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?".

Summer Fun - July Style

Although I've already posted about a lot of our July activities, we did squeeze some other random events into our days and nights as well.  Sunshine, lake water, kiddie pool water, sand, playdates, hikes, fresh veggies and berries from our garden and lots of time together with family and friends have filled our lives.  We are so thankful for all we are blessed with.

I think this picture actually dates back to June and the very beginning of kiddie pool season at our house.  Since then, this pool has seen many friends, many dives and many splashes (and also possibly a poopy swim diaper or two!).

These boys have so much fun together and are rather rambunctious as you can see!

Hiking near Lunch Peak.

Kai was mesmerized by all of these rocks.

On the way back we let him hike which turned into more of a rock-collecting trip than a hike.

Check out this big rock!

I attempted to encourage him along :)

This was by the side of the road near the trailhead, along with many "Beware of bears" signs.  Not too comforting! 

Swimming at Trestle Creek.

Enjoying his new picnic table.  Thanks Grandpa!

What better way to end a beautiful summer's day than with Fish Tacos and Strawberry Salsa in the backyard.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE summer?!

Our friends gave us some hand-me-down snow boots and Kai insisted on wearing them around all morning long :)

Newest favourite activity.



"Gamma" and "Papa"

My parents came out to visit a couple of weeks ago.  My dad was here for just one day to help us finish our shed/guest room and then he went on a fishing trip with a friend while my mom stayed here for the week.  As usual, Kai had a great time going on lots of adventures with Grandma and even learned how to say "Gamma" instead of the usual "Nana".

Late night install of our new pecan wood flooring.  I love it!  And, it only took the guys about an hour to put it in.

Finishing off the trim.



Lounging in the pool with snacks and a drink.  It doesn't get much better!

At Riley Creek with Grandma.

We had the whole beach all to ourselves!

Even with a lovely lake to enjoy, Kai preferred the mudpuddle :)



Sick

I've heard a lot of parents say that although it's sad to see your child sick, it's rather nice at the same time, because it means you get lots of cuddles :)  Up until recently, Kai has been really healthy.  He had a few colds this past winter, and although they resulted in grouchiness, they never resulted in decreased energy.  Ha!  But, in June he got his first fever.  I immediately knew he was sick when one morning he only wanted to be held, and then 30 minutes later fell asleep in my arms.  Unheard of!  This is our baby who from the age of 4 weeks old wouldn't fall asleep in our arms, no matter how hard we tried!  Anyways, that fever wasn't very high and only lasted for a few hours.  But, a few weeks later (at our family reunion), Kai got sick again.  This time it was pretty bad (for him anyways).  For a couple of days he had a fever of 103 and only wanted to lie on the couch with us and read books, watch movies or sleep.  It was sad, but oh so nice at the same time!  Sadly though, once the worst of it was over, he became one little grouchy boy.  He would try his best to be active and play, and then just collapse on the floor crying.  Sad :(  Anyways, as he would say, he's "all be'er" now and although I miss my cuddles with him, I'm glad he's better too.

Daddy loved all of the cuddle/napping time too :)