Summer Recap #1: Washington and Oregon in July

It is the last day of summer break for Sam. The weather was considerably cooler today, which I think is mentally helping us to prepare for the start of the new school year. We took Sam's school supplies to his teacher's classroom this morning, and Sam got to meet her and select his desk. I feel like summer is really drawing to a close, and it seemed fitting to write a few posts to recap our summer adventures.

 The Everett parade is one of the best 4th of July parades in the area, I think!

Fireworks at RB 

My first professional pedicure! The other two pairs of feet belong to my dear friends Rachael and Carrie. We had a GNO to celebrate the impending arrival of Carrie's new baby. Ironically, we all chose extreme similar colors for our nails.

We planted several new trees and flowers in our yard. Lucy is standing by the weeping cherry tree. We also planted a "youngi" weeping birch tree, an Akebono flowering cherry tree, and also an "april dawn" camellia bush. The bunnies have been nibbling on the flowers in our garden, so we have been limited in what we can plant, but they seem to stay away from the coneflowers, dianthus, and snapdragons alright.

For a few weeks, Lucy was really interested in wearing Sam's astronaut helmet around the house (especially in the evenings). Here she is waiting for her bath water to be drawn.

In the latter part of July, we had a B family reunion. There were a lot of great activities that were planned, including a "cupcake war" bakeoff, Olympic races and events, a treasure hunt. The kids even put on a talent show one night, in which Sam told jokes and Lucy showed off her letter skills with Will.

Lucy at Susie and Dave's "River Dream"

Cousins outside the Visitor's Center at Sunrise (Mount Rainier)

The Sunrise Nature Trail at Mount Rainier. We did this hike several years ago, when Sam was small enough to be carted around in the same backpack! It is fun to compare those early photos this this recent photo: not only is Sam so much older, but now Lucy is riding in the backpack.

Another fun outing involved riding the ferry and then going up the Columbia Tower, the tallest building in Seattle. I'd never been up here, and it was fun to look at the city and pinpoint landmarks, where I work, where J works, etc.

Sam kayaking at Susie and Dave's lake house. It was neat to see him be able to pull himself back into the boat if he capsized - the "canoe tip" trainings for Cub Scouts really are helpful!

Not long after the reunion, I started to panic that our summertime in the PNW was drawing to a close. We made an impromptu decision to visit Oregon one weekend and go to the Enchanted Forest. We stopped by the Pittock Mansion on our way down. It just happened to be the same day that the Oregon Regency Society was picnicking on the lawn, and their presence prompted me to discover that there is a similar chapter in Washington: the Washington Regency Society. I don't know when it will happen, but I feel like I'm going to have to be a member of this society at some point in my life.

The Pittock Mansion

The Enchanted Forest!

Lucy on the kiddie train ride at the Enchanted Forest. This is a pretty good summation of her reaction to the park. She had a fabulous time.

This is one of my favorite photographs from the whole summer. Lucy spontaneously started dancing while listening to Snow White sing within the Seven Dwarves' hut at the Enchanted Forest. This was her favorite spot of the whole theme park and we had to go back and look at it a few times. I'm so glad that we were able to take her to the park this year, especially since she is just the right size to peer into many of the windows.