I realize a mega-post
can be overwhelming, but I am behind on getting pictures organized and with a
vacation approaching I would feel much better just plowing through so bear with
me (or don’t).
Entrepreneur:
Abigail and a neighborhood friend decided they wanted to set up a table
in the neighborhood and sell some of their duck tape creations. We added
some cookies and lemonade into the mix to appeal to more customers. They
decided to set up near the entrance into our neighborhood so they could
maximize the traffic that passed them.
The girls put up
a few signs in the neighborhood the night before:
I posted a little
blip on the neighborhood facebook page, but I think most of their customers
were just driving by. The majority were construction workers. The
kids and I walked down to purchase some refreshment and while I was there I saw
a guy driving a huge semi with a long, long trailer stop right in the
intersection, jump out of his rig and buy a few cookies. As expected the
cookies were more popular than the duck tape, but the girls ended up making
nearly $80 in three hours... One guy gave them $20 for two cookies, that’s
a $19 tip...not at all shabby. The afternoon was so successful the girls
were already planning when to do it again.
Our First Pet
Ever: I got an email from the family across the street who was hosting
Carly's class gerbils asking if the gerbils could stay with us for a few days
until the next host family could pick them up. I forwarded the email to
Justin and he quickly responded "no". I felt bad though so even
though I had zero desire to open my home to a few rodents I told them we could
do it. The kids loved having them here. They were constantly
giving them treats and cardboard to chew on; I'm surprised we didn't kill them
with overstimulation. I didn't like the kids to take them out of the cage
very often because it seemed every time they did the gerbils would poop.
I was surprised that the girls would pick up the poop with their barely
hands like it was no big deal. I've realized I have no desire for pet,
which is surprising cause I grew up with all sorts of pets that were
practically members of our family. 42 hours was long enough and I was
happy to be rid of them.
Hiking:
Justin took a half day on Friday, July 19th so he and the three oldest
could hike Rattlesnake Ridge. They've done it a few times since we’ve
moved here. I've yet to make the
accent since Katie had always been too young (and after our family hike later
in July I think it would have probably been a bit much for me as well).
Afterward they
changed into their swimsuits and played in the lake before heading home.
Justin took
Friday the 26th off of work so we could do some sort of outdoorsy day trip as a
family. His original idea was to visit Mt. Rainier, but once Abigail
(and I) got wind that we'd be driving 5+ hours round trip everyone's interest
level was depleted. We live in one of the most beautiful areas so there
are plenty of fun options nearby. We looked online and decided on Denny
Creek, a relatively easy 2 mile hike just 20 minutes away. The hike would not
only take us to a waterfall but there would also be some natural watersides for
the kids to play in.
The hike was
family friendly, Katie had no problem walking the whole way, though we had to
hold her hand to keep her from tripping on all the rocks and roots. Both
Jason and Katie did fall but thankfully their injuries were minor.
hiking under I-90
We learned that
we need to bring a first aid kit and bug spray on any future outdoor
adventures.
swatting away the
at the insane amount of bugs
Perhaps it's the
20 pounds of baby weight I'm still lugging around, or the fact that I haven't
exercised in nearly a year, or the 80 degrees we were blessed with, or the
swarms of flies and bugs that encircled and attacked us the entire three hours,
but I was grateful to be done with it.
Justin and the
three oldest spent an evening hiking around Tradition Lake on Tiger Mountain…
Justin and a friend
of his hiked up Tiger Summit #3 last week as well. This was one of the
first hikes Justin took the girls on after we moved here two years ago, when he
got home last week sweaty and exhausted he couldn't believe the girls did so
well with the same hike at such young ages.
I think (hope) it
might have been raining as well
Letting it go
grow: Abigail has decided she wants to grow out her hair, which is so, so
hard for me. Longer hair means her curls become waves and waves can
easily look like a poufy, sloppy mess. A few months ago at a church
activity the girls (and I) were taught some basic braiding. This sparked
a little more interest from Abigail on getting her hair done (Carly has always
had a desire, but unfortunately a mom with little skill). Abigail has
even been looking online for easy hair dos she can do herself. She has
been having fun pulling back her hair in all sorts of styles lately. Even
I managed to get Abigail's hair into a somewhat decent French braid.
Senior Softball:
Grandpa Fletcher invited us to come watch his final softball game.
He's been playing on a senior center team this year and their final game
included a lunch afterward. We were happy to see Grandpa in action.
Though with a bum knee, foot, back, etc... Grandpa has himself a runner,
which means Grandpa hits the ball, but some other senior runs the bases for
him.
The kids had a
fun time and enjoyed eating lunch with Grandpa. Grandpa thinks he's
pretty funny and tried to put ice down the kids’ shirts, but they couldn't be
fooled. As we were ready to head home Abigail walked over to say goodbye
and got Grandpa good. On a hot day he actually enjoyed it.
Swim Lessons:
Jason and Katie took swim lessons last week. This was Katie first
experience with lessons. She loves the water, had no hesitation getting
I'm the pool or getting splashed in the face, but turns out she's a bit timid
when it comes to swimming. She looked so scared anytime her teachers
asked her to do something new, but immediately afterward she's look At me
and give me the biggest, cheesiest smile. It was hilarious.
She made progress though and by the end of the week she was willing to
put blow bubbles (though it looked to be like there were few bubbles and more
just she was just putting her mouth in the water), but progress is progress.
She also became comfortable enough to look up at the ceiling while
learning how to float on her back and as a result getting her ears under water.
Jason is actually a much stronger swimmer than I thought. He did
great, aside from being completely unwilling to get in the pool on
Wednesday. It was so random, maybe a result of tools many late
summer nights, but I found his decision completely unacceptable and as a
result he had his first experience with being grounded. The rest of the
week went smoothly, unfortunately no pictures to document though.
Dress Up:
Many, many years ago I had little girls in my house that loved to run
around in dressup clothes. They knew all the Disney princesses and both
had Princess parties when they celebrated their fourth birthdays. Those years
were short and it didn't take long for my girls to out grow dressup and other
girly toys and activities. We hung into all that though and last week
the big girls helped my little girl put on a creative little outfit.
Katie felt pretty
special though I haven't seen any interest in doing it again. I don't
even think the poor girl knows who the Princesses are.
Little Mama:
Katie may not be into dress up but she does know how to pretend.
She came into the office one day asking me to put her Minnie in her shirt so
she could carry her around like a baby.
And just a random
picture taken as we wrapped up scripture reading one evening…
And another as I
tucked Katie into bed…
Baby Drew:
We all continue to be smitten with Drew. He's such a good little
baby. Last week Abigail helped me try to steal a picture of him smiling,
always such a hard thing to do at this age.
My goodness! That face just melts my heart!
