Visting cousins and Canada

Audrey and Kate headed north this weekend to visit their cousins Liam and Elsa in Bellingham and attend a Women's World Cup soccer match in Vancouver, BC. They got an early start, driving up on Thursday night and arriving at Liam and Elsa's house a bit before midnight. Kate fell asleep in the car -- Mama and Dada's memories were hazy, but it may have been the first time she's ever fallen asleep on a car trip in her life -- and Audrey dozed a little. 

The next day was low-key and relaxing. Liam and Elsa showed the girls a lake in their neighborhood, and the kids splashed around awhile to stay cool. When they got back, a new pool had arrived, so the kids helped set it up and then enjoyed some more water time.

The next day everyone piled into Audrey and Kate's minivan for the trip to Vancouver. It was Audrey and Kate's first trip out of the country, and they were excited to get a stamp in their new passports at the border. They arrived early, and got some lunch and checked out a waterfront park while waiting for the game to start.

The stadium was packed with 54,000 people who came to watch Canada and England contest a quarterfinal match. The kids cheered on the home-town team, which played a good game but ultimately lost 2-1. Kate and Elsa were especially interested in the game, commenting on and asking questions about everything that was happening on the field. 

The next morning, Liam and Elsa showed their cousins a fun, historic part of Bellingham, after which the girls started the long drive home. On the way, they stopped at the American Girl Doll store in a suburb north of Seattle to spend the allowance and lemonade-stand money they had been saving on Josefina and Rebecca. Kate got Rebecca's ears pierced and bought two little kittens as pets, and Audrey got a "spa treatment" and hairstyle and a karate outfit for Josefina.