Midweek Ramblings....

Since we are technically on "vacation" and life seems to go at a slower pace I figured it would be a good idea to bring back the midweek ramblings to capture everything that goes on during our week.

• I finally got my hair cut and colored a couple of weeks ago!!! I haven't done anything with my hair since December which was way too long! It felt so nice to have some time to get a cut and fresh color. I am planning one more visit before we leave and then when I go back we will be back to having to go to another country to get my hair done. I normally don't wear my hair with wave/curls but since the hair stylist was doing it, we thought it would be fun and something different. I wish I had the time to do fun stuff with my hair.

• I kept telling myself I wouldn't look at houses while I was here since we cant buy anything BUT...I can't help it and have fallen in love with several. Both are older homes in a wonderful area that needs some work but is the craftsman/old home feel that I have always dreamed about. It would need some updating and possible addition BUT has wonderful views and is so cute and I love the area....I can dream...and hope it never sells until we are ready to buy or that a better one is available when we can buy.....which is hopefully soon!

• Shortly after we got here we went out for dinner with one of my mom's friends to a brewery and restuarant here called Boundary Bay Brewery. It had delicious food, awesome beer and a fun garden area that had a live band, play equipment and hula hoops for the kids (and adults) and just a fun, cool vibe that made me feel like I was back in Austin at the University of Texas...minus the two children part! The whole feel, the dancing adults and laid back....and as my husband says...hippie attitude...made me LOVE Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest more and more....as if I needed another reason to want to move here NOW!

• Since we are here for several months and I didn't want our only activity to be shopping or eating out, I signed up for a couple of extra curricular activities for us. We are doing gymnastics/Little Gym once a week, Peyton has an art class once a week for three weeks and ballet camp for a week. And since swimming is something that I insist on the kids learning since we live so close to water....and Peyton is in LOVE with swimming...I have them both doing lessons while we are here. Peyton is doing them now and Graham starts his in a couple of weeks (a mommy and me class). I signed Peyton up for Preschool Level 2 since Level 3 the recommended age is 5-7 and so we went the first day and she was SO BORED! She has way exceeded the skills for that class. Since this session is only for two weeks and half the class doesn't show up we aren't changing it but I did place her in the next level for the next session BUT if it is still not challenging enough (she just goofs off, gets bored and then regresses in her swimming) due to the structure of the program then I have found a different program and will start her there. I am so impressed with her swimming ability but even more so with how well she does listen, communicates and works well in the class structure. She is by far the youngest in the class (the others are 5) and yet all the other parents were astonished when the asked how old she was...she won't be four until September yet she was holding her own! I was a proud mommy! Oh...and after our first lesson since she didn't have enough swimming time we had to go back that afternoon for the free swim and she swam for another 90 minutes. She just loves to swim, play and practice! She is my little fish!
• This was the sunset on the Fourth of July....amazing! If you look closely on the left of the picture you can see one firework going off.

• The weather here is amazing. There have been some rainy days but for a family who never sees rain...we are not complaining! But lately it has been sunny and beautiful! Every time I pull up the weather widget on my computer I gasp at the difference in temperatures between Washington and Saudi. When I captured this it was 8:00 PM in Washington and 6:09 AM in Saudi....it was already 90 at 6:00 AM!