Memorial Day

We had the warmest Memorial Day Seattle has seen in twenty years.  It was so perfect.  Too bad I was in the worst mood ever!  I mostly blame my raging hormones.  And Randy.  But I apologized the next day so all is well and let's just say that pregnancy isn't easy for anybody, including husbands!
I made plans to go to Alki Beach in West Seattle because Randy's never been there and the boys and I love it so Randy reluctantly agreed {he hates Seattle but I told him West Seattle is not the same, and it isn't}.  But first, Randy wanted to take Marcus and Ethan on an early morning hike.  I wanted to go hiking too but was also happy to play the part of the fat, slow, pregnant wife and stayed home with the little boys so the hikers could be speedy.  Unfortunately they arrived home 2 hours later than they said they would which shouldn't have surprised me but I was still so mad!  By the time we loaded up all the paddle boards and boys, we were a few hours behind schedule {the schedule I had in my mind that I had failed to communicate to Randy}.  I tried to be happy that we were still going on an adventure but I knew the beach would be crowded and it was. 

First we stopped at the rocky beach where the low tide made for some great finds in the tide pools.  Ethan found all kinds of stuff - starfish, sea cucumbers, crabs, and shell fish.  People kept following him around so they could see what he'd discover next.  Marcus and Randy were under-whelmed by the tide pools so they took off on the paddle boards and set out for the sandy beach area on the other side of the little peninsula where I said we'd meet up.

 Ethan discovered a whole family of starfish deep under some rocks

 A disgusting sea cucumber

Marcus and Randy out exploring the open sea.  I was hoping we'd see some whales but maybe next time.

When we'd seen enough sea creatures the little boys and I hopped back in the van to meet up with Marcus and Randy and this is when things got bad.  People were everywhere and cars were everywhere.  It took me forever to finally find an illegal spot to park in just so Randy and Marcus could load their boards back on the van.  Marcus was grumpy the entire time because all he wanted to do was go back to Pine Lake to hang out with his friends {like he did the day before so he got no sympathy from me} and I was angry that our fun day was ruined because we didn't beat the crowds thus confirming to Randy that Alki Beach was totally overrated, and the younger boys were crying because we left before we could eat at their favorite hamburger joint like I had promised them. I was even angrier that they were crying about it like spoiled children so even if we could've found a place to park within a 2-mile radius, I wouldn't have taken them to lunch.  So we went back home.
After I calmed down by taking Ethan paddle boarding on Pine Lake while Randy took a nap and Marcus reunited with his friends, I realized the day could still be salvaged.  I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items and raced home to throw together a delicious but quick barbecue dinner, complete with root beer floats, the boys' favorite.  Everyone's bad moods quickly melted away {the power of good food and bacon cheeseburgers is real} and we enjoyed the rest of the evening playing in the yard.

 The boys enjoying their root beer floats

The boys playing ping pong while we cooked burgers.  I love our backyard!