Oh my goodness, where did the summer go. I know that sounds cliche, but it's so true as I find myself in a suddenly peaceful and quiet house once again. I haven't updated my life at all this summer because my computer keyboard stopped working and upon taking it in to be checked, the guy lifted up the keyboard base and found dry red stickiness. The cost to fix it is more than the computer is worth, so in the mean time, John found me an old wireless keyboard and now I am finally able to type again!
I have three whole months to catch up on in this blog. We didn't go on any major trips or do anything extraordinary, but is sure was a wonderful summer. The best way to catch up quickly on three months is a picture drop. So here we go.......
To start off the summer, Evelyn graduated from her orthodontic treatment and now has a perfectly straight smile.
Creation Encounter Field Trip: A few days after school let out, I had my kids signed up for an educational excursion, led by a team of educators called "Creation Encounters." We went on an all day field trip in the gorge and looked at rock formations and fossils as evidence as to how the great flood changed life on earth.
Rodeo, July 1 with our friends the Austins.
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| Caleb got a selfie with the Rodeo clown |
Paddle Boarding. Living so close to the Tualatin River gives us ample opportunity to use our board and have some fun in the water.
Piano Playing. Apart from having a Golden Retriever, John also had a goal of getting an upright piano in our house. During his downtimes from work, he comes up a plays a few tunes. He says it's extremely relaxing and fun to be able to play here and there throughout the day. Caleb has taken an interest in sounding out some tunes as well.
Gardening:
Evelyn's garden produced several huge harvests of fresh produce. She also has three watermelons that we watched grow during the hot months. My favorites were the fresh tomatoes.
One on one Mom Dates: I took each of the kids out for a special one on one time of their choosing.
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| Caleb chose Chuckie Cheese and Chick-fil-a..... |
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| Levi chose bowling and laser tag... |
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| (And a one foot chili dog) |
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| James wanted to catch some big ones... |
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And Evelyn wanted to go shopping.
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Soccer: Since all the kids are playing club soccer this year, they kept up with practices and played in a few tournaments.
Evelyn played in one in Salem.
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And the boys played some in Beaverton and Wilsonville.
Summer soccer is HOT! |
4th of July brought mild tempertures this year. The kids participated in the neighborhood parade and we did our usual 4th of July fireworks and festivities in the cut-de-sac near our house.
At the beginning of July, the boys took a guys hiking trip to punchbowl falls in the Gorge.
The water was crystal clear but it was frigid.
The boys jumped off ledges and built forts. It was a great day to play in nature.
Evelyn volunteered as a VBS leader again this year. The kids adored her and she had a great time.
We took a trip up north to spend a long weekend with our friends the Austin in Whidbey Island.
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| Getting there was quite the adventure as we had to take two ferries. |
The wharf was a dramatically different experience between high tide and low tide.
Low tide brought about opportunities to explore all the critters beneath the dock.
Coupeville is a special place.
We enjoyed the time spent with our friends and eating so much CRAB!
The last time we were here was four years ago.
We recreated some pictures.
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| Then.. |
Now.
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| Evelyn tried knee boarding for the first time. She really liked it. |
