Frenchie

We are taking care of a French Bulldog this week which is the first time our family has had a dog. Will is over the moon excited, literally setting the timer for the dogs arrival to our home and saying to his brother, "I'm playing with you now but when the dog comes I'm not going to pay any attention to you."

Here is a brief description of this breed which our family agrees is by far the ugliest dog we've ever seen but with a great personality!

The French Bulldog is a pleasant, easy-care companion, who is playful, alert and affectionate. Enthusiastic and lively, but are not yappy and loud. Curious, sweet and absolutely hilarious; they have a very comical personality and love to clown around. They are bright and easygoing. The Frenchie gets along fairly well with strangers and other animals and enjoys being with their owners. They play well with other dogs.

"Pebbles" so far has been pretty fine with the cat but our cat is acting like the aggressor. He does not hide or run away from this creature three times his size but he fluffs up huge, growls and acts like he is going to kill the dog. So because of this we rotate cat and dog between upstairs and down in the laundry room or out on the porch or off on a walk. Mandarin has taken to spending a lot of time sleeping in the laundry room on the dryer anyway so it isn't a huge problem to just keep him in there for long stretches during the day. Pebbles sleeps in a crate at night and then we can just leave Mandarin free to roam.

Apparently Pebbles goes everywhere with his family and he loves car rides with the wind whipping through his lips and blowing his tongue. She has a severe overbite so you can imagine the tongue and lip situation. I'm sure we'll be taking some car rides together.

A couple things that have taken me off guard is how much sniffing she does. She has sniffed our entire house very carefully. She also has done a great job of cleaning up the floor after dinner tonight. Wow, it was amazing. I feel like I'm going to have a huge break from sweeping this week.

Deception Falls

We stopped at Deeception Falls on the way home from Leavenworth. These falls are impressive and powerful. If you wonder why no one was in the photos it is because Will was terrified of the falls and wouldn't get that close. I tried to bribe him with a piece of fudge but he would not be deterred. Those falls were just too loud and powerful.

Fish

When we came home one of Will's guppies had the longest poop we've ever seen! Looks like nearly ten inches!

Leavenworth

We spent the past few days in the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth as tagalongs during Paul's work conference. It was a much more smooth trip with an older and more mobile "baby" this time around and Will was more independent swimmer. I was able to leave him at the pool with his friend and friend's grandma for some stretches of time while I fed Jasper his lunch and gave him time for napping.

We also had fun riding the trolley, exploring the town and surrounding parks, going to a kids arcade, and walking around Blackberry Island, though we spent most of the time swimming at the hotel's two pools!

During this conference Paul was elected for a rare second term as President of the Board. Looks like we'll be back again next year!

Tour de Parks

I would love to do a tour of all the Seattle Parks but it would take me more than a year. Today we did make a start at Whale Tail Park and Alki Beach.

Cama Beach

Steve fishing on a calm night













The boys and I just returned from a great sunny adventure on Camano Island with our friends Cait, Steve and their girls. We love this new summer tradition (since Jasper!) of living in a tiny cabin on the beach and allowing the kids free range living. Will loved having a friend with him and I would just catch glimpses of him throughout the day.

I can't say that Jasper paid all that much attention to his baby friend Liv but he was quite smitten with their Mexican hairless dog and the several other little pets around the beach! It was cute though to see the two babies together as they toddled around, practicing stairs, and exploring the different terrain.

Emu

We love emu's around here and are so glad they have them at our zoo. Two of our favorite books from the library are Edwina the Emu and Edward the Emu. They are very funny!

Today Jasper and I went to the zoo and we watched the emu's in action!

Waldo the Corpse Flower Blooms

The stinky flower bloomed on Wednesday and started to fade away today so we rushed over to the greenhouse at UW to see it. I'm sure that Jasper did not prefer to stand for an hour in a tropical humid greenhouse waiting in line to see a flower but we took him anyway and he had to bear it.

These rare Indonesian flowers only bloom every 5 years and there are only nine of them across the US. This is the second time I've seen it bloom here in Seattle.

Tuba

This is one of our dog walking clients. He is a Puggle puppy which is a mix between a pug and a beagle. So basically he likes to sniff like a beagle and is friendly like a pug. He definitely keeps us entertained on our walks with his high energy and funny antics. He goes crazy for tall grass and he loves to play chase.

Jasper is unsure by all the energy. He has been knocked down a couple times when Tuba jumps up on him and he gets covered with so many kisses/licks that at times it can be too much. The stroller works great though because it gives him just enough height and secure distance that he doesn't feel like he is getting attacked by love.

We take this little guy on walks twice a week and we really enjoy getting out in the neighborhood to explore and soak in the sunshine. Tuba moves at a pretty slow pace with all the sniffing he needs to do and usually by the end of our walks, Jasper is ready for a nap.

Spray Park

14 Mile Port of Seattle Bike Race

This seemed like a lovely ride from Golden Gardens along the waterfront downtown with firetruck, bomb squade, scuba team, SWAT team, police dog, and police car stops along the way. Very kid friendly!

Here is a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4h7mZijHQ

Bathtime

Blue Skies

Goodnight

Farm Celebration

Will's school has a 16 acre working farm on Vashon Island. Once a week the elementary students go in small groups to the farm and there is a vegetable stand at the school where the middle school students sell produce and farm fresh eggs. We also have work parties throughout the year as a family but the real treat is the Farm Celebration where we all gather for a day of good food, socializing, children's crafts, games, and bluegrass music. This year the committee members had a pig roast which was quite extraordinary!

Swing

Swings are the best way to get photos of this busy boy these days!