Frosting and Rain

I have a little down time today, as I try to get our laundry caught up... so I figured it was a good time to update the blog.  August was great... we tried our best to make the most out of our last month of summer. Enjoy my little trip down memory lane.... Backyard movie night has become our new favorite summer activity.  We loved visiting Ruston Way in Tacoma, and stopped by to throw some rocks in the water. One last visit to Wild Waves Backyard fire pit and s'mores.  Jeff loves making the fires for us. Jeffrey had fun at his summer Faith In God camp. Bottling pears... a favorite summer activity for me and the kids. Tara got a bike for her birthday this year... no training wheels for this 6 year old. We had a joint birthday party for Jeff and Tara at Super Jump Party Zone.  They had a great time with lots of friends.

In August, Alex joined his friends' scout troop on a backing trip to base camp on Mt. Rainer.  It was a grueling hike, most of the way was straight up, on ice and snow.   They stayed overnight, which meant hauling a 35 pound pack up the trail as well.  He had a wonderful time, and came home smelly, tired, and thrilled that he had accomplished something so difficult.  I am so proud of him and his tenacity.  At 12 years old, he continues to inspire me to try new things, and to never give up on the things that you feel passionate about.  He has great friends, and some seriously amazing adults in his life that make these adventures possible.  It was a hard decision for him to quit the scouting program this summer, and I will be forever grateful that he still gets these opportunities (that he can now do "just for fun" instead of the stress he was feeling about all the paper work and red tape involved in the scouting program).  And seriously, you cannot...

Another great adventure with this kiddos of mine.  This time we hiked to Franklin Falls.  It was a beautiful day for it.  I love adventuring with these kids (and their crazy dog).

We had an amazing time hiking to Barclay Lake today.  These kiddos are amazing, and so much fun to hang out with... oh, and the dog is a riot too.

It is summer, my friends... hot, sticky, silly, restful, adventurous summer.  We are having a blast.  I bought the family passes to Wild Waves, and we have spent many a day there, riding the water slides and swimming in the wave pool.  A lot of my other summer plans have been a bit of a bust so far, but we still have 43 days left, and I intend to make the most of it while we can.  I love having the kids home for summer break! Boo loves playing at Pirates Cove The boys convinced Boo to tryout the big water slide... she loved it, of course.