Summer - It's a Wrap

Well, summer has come and gone. I feel good that we packed as much in as possible. Now we are all rested (not really) and ready for another school year (not really). Here's a quick recap:

• The kids loved their summer babysitter, Carolyn. Carolyn's parents live one door down from us, and she is going to be a senior at Washington State University. Carolyn watched the kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I worked. She was a total rock star and we all miss her already.
• We enjoyed our summer membership at Edgebrook Pool. The kids took swimming lessons and are continually improving. Taylor is a solid swimmer. Matthew can jump off of the diving board and swim to the side of the pool, but he still needs some help swimming distances. Brayden is able to put his head under water and doggie paddle a bit, but he still needs lessons.
• We attended Mariners games. The five of us attended a game in June, and it was decided then that Brayden would not attend any more games this summer (he had no interest in watching the game; he only wanted to go to the playground or watch the trains under the stadium). When the Yankees came to town in July, Tommy and I went to the first game on our 10th Anniversary. Tommy and his parents took Taylor and Matty to the second game, Matty and Tommy attended the third game, and Matty and Tommy went to the last game with some friends.
• Matty learned to ride a bike without training wheels (8/19). Eight days later (on 8/27), Brady did the same thing!
• Taylor attended Girl Scout camp. Matty attended a sports camp for 7-12 year olds. When I was told he was the best athlete at the camp, I had to confess that he was not really old enough to be there.
• All three kids enjoyed Vacation Bible School camps. Matty and Brady attended at BelPres with me; Taylor went to VBS at another church with some friends from Girl Scouts.
• Alexa and Casey came out to visit for a week. We sooooo enjoyed our time with them. We covered a lot of territory - we visited Snoqualmie Falls, hiked Tiger Mountain (and Alexa paraglided), rode the Big (Ferris) Wheel in Seattle, toured the University of Washington, went to a street festival in West Seattle, swam and paddle-boarded in Lake Sammamish, rode the "Ducks" through downtown Seattle and Lake Union, went to Pike Place Market, ate lots of ice cream and drank lots of coffee. Despite all of our activities, my favorite memories of their time here was simply sitting around and getting to know my 16-year old nephew and 18-year old niece. 
• We spent the 4th of July at the beach. See previous post.
• We spent a weekend in Whistler, BC cheering on Brian in an Ironman. I am in awe of what Brian achieved. The thought of swimming 2 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a marathon is truly unbelievable.
• We attended concerts at Lake Boren Park. The concerts are held on four consecutive Wednesday evenings from mid-July through mid-August, and they are one of the highlights of our summer. Each week, we pack a picnic dinner and feast in the park for an hour before the music begins. The kids love seeing their friends and running around the park. The adults enjoy a few drinks and the easy bedtime routine once our kids are tuckered out from running all evening.
• The kids enjoyed playing at various beaches, riding SeaDoos, building sand castles, etc.
• We ate our body weight in froyo.
• We had multiple BBQs with friends. 
• The kids had a blast going back and forth to our neighbor's houses. Because we live in one cul-de-sac and two families live up in another cul-de-sac, we do not have much traffic up here in this section of the neighborhood. I was comfortable allowing the kids to go back and forth between houses. They enjoyed their freedom. I enjoyed my freedom. :)
• We took a little family excursion to the Washington Coast. We spent three days exploring Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery, Shi Shi Beach, and Dungeness Spit. The kids were troopers despite all the hiking we did. 
• Towards the end of the summer, I was balancing work and the kids because Carolyn went back to school on 8/10. It was a struggle. Many days, I put Taylor in charge of the boys in the morning. She loved being empowered: she would make breakfast for all of them, make sure they were dressed, and order them to make beds and do other chores. I really appreciated her help. Since I was able to get some real work done in the morning, I would take the kids wherever they wanted in the afternoon - during those weeks, we hit the pool, Kids Quest, aquarium, and Family Fun Center. I felt good that we were doing some fun activities in August, but boy, it was a lot of work! 
• We saw lots of family - Brian, Kristen, Emery, Alexa, Casey, Aunt Janice, Uncle Gary, and Uncle Kevin. We had countless family dinners at the Bligh's.
• We watched the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st. Seattle had 93% coverage. We scored some eclipse glasses from a neighbor, so it was really cool to watch the moon come across the sun.
• We went to a Seattle Storm game. Each of the kids participated in the King County Library Summer Reading Program and earned tickets to the basketball game.
• Last, we enjoyed the weather - Seattle broke a record for the number of days over 80 degrees (44 days, average is 27), and also broke a record for the consecutive number of days without rain (55). The sunshine made this momma a happy lady!

The kids go back to school on September 6th. We're all ready for scheduled activities and routine. Of course, by late September I will be complaining that we are too busy!

Lots and lots of pictures to follow...

Bray and Tay started the summer by strawberry picking.

Delish!

We attended a "End of School Year Fiesta" in a friend's cul de sac. Tickets for this party were sold at our school auction.

The summer started with a bang - it was almost 90 degrees at this party on 6/24.

