June

June is always a busy month with the end of school and the start of summer. We are loving summer break and are just starting our adventures.

The month started with Paige's final orchestra concert of the year. They did an amazing job, and orchestra is Paige's favorite class. Her teacher is incredible. This time, Baylor and McCall stayed home with Pops, so Nate and I just got to sit and watch, which was kind of weird but also nice.

We celebrated Nate's 40th birthday.

Baylor had her end of year carnival at her school and all the girls had so much fun. Baylor loved seeing her friends there and it was so cute to see all these girls hanging out and playing together. The girls loved the petting zoo and the inflatables the most.

McCall was too small, but Paige was able to take her down once. If you could zoom in on McCall's face on the top right picture, it is pure terror but then the one on the bottom right she has a huge smile. :)

Then, the weekend of June 8th, we went down to Hillsboro and stayed one night at Mike and Christy's house. We were there for Jake's mission farewell, so Anna and Scott's family were there along with Nona and Pops. Saturday afternoon and evening were spent at Next Level. It is the most amazing arcade where you just pay for the day and can come and go and play any of the games as many times as you want. It is overwhelming in a good way when you first go in because it is so cool. We were there for a couple hours with everyone before dinner. Then took a break to have dinner at Mike and Christy's. Then most everyone went back. Baylor and McCall were done so I stayed home with them until I got them to bed. Then I went back and by this time Anna and Scott were leaving with their family and they took Paige back, so Nate and I just had a little date for about an 1 1/2 hours doing lots of games together which was so fun. It was fun to see the girls having fun. My favorite memories were doing guitar hero with Anna and doing this scary one with Nate where you shoot zombies and they jump out and scare you because I was screaming so much and Nate was just laughing at me. 

Sunday was the farewell which was wonderful, and then we had lunch and headed back home. It was a pretty quick trip, but it was fun to be with family, and it was fun to stay up late with Nate and Mike visiting after we got home from the arcade.

Three cute girls enjoying a summer evening.

When the girls were in school, about once a week I would go with Celina and her two kids and go on an outdoor adventure. So far, we have gone to Seahurst Beach, Lake Wilderness, Gnome Hike, Flaming Geyser, and the park. It is fun having a friend that wants to go out and do things.

Here's a few pictures from the gnome hike. It was their first time going and they really enjoyed it. The girls loved all the gnomes.

Baylor joined us for Lake Wilderness since she was "sick" that day. I'm pretty sure it was dehydration from the warm day before. We had some lunch, the kids played in the water, and we found some cool rocks.

This little girl with all our adventures has been taking naps in the afternoon especially if she is in the car which also means for some late nights.

Nate had to change the brake pads on his car, and they were worn all the way down. The fun thing was that he had to take the tires off to do this and I had never changed the tire before. I had been told how to do, but never actually done it. So, I had him walk me through it and I was able to take off and put a tire back on and Paige did one too. It was fun to do and just sit by him and watch as he worked. He answered all my questions and commented on how he just liked my presence as he was working on a task that he didn't really want to do but needed to be done.

Paige was in charge of one of our young women activities this month and did a self-care night. She thought of all the details, and it was super fun. We first did face masks. Then while they were drying, we did some journaling, and she even had some prompts. Then we made some shower fizzies.

The 14th was graduation. In the morning, we watched Mikey graduate along with other youth in our ward. That afternoon I went to my two young women's grad parties which were so fun and sweet to see them. I've watched them both grow and progress over the past few years, and it is amazing to be a small part of their lives. One of them is Polynesian and it was a PARTY. They had so much food, a DJ, everyone got a candy lei when they walked in, there was a raffle, so McCall and Baylor came home with a big stuffed animal and some cookies. She also did a traditional dance where people threw money at her and her stuffing money in her dress. It was the coolest experience and so fun to be a part of.

The day before school was out, Baylor had field day and McCall and I got to join her for lunch and an all school recess and then it was finally the last day of school!!!!!

The next day to celebrate, we went to Big Air and there was hardly anyone there, which was so nice. Baylor and Paige stuck together so I didn't get as many pictures of them while I followed McCall around. The girls had so much fun!

I got to go with the youth to the temple and one young man it was his first time baptizing and there were some nerves and mistakes but it was fun to watch his progression. 

One morning, the girls woke up in a mood. Everyone was pushing each other's buttons and there is just this transition struggle from school and structure to summer schedule. By lunch, I was done and knew I needed some nature therapy. So, I took Baylor and McCall and we went and walked around Soos Creek Botanical Garden for an hour. It was wonderful and my girls truly do their best when they are outside. We ended up finding 30 slugs on our walk, saw lots of beautiful roses and flowers in bloom, threw some rocks in the creek, and the trees even acted as nature's umbrella when it started raining towards the end. It was a beautiful way to change our day around and I'm so grateful that I live on such a beautiful Earth.

We had some late nights with family in town this past weekend and the night before McCall's birthday, I went home with just McCall to put her down. She was fighting sleep, and I ended up rocking her to sleep. I haven't done that in a long time, and it was the sweetest thing. It was my last night with her as a two year old and I just love this little girl so much.

We got a new car! Meet Fritz! We ended up buying this van from Mike and Christy. I never wanted to be a van mom, but I know I will love the space and being able to take extra people with us will be a wonderful bonus. They gave us an amazing deal and we are excited for all the places and adventures this new car will take us on.

Paige is a big Benson Boone fan and this week he had a special Crumbl cookie and she was so excited to get it.

What a wonderful month!

