Happy Father's Day

Happy Belated Father's Day to all of the Dads we know out there. The AdventureFamily has many dear friends scattered around the country and around the globe, and we share the blessings (and trials!) of parenthood with a significant proportion of them. We know how fast time is flying for our family, and how much fun we're having watching the AdventureGirls grow up, and we hope that all of the Dads we know out there are having as much fun. (It's amazing how the good memories outlast the bad, isn't it?). Here's to our own Fathers as well. My father has been such a huge influence on who I am today. I made many decisions as a younger person based on what I thought my Dad would think, and that test led me in the right direction in every instance I can think of. Now that I'm an adult and a bit more independent in my decision-making, I still value his input and opinions, and I hope that I can pass his wisdom on to the AdventureGirls.

Now on to the AdventureDad's Father's Day. Well, in truth it was much more about the family than about him individually. With his current work schedule, family time is at a premium, so poor AdventureDad was rousted out of bed a mere 4 hours after he got home from an all-night shift, stuffed into a car, and driven 3 hours (during which he napped a bit more) out to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. There we met with some dear family friends who have recently moved there, toured the quirky old home that they're renting, and then went to the beach for a drizzly stroll. Of course AdventureGirl was completely unfazed by the weather and thoroughly enjoyed herself, and to put icing on the cake we then went to the marine science center at Fort Waldron where she was able to poke sea stars and ogle octopi. Then we all went back to our friend's home for a BBQ dinner, home-made huckleberry pie, some quick good-bye's and a long drive home. It was a whirl-wind visit, but we sure packed a lot of fun into it. We can't wait to go back to the beautiful beaches up there when the weather's a bit hotter!

Catching Up

I keep waiting to get around to downloading pictures before posting, and I have to face the fact that I'm getting hopelessly behind without much hope of a picture-palooza on the horizon. So, I'm attaching a couple recent pics because they're adorable, but the rest will come when they do.
Things have been going pretty well here in Duncan-land. We have a couple new acquisitions in the trailer department (we're officially done buying stuff for a good long time!). First came the 4-horse horse trailer. It's a monster and looks pretty impressive going down the road, but it's a necessary evil since we have 3 horses and the old trailer was a 2-horse model... not going to work for our move this winter! So, the horses have a new limo (well, new to us anyway). We also spoiled ourselves a little and got a pop-up tent camper that the car can tow. It too is old, but still quite serviceable, and will be much more comfortable than camping on the ground, especially with the kids (the big bonus is a little porta-potty, which means no midnight runs to the pit-toilet with the kids!).
AdventureDad is neck deep in his Fellowship, and starting to wish it was over although there is still a LONG way to go. Hopefully his research project will be up and running in the very near future, which will be a relief to him, as well as a project that he can enjoy.
AdventureGirl is starting to enjoy the summer, although the unseasonably cold weather, added to the typical rain, has been putting a bit of a damper on things. Still, she has managed to perfect the art of bubble-blowing, and is enjoying kite flying and eating lettuce and spinach fresh out of the garden (it's much too cool for anything else to be growing, sigh). She cracked us up the other day when we were riding in the car. She was chattering up a storm (pretty normal for her), but we were wishing for a little quiet. We happened to smell a squashed skunk, and we asked her what a skunk says. She said "skunks are quiet". AdvenureDad said "yes, what else is quiet?" AG said " A tree". AD :"yes, that's true. Can you be quiet like a tree?" AG: "No, I have a mouth!" (Duh Daddy!)
AdventureBaby is crawling pretty well now, and pulling herself up to a stand on low objects. She still prefers the inch-worm though. It's pretty comical to watch... she launches herself forward with her feet and toes and lands on her tummy with an "Ooof", pushes herself forward with her arms, then uses her feet again. Come to think of it, she looks a lot like a seal on dry land, and she can hurl herself across the floor with amazing speed. I'm shocked at how fast she is progressing, and already miss my tiny little baby.
That's about it for now; I'm sure a lot else has happened, but that's what I get for getting so far behind. Now to do a bit of blog reading for myself... something else I haven't done for weeks!