Arizona Visitors!

In August we were lucky enough to not only have my mom come to visit for 2 weeks, but to also have JP and his family come too!

Play So. Much. Soccer. in the back yard.

Seeing the salmon coming through the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks:

I was so excited to show JP, Alison, Kai and Colton around our 'hood!

We even had a little reunion with a family we've known since I was 4 years old.

LOL at B's face in that pic...

Went to the zoo:

Went for a day trip to West Seattle to do some rock climbing and then hanging out at Alki Beach.

Great summer memories!

Summerfest

Our neighborhood has a cute little summertime festival every year. The kids had a ball. There were a bunch of bouncy-houses and similar activities, food trucks, crafts, goods for purchase and live music.

Out on the Boat

We are lucky to have some great friends here in Seattle. One awesome family invited us out on their boat one sunny day this summer. We had such a great time cruising around, parking in "Cozy Cove," swimming, grilling and just overall living our best lives.

At first June was pretty nervous to swim in the deep water. She just wanted to hang out on the (many!) fun floaties they had - especially the swan.

She eventually gathered her courage and jumped in. After that, we could hardly get her out of the water. She was so confident with her life jacket on that she stayed in the water even after the rest got out, and even swam off to get someone's flip flop that was floating by!

Bennett was fearless and jumped off the boat, not just from the wade-in area but from the front end of the boat too!

This was really one of my favorite summer memories.

Seattle Summertime

Summers in Seattle are the best. When people in other places tend to travel during the summer time, for us it's the best time to stay home! (In February, though, anyone want house guests?!)

Here are a few pictures of our miscellaneous summer adventures.

Playing at a neighbor's house on 4th of July, trying out their slack line.

Going to a baseball game...

Going to the Magnusson Dog Park...

Lots of swim lessons...

Getting spayed and the Cone of Shame...

Lots of walks across the Ballard Locks...

A backyard concert by Jewel on Lake Washington...

Checking out Fleet Week...

June heading off to summer day camp...

Kids' First Dance Recital!

Back in June, the kids had their first dance recital! June couldn't wait, but I think Bennett was a little nervous about the whole thing leading up to it. I was about 50/50 on whether or not I thought Bennett would actually make it out on stage.

They were so cute in their costumes!

Bennett with his class!

The kids did SO great! They both came out with excitement, pride and happiness.

I don't have any still shots from the dance itself (except for one still from the video I took), but here are the the kids coming out for the applause at the end of the show.

We went out for ice cream afterward to celebrate.

How awesome is this still from June's dance? She's the middle one in the teal.

Girl Scout Camping

Back in June, June and I went camping for the very first time. (Assuming you don't count our trip to family camp last year - which was open-air cabins - which I don't.)

We packed up our gear, rode a ferry and a couple hours later were pulling into our campsite at Fort Flagler. I was really glad to be camping with other parents who were expert campers, but also really wanted to be able to set up our tent myself. June and I set it up all on our own! (After seeing the "Caution, COUGAR IN AREA" sign of course.)

It was really rainy the first 24 hours of the trip. A bunch of families had backed out because of the weather, but June had seriously been counting the days to this trip so I knew we were in it for keeps. Plus, I had sort of volunteered to lead some activities, and I thought activities would be even more important if it was rainy.

Thank goodness we had this giant covered eating area in our shared campsite!

The kids did watercolor painting, hung out in the tents, worked with harnesses and pulleys, did a compass-guided scavenger hunt and went on hikes.

They also got to explore the old military fort. It was really neat and I had been warned that it was pitch dark in the tunnels, so a lot of people brought head lamps and I brought glow sticks for the kids!

Our fairy house:

Can't wait for this year's campout!