a little bit of life ~ fall edition

Just some random phone pictures to wrap up the end of fall...

I have really enjoyed having Wednesday afternoons with Carter.  Not since he was 2 have we had any significant amount of time together, just the two of us.  One Wednesday, we headed to Big Al's for a bowling.  Such fun with my boy.

A sushi dinner date with Lyla and her family made for very happy girls

kindergarten picture day

my girl is growing up!

reading to Pops

another fun Wednesday afternoon...a marathon Monopoly game!

Carter won :)

Carter has been participating in the children's choir at church and was practicing his song for the weekend's performance (his first in front of the congregation).  He couldn't be any sweeter.  And so very serious.  I don't know why I am surprised, he is serious with everything that he does.

November saw Carter's first sleepover with his friend, Samuel...Kyle and I were at a friend's birthday party and Kennedy was staying with Grandma and Papa.  Carter and Samuel are in choir together and had their first performance that following morning, so we decided to give a sleepover a try.  The boys did great and had a ton of fun.  Unfortunately, Carter didn't sleep a whole lot and was pretty wiped out the following day.  I think we'll hold off a bit before making these regular happenings but were so grateful that the Grices were willing to have Carter over night.

A fun and full fall!

Circus!

The circus rolled into town and a friend of ours got a group together to go see a performance.  I had never been to the circus before, so I was excited to experience it with the kids.  

my little clowns

Before the show started, the performance area was open to the audience so that you could see the animals, walk on the tight rope and see other props that would be used in the show.

a little pre-show performance ~ the view from atop Daddy's shoulders can't be beat!

Kennedy and her friend Marisa

I think there were almost 60 people in our group, most of them friends from preschool.  It was so fun to get together and watch the kids' excitement for the show.

the elephants were pretty impressive

(it was a little hard for me to watch the animals perform ~ I have a very soft spot in my heart for animals and I couldn't help but wonder how they were treated and what kind of life they had)

The jugglers, clowns, acrobats, etc. were very entertaining, however.

Definitely a fun day at the circus!

camping ~ Phelan style

Really, in all honesty, this post should be titled "Camping, Mama style!"  I firming believe that I am the only member of my family who wouldn't enjoy a good ol' fashion camping trip.  I just don't love camping (dirt, public bathrooms, etc.), so I came up with a creative alternative.  We camped in our own backyard.  Genius.

The kids loved it! 

We set up our tent, had a fire and roasted marshmallows and slept the night away under the stars.  (And I can now add another not-so-favorite thing about camping to the list...the ground was really hard.  And as my previous post stated, I am getting old...And it really hurt to sleep on the ground all night long...Even on an air mattress.  Oy vey!)

 

The kids were so excited to set up the tent!  And I must say it's so much easier to do in grass as opposed to dirt!

Building a fire with supplies from our recycling bin

Ready for our outdoor movie night and fire!

We watched "Wreck It Ralph" and pretended that we were roughing it.

The kids wanted to "camp" for two nights, so the first night Kyle camped with them on his own.  I had worked the night before and had been up for 24+ hours...I good nights sleep in my own bed made for a much happier mommy.

Day #2 of our camping adventure ~ we really played the part ~ the kids were dirty, we BBQ-ed hot dogs and roasted s'mores.  No movie tonight, just good ol' outdoor fun!

Our next door neighbors joined us for s'mores ~ it's serious business getting those marshmallows just right.

Night #2 had us all sleeping in the tent.  We were up many times throughout the night and I woke up feeling less rested than when I went to bed.  But the kids had a ball and I really did love our little camping adventure.  Maybe we'll dare to go to an actual camp ground next year!

 

 



boating fun ~ i LOVE summer!

One of the best parts of summer is heading out on the boat and enjoying the beautiful weather!

We have had a magnificent summer and have actually gotten out on the boat several times (not always an easy feat in between our crazy schedules and unpredictable weather)

We headed out to the river one evening to meet up with the Pikes ~ it's such an easy launch for us but I still prefer the safety and calmness of the lake.

Carter and Nana enjoying the beautiful sunshine!

happy kiddos

We packed a picnic dinner and enjoyed some time on the beach.  The kids were able to swim, we went tubing and jet skiing...the perfect way to spend an evening!

Shannon and Emery

So much fun to spend these special time with dear friends

The kids did a lot of swimming ~ it was fun for them to run up the beach, jump in and and then swim down with the current and to the waiting dads.

The 4th of July was unusually warm, so we decided to take advantage and headed up to the lake with some friends.  Unfortunately, it was super windy, so we packed up our stuff from the beach, loaded into the boat and went in search of a calmer spot.  Luckily we overheard someone talking about an inlet that was mostly protected from the wind, so after a bit of tubing, we searched it out.  It was perfect!  We were able to eat, swim and play for the better part of the day.  The boat felt a bit small with 10 people on board, but overall the day was a ton of fun!

Carter, Ben, Grace and Kennedy enjoying their time together in the front of the boat

Carter had been begging to drive......

and he was all business!

Another night out on the river ~ we're so lucky to live in such a beautiful area, surrounded by great rivers and lakes!

This is what summer should look like!

School's Out!!! Annual End of Year Dinner

We carried on our tradition to celebrate the end of school/start of summer with the Zeamers.  I was really looking forward to our dinner with dear friends and to the start of summer.  I had been burned out with the to-do's of the school year ~ I was most definitely ready for a break from homework, sports practice, ballet, etc.  Kathy and Dan are such generous hosts, and our evening together did not disappoint.  Unfortunately, I had to work that evening, so we weren't able to stay too late but we all had a great time!

Kathy set a fun and festive table for the kids, while the adults got to enjoy some good conversation and a delicious dinner in the dining room.

a great group of kids!

I really love Kathy's children...they are all so very sweet and have such wonderful and different character traits.  They are a joy to be around.

"Have a Whale of a Summer!"

Dan BBQed and we enjoyed a lovely meal together.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't so summer-ish, but like good Pacific Northwesterners we rallied and enjoyed a fire and s'mores outside after dinner.

My kids think Kathy is the best cook ever.  With her delicious birthday cookies and amazing cakes and then s'mores!  She's amazing, I tell you!

Kyle and I enjoying some fancier s'mores ~ caramel, peanut butter and Butterfinger were flavors we tried.  DELICIOUS!

I'm not a huge fan of camp fires because I don't love the after affects of smelling like smoke.  Usually I'm a better sport, but knowing that I had to work all night left me less inclined than normal.  Thankfully Kathy lent me her coat and I moved around the fire the best I could to avoid the smoke!

Love Andrew's expression as he lost another marshmallow to the fire

Roasting marshmallows is serious business!

Thank you, dear friends, for a fun and festive night and a delicious meal.  We treasure our time together and are so thankful for your friendship!

this is SUMMER!!!

This is what summer has looked like so far...

playing in the sprinklers,

not having a care in the world,

an evening out on the river,

enjoying the park with friends from small group,

going to movies,

playing lots of games,

picnics at the park with friends,

and trips to the beach...

we've had a busy summer, but it's been a ton of fun, too!  

I love the lack of routine and the opportunities to be outside nearly every day.

I love summer!