Vashon Island Family

After all this we finally met up with Jayne and John. We had a nice lunch, played in the yard and looked at John's new mustang. Here we are enjoying the warm weather and sunshine out front.



Note the signs that this is in the Pacific Northwest. Everyone is wearing fleece, and clogs and hiking boots are evident. Erika also show off her PNW fashion sense by pairing fleece with shorts and sandals.

Vashon Island Coffee Shop

Auntie Jayne has an aerobic class on Saturday mornings. Therefore we stopped at a coffee shop to relax and soak up some island culture. This coffee shop roasts the Vashon Vixen blend, a coffee that can wake you up after a rough night of toddler teething and oldest sister's scary dreams. It's housed in a 100-year-old building and also sells various spices and organic food. Here Erika poses by some of the cooking spices. (Yes, that is the clothing tag by her neck, and she is wearing her shirt backwards. I'm just happy that she is wearing clothes and dressing herself.)



And here is the section on medicinal herbs such as comfy and St. John's Wort.



In this area of Vashon almost all the men have long hair with beards and the women have short, cropped hair. I was able to surreptitiously photograph one checking out his investments in the business section of the Seattle Times. You do have to have some major assets to be a hippy on Vashon, you know.



Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of Catie or Miranda in the coffee shop. The cafe area allows people to bring their dogs with them as they enjoy a latte. Miranda was so excited that she kept going over to the dogs to chat with them. Fortunately, both dogs and humans were very friendly and let Miranda play as much as she wanted. Her favorite one was the big mastif-type. Catie was also interested in the dogs, but she just wanted to talk and point to them. Erika just kept wondering where Daddy was with her hot chocolate. (Time goes much slower on the Island)

Vashon Island Ferry

This past weekend we took a ferry to Vashon Island to visit Aunt Jayne and Uncle John. Part of the fun of riding on the ferry is sitting in the minivan without seatbelts. Catie (solid pink) and Miranda (stripes) take advantage of this time to practice climbing on Jason.



Erika gets some time behind the wheel. Only ten more years before she can get her learner's permit.



Jackie and Miranda in the passanger section of the ferry.


Jason and Catie share a quiet moment.

Cuties' Closeup

This past week I've been able to take some great close-up pictures of the girls. So here they are for your enjoyment.

Erika in her self-painted butterfly mask.


Miranda and Erika working at the desk in Mommy and Daddy's room. Erika has decided that she loves Miranda too, and is willing to play and draw with her. However, Catie and Daddy are still the only other members of the family that fall under the party girl rules. Party girls, as you know, get to have anything they want whenever they want. Maybe someday Miranda and I will be lucky enough to be party girls. :-)


Finally, Catie has her closeup.

March madness

Bath time is fun time here at the Wetzels. Catie is so excited to take a bath that she neglects to to take off her clothes before climbing in the tub. Hilarity ensues.


Both Catie and Miranda like washing their hands. Miranda is in the dark pink hoodie and Catie is in the light pink jacket


Erika is so busy that she is hard to catch on film. Here she enjoys one of our sunny days by swinging in the backyard.