Third Week of August

This week was busy as usual, but the highlight was getting to see friends from Hawaii who we haven't seen in 2 years!  The last time we saw them Bryon was going to school at UW, we were living in Seattle,  and Kai was still living in my belly.  It was so much fun to see Eunice and Taylor again, even though it was only for a few hours.  They were in Seattle for the week, and on Saturday we met up in Leavenworth for a day of rock climbing and tubing on the Wenatchee River.  Despite only having a 10 minute nap on our 5 hour drive to Leavenworth, Kai made it through the entire day with a smile on his face (and snot dripping out of his nose...poor sick boy!), before falling asleep on our 5 hour return trip that night.  What a trooper!  I'm so thankful that he likes the car better these days.  Kai also loved meeting Eunice and Taylor, although his pronunciation of "Eunice" was slightly off (see video below)!



Taylor belaying Bryon on a 5.8 route at Barney's Rubble.



Trying to help daddy.

My first time rock-climbing since having Kai.  It was just as fun as I remembered!

The raft is blown up and we're ready to party on the river :)

Braving the frigid waters of the Wenatchee...very refreshing on a 90 degree day.

Kai loved the raft, and bounced all over it for our entire trip.  He especially loved jumping into the middle (which is mesh so he couldn't fall through, thankfully!) and splashing us all.

Thanks to Taylor for saving Kai from launching himself off the raft.

Kai likes to find various receptacles for his cars.  On the morning this picture was taken, Kai found my bread pan and informed me that it was a "boat".

On Wednesday evenings we've been taking daddy on surprise family outings.  This week we went to Talache beach and BBQed.



Second Week of August

More summer, more fun, more friends...that pretty much sums up the second week of August for us.  I'm pressed for time at the moment, so my usual wordiness will be squelched today and the pictures will have to tell the rest.



Off comes the old roof and on goes the new one.  Needless to say, having a metal roof removed and replaced is a very noisy procedure, but Kai loved watching the guys at work and even napped through the chaos in the afternoons.




The artist/craftsman who works here took all of our old metal roof and is going to re-use it for future art projects!  His studio (above) happens to be just down the road from our house.  I love that our old, shabby roof will have a new and more beautiful life.



Inside the studio.

My big helper!



"Aunty" Rae Rae came to visit, and here we are hanging out in Garfield Bay.




Friends took us to a new beach on Lake Pend Oreille - Talache Beach.  It was beautiful!



Good old beach fun.  We're trying to make the most of these kinds of days before they end.

Kody came to visit all the way from Colorado, and Kai "helped" him connect the electrical to our shed.



The trench is filled in and our shed is now complete!



We took Kody out to one of our favourite places on the lake - Green Bay - to BBQ and swim.

And of course we went to Joel's for a breakfast burrito on Saturday morning.

And visited Evan's Brother's Coffee where Kai got a yummy sucker.

And, enjoyed sidewalk chalk at the Waldorf School booth.

Another friend turns 2!
(I forgot Kai's swimsuit, so excuse the speedo-looking diaper attire!)

Kai loves Sophie's pink car :)

Yum!  Cake and homemade ice-cream.  A great way to end a great week.



First Week of August

It seems that when August comes around and we realize that summer is half over, there is a sudden urgency to cram as much outdoor-living into our lives as possible.  This past week was no exception!  We worked hard and played hard and enjoyed every minute of it.  Once again I am reminded of how blessed I am to have an amazing husband and son and wonderful friends to share life with.

We began the week off with a trip to Riley Creek Park with some friends from church.

Evan's 2nd birthday!  It's hard to believe that Kai's friends are already turning 2 and he's soon to join them.

The chocolate cupcakes were thoroughly enjoyed.

Attempting to wash his face off.

This was Kai's gift to Evan, which Kai promptly attempted to take back.

We're not often at home these days, but when we are this is what Kai does.  He carries the cars around in his football bag, takes them all out, lines them up, then moves the line to a different location.  I'm convinced he could probably do this all day long.

Another evening swim at City Beach.

Our community garden is growing really well.  We have loads of sugar snap peas and snow peas, with carrots and tomatoes on the way.  Yummy!

Kai loves the snow peas and snap peas.  And, I love that we can teach him how to grow and harvest our own food.

Blueberry picking was a BIG hit :)  Actually, I should probably call it blueberry eating.  Not too many berries made it into Kai's bucket.

Apologies. So sweet!

More fun at the beach.

Helping daddy get ready for the Long Bridge Swim.

I got to babysit the kiddos while their daddies did the Long Bridge Swim.  It was a fun but exhausting morning.  Let's just say I came away with a great admiration for mothers of twins.

The first of the swimmers nearing the finish line.

Post-race relaxation in the backyard.

At the children's concert during the Festival in Sandpoint.  The huckleberry ice-cream was a big hit and resulted in quite the energy boost as you'll see in later pictures.

Kai was completely mesmerized by the music when the orchestra first started playing.

Standing ovation.

For the rest of the evening Kai looked like this - a little blur of dancing craziness :)

He even found some ribbons to dance with!

After 1 1/2 hours he was pretty tuckered out.  A fun end to a great week!

Kai loves our backyard kiddie pool, and he also loves seeing videos of himself. :)  In case you need a translation, he's saying, "See it. See it." and then later, "Camera?".