Molly's first visit to the Zoo

Last Sunday we headed off to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It was Molly's first trip to the zoo and she had a great time. She mostly saw the sights from her stroller and laughed as her big sister jumped and played. Clare looked forward to seeing the sharks and was glad they were behind glass. She also loved the KidsZone play area. We all had fun and will certainly be heading back soon.

Not all work...some play, too

While working on his projects Tad has had some fun, too. Yesterday he burned a fire in our fire pit and made s'mores with Clare. They both enjoyed them.

Update on Tad's backyard projects

This weekend Tad has put in a new step on our patio...he got rid of the wooden one and built one out of concrete blocks. He also has almost finished the big trellis for our grapes...all that is left is to add the top pieces. One last project is the gate on our side yard. He is adding a top piece and some decorative elements. The birdhouses in this picture above will be on the top of the fenceposts.

The girls enjoy a little time in the backyard pool in an effort to stay cool. Clare, true to form, avoids getting her face wet. Meanwhile, Molly loves the water and is fearless.

Backyard Fun!

We have had some beautiful, sunny weather for the last few weeks. To enjoy the sunny afternoons, we have been swimming in our backyard pool and playing outside. We have discovered that Molly is a water baby. She loves the pool and will play and splash until we drag her out. She often then crawls back over to the pool, pulls herself up, and flops head first into the water. Needless to say...she requires a lot of supervision, but her smile makes it all worth it.

Tad's latest yard project

Tad has been working on building a trellis in our backyard. It is quite a big project since it goes around our big family room window. After lots of hard work, it has turned out great. He planted our grapes at the base of each post, so we are hoping for a good harvest next year.

Long Beach, WA

Last week we spent 4 days in Long Beach, WA. We stayed at Klipsan Beach in a cottage with some friends and had a great time. The weather was very typical of the Washington coast - high 60's and a bit windy-but the kids didn't care. They played in the waves and dug in the sand until they were filthy and freezing. Clare would wake up in the morning and ask to go to the beach. She surely has found a love of the ocean. Molly did great, too. She is a wiggle worm and crawled all over the beach trying to eat sand and anything else she could pick up. We had a BBQ one night and Clare learned to play Bocce ball. Tad cooked the tritip on the gas grill which was very fancy. It had 4 or 5 different sets of burners so he could set them to varying heat levels and have different zones. He told me several times that he thought we should upgrade our grill at home...I smiled, but didn't give in. This was our 2nd year going to Klipsan Beach and I loved it. I can't wait to go again next summer.

Welcome to the Heinen Family Times

This summer we are expanding our technology skills and starting a family blog. We hope it will be fun and a good way for folks to stay updated on our latest happenings. We plan to keep it updated, so that all of you in Eastern WA and beyond can stay up-to-date. Since it is summer it seems like that will be no problem. The school year is another story, but I hope to maintain it...so stay tuned to see our adventures and misadventures with Clare and Molly.