By the end of the evening, the kids were soaked from water fights.

Bike rides before the training wheels came off.

One Sunday afternoon, Tommy took Brayden on a lunch date. They picked up lunch and ate it by a railroad track. B was in heaven!

In the midst of Girl Scout Camp and Vacation Bible School, Alexa and Casey arrived! The first day they were here, we went to Snoqualmie Falls and hiked to the bottom of the falls. We all had fun climbing on the rocks by the river.

That evening, we grilled in the backyard, and then Tommy, Taylor, Alexa and Casey walked up to the golf course to see the scene of their flower girl and ring bearer duties a decade ago.

Look at the difference! July 2007

On the second day, I took Alexa and Casey on a hike to the top of Tiger Mountain. Alexa opted to paraglide down!
 

That night, Tommy and I took Alexa and Casey downtown for dinner.

How are they both taller than me?

On the Great Wheel. It was beautiful.

The following morning, we made pancakes before heading out to explore for the day.

We walked around the University of Washington. The big kids loved it; the little kids were bored.

On Sunday, we went to a street festival in West Seattle. Taylor climbed a rock wall.

Bray and Tay went on a modified ferris wheel ride.

And Alexa got ice cream in a salmon shaped cone.

Then, we stopped for iced coffees on our way to the lake.

We rented a paddle board and went swimming.

Silly faces.

On Day #5, we "Rode the Duck" in Seattle. The ducks are old WW2 vehicles that can traverse both land and water. The tour took us around the city and into Lake Union. 

On Day #6, we went back downtown and walked around Pike Place Market (including the gum wall above), got coffee from the original Starbucks, ate Beecher's cheese, got ice cream, shopped, and walked some more.

Cutest little ice cream parlor in Seattle

And on Day #7, we said goodbye to Alexa and Casey. How we will miss them!

Tommy and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on 7/20/17. We went out for lunch, hit the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, had a drink at the golf club where we were married, and then went to the Mariners/Yankees game with seats in the Diamond Club. It was a nice anniversary but not the most romantic celebration. We are going to Moorea (Tahiti) at the end of September for a real celebration.

I loved watching Taylor perform the VBS songs she learned at the end of the week at Lord of Life Lutheran Church VBS.

The kids spent a lot of time at the pool. Popsicles were always a hit.

Brayden's swim lesson. I paid for a group lesson, but he was the only one signed up so he got a private lesson.

Yankees game!

My favorite Yankees fans.

Whistler: Taylor was so happy to see Emmy again.

We took the Gondola up to the top of Whistler Mountain.

Olympic Rings from the 2010 Olympic Games.

I begrudgingly agreed to take the Peak to Peak gondola from the top of Whistler to the top of Blackcomb Mountain. It was terrifying. My hands are sweating as I type this because I am so afraid of heights. The Peak to Peak Gondola is the world's longest unsupported lift - there are 1.88 miles between support beams. On top of that, the lift broke the world record for the highest lift above the valley floor (1,427 feet).

Daddy took this picture. I was truly too terrified to move.

I tried to capture a picture of us dangling between mountains.

Cheering on our Ironman!

Cousins

I just love this picture. Brian so wanted to see his daughter during the race. The first two times we saw him on the course, Emmy was napping. This picture captures it all.

We tried to keep the kids entertained while we waited to meet Brian at the next point of the race.

A picture with Brian at the finish line. I was in awe of his motivation and determination. Full ironman in the mountains: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 24.2 mile run.

I walked into our bedroom one morning and found the cousins playing quietly together.

A few days after the Ironman, we were able to go out with Brian and Kristen and let loose. :)

Family picture plus Emery. 

Seafair Weekend: We love watching the Blue Angels

Brayden needed daddy's sunglasses to watch.

Our neighborhood block party had a fire truck visit this year.

Walking to a summer concert at Lake Boren. Look at our supplies!

Nobody went home hungry from the concert

Who doesn't love a shaved ice as big as your head?

A little Friday night dress up

Blackberry picking during a family bike ride.

Hiking Hurricane Ridge

Proof that we reached the northwestern tip of Washington. The point is called Cape Flattery.

Family Photo at Cape Flattery. The weather was very overcast - exactly how I'd pictured it.

Hiking to Shi Shi Beach

Strangely, our kids have not spent much time at the beach. At least not sandy beaches. I wish I could have captured their astonishment that the sand was soft. The ran and played on the beach for at least an hour... until we had to head back.

Joy

I love this picture

You can imagine how much fun Brayden had running on the beach. This picture says it all.

The next day, we went to the Dungeness Sand Pit, which stretches more than five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

And finally, we took the ferry back home.

The Seattle Skyline is stunning on a beautiful day.

Shadows from the solar eclipse - all the shadows showed half moons due to the moon covering the sun.

All neighbor kids with their solar eclipse glasses

One Saturday morning, we volunteered with Jubilee Reach and helped prep a local school for the new school year. Our kids were GREAT helpers. So proud of them.

Seattle Storm Game.

Twilight at the Space Needle - the kids played on the playground after the Storm Game and I marveled at the Needle.