And the winner is...

This week we finalized our selection for a graduate school. And the winner is….. BYU! Yes, we will be returning to Happy valley this fall at the enticement of a generous scholarship and an excellent program. I am very much looking forward to being in school again and also am happy with the definite perks of BYU's location, which includes some close relatives!

The Zoo

As K Rae is here for the summer, S and I decided that with her, we would out number the children and might be able to make a family trip out of the my business trip to Seattle this week.

Without K Rae, the trip would have been insane. Even with her, we still wonder if living in a hotel for a week with Letty and Gracie was too much.

Hoping to validate the sacrifice of our sanity for the cultural development of our children, today I asked Letty what she liked most about the trip. I hoped she would mention the Butterfly house at the Pacific Science Center or sitting in an airplane cockpit at Boeing's “Future of Flight” Museum- activities that we could not do in Spokane. To my dismay and without hesitation she declared that the carousel at Woodland Park Zoo was her favorite. Now, I’m not bad-mouthing the carousel, but Spokane does have a carousel less than a mile from where I work, one that doesn't require a four hour car trip to see. So, having set that dismal impression of our trip, let me mention some highlights:

• Gracie screaming as we look for places to eat – more than I can count

• Letty staying up until 10:00 PM. I usually fell asleep before she did.

Well that’s about it. Okay, okay, so yes, there were some pleasant memories as well. Truth be told we had a great time and won't soon forget the trip. Some true high points include:

• Seeing the 3D Imax adventure at Pacific Science Center

• Numerous animal adventures at the zoo- watching the Brown bear impressively posing on a rock outcropping

• Conversing with a Siemong (monkey) starring back at us from just behind the glass. We were close enough to see the cataract in his right eye (poor guy)

• Seeing an actual live armadillo at the Night exhibit (As opposed to the dozens I saw dead in the road while on my mission in Texas).

• Having butterflies land on us at the Pacific Science Center

• Listening to a Bagpipe and drum band while eating tasty gyrros at the Seattle Center.

• Swimming with Letty in the hotel pool

• Dodging low flying crows and scarring a squirrel digging in the trash.

• Watching an elephant get his nails trimmed (or more descriptively; carved)

• Observing how a 787 Rolls Royce jet engine works and getting sneak peeks into the 787’s interior..

Letty acting like the crab she is eating, yummy!

New Arrival...

Our new arrival is Kristi (T-Man's sister). She has joined us for the Summer and we've already put her to work watching kids :) well not intentionally, Letty is monopolizing her time. We are excited that she is here to work/intern and spent time with our family. We hope she enjoys it!

A few weeks ago my friend Randi came over and took pictures of Letty and K. It was such a fun experience and the most carefree photo shot I've had. She came to our home and took pictures as Letty played and went about life, it was very nice. Here are some of those pics: