Last Memories of Ted

Here are a few photos of Dino's hike to Mt. Pilchuck with Ted and Joe. The hike was done on July 6, and Ted passed away on July 13. What a blessing for Dino to have been able to share such a great time with Ted before his passing.

We made it back home!

The gang at Blockhans. Hanley kiddo, Blockhan kids, and Main kids.What a crew!
Here are two kids happy to be home to their dress up!
Two girls on the flight home. Cutie patooties!
View of Puget Sound at the Edmonds Waterfront.
We did make it back home. Haven't had much time to post, so will update again soon. Here are a few photos in the meantime.

More pictures.

Piper riding Dodger the horse at Moonshadow Farm. Piper is a natural!

Views of Deception Pass State Park (Whidbey Island)

Last photos of Ted on Tues 7/10 playing with the kids.

Group at Marilyn's on July 4th. Ted's good friend Paul, wife Kelly, H and Nia, and Ted's mom, Marilyn.

Many, many more photos to come! Out of time and internet access! See ya again soon!

Pictures of NW trip

Joe fixing up bikes for kids. (Joe is blind)

Ted giving a tractor ride July 4th.

a

Ana and Steven with us.

Ferry between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island. We miss these views!

Dana helping K get the horse tack ready for a ride.

More NW news...

Still here in WA and having a nice time. Still planning to post some photos...we haven't forgotten! Our trip did take a wild turn on Wed morning when our dear friend Ted experienced an unexpected and very sudden medical emergency. On Friday morning he went into cardiac arrest and passed away at 11:15a.m. Dino was able to be with the family at the hospital as the Dr. delivered the difficult news. It's been a shocking and devastating turn of events. We are soooo thankful that God's timing had us here to spend Ted's last days with him. He was like a brother to Dino, and the kids referred to him as "Uncle Ted". We have extended our stay a third week in order to be here for funeral services next Saturday. The family would appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. Ted was to turn 42 on July 15, and leaves behind a wife, a mother and two older brothers. I am sure that this next week will be difficult for all of us. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. We'll update more with photos and news as we are able.

News from the Northwest!

Just a brief update, as internet access is limited. We are all well. It's been a great trip, and we're having a lot of fun. We've had amazing weather and have seen many, many friends. We've taken some great photos that we'll post later on. (forgot the camera cord...ooops!) We've done everything from riding horses, the ferry, motorcycles, tractors...you name it! :) We're currently having hot and humid Michigan weather...minus the AC!!!! Today it hit 97. Wowsa! More news and photos to come! :)

We're off!

Well, the kids are in bed early, and most of the packing is done. Just a few final details with cleaning and laundry, and we're ready to roll! The kids went to bed in their clothes (comfy ones for the flight), as we'll be getting them up sometime between 4 and 4:30a.m. to head to the airport. They were super excited about the novelty of regular clothes instead of jammies! Here is a photo of them with the mound of luggage, minus three car seats and a few more bags (still not packed!). Yikes! It's going to be a load tomorrow! Notice the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House in the Big Woods" that we have started reading as a family. :) Piper begged to take it along on the trip (I had already planned on it) as she's so into it. We'll have some good reading for the plane, as well as a surprise goody bag for each of them. Dollar store deals galore! Have a wonderful few weeks, and we'll be back in touch when we can. Much love and hugs to all!

Final hours!

It's hard to believe that in less than 24 hours we will be on a plane and on our way! We are really excited for our big trip. We're in pretty good shape with all of the packing and preparations, thanks to H's parents taking the older two kids for the weekend. Man, did we get a lot done without the extra "help" this weekend! It was a huge blessing We'll post some photos of our progress a little later on. Our living room is completely covered in bags and suitcases, still awaiting the final items before being zipped up. I (H) had to work for a few hours this morning, and as I was leaving K asked me, "Mama, are we flying on an airplane?" (as he looked all around at the pile of luggage and clothes). I'm sure it's a bit of a difficult concept for his three-year-old mind to figure out. He sees them up in the sky flying over our house all the time, but I'm sure he is trying to figure out exactly how it works that we can ride in one! It will be a fun experience, I'm sure. We'll be sure to keep up with updates and photos the best that we can.