We had a SLOW entrance into summer. A cold, wet and rainy spring lasted straight through June without a real summer sunbreak until Independence Day. Ugggg. It was rough. BUT, the beautiful thing about Seattle summers is once it decides to show up, you immediately forget the many, many (many!) months you had to endure to finally enjoy it. Between our road trip to Idaho and a long weekend at Seaside, we made every effort to enjoy each ray of Seattle Summer Sun.
Fourth of July:
Mila made a birthday cake for "America's Birthday!" and Isaac learned how to shuck corn--a good summer skill to have.
Browns Point Light House:
A perfect spot for an after church picnic.
Exploring T-town:
We like to putter around our own town from time to time.
Point Robinson Light House/Vashon Island:
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that in 26 years of living in Tacoma, this is the first time I've taken the 15min ferry ride to Vashon Island. 😕 We will definitely be going back!
This view never gets old!
Extended Family Invasion:
Three of my mother's siblings, their spouses and a few cousins descended upon Seattle for a few weeks. It was great to see many of them for the first time in 20 years, explore Seattle and eat good food.
A harbor cruise around Seattle--
Air & Flight Museum--
The cousins:
Seabeck:
Escaped the heat for a few hours on the Hood Canal in beautiful Seabeck. I'm in constant awe of how beautiful the Puget Sound is. We sat with our toes in the water watching the bald eagles fly between the mountains, water & trees. Stunning!
45th Birthday:
Extended family was still in town for my birthday. We celebrated at a fancy restaurant, then Mila gave me a globe. "Mom, I bought you the Earth!". *hahaha* She claimed her place at the top of the gift giving pyramid!!
Kite Festival:
Annual kite festival on the Puget Sound always falls on the weekend of my birthday. I love the sensory input of warm wind from our inland sea and the bright colors.
Rainier's Game:
I'm not a big fan of baseball (dragged to too many little league games against my will as teenager to watch my younger brothers), but I do enjoy a token summer time ball game with a far too expensive hot dog and a warm soda. We are lucky to have the AAA team for the Seattle Mariners in our own backyard (as in, so close I can hear the fireworks on Friday nights) and the kids LOVE to cheer on our team.
Washington State Fair:
Every year I hem & haw on if we should go to the Washington State Fair. It's just down the street from us and the weather is usually good this time of the year. When I found free tickets I convinced myself it would be a fun afternoon. Seems inflation has hit the Fair circuit as well...$30 got us one ride on the gondola (our favorite ride, but NOT worth $30) and 45min waiting in line for a bad cheeseburger. One child developed a new, previously unknown to me, fear of ALL farm animals simultaneously 😒🐮 while the other child declared their only happiness on this earth is riding the giant wooden roller coaster...by themself. 😧 #solidnope We found a stellar parking spot. We rode the gondola. And the weather was indeed nice. That's all I'll say about that. #maybewellskipnextyear #thirtydollarsforoneridemyfoot
Summer Reading Challenge:
I didn't want us to loose our reading momentum this summer...and challenging the kids to be quiet with a book for 30min a day seemed like a relatively smart parenting move. Both kids made huge gains in the reading department this summer! Mila added more than 50 new words to her flashcard deck and Isaac is asking to read Level 2 Bible Stories out loud to us all. AND, I met my summer reading goal of listening to all 7 books from the Narnia series! Big wins for all of us = new books!
It's been a full summer and now it's the night before school starts. Lunches are made. Backpacks are packed. My kids will wake as 5th & 10th graders. I think we are ready for Fall.
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