficult to reach in my backpack, I got insanely lazy, I forgot - take your pick. Another fun little thing about this day-cation is that on the way back from Bainbridge I just happened to run into an old high school fling - what are the odds!!! For my PHS friends - I saw JD Mulder - and he looks good ladies, really good :) You know those times when you know you are going to see old friends and you get all dressed up and lookin' hot, this wasn't one of those times... On the plus side at least I was wearing mascara and hadn't been covered in peanut butter and pee at that point in the trip.

Break

Well, my friends, I'm a bit blogged out. I am trying to focus more of my day on my responsibilities - keeping the house clean and mounds of laundry :) and less time on the most recent updates on your beautiful blogs... combine that with summer trips and one of my dearest friends coming to visit me for a week!!!!! I think I'm am going to be on a bit of a blogging break ... I'm needing to soak in the sun's rays not the computer's...

I'll give you all one last parting gift...

I love this picture, Kenzie is only 6 months old but she is already an outside girl (and pulling herself up to stand by the door!) I know my kids are the cutest Bradshaw's you've ever seen -- sorry, you'll just have to suffer or come visit us!

Seahurst and Gymstarz

Click on this one if it will let you - there are people, I was trying to give the full effect of Puget Sound and the beach, bit I was a bit too far away...


That's a little crab. When the tide is low there are tide pools all over and they are just full of wildlife, all these little creatures - that then get tortured by cute little fingers :) Once crabbing season starts Brandon and I are thinking of giving it a try. I've never had crab but I think I'll like it - I'm getting braver and less picky :) well I'm trying to at least...

We like exploring, it feels like this area has an endless number of attractions for us to visit. Gymstarz when it's rainy, parks when the weather permits - although people tell me it'll be summer from here on out now that it's July, I'll believe that when I see it, it's already rained.

4th of July

As far as fireworks go, that was the best ever!!! Our friends can light off any fireworks they want because they are outside city limits; combine that with the reservation in the next city over and you have the most freaking awesome, super fun, display a pyromaniac could dream up. I'm fairly certain every one they had was illegal - with the exception of the ones we brought for the kids... sparklers & pop its... Dillon's sparkler unfortunately went out just as the picture was taken - stupid delay!!! Still I love this picture of him :) such a mom...
There were 2 other couples there (who had both purchased 'fun' fireworks) the goal seemed to be to shoot as many things in the air at one time as possible - which caused much running and a few scares... poor Matt, sorry about the one up your pants leg - you'll have to ask him how that happened)

I spent pretty much the entire time plugging her ears, next year I'm buying earplugs! (Alexis, I didn't have a single picture of her before we put the sweater on, dang it. I'll take one and pretend it was on the 4th:) )

Wow!

Man, I am getting so behind! I keep grounding myself from the computer until I get everything done on my list, that keeps not happening so I haven't been on here in a while - sorry to all my followers that are missing my witty chatter :) I miss you all too! It's not easy you know, I'm an addict, I'll spend hours on here not even realizing time has totally passed me by; that's particularly irritating when I just burn through Kenzie's nap without getting a single thing done! Thus, grounded... pauvre petit Natalie...

So to catch up on everything from the last ummm, who knows how long - anytime I don't post a few times a week I'm behind... I take a lot of pictures, that happens when you have really cute people around you, you just can't help it...I was getting ready to go visiting teaching and told Dill to get ready, apparently putting this hat on meant he was ready to go, he wore it almost the whole time.The kids were being super heroes - I think it is safe to say Kenzie is the bad guy... please note the stethoscope around his waist - this is all part of being a superhero for those of you with no boys to educate them about such things. ( I love this picture, Kenz spends most of the day with that expression while looking at Dillon) I have described Kenzie to many people as "having fire in her veins rather than blood". This is only getting more and more true as she gets older - I'm hoping that's stops after a while or she will be sold to her grandparents. Please excuse her dirty face and the fact that those are my pjs (my friends here know those pj's well) tied around her neck, she is the most stubborn person I have ever known - and she's not even 2.Matching pedicures. She's so cute about girly stuff, she loves it! It's hard to see but she has a little matching flower too. Story. We were going to visit my parents in Texas, but for a number of reasons it turned out we couldn't go. I had, however, already told Dillon about going on a big airplane to see Bowzer, GG and Grandpa... my bad. One day I came out to find Dillon had emptied most of his drawers on the floor and was "folding" them to put in his suitcase (backpack) I asked him why he was doing this and he informed me "cause we have to go on a airplane to see Grampa and Gramma cause they miss me soooooooooooooo much!"