June

 The Pattons officially added one more critter to our home: Welcome Bolt Patton.

He is under the tender loving care of Levi, however, it is John and me who have to run out to Petsmart and refill Bolt's cricket supply. I vowed that I would never own a pet who ate other living creatures. But alas, once again I surrendered to the desires of my kids.

And in case you are wondering...the crickets have escaped and I spotted them hopping for their lives down my hallway..  🤢 

June was the culmination of our spring sports season. Evelyn excelled in track, qualifying for the "meet of champions."

 

Her 4 by 4 team was really fast!

The boys ended their undefeated season with a first place medal. Watching my three boys work together on the pitchers mound, catcher and 1st base truly was a highlight of my life. 

In other news....John resigned his 12 year career at Salesforce and accepted a new job which starts July 1. He took the month off; however, in "John fashion" he continued to fill his days with side jobs and work. 

We did manage to spend one of the final days when the kids were in school hiking. We hiked Dog Mountain, known for its beautiful wildflowers this time of year, and it did not disappoint! It was one of the toughest hikes I've ever done. It was up hill for miles. Lucy came with us, and she lost a few pounds of her cookie consumption in the process. 

It's all uphill from here!

The view from the top was worth the climb!

The boys concluded their 4th grade year with the "state float parade." Each fourth grader is assigned a state to research and then they create a float (displayed on a wagon) which they parade around the track at school. Caleb lamented his assigned state of Vermont. "Vermont! Who wants to live in Vermont? More people die there each year than are born!" he claimed.

James told him that it was shady and quiet, so people go there to retire. 

I told him Ben and Jerry's is produced there. He didn't know what that was so I contributed to his float by purchasing a pint. After trying it out, he decided that Vermont was a good place to live. 

Levi had Kentucky and he decorated his float with little blades of blue grass. I'm not sure he knew that blue colored grass didn't actually grow there. Nonetheless, it was creative. 

James had Idaho. He wanted to attach a potato. I got him the biggest one I could find. He also tapped into his creative talent of diorama making and created from scratch the rolling hills of Idaho. I was impressed. 

The last day of school ended with the annual water gun fight and BBQ. It was bittersweet, as always, to end another year. However, we really didn't have time to mourn because we had to get everything packed up and ready to leave for Chicago bright and early the next day. 

James says he likes getting up early for the airport. He says it's more exciting. 

 

One of our first stops was in downtown Chicago.
John's new job is headquartered in the city next to the Chicago river. 

Our time in Illinois was a great way to start the summer. Leaving Portland, it was rather cold and cloudy. Illinois was hot and sticky, just how I remember the summer days growing up. 

The minute the boys arrived, they couldn't wait to run out to my parents backyard and start playing baseball in their big yard. My Dad is such a good sport; he found the energy to get out there with them and play hard. 

Fishing was a part of this trip. Caleb caught the only fish.

We had a Chicago style deep dish pizza. The kids said it was the best!

  

This year was a unique year in this region.  The 17 year cicada bugs emerged along with the 13 year ones. There were a lot of these critters all over the place. The kids weren't scared of them; they actually liked them and treated them like a pet. I wish we could bring some back to feed to the lizard. 

 

Much of our time was spent with family. 

GG with 9 (of her 11) Great Grandchildren!

One memorable experience this year was  a Cub game at Wrigley Field. We went with my parents and GG. GG is a lifelong Cubs fan. It was a hot evening, culminating in a win and a dreamy sunset. 

However, there was a bit of tension, as the extremely competitive males in our family are die-hard Giants fans...

 

At the end of our week, we ventured down to Springfield, Illinois for three days with my parents and GG. 

Grandma and Grandpa and the kids in front of Lincoln's house. 

In front of Abraham Lincoln's tomb

 

This is a trip that GG wanted to take with her great grandkids. My mom also has a love for Abraham Lincoln and wanted to share his hometown with us. 

The special time with GG was the highlight of the trip

 

Dinner on Route 66

 

 Although it was extremely hot, we toured the Lincoln home, went to the Lincoln museum, saw the Emancipation Proclamation at the Lincoln library and learned a lot about the Civil War. 

 

We also toured the Illinois Capitol. 

The rotunda was magnificent. 

  

Summer is off to a great start. Summers in the PNW can't be beat. 

Here are some other pictures from activities this June:

Strawberry picking with Gramie and Grandpa

Evelyn made homemade jam

The Tualatin Blender dash race was a fun challenge for the kids. 

And of course James couldn't wait to get back to the river. For the first time he was allowed to venture down there by himself with a friend.
Now he has to figure out how to take the fish off the hook by himself. 😊