 

Kanasket-Palmer State Park

We had a wonderful evening last night with our neighbors, the Keenes. I have done lots of outdoor adventures with Celina and the kids in the past few months, but this time our husbands got to join in the fun. We went to Kanasket-Palmer State Park and had some pizza for dinner and then just enjoyed what nature had to offer. The view was stunning, the were lots of rocks to climb on and over and to throw and skip in the water, and good company.

Celina is working on her master's thesis and part of it is all about rocks and finding them and identifying them which is part of the reason we went here. She went in the water (which was freezing by the way) in search and Baylor was in heaven using a hammer to break rocks open and loved to show Celina any treasures she found.

McCall and Matilda loved watching Nate throw big rocks in the water and loved the big splash.

Baylor came home with a couple of bags full of rocks. She just kept on finding cool ones and loved when she broke them apart with the hammer that it was like a puzzle to put them back together.

The girls enjoyed finding water skippers and little fish in the water.

Oh the many faces of our little girl! She cracks us up!

Paige kept busy trying to catch a fish in a baggie and was successful with the help of Nate, and the little kids thought it was so cool.

The Keene's headed home and we spent a little bit longer and went on a family walk up river.

The girls found a big rock slide and we had a few competitions of rock throwing.

These three are pretty cute and amazing! I'm grateful they are mine!

Paw Patrol Party

I really can't believe that our little girl is 3 years old. It's one of the hardest things about being a parent is that you love the stage that they are currently in and love watching them grow and learn but then miss the years that have past and the little baby that used to fit so perfectly in your arms. 

The past week, I have felt reflective as I think back on McCall's life. She truly is a little miracle baby. She was our last shot and still to this day, it brings me to tears to think about the day that I got the positive news. It had been years of negatives that the positive was truly a shock. That little miracle is now 3 and she truly has made our family more complete. She brings so much fun and cuteness into our little world. I can't imagine our family without her.

She loves Paw Patrol, and it has been fun this past month doing little things to prepare for her big day. I put up all the decorations after she went to bed the night before and it was sweet to see her reaction when she woke up. She loved it!

We had a houseful for the party which was so much fun. The weather had not been ideal for the latter half of the week and I've been praying all week so we could have it outside. My prayers were answered, and it ended up being a beautiful evening. Aaron and 4 of his kids and Mike and Christy's family were in town for a long weekend. Then we had Nona and Pops and Anna and Scott's family and also our neighbors. It was fun to just visit and all the cousins and friends played outside. We had a hot dog bar and then smores and cake pops. 

McCall was so cute and serious with just a tiny smile while we were all singing to her. It took her a few times to get all her candles blown out but she was so proud of herself once she accomplished the task at hand.

The cake pops were fun to make and more fun to eat. It was like a gender reveal party but instead a Paw Patrol reveal. There was blue (Chase), green (Rocky), red (Marshall), and yellow (Rubble) and whichever cake pop you picked is what character you were. 

Then it was time to open presents and McCall sure was spoiled and got so many fun things to keep her busy. She is very slow at opening presents and wants to play with each thing she opens, which is amazing but is hard for her sisters who are very excited for her to open them all. She got lots of Paw Patrol things and it was so sweet listening to her little voice and her reactions to everything. She knows all the characters and was in Paw Patrol heaven.

Here's what McCall is up at 3 years old:

• She had her yearly well child check-up yesterday and is 26 pounds 12.8 ounces (12th percentile) and 2 feet 11.43 inches (16th percentile).
• She makes the BEST faces! She is the most expressive little girl with all her expressions. She keeps us laughing with the many different faces she makes.
• She is a great sleeper. The only thing right now is that she often falls asleep in the late afternoon especially if we are in the car and even will just fall asleep on her own if she is tired but if she takes too long of a nap then she is up late (10-11 pm) before she is ready for bed.
• She likes to get dressed herself and is so proud when she does it. It is the cutest thing and even cuter the clothes that she picks out and they are often backwards.
• She is very good at imaginative play and is amazing at playing by herself. It's fun to listen to her and her little imagination at play.
• She loves to be outside, go to the park, and jump in puddles. She loves to be at the beach and really any adventure we go on.
• She loves her sisters, and it is the sweetest when she sees them in the morning with the cutest grin and will give them a hug. Of all my children, she gives the best hugs and is cuddlier than the other two.
• She is starting to really learn her colors and knowing Paw Patrol characters has helped with since she matches the color with the character. (Such as Chase is blue, Rubble is yellow, etc.)
• She loves water- bath time, running the sprinkles, playing with her water table, going to the lake, etc. I often have to bring a change of clothes if there is water nearby. :)
• She loves to wear dresses just like the other two.
• She is a pretty good eater but gets distracted pretty easily. When she wants to, she can really eat but other times it takes some persuasion. She is pretty good if I say she needs to eat 1 or 2 more bites, she will do it really quickly so she can be done. Her favorite thing to eat is cheese. 
• She is always happy to say the meal prayer. She says the same thing every time and folds her arms with an occasional sneaking of food as she is praying and does this weird thing with her eyes like she is looking up to heaven, but it is more like her rolling her eyes back. 
• I haven't potty trained her yet but she has sat on the toilet a few times and shows a little bit of interest. I decided since we have such a busy summer that I'm going to wait until the fall/next school year where we will be home and really focus on getting that done.
• She loves going to nursery at church and is by far my least shy child. I wouldn't say she is super social but just fine going around other kids and adults and giving high fives to people when my other two at this age would refuse to do that and hide behind my legs.
• She has toddler moments of meltdowns and can be possessive of her toys with other kids, but she is a pretty easy-going child.
• I still can't believe she is already 3 but goodness those years have been wonderful! Happy birthday McCall Haviland Smith!

A picture for every month of our little girl being in our family. We sure love you and can time please slow down. You are growing up WAY too fast!

We sure love you!