Summer Fun.

>> August 11, 2014

This summer feels busier than any other summer but it's hard to complain when we've been doing so many fun things! I just love this season where we can be outside all day long, stay up late, eat lots of fruit and not feel guilty about a dirty house because we are too busy exploring, laughing and spending time with friends.
We've spent a few weekends up at the beach house and it's one of our favorite places. The kids just love going down to the beach to explore, swing and get a little wet.

 I thought it'd be cute to get a picture of us while the kids played. Matt thought it was too bright for a picture. Oops.  :)


 On a random Tuesday I decided to take the kids to the zoo and invited my parents along. We spent over 5 hours walking to see every single animal.  The kids were exhausted by the end of the day but it was so fun seeing each exhibit and letting them explore, climb and get a little dirty.




 Costco put out their Halloween costumes 3 months early.  Let's just say I wasn't the only mom who gave in and bought them after the kids begged and begged. I can't lie…they are pretty cute and I figure we might as well wear them now to get our money's worth! And, they've worn them every single day since we bought them.


 Lucy got to enjoy her first fudgsicle at the sitters house. I walked in the door to pick them up and discovered a chocolate mess dripping down her tummy. She savored every last drop!
 Cute girl in the backyard.
 Tired girl with her Daddy.  This was after a 2+ hour nap that she woke up from then decided to cuddle and fall back asleep for another hour. Love these two.
 I made some yummy peach/blueberry/nectarine cobbler last week.  I can never eat enough fruit in the summer!
 The kids started swim lessons last week too (just to keep our schedule crammed full of activities and me rushing from work to swimming to home to make dinner!) They love them!  It's a semi-private class in a super warm pool 2 nights a week. And they have both learned so much after just 2 lessons!
 


 We've enjoyed lots and lots of popsicles.  This is one of the hottest summers on record so we have to stay cool somehow.  :)

 We have a few great splash parks near our house. I took the kids to Willis Tucker park a few weeks ago to spend the day playing in the water, sandbox, playground and grassy hills. Such a fun day!


 Carter earned his first Lego set after filling his penny jar (when he helps out, obeys or does kind things for others he earns a penny and once its full he gets to choose a new toy). He immediately came home to study the directions and build it all by himself. Now he wants every Lego set ever made.  Uh oh!

 Some silly time with my favorite girl while waiting for Carter to wake up from a nap one day.
 Just another night at tball. She was so good every week to watch her brother play, dig in the dirt and play on the playground to pass the time.

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#33

Matt celebrated his 33rd birthday back in July and we were lucky enough to have a date day to celebrate.  My parents came up to watch the kids so we could spend the day in Seattle.  There are so many little cities, sites and things to do right in our own backyard.  We decided to take the ferry over to Bainbridge Island for the day, then be tourists in Downtown for a few hours.
The morning started out a little cloudy but ended up bright and sunny, which was perfect for the ferry ride.

Waiting to board the boat with the Great Wheel in the background (still haven't ridden it yet and since Matt thinks it's a waste of money to ride I'm still seeking out a friend who wants to come with me!)

 Me with the birthday boy!
 After getting off the boat we wandered around downtown, walked through the Farmer's Market and decided to get a sushi lunch.  It was delicious!

 We spent about 3 hours walking through shops before heading back to Seattle.
 We walked down to Pikes Place.  Both of us hadn't been down there in probably 10+ years.  Being that it was a sunny Saturday in the middle of July, it was packed.  Not just like "lots of people" packed but like "I feel like a herd of squished cows" packed. We only made it about 20 minutes before deciding we had seen enough and ventured off to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale!  Still crowded but much more manageable!
 We walked by the gum wall on the way back to the car, just for fun! It was a great day celebrating my favorite guy. Happy 33rd Matt!

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Orange Crush!

Carter just finished up his first season of t-ball.  He was on a minor league division and played for 8 weeks, most of those in 80+ degree heat!  It was definitely a change going from fast-paced soccer to slower, more focused tball but he did great, learned a lot and made some new friends.
His coach was amazing and really connected with each child, adding humor and lots of sarcasm to keep  it fun too!

His professional pics (aka - cutest tball player ever and how did my baby get so big?!?):


 Before his first game (aka - super goofy and not quite ready to focus on the actual game!):

 His best friend Connor was on his team. These boys are two peas in a pod.  I'm not sure if they had more fun playing tball or just playing together.
 He definitely enjoyed hitting the ball more than playing in the field.  And he had some great hits by the end of the season!

 It took lots of reminders to have him focus on the ball instead of just playing in the dirt. But, he caught a few balls and after smiling, waving and yelling at me…he then knew to throw it to first base! Haha!



 The last game all the kids received trophies from their coach.  It was a very big deal.

Go Orange Crush!

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