Monday, August 5, 2013

Logan's 12th Birthday: Our Interview

What is your favorite food?  Spaghetti
What do you like to do in school?  Writing
What is your favorite color?  Purple and gold (Wenatchee Panther colors)
What makes you feel happy?  Getting new stuff
Where in the world would you like to go?  Hawaii
What was the best thing about the age 11?  Winning the Washington State Cup in soccer
What are you scared of?  People being upset with me
What is your favorite sport?  Basketball and soccer
What is your favorite thing to do?  Playing basketball and soccer
What do you like most about our family?  We always forgive
What do you want to be when you grow up?  A professional something...

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Summer is flying by...good-bye July

I was telling the kids earlier this week that around the end of May I start dreading the idea of summer and finding enough activities and events and scheduling play dates and just generally having the feeling that there will be all this sibling fighting and whining and boredom.  And, don't get me wrong, there is that to deal with.  But, here we are at the beginning of August, with only one month left of summer break, and the long days of summer have gone by so quickly. And every year at this time, I start dreading thinking of fall coming and homework and sports and activities and living by the schedule of it all.  I love summer more and more each year,  and, as always,  I'm wanting to slow the time down and enjoy the laziness of sunshiny days.

July did not disappoint in the heat department.  Woah, Nellie...it got hot, hot, hot and there was no rain this month.

It was so hot that I captured Logan sleeping with a blowing fan aimed directly at his face.  Our air conditioner didn't seem to be cooling our house down so we had the AC man come out and he filled our unit up with coolant.  Ahhh, the sweet comfort of a cool house.
July 3rd, Dave and his Dad took the kids to an Apple Sox game. 

 Harper and Presley both started gymnastics this month.  
We cleaned out the garage and had a yard sale too. 
It's really hard for me to go through boxes of the kids' old "stuff".  We had so many clothes and each little outfit brought me back to a different time or a special memory.  I saved some of Harper's things for Samee and Nate's baby and Harper inherited some of Presley's things and Ry some of Logan's clothes. I came across these Power Ranger jammies and Harper and Ry have had a fun time playing in them.
Presley and Logan (August 2006, ages 4 and 6)
Harper and Rylan (July 2013, ages almost 4 and 6.5)
Samee texted me and told me she's really enjoying swimming this summer.  I sent her this picture and told her she's welcome to use our pool anytime.  
Oh, Ry...
Play time this month. 
Logan was leading the kids in some game this night, where their eyes are supposed to stay closed. 


The kids had a fun couple of weeks with the big inflatable slide in the backyard. 
We spent lots of afternoon at the Cashmere Pool.  


Cristy and my Papa went to a lookout on Blewitt Pass and came by to surprise visit us.  That would have worked out so great, but we didn't know and we were at the Cashmere pool and I didn't get the text til later in the afternoon.  They hung out in our backyard and then met us for a quick ice cream treat at Tom, Dick, and Harry's.  Harper saw Cristy and immediately asked her, "where's Geezer?"
Papa was telling Ry and Presley something funny. 

Logan is growing up and he needed to have a man chat with Dad.  I don't know what they were talking about but I went by the window and saw them sitting out there talking for a long time.  

At the end of the school year Presley signed up our family to help out at Sunnyslope Garden.  This last week of July was our week to pull weeds and water the plants.  Presley took the watering business very seriously. 
Two little conversations with Presley: 
She told me she thinks it would be really fun to have a picnic out in an orchard for a first date. 
We saw a teenage boy get out of his car and help out another driver who's car had stalled by pushing the car to a gas station.  She said to me, "This is what I like about teenagers...they always do the right thing."  To which I quickly replied, "yes, and they always listen to their parents too."
Ry tried a tomato fresh from the garden. He didn't like it. 
Oh my,  this rough and tumble girl.  She has taken quite a few falls and has many scrapes, scratches and bruises from playing and riding scooters.  She was crying one night after falling yet again and Dave made her this award with an old lanyard he found..."Tough Girl Award".  She was quite proud. 

