June 2016

This month FLEW by!

Here are a few highlights:

Eagle Rodeo.  We had never attended this before and it was Idaho-awesomeness.  The kids were fascinated by all of the different competitions, and we fully embraced this country night! The kids were also obsessed with Daddy because he had just returned from 2 weeks away!

Doug has been awaiting the sequel to Finding Nemo for about 8 years (yes, prior to becoming a father).  Of course, we bought movie tickets in advance for the opening night of Finding Dory.  The kids were so excited, but I'm confident that their hyper excitement grew leaps and bounds due to the excitement of their Daddy... and his "allergies" kept acting up throughout the movie.  That sentimental guy couldn't keep it together!

We've had swimming lessons and play dates and a lot of sibling play time.

As must as I LOVE how independent they now are with their bathing and hygiene routines, seeing them both in a bubble bath together brought back some fond memories! 

And, we have a new pet.... a momma wren has made a nest in the playset in the backyard.  So, we have studied her and stalked her while we wait to see when her babies arrive.

The kids are such independent summer creatures.  They both dress themselves, play games together for hours before hitting and fighting and crying, grab their own snacks and waters... my role is changing this summer, and I'm equal parts embracing it and equal parts resisting it! Some days, I feel obsolete!  Sophie is such a wise, gentle, creative girl, and Cameron is an independent, gracious, and thoughtful boy.  Their strengths (and weaknesses) truly complement each other so well.  I mean, look at those two with their binoculars! They had spent about 30 minutes tracking Mrs. Wren before they then used the Bird Bible that Papa gave us to study her sounds and habits.  And then they found a patch of shade and played "birds" until Cameron grabbed her hair and Sophie twisted his wrist.  Sibling Love has been in full force this June! 

Camping Excursion #1: Horsethief Reservoir

The Whitfields were joined by some of our favorite friends, the Whitneys, for a FUN weekend at Horsethief Reservoir.  The kids all explored the muddy beach, swam in the murky water, chased prairie dogs, threw rocks, ate s'mores.... we all had such a great time together.  The days were HOT and the nights were freezing cold-- temperatures in the 30s! What special memories these are:

I didn't think I could love that dimple more... but add s'mores...?!!

Bundled up and cozy at night:

Doug and Brian biked to the top of the world (or so it looked...) and could look down at our site along the water!

Doug caught 2 fish.  Sophie caught 0 prairie dogs. Cameron caught rocks, mud, sticks, and anything messy.  And I caught my body weight in Red Vines.

There is something so satisfying about camping; it's messy, dirty, uncomplicated, beautiful, adventurous... and spending the weekend with great friends who have amazing kids made it even greater!

Mote and Control

There are a lot of sweet and hysterical {and incorrect} words that Cameron continues to use. (Bu-struction (construction) and Bi-structions (instructions) have stood out as our favorites this past year.  But another one must be documented: Mote and Control (as in, let's drive our mote and control car.)  Both kids are self-titled "MASTER BUILDERS" with Legos and Cameron loves to build these amazing, complex, and imaginative planes with monster truck wheels that are "mote and control powered."

The past few weeks have felt like we are all mote and control cars: we are fully launched into summer vacation, driving a mile a minute! The weeks have been full of huge milestones, special ceremonies, and fun adventures.  Doug has been traveling a lot again, and we eagerly await his return tomorrow night after nearly 2 solid weeks of work travel.  I started a part-time job last month which allows me to work flexibly from home.  And I now have an incoming 1st grader and second year preschool student!

Photos to show the joy from the end of the school year and the beginning of summer!

The dance recital did not disappoint this year! My ballet and tap beauty and my hip-hop star... we were beaming and laughing and crying during the entire performances.  So proud of them!

Celebration to recognize the end of his first year of preschool!

Tradition of ice cream at the end of preschool...

I chaperoned Sophie's end of the year field trip to the nearby farm.

SUMMER IS HERE antics began!

I turned a year older.... we missed Doug, but he made sure to make me feel special from afar, and the kids and my amazing sister in law and friends also celebrated me all day long!

Sophie completed Kindergarten! Her teacher recognized her with the "Aspiring Author" award.  

During the graduation ceremony and concert, Sophie had a special part as the letter "P" during the Hippo song! 

We kicked off summer with a little front yard camping chair, workbook, and smoothie fun.

We drove real mote and control cars at the tennis courts!

The kids and I took a 24-hour road trip to Walla Walla to visit Great Grandma! We had so much fun loving on her and hitting all our favorite places in that wonderful town.  My travel buddies are the best!

 
The kids love their Great Grandma, and we will always cherish our visit with her! Cameron still wants a rematch of Connect 4 since she beat him!

We woke up early in Walla Walla and after our Starbucks pit-stop, we headed to Whitman to explore. Years and years ago when I walked through this campus as an undergrad, I had no idea how lucky I would be to someday return with my buddies.

And then we drove home....




... and we eagerly await our missing link to return home!