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Ruby Louise Fry was born 7 months ago today. She’s turned into quite a woman.

Also notable about today – an interesting coincidence of numbers: 12:34:56 7/8/09

The Fry Family Quartet, with special guests Katie Eiting, and Alison and Kevin McCabe, squeezed every bit of fun out of this Pacific Northwest weekend. We packed Emotional Rescue to the gills on Saturday morning and headed across Puget Sound to Blake Island for a boat camping weekend – Henry’s and Ruby’s first such experience.

We spent the weekend playing washers, taking naps and enjoying each other’s company. Henry loved sleeping on the boat. Ruby slept better in a tent than she sleeps in her own crib. And the raccoons’ midnight raid of the boat was foiled by bungeed coolers.

The weather, dock space and camp site availability all went in our favor. It’s difficult to put into words the feeling you get sitting on a sunny, forested island watching the ferries cris-cross Puget Sound, with the Seattle skyline in the background. Life is good.

Henry has decided that this will be a week of firsts. Yesterday: first bike ride. Today: first toilet pee. Tomorrow? This could get ugly.

Had a wonderful Father’s Day. Kristine, Henry and Ruby got me a child bike seat for my road bike so that I can now share one of my favorite pastimes with my children (not to mention provide Kristine with an extra break while I get some exercise). A true Fry Lodge win win. After a quick assembly and bike tune up in the garage, Henry and I were off for our first ride together. He absolutely loved it.

After a quick trip to New York, it was nice to return home to a family BBQ at the Eitings on Saturday afternoon. Mary Kay was in town, so it was an extra special occasion. Brian enlisted me to help with the Ratatouille (my first). Henry and Johanna had some good cousin fun, first in the wagon, then in the bath. Dinner was excellent. A very nice Father’s Day Eve.

We got a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa Fry this morning. Carl and Kaye were on their way home from visiting their friends on Whidbey Island, and I was able to twist their arms to pay a visit to their grandchildren before heading east on I-90.

Ruby turned 6-months-old on June 8, which means she’s ready to cross her, um, Rubicon, to solid food. So, we adjusted the high chair back to baby size this morning so that Ruby could have a taste of the Henry life. Here are her first bites (rice cereal with a water back).

The Fry Family Quartet is home safely at Fry Lodge – Seattle. Though a bit road weary, we’re all happy to be home and sleeping in our own beds. Our flight left Lihue airport at 10:30 PM Thursday and landed at 7:00 AM Friday in Seattle. They call it the miracle flight because kids tend to sleep the entire way. Henry and Ruby did not disappoint.

Before camping out one last time Kiahuna poolside, our family paid a visit to St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Koloa, about a mile from where we were staying. Kristine and I were married at St. Raphael’s a little more than three years ago (04-05-06), so it was nice to return – this time with 2 children. Kind of hard to believe. The church hadn’t changed, though it looks like Father Edison (who married us) is no longer the pastor.

We had the most amazing vacation, and we know how lucky we are.

We spent our last full day in Kauai taking a road trip to the east and north shores of the Garden Isle. On our way to the hippy surfer refuge of Hanalei, the Fry Family Quartet stopped by the Kilauea lighthouse. At $5 per person, it was essentially a $10 potty break. But it was the closest Henry had ever gotten to a lighthouse, so probably worth it. We had lunch in Hanalei, where both Henry and Ruby made several people stop to compliment them. I’m so happy we have beautiful children.

The highlight of the day – and really the vacation – for Henry was our visit to the playground at Lydgate Beach Park on the drive home. In 1994 the community built the most spectacular playground fort. It blew Henry’s mind. Beyond every tunnel was another slide. Beyond every slide another tunnel. He slid, he climbed, he swung. Ruby even got in on the action.  I was probably too big for some of the slides, but I went anyway. My favorite was the volcano.

We’re nearing the end of our Kauai vacation, and we think we’ve spent just enough time here; we’re leaving wanting more.

Tuesday.

Henry’s and Ruby’s cousin, Lyndsey, visited us from Oahu this weekend. Lyndsey and her husband, Neil, who is currently deployed in Afghanistan, are stationed on Oahu, so it was easy for Lyndsey to hop a quick flight for the weekend so she could get acquainted with her cousins. Our routine did not vary much, although Lyndsey’s visit did give Kristine and me a chance to go on a date Sunday night. Very nice visit, and we were sad to see her leave. Thanks for brunch, Grandma!

You know you’re on vacation when your most strenuous activity is watching your wife go down three flights of stairs to rescue one of your child’s toys after a fall from a 3rd story lanai.

The Fry Family Quartet took it easy today. We started the day with an early walk down the beach to Poipu Beach, where Henry played in the playground. That was followed by a shopping trip across the street, then a fabulous Mai Tai lunch at the Sheraton. Then a nap. Then … dinner? I’m exhausted.

We took a trip to the Koloa Fish Market yesterday afternoon, where the store owner recommended opah. We’re not sure if that’s just because that’s all he had left at the end of the day, but we had him slice up some steaks for us. We returned to Fry Lodge to give it a quick sear (like you would an ahi tuna) on the lawn below our condo. Dinner was lovely.

Henry is a fish. I suppose it runs in the family.

Henry and Ruby slept in this morning (6:30), so the Fry Family Quartet is refreshed and ready for another day in paradise. Here is a quick video of our immediate surroundings.

What do you do at 5 AM on your first day of vacation in Kauai? You get up, of course. Especially when your 6-month-old and 26-month-old are wide awake and ready to start the day. Our first day at Kiahuna Plantation was great, although we were all a bit weary from such a long day of travel on Monday. Our condo is spacious, has a great view, and thank God is across the street from a coffee shop. It’s funny to think about the fact we were here just three years ago for our wedding, sans children. Today we relaxed, shopped and spent an hour at the beach so Henry could fulfill his dream of building sand castles. Tomorrow: more of the same.

Fry Lodge was host to an Eiting reunion on Sunday, complete with Copper River salmon on the grill, several amazing salads and a few G&Ts - thanks to Chef Brian and Zen Chef Paul. The day involved a lot of eating, some napping and a healthy dose of quality catch up time as we watched the boats and planes go by on Lake Union. The entire weekend was excellent. Next up: Kauai.

Pauly and his wonderful girlfriend, Leah, are in town for the weekend. We were all in need of a serious Rescue on Saturday, so at noon Paul, Leah, Katie, Patrick, Brian and I headed out on the boat with some Paseo sandwiches and a cooler of cold beverages. It was a perfect day on the water. No whale sightings this trip, but fun all the same. We extended the fun into the evening, adding Kristine and Jessica to the mix, with a fabulous dinner at The Palace Kitchen.