Beach day..

We celebrated the last day of June at {one of} my favorite place. Isaac and the seven girls piled in the Beast and journeyed to the edge of Oregon where we spent a day running, splashing, and digging. It was a day enjoyed by all - and totally worth the effort of loading up six kids and venturing out for the day. 

Claire, like her mama, is happiest at the beach. I think she loves the total freedom that she has the moment her feet hit the warm sand.

 Isaac spent most of the day on the blanket, or in my arms. I was trying to shield him from the sun.

Grace found a giant pit and spent most of her day in the pit. It was so big that the four big girls could all get in and would disappear from sight.

He didn't get a lot of time in the sand, but he LOVED it when I finally let him down.

There was not a single cloud in the sky. 

On the way home, the Cheese Factory (of course), for some squeaky cheese and ice cream cones.

Snapshots {week 22}...

Have you ever seen a sun halo? I've been noticing these a lot lately. What I didn't know is that when one of these beautiful rings appears in the sky, it is usually followed by rain in the next 24 hours. 

It was fun to have a quick visit with Hannah and her boys. We were so busy this weekend with Grace's birthday, that we didn't really get to spend much time with them, but we were thankful for the little bit of time we did have.

Veggie sticks keep Isaac busy while I cook dinner (or breakfast or lunch).

Sometimes when daddy gets home they all pile in the car and take turns "driving" on our street.

Serena left her beloved Riley the Dog at our house, so we had to send nightly pictures with messages about the adventures Riley was having with the Brownlees.

How Isaac plays at Pump-It-Up.

Friday night at the park.

Claire sat down next to Isaac and said, "Take a picture of us!"

While Grace and I were at the game, Claire and daddy watched on TV and cheered from the couch. 

Grace is a fantastic big sister. Today she fed Isaac, dressed Isaac, played with Isaac, and read to Isaac. I think the reading was his favorite.

Last minute...

Last night Grace and I had a fun date. At the last minute I texted our friends who have the seats next to us at the Timbers games and asked if they were going to use their tickets. They weren't going, so she offered to email them to us!!! The game was scheduled to start at 8pm... we printed our tickets at 7:37 pm, jumped in the car, zoomed into Portland, parked near the Old Church, ran the 3/4 mile to the stadium, and walked in to our seats - only 7 minutes after kick-off. Not too bad. Plus, my parents were there in our regular seats, so it was fun to surprise them.

Though the outcome of the game was disappointing, the effort of getting there was totally worth it.

TBT {week 14}...

Ten years ago we lived in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was just a quick jaunt for a summer internship, but was the one and only time either of us lived outside of Oregon. It was an adventure!

Picture taken on July 4, 2004 in Rocky Mountain National Park - one of our favorite weekend destinations while living in Colorado. 

Stow-away...

On our walk home from the park tonight we noticed a stow-away on Isaac. He didn't seem to mind too much, but was curious when the little friend flew away and landed on his sister. 

Summer reading...

I love summer for so many reason. I love the longer days: relaxed mornings, lazy afternoons and light, warm evenings. I love that we can be more laid back about the kids' bed times and they can read almost as late as they want. I love finding them each sound asleep in bed with the lights still on and a book still in their hands. 

The girls are plowing through their summer reading programs. Grace has finished 7 books since school ended, and has three more on her night stand ready to go. Between the books she is reading herself, and the books I have read out loud to her, Claire has finished 38 books in the last 11 days. We have been to the library four times in two weeks. 

Books seem to be the perfect balance to the wild, energetic outside play that happens throughout our days at home. Books are a good way to wind down at the end of our days. Books can be taken with us and easily read on the go. Now if only I could carve out a little more time in my days for books...

Grace's birthday...

This is the last birthday post, I promise. 

Every year I try to snap a picture of Grace at the exact minute she was born. It isn't hard to do, because she was born just after 6 pm, so I'm not waking her up or setting alarms at weird times of the night. Anyway, here is my compilation so far... the first seven years. 

Day one. Hello sweet girl and welcome to the world. I remember being so thankful that you were finally out and were pink, screaming and so healthy. It was a bumpy few weeks before you came, but your delivery was picture perfect. 

One year old! I remember this day being a little chaotic - surrounded by your whole family and a few close friends. Time spent at the zoo, the park and playing at home. It was busy, but you were enamored with the attention and stayed happy all day long.

Two years old. We spent the day at the beach, just the three of us. I had hoped to make it home in time to snap this picture on porch, but we were two blocks away when the clock changed, so a car seat pic it is.

Three years old. I think you were worn out after a morning spinning and twirling on the rides at Oaks Park, because come 6 pm you were grumpy and naughty. In fact, we had to cancel part of our evening plans and tone it down just a bit. Thankfully, after some dinner, you rallied and the rest of our evening was great fun.

 Four years old. I can't find the picture from your exact birthday, but I have always loved this picture from your birthday party. Four was a wonderful year for you - learning and growing so much. You were sweet and kind and so. much. fun.

 Five years old. We partied hard and ended our night in downtown Portland. We pulled over in front of the immigration building to take a few quick pictures before heading off to our final destination. It was a silly place to pose, but you were such a trooper.

 Six years old. Red Robin for dinner, of course, before spending the evening at the Balloon Festival.

Seven years old. Another car picture while waiting to get in to the drive-in. 

Seven is going to be a good year. I know it. You are getting so big and independent, but you still love daddy and me more than anyone else in the world. You are a great friend and an amazing big sister. You are {almost always} kind and caring. You are so smart and strong and brave. We have rough times, sure, but I love spending my days with you. I love that your birthday kicks off our three months of summer. I love that you would rather be home with your family than doing almost anything else in the world. I love that you are usually up for an adventure... and I can't wait for our adventure this fall!

Happy birthday, Big Girl. I love you!

Rounds two and three...

We had so much fun celebrating Grace's birthday this year. We kicked off party season with her Skate World bash, and then kept the party going with a family BBQ on Saturday and a day of fun on Sunday (her actual birthday). By the end of the weekend we were thoroughly exhausted, but it was well worth it. I think she enjoyed every minute of her special celebrations.

 

On Sunday, per our tradition, we started off with a number shaped breakfast. This year - waffles!

 After church we headed over to WOW Burger. She got to fill out the form to build her perfect burger. No restrictions. Anything goes. We were pretty proud of her.

Watching her eat the monster burger was exactly like those horrible Carl's Jr. commercials - giant bites, sauce dripping everywhere. She was in Heaven.  

 After lunch we headed over to the Memorial Park in Wilsonville. We played on the playground for a while, and then changed into swim suits and splashed in the fountains.

We ended our afternoon at the Drive-In theater. We had a blast setting up "camp" and hanging out before the show started. 

Creating our own dragons using paper, stickers, clay, pipe cleaners, play-doh, etc. 

Isaac was such a trooper all day - not really getting a nap at all, but staying really happy. As the sun went down and the movie started, he finally crashed.