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Congratulations to the Duffuses

Jackson Joel Duffus was born on July 15. He weighs 7 lbs. and 14 oz. and is 21.5 inches long. I'm curious to hear what Miles has to say on the matter.

Sarah and I took the kids to ride a horse yesterday. We're considering getting lessons for Maddie, but we'll have to see.

The kids have been spending a lot of time playing in the water the last week or so. The temperature has been over 100 degrees a few of the days, so a break from the heat was nice. Now it's raining and cloudy, but still hot. Heat + water = horrible, muggy weather (some simple math for you guys). I'd rather have dry, hot weather.

I'm leaving in the morning for the Pasayten Wilderness, which is a National Forest here in Washington. We're riding horses into camp (14 miles), and then around camp and up to the top of a mountain to end the trip. I'll post some pictures when I get back some time next week. Until then, enjoy these photos of some water fun and riding Sierra.

A Reminder of Times Long Past

There are certain things about being two-years-old that I don't remember, mostly because it's been nearly 27 years since I was a "terrible two". It's amazing how quickly a child changes as they change from a toddler to a full-fledged "big kid", as Maddie likes to call herself. Lately, Bradon has been a big reminder of just how fast those changes come about.

It seems like the boy has gone from just learning to walk to jabber-jawed big boy over the last two weeks. It started when we informed him that he and Maddie would be attending their first Mariners game. Bradon was already a big fan of Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre due to some well-placed posters that he sees first thing every morning. Now that he was going to see them in the flesh, he was pretty excited. He displayed his excitement by informing every stranger on the street that he'd be seeing "Ichiro and Beltre!" at the game. It really helped him out of his shell.

Another change that has come about is Bradon's knack for using longer sentences. It's not longer one word phrases, but near paragraph-long orations on what he did while I was at work. It's really interesting to hear what he has to say these days.

We love how he's changing. He's a little more of a handful, as his inquisitive nature has also bloomed some, but they're welcome changes. I'm anxious to see what else is waiting in the wings.

Wiggly Worms, Catch with Ichiro, and Needed Family Time

Here are some pictures of what's been happening with us over the past few weeks. Enjoy.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun








Like Father, Like Son








We're a Mariner Family








Rally Time!












Serious Fans








Look What Grandpa Taught Us!
















Can I Eat It?








Lunch on the Shore








Learning From Grandpa








This is How You Catch A Whopper












An Unwanted House Guest








Rufus the Ravager








Or Not

The Gentle Rocking of a John Deere

Another gap between posts, so another update and hollow promise of keeping this thing a little more up-to-date. I mean well, I really do, but things tend to get a little hectic around here and this tends to not be a top priority. Luckily for us, we were able to see and talk to some of you recently, so not all contact has been lost.

It was good to have Charlie and Debbie up recently. They came up to see to see us and then watch Madison in a dance recital, but there was a glitch in the recital plan. We ended up at Bonaparte Lake, where Charlie decided to school me on how to pull rainbow trout from the water. Score was 4-1 in favor of the senior circuit (heh heh). Everyone went, and we had a nice lunch consisting of Subways on the shore of the lake.

A few days after Charlie and Debbie left, Sarah and I took the kids to Seattle for their first Mariners game. Surprisingly, both Mads and Brado sat through the whole thing. Bradon even pretended he was playing catch with Ichiro, and would yell every time he would come out into right field. Needless to say, we all had a good time, especially since the M's won. Mads and I cheered when Franklin Gutierrez' grounder was booted by the Diamondbacks' shortstop, bringing in the game-winning run.

After the game, we all drove down to Tacoma to see Jared, Erin, the girls, and Charlie and Debbie. It was a short visit, as they were all getting ready to travel back to Utah for a few weeks while Jared is at the academy for his job. It was good to see them all.

Now we're back home, and things are back to normal, which means a hectic pace. Today, Bradon, Maddie and I mowed the front field. Bradon fell asleep during his turn.

I'll try to post some pictures soon, as I'm sure you're all anxious to see instead of read. It was good to see and talk to you all. Come back next week, ok? Same bat time, same bat channel.

Anniversary Trip

Sarah and I celebrated our seventh anniversary by taking the family home to see family and friends and enjoy a Mariners game in Seattle. We also took a trip to the zoo with Sarah's mom. The kids had a lot of fun there.

This trip was really just about seeing people we haven't seen for a while. We were able to see my brother T.K. and his family for a bit, and Sarah and I played a round of golf with Nic and Jessica. Fun was had by all.

Sarah and I left the kids with Holly and Steven when we went to Seattle. They took in a park with some water features and had a good time. Sarah and I had a ton of fun at the game. I got to see Ken Griffey Jr. and Adrian Beltre blast homeruns, and the home team won. It was nice to be able to spend some time alone with Sarah. It's been too long.

We stopped by to see Erin and the kids on our way up to Seattle. Shae, the new baby, is looking good. She's a little chunk. Also got to see Debbie, as she's up helping Erin while Jared works. She and Charlie are coming up in June to see Maddie's ballet recital. We're really looking forward to that. It was really good to see Erin and the kids. Everyone is doing really well.

I was also able to spend some time with Steven. We took in a UFC fight at a friend's house, and then caught Terminator: Salvation afterwards. The fights were good, but the movie wasn't that great.

Next trip planned is a camping trip in August to Beverly Beach and deep sea fishing for Steven and me. Should be fun.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the trip. I'm going to follow this post with an all-picture post to catch you guys up on what the kids have been doing lately.

Maddie, AJ, and Bradon








Bradon, Cousin Holly, and Mads
(Yes, Bradon is naked.)








At the Zoo with Grandma












Having Fun on the Longboard








Bradon and Dad Shreddin'