Phareses in town!

Oooh man, we have had a fun week with our dear friends the Phareses. We have missed our Pennsylvania friends so much since leaving them last year. The minute these guys walked in the door it seemed like we were never apart. It was fun to have the kids have a sleepover--5 kids in one bedroom! We loved going to Lake Sylvia with them and kayaking and swimming. We also went to Seattle to Pike Place Market and to the Aquarium where we got to pet Sea Cucumbers and all sort of other tidal life! They also had a giant octopus that fascinated us all. I laughed at myself though, because this day in the city was stressful for me--keeping the kids together, not losing anyone. It ended in me driving home in traffic and realizing that maybe I have become a country bunkin! We spent another beautiful day hiking, swimming, biking, and exploring at Lake Sylvia and then went to the Quinault Rainforest and spent a day and a night in a cabin there on the lake. Wow, it was fun. The Phareses are such good people.

I'm starting to realize that visiting me is not quite what I had imagined. I imagined myself serving up smoothies before bed, delivering delicious dinners and creative breakfasts to my guests. I imagined so much fun in the outdoors that people would get tired of it in the end. I'm realizing that the reality is that anyone who comes to visit me ends up helping ME a lot. I can't help it. I try to have it all together to serve the guests, but ultimately, they end up helping me out a lot. Just too many needs around the Jackson household I guess. If you plan to come visit me, and I certainly hope you do, keep this in mind. It's just the way things are at the Jacksons in this stage of our lives! (I hope when you come, you actually enjoy spending a little time helping and playing with the kiddos anyway!)

Yesterday we went to our friends' house for dinner and they brought out the 4-wheelers. I thought my kids were going to just die. They were so excited about them! They each got to ride for their first time on a 4-wheeler. They thought it was so fun, even though they were only driving 10 miles an hour. One "fabulous" thing about living in the country: everyone has a 4-wheeler. (Now Grant and I have to figure out how to keep our kids safe with all these vehicles around!) Love to you all!

Oh yeah--the above pictures: 1. Coop on his first 4-wheeler! (Don't worry, he didn't ride it alone!), 2. and 3. all the kids on our hike at Lake Quinault, 4. Sammi, Scotti, Cooper, and Zoe on the world's largest piggy bank at Pike Place Market, 5. Sammi and the peonies we bought at Pike Place Market, 6. Sammi and Zoe at Lake Sylvia.