August

We have had a busy and fun-filled August. Summer break always goes by WAY too fast and I just want to savor this extra time that we have together as a family and do as many outdoor adventures together. The girls are growing up way too fast and I just wish time would slow down.

We have had weekly playdates with Addison and Kinsley. I love watching their relationship grow and what fun they have together. On this occasion, they played at the house and then we took some time to swim at Lake Meridian.

The library opened back up while we were in Idaho so as soon as we had the opportunity we went inside the library and Paige was in absolute heaven. She loved looking through the books and finding the perfect ones. Baylor just kept piling the books into her bag and I had to put a limit on what she brought home. I love that both of my girls love books.

Every summer I love to do the Asahel Curtis hike and so one nice weekend we drove up to the mountains and enjoyed being out in nature. It was much drier than in years past but still very pretty.

Then we found a new spot to check out to have our lunch at. It was in Olallie State Park. There is a short hike that you can follow along the river but there is also a road that you can drive down and we picked that since we already went on a hike and went and saw Weeks Falls. It was gorgeous and before we left we wondered along the river for a little bit. It was such a nice outing and I love living here!

Another evening we decided to go to Salt Water State Park after dinner and watch the sunset on the water. It was such a peaceful evening. The tide was higher up but we found a couple of sea creatures and the girls had fun playing in the sand.

For two weeks in August, every morning at 8 AM Paige did swimming lessons for the first time. She LOVED it! She grew and learned so much in those two weeks and she can't wait to learn more. She loves being in the water and I have loved watching her confidence grow. Baylor was my little reading buddy. I would read the Liahona magazine while she would "read" her books while we waited for Paige to be done.

Another fun play date with Addison and Kinsley.

Another weekend in August, Paige and I went with Anna and Margaret down to Oregon to go to the Street of Dream. It was fun to visit on our drive down and I loved having Paige with me. She has always been my sidekick! We made some fun stops on the way down- Bella's dad's house in the Twilight movies and we stopped to see a squirrel bridge that goes over the road.

We enjoyed the evening at Mike and Christy's house. Paige enjoyed playing with Myla and we walked over to a Scout day camp that is near their house. We stayed up too late visiting and Mike, Anna, and I made a midnight run to a gas station to see who could get the best deal for $1.

Then the next day was filled with lots of walking and dreaming of what our future houses could look like. The first stop was 3 "normal" homes. We always like to see how they decorate and take pictures of the little things that we could do in our own homes. Then there were some container homes to see and then 3 million dollar houses to walk through. We saved the biggest and best for last. I love taking Paige with me and she gets into it just as much as I do. I love oohing and aahing over things and seeing her reaction to different rooms.

One afternoon we went to another new spot for us- Lake Tapps. We went with Nona and met up with Anna and her kids for a picnic. I brought the girl's swimsuits even though the water was pretty cold so they didn't last long.

After Anna left we decided to drive to the other side to see what it looked like and the girls kept on inching farther and farther into the water. It was so fun to watch their faces as they got deeper and deeper and would give me cheesy grins since they knew they were getting their clothes wet. 

Our weekly visit to the library and Baylor has made a new friend that she loves to see every time we go.

The girls helped me make egg rolls one afternoon. They always love to help me in the kitchen. Sometimes I let them and sometimes I don't have the patience for it but I'm grateful that they are willing to help and that they are learning at a young age how to cook.

Nate has worked a couple of Friday nights at the park when they do concerts. He gets paid to help set up and take down and enjoy the concert. Pretty good deal to me! One of the concerts was a Beetle tribute band and so I took the girls and we met Nona there. The girls had fun playing on the playground while I enjoyed the music.

We checked out a new park one afternoon- West Fenwick Park. It is a brand new park and was awesome. They have it set up like a giant game board of Chutes and Ladders. There are spinners and if you land on a triangle then you have to do that obstacle or go down a slide to the circle. The girls loved it and Hadlie happened to be there with her family for a little bit which was a bonus for Paige.

Last Saturday there was a Stake Primary Activity at the Seattle Temple. It was very well put together and the girls had a great time. We walked around the grounds, helped plant a tree and do some clean up of leaves, had our picture taken in front of the temple, and even got to go inside. Paige especially loved going inside part of the temple and I know it makes her even more excited to do baptisms for the dead when she is old enough.

This past week I have just wanted time to slow down and wanted summer to last as long as possible. School seems to start earlier than normal this year and it makes me miss Paige already. It will be a long day for her since she hasn't gone to a full day of school since March of 2020 when she was in second grade and now she is in 4th! Why do kids have to grow up so fast?!?!?

We went to the park one afternoon and had the whole park to ourselves. The girls had fun doing obstacle courses and playing hide and seek.

Then Wednesday we had one last playdate with Addison and Kinsley before school starts. We have loved seeing them weekly and know that it won't be as often with school starting and busier schedules. I took the girls to the gnome trail.

Then we ended our day with swimming at the aquatic center. Paige was super brave and jumped off the diving board for the first time and ended up jumping off a couple of times. She also went down the slide for the first time. She must have been feeling extra brave and I loved watching her conquer her fears.

Now onto a new school year for Paige! I know she will learn and grow this year and I'm excited to be her #1 cheerleader. I'm extra grateful for Baylor and that I will have her to keep me company.