Summer Fun 2018

 We have had such a fun summer exploring our new home and the area around it.  The kids fell in love with the river and we spent almost every day swimming, catching snakes and crawdads and finding new spots to explore. It was such a peaceful place for me to take the kids and we had so much fun playing in our "backyard"

 When the weather was cool we even started up our outdoor firepit and the kids made smores'.  This is something I hope to do more of once fall comes and the nights are a bit cooler.

 On nights when Dave is working the kids have gotten in the habit of sleeping with me and I love it! We have been watching an episode of The Bucketlist Family and all of us are obsessed. Colbi even learned to "swim like Dorothy" (her words) this summer and asked if she could visit the Black Hole for her birthday.

My very favorite memories from summer 2018 will be the time we spent in our backyard.  I am overwhelmed with how much I truly love where we live and feel so grateful for our home and this piece of heaven we get to live and raise our kids.

Long Beach with The Pemberton Family

We spent a week in Long Beach, WA with all of Dave's family. The kids had so much fun being with all their aunts, uncles, cousins and Memah and Poppee. We are so thankful for this big family and all the fun and laughter they bring to our lives.

 Cal and Case.

 Colbi and Sam.

 Cousins make the best friends! Cam, Colt, Cal and Case.

 Getting ready to hike.

 Jax was in his element catching every snake he could find.

 Case on his painted horse. He loved horseback riding.

Visit to the Coast Guard. The kids loved this and thought it was so cool!

The adults had a night out and enjoyed some karaoke and drinks.

 We took Colt and Jax out on a fishing trip. Unfortunately we did not catch any fish which was a big bummer.

 Colbi got to ride on Memah's horse with her.

Boys 1st Mariners Game

 My parents gave the boys tickets to the Mariner's game for their birthdays. Unfortunately due to my mom's recent cancer diagnosis they were not able to take them so Dave and I got to go along for the way. They had awesome seats and the boys loved it! I am already planning on going back next year and doing it again. Such a fun family event and great atmosphere.  They also loved the food! Bonus points because the Mariners won!

 We did a little exploring of the city on our walk back to the car.  The boys have not spent much time in a big city and it was really eye opening for them to see the difference from what they are used to. Lots of good and interesting conversations happened on the way home.

They had to get a picture in front of Russell. Jax wants to go to a Seahawks game so badly!

Girls Trip 2018

We did our annual girls trip in Bend Oregon this year.  Colbi got to come (the last time she came with us was when we went to Arizona and she was only 6 weeks old).  We rented a condo close to the river and enjoyed a fairly relaxing time.  Marni and I ran on the river trail in the mornings, we explored the city, had some yummy food and spent a lot of time swimming in the pool with Colbi (because that is ALL she wanted to do and she loved it!)

 I loved having Marni around because she is amazing at hair and Colbi's hair looked adorable every day.

 This gelato place was amazing!

Not our favorite coffee but the atmosphere was awesome.

We had lunch with a bunch of my mom's friends (coaching wives) from when we lived in Bend. We have kept in touch over the years and it was so fun to see all of them and their kids.

 Our last night there we drove around Bend to our old houses that we used to live in and stopped by the high school that my dad coached and taught at. It was weird to think about what might have been had we not moved to Walla Walla. I will forever be thankful for my mom and my little sister. They are my best friends and life would not be the same without them.