Life with the Conleys

The day after Thanksgiving we went to the Chambers Bay golf course. We do not golf, but there is a path that goes around the course and we had heard was nice. The weather was beautiful and Josh and I both wanted to get out and enjoy the sunny day. The path is about 3.5 miles and about half way through there is a bridge that takes you over some train tracks to the beach. It was one of the best beach experiences I've ever had in Washington. Typically there is rain, and/or wind, and/or it's cold but the sun was out, there was no wind, and it was surprisingly pleasant for the end of November. Eli loved playing with all the driftwood and Luna got to be off leash because there was no one else around. It was the perfect way to enjoy the day as a family. Throwing rocks in the Puget Sound Loved all the driftwood. Eli got to take his first pictures too. We put his finger on the right button and he took it from there. He said he wanted to get a picture of Josh and I, and it...

One month ago I found out I was pregnant. This was exciting news for us because getting pregnant is not easy around here. I have PCOS which makes pharmaceutical intervention necessary and it is still not an easy process. With Eli it took only 3 months on medication to get pregnant, but this time around the same medication was not working and after almost a year I was still without child. (Is that a phrase? I doubt it.) So I started taking an additional medication and we were thrilled when it worked the first month. Perhaps by now you have caught on to the fact that I'm using past tense when referring to a pregnancy that, had all gone well, would now be 8 weeks along. But all did not go well. Just over a week ago I had some bleeding after playing volleyball. It was late when it happened so the next morning I called the doctor. They wanted to see me that day for an ultrasound. Josh met me at the doctor's office and together we received some of the worst news of our lives. The ult...

On Labor Day we hiked into Talapus and Olallie Lakes. It was a pleasant hike, perhaps more fellow hikers than I would like but that is to be expected on a holiday weekend. Luna got to go swimming in Olallie Lake. She loves water but looked a bit like a drowning cat at first.  She got the hang of it toward the end though. The hike was just over 6 miles round trip and it made for a fun day. Talapus Lake One cast, one fish. Several birds and chipmunks were out to score a meal from our snacks, keeping Luna on high alert almost the whole day.  Hanging out at Olallie Lake Silly boy, handsome man. Just the three of us. The last weekend end September we headed to Summit Lake. We've been there once, several years ago, but wanted to go again. We took some friends with us this time but since we didn't get any pictures with them you will have to take my word on that. We wanted to go when there would be some fall colors on display and it didn't disap...

On the first Thursday in September we visited the Museum of Flight. We made an evening of it and had quite the time. It may be too early to call but if this visit was any indication, then we have a fourth generation with a love of aviation. We shall see how it all turns out. Reagan era Air Force One Waiting to board the Presidential airplane. SR-71 engine Eli in a SR-71 cockpit Piloting the plane He's a pretty handsome aviator In the museum's "control tower" you can listen to what the real controllers are saying as the planes come in to land at Boeing Field. Eli thought that was pretty cool.  Checking out an old first class cabin There is a portion of the Museum devoted to WWI and WWII planes, which was Eli's least favorite portion of the evening. Near one of the WWII planes there was an audio loop of what it sounds like when a plane flies low overhead. This in combination with the sharklike mouth painted on the old figh...

A few weeks ago Josh, Eli, and I drove to Idaho for the Mendenhall family reunion consisting of 8 adults and 7 kids - it was a fun bunch. We started the week off by going to a water park. Eli didn't like going down the water slides but he had fun in the wading pool and watching Josh and I go down the big slides. Two of the water slides were the ones where you stand up in a tube (that strongly resembles a coffin) and then the floor drops out from under you and you drop down the chute. The lines on those slides were pretty short so we did them several times and after each time Eli would ask, "Was it good?". It was good. We didn't take any pictures at the water park but we played a little ping pong later that day and we got some pictures of that. Note the ball hitting him in the forehead. Serving is not as easy as it looks.  He got this one. The following day we went camping and white water rafting. Eli and the rest of the kids stayed with my mom, sister, and...

For Father's Day this year Josh got tickets for the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. A fitting gift for the dad of a little boy smitten with trains. The train takes you from the depot to a railroad museum that you can explore for about an hour before getting back on the train which takes you back to the depot. The total time spent on the train was about an hour. It was a fun family outing that we all enjoyed.  As we were getting on the train and waiting to depart Eli kept saying, "All Aboard!" Waiting to start moving down the track. Our boy Watching the world pass by Father and son For being the "Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad" there weren't many chances to see Mt. Rainier. If you look closely, you can see a white peak in the window above their heads. That's it. A better view of Rainier from the train window on the way back to the depot.  Thanks for being the best dad ever, Josh. We love you. 

A few weeks ago my sister, Anita, and her family flew into town and hung out with us for a few days before heading up to Canada. We spent Friday with Lynn & Angie and their kids at the Pacific Science Center and then they all came to our house for dinner. Lynn & Angie were headed out of town on Saturday and our plan was to do a hike near Mt Rainier. On Saturday morning just as we were getting ready to leave for the hike, Lynn called and said they were broken down on the side of the freeway on the top of Snoqualmie Pass (opposite direction that we were planning to go). We happened to have their van (we were using it since our car doesn't fit all six people) so did a quick change of plans drove both their van and our car up to rescue them. We dropped their van off and continued on a little further to Mt Catherine. Josh had to ride in the back of our Subaru with Luna because there wasn't room, which was not at all comfortable, poor guy. While Mt Catherine wasn't the hi...