AnchorMommy

What I did last summer

September 9, 2011 by Shannon

It’s been a crazy summer. I spent my days outside with the kids and my nights at Channel 12, filling in for an anchor on maternity leave. Then there was the big basement flood, and that whole reconstruction process, which is still underway. I wish I would have had more time for other leisurely pursuits, but you know, life gets in the way of blogging sometimes. So here it is, a sort of “what I did last summer” report on where I’ve been since late May or so.

Road trip! We set sail for Seattle in late May, where we searched for seashells at Alki Beach, saw Bono and the boys perform at Qwest Stadium, and took the kids to the top of the Space Needle, like true tourists. We also hiked in a Pacific Northwest rainforest, ate the most incredible cupcakes of our lives at Cupcake Royale (I still have dreams about the Salted Caramel cupcake), looked at elephants and other amazing creatures at Woodland Park Zoo, and examined dinosaur fossils at Burke Museum. Oh, and we also walked around Pike Place Market and took a gorgeous harbor cruise. Incredible trip. And we had two sets of great friends to stay with while we were there. Doesn’t get better than that.

Morel hunting in the mountains! We were fortunate enough to find about five pounds (yes, pounds!) of gourmet morel mushrooms in the mountains this year. I can’t tell you where. But I can tell you that they were big, and they were amazing! We had a couple of delicious feasts, that is for sure.

Huckleberry Heaven There’s only one thing I love more than morel mushroom hunting, and that is huckleberry picking. The late start to summer made for an atypical huckleberry harvest this year, but my family and I did find a pretty amazing crop high in the mountains, and I picked until my fingers were purple. The ensuing whole wheat huckleberry pancakes and huckleberry muffins were divine. Oh, and have you ever had huckleberry pizza? I make a mean Huckleberry Pizza with Endive and Arugula and another yummy dessert version with sweetened ricotta. Mmm. Didn’t have enough for those recipes this year, but next year…

Singing and dancing and acting – oh my! My son has made it his mission to become a triple threat – he’s a singer, a dancer, an actor. This summer Kellan learned how to perform in a musical, perfected the art of street dance, and busted some sweet breakdancing moves. He loved every second, and continues to practice his skills on an almost daily basis. I am not kidding you when I say that the lyrics sheet from his musical performance and giant piece of cardboard for his breakdancing moves are now his most prized possessions.

Ella’s First Birthday This summer also marked one year since Ella came into our lives. We celebrated with a lovely garden party in our backyard, and I once again pushed my cake-making abilities to the limit! (In fact, I nearly ruined it. I don’t know why I suddenly fancy myself to be an expert baker every time a kid’s birthday rolls around.) Ella continues to delight and amaze me every day – lately, she shocks me with just how many signs she knows! Ball, hat, shoes, phone, all done, drink, banana, monkey, giraffe, elephant, kitty, dog, bear, fish, flower…the list just keeps growing.

So, there you have it. My excuses for my online absence this summer. I hope your summer was a great one too, and I hope to see you around a little more often.