Definitely a step up from the Bullpen, but we paid for it! Happy Birthday, Jess!
Now that's what we were all waiting to see! First dancer of the night! Way to go Max!
The other guys just couldn't keep up with Brian.
Let's hear it for our entertainment of the night: Kevin the piano player! (and the bachelorette)
I don't know about you, but I would not mess with this woman.
Carmen's pretty serious about her softball.
Bases juiced; Christy is waiting for a hit so she can score from 3rd.
Bring in the pinch hitter! Mason is our heavy hitter: Guaranteed RBI.
Team leader in runs scored... too bad I had to reach out of the box for these pitches. Next year I'll work on patience at the plate.
2009 NCC Softball Team: 5th place season, 4th place tournament, 2nd place sportsmanship. Nice first year. Good job team!
July 4th weekend we jumped on a plane and headed to Disneyland. I don't think Liam was aware of exactly what he was about to see. He was more interested in picking his nose at this point... 
Pretty soon he was high-fiving Pluto & other Disney characters...
and bumping cars with mommy...
and driving through Toon Town with grandma...
and running wild through the water park in A Bug's Land.
Of course daddy found a fire engine.
Mommy loved the rides and sunshine at California Adventure & Disney.
Grandma got lots of love from Liam.
Of course our favorite place at the park was Radiator Springs.
We got to meet the real, live Mater & Lightning McQueen. Liam was beside himself!
Mom & I tried to buy Mater for our tow truck museum, but they refused to sell him.
We're glad Liam had so much fun meeting all his favorite characters.
In the end, we braved the heavy crowds for hours and hours for one big payoff:
Fireworks over the Disneyland Castle. It was worth it!
I spent all day putting this tile up and I'm afraid that if I let go, it might fall apart. Obviously, I have very little confidence in my work.
Carmen is all decked out with her new winter wear, which is perfect for a sunny day on the North Atlantic.
We decided to hop a boat at Reykjavik's Old Harbour and look for whales. Poor little Liam puked and passed out.
The whales were swimming all around us, but all we ever saw were their backsides. For all we know we may have been surrounded by divers with fins on their backs.
Kenny! (You know, Southpark... nevermind.)
Later, we found ourselves at Pingvalla, where the North American & European tectonic plates are separating and this part of Iceland is steadily sinking.
In case you wondered what the Icelandic language looks like. (Actually very similar to native Viking)
"Hey daddy, the map doesn't go this far North. I'm pretty sure we're lost."
"Hey daddy! I found a compass. Now we can navigate back toward civilization."
Woa! Geyser! Lookout Liam!
...and gigantic glacial waterfalls. This place is a geologic anomaly!
One thing there's no shortage of around here; volcanic rock. Let's hope there's not an active volcano around the corner ready to blow.
Just a little steam heating the natural hot spring; no lava yet. This looks like a good place for a relaxing massage.
Even Liam had fun at the Blue Lagoon!
And daddy got a massage from an Icelander named Elsa.
I think Liam's seen enough for one weekend. He's ready to load up on a bus and head for the Keflavik International Airport.
Baffin Island, Canada. (Just East of Greenland)
Finally home! Beautiful Mt. Rainier & the City of Bellevue (my employer), which reminds me: I work tomorrow!
Liam's ready for a trip! Can anyone guess where?
Iceland Air decided to add a non-stop to Seattle 2 weeks ago, so we decided to check em out!
Greenland looks a little cold... I hope we don´t have to make a pit stop.
Our first glimpse of Iceland!
Wow! It´s actually really nice here. It feels like A/C compared to 103 degrees inside our house in Seattle.
Liam found a Viking ship!
Daddy found Viking Beer.
Good thing the Polar Bears are friendly.
Looks like the locals are playful.
I have not seen one single tow truck since we´ve been here.
Although I´m pretty sure they don´t need tow trucks.
The weather is amazing. In the summer, the sunset lasts about 4 hours, then the sun takes 4 hours to rise... there is no night time.
Thanks to this house, the U.S.A and Soviet Union decided not to blow each other into a million pieces. Yay Iceland!
Carmen found "The Main Shopping Street" in Reykjavik.
...and I found a brew made from pure Icelandic water.
Liam loves water.
Who would have guessed we would be swimming way up here in the North Atlantic?! They keep the water at 84 degrees year round, so Liam had fun learning how to swim.
.JPG)