I love making summer memories with these kids!!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Special Week-end Visitors



Amy and I bought tickets for the Leavenworth play, The Sound of Music, for Mom for her birthday.  The Lindholm's and Mom drove to our house on Friday afternoon, we had a quick enchilada meal, and then we drove up to Leavenworth to watch the play.  Dave stayed home with Ry and Harper because children 6 and under were not allowed.

The play was really neat and it was a beautiful night.   There was parts of the play which were out in the hillsides and we had a great seats to see it all.  Thomas and I giggled our way through the second half.   Those kids in the front did plenty of giggling too.  We didn't get home until 11:30.

On Saturday we woke up (I think Harper woke everybody up), got ready, and went and had breakfast at The Wild Huckleberry.  


We had to make a stop at Hooked on Toys for more inflatable tubes because they were ready to float the river.  I stayed home with Ry and Harper.  We loaded our Suburban up with 7 inflated tubes and Thomas' Honda held one and all the passengers.
Our family of floaters

On their way...


They started in Cashmere and floated about 2 hours and I picked them up at Sleepy Hollow Bridge.

 It was a crowded day on the river, but they did great, expect for one little run in with a tree that scratched up mom's leg.  All of these pictures were taken from Amy right as they were floating.  Dave even Face-Timed me while floating along.  Sometimes I love technology.
I think it's so funny that Thomas and Dave shared the double tube. 
This was Presley's first time floating the river.  
Grandma, Logan, Alyson, and Mylee

We finally made it back to the house about 3:00 and I made turkey croissant sandwiches, chips, fruits, and veggies,  and Amy brought some cake brownies.  


 The kids played a little bit.  Ry liked being stretched...
and then we had to say good-bye.
Fun times!!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Swim Lessons and Soccer Camps

The past few weeks we've been keeping busy with swimming lessons at Cashmere City Pool and soccer camps at the Sportsplex.

Swim lessons are done in 2 week sessions so Ry took lessons the first two weeks of July and Harper and Presley took swim lessons the last 2 weeks of July.  Throw in Logan's goal keeping camp and Ry's youth soccer camp and we've managed to have some full days this month.

Ry at swim lessons:
Ry is a very strong swimmer.  We go swimming quite a bit in the afternoons.  Presley and Logan have each passed their swim tests, which means they can go anywhere in the deep end and off the slide and diving board.  Ry hasn't taken it yet, although I do think he could pass. That means he can only be in the deep end of the big pool if I'm with him.  So Harper jumps off the side a bazillion times and I catch her and Ry swims around me.  He can not touch where we swim and he still keeps up with Presley and Logan while treading water or swimming the entire time.  He has recently discovered diving for rings so I'll toss them in over and over and he'll dive down and grab them.  It's really remarkable.  
Ry didn't pass his class this time.  It's a tough class where he has to master the back, breast, and butterfly stroke.  He was the smallest kid in his class.  He wasn't upset about it, but I think this is the reason he won't take the swim test. 
He did have a fun time getting to go down the slide on the last day.
Presley and Harper were so happy in lessons.  This picture doesn't capture it, but they were skipping into the pool house.
Presley at swim lessons:

She mastered the dive. 

But her favorite part of all was getting to jump off the diving board. 
She did pass her Orca class which puts her in the Shark class.  
Harper at lessons:
She was the only child in her class to jump off the diving board on the last day. 
Harper passed her class too so went from a Tiny Tadpole to a Seahorse. 

Soccer Camps:
Logan opted to not do swim lessons this year.  He's a very good swimmer though so I didn't push him to do them.  I was thankful for a goal keeping soccer camp.  The leader of this camp told Dave that Logan's a very good goalie. 

Ry also did a soccer camp. 


And look who was selected to be the Camper of the Week!!!  So proud of Ry!!