Summer Highlights

I was going to call this June highlights, but considering August starts next week, I decided to call it summer highlights instead. Ps, the fact that August starts next week makes me want to just weep. Summer just arrived here. Please don't leave!! PLEASE!!!



I've blogged about the major events in the summer, so here are just so snippets of other fun things we have done.

We have gone strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry picking

 

She just woke up. It is like my favorite picture of Madison

We got to tour Kelsey's school. I almost cried and it was just a tour!!!

She is moving about as fast as this picture. It is literally the cutest thing I have ever watched

We try to get to the beach around 3 times a week. Enatai is our favorite

She was trying to make me laugh. It worked. Madison can find humor in anything. Such a gift

Maybe the worst burn I have had since I was 15. It was excruciating and lasted for days. I felt like such an idiot for getting so burned. 

I love watching the girls act girly

This is not the best picture, but it has all of Kelsey's dearest friends in it. She always looks this happy when she is with her friends. Kelsey has the happiest smile.

Amazon had "Bring your kid to work day." We all got a lunch box and HUGE buffet of food and got to walk from building to building doing activities. "Dad's work is so much fun! I wish I could work here too" :)

On one of our babysitting swaps with the Salmons, Ethan and I went on a hike up Rattlesnake Ridge. MY pregnant behind was not ready for the mile up hill, but it was so worth the view.

One of my dearest friends has to move to Germany. My heart is already breaking. She leaves in about a month. Luckily we accidentally twinned at beach day so we can always have this picture. I am going to miss her so much

She wanted to "snuggle" with dad. Aka "pone" please!

You can't really see it, but there is a slug as long as our map. GROSS!!

Father's Day

A gardener was trimming flowers and let us take them home

Ever since we bought our paddle board, this is how we have spent about 3 nights a week. Sometimes its colder than others, but its always perfect. I'm trying really hard to ignore the fact that winter comes back.

When Ethan gets super bored, he sends up selfies that make us laugh

Our friends are super awesome and have a zip line in their backyard

Amazon Picnic

One major perk about living and working in Seattle, are all the Amazon parties that we get to go to. They have one about every 6 months but only in the corporate offices.

Their summer party was at Century Link Field again but this time we got to take the whole family. There were activities and food EVERYWHERE!!! I can not express how much I mean EVERYWHERE!!!! Every kiosk, people walking around, tables with buffets, trolley carts, and beverage bins. Food EVERYWHERE!! And it was all fun food too like cotton candy, fries, hot dogs, ice cream, funnel cakes, nachos, pizza, dip an dots, popcorn, chicken nuggets, and on and on and on.   I seriously don't even want to think about what our family consumed that day.

They divided the party out between two days so lines weren't too terrible. It was still a lot of people, but I've heard in years past it was just unmanageable. Balloon art, blow up slides, petting zoos, fishing, face painting, crafts, Disney characters and so much more. We got to the party around 10 and didn't leave until 4! time just flew by. The girls were awesome and we just had the best time.
The girls enjoyed meeting Moana, I enjoyed getting our family caricature, and Ethan enjoyed kicking a filed goal down on the field. Everyone walked away with a pair of sunglasses, a picnic blanket, full tummies, and a highlight of the day. Great party Amazon

 

Madison is surprisingly not pouting. She asked if she could get on the floor for the picture. This was towards the end of the day so I think the sugar high was starting to wear off. Don't worry, right after this we grabbed a snow cone so she was good to go for about another hour 

 

I absolutely HATE me in this picture and think  Ethan looks like a creepy Ken doll, but the girls are just so so CUTE!!!

Madison not only got near the animals but touche them too!!! I was a Christmas miracle! I'm not sure if she had "fun" doing it, but she totally did it!!! And Kelsey, well, Kelsey gave them all a hug and kiss before we could leave. Her favorites were the baby bunnies and the baby pigs.

Utah

We went to Utah for the 4th and it was a party. We saw lots of friends, ate at all the glorious restaurants Utah has to offer because Utah knows how to do food, and stayed up way too late visiting with family. It was over 100 degrees the whole time and sunny all week long. It was my paradise! We were so nervous about going to Utah this summer because we thought the heat would just melt our family. It in fact gave us a much needed recharge. It was so fun to be in a place that felt like summer. We were also laughing because last summer, coming from Arizona, Utah felt like a "cold snap" but this year coming from Seattle it felt like an oven.


Every time! The thing is, I think Hayes minded, but the power of screen time can not be bothered. QT cousin time am I right?!

 We played in an actual splash pad!! Not just a fountain that sprays mist but an actual fountain! Haven't seen those in a couple of months

 The 4th was done as only Utah can do the 4th. It lasted for a few days over all the cities and counties and every party was chuck full of fun. Ethan and I went to the CVille fireworks as a date on the night of the 3rd and on the morning of the 4th we went to the CVille parade with the fam. We tried to run the Freedom run but slept through our alarms. In the afternoon we visited with the McFarlands which was WONDERFUL!! We haven't seen them in two years and we just love them to pieces. Evan and Ethan were meant for each other. That evening we had a picnic with the Nellys, swam in their pool, and went to a park where we could see multiple shows going off at once. It was just so much fun. I got a little sick in the heat of the parade, but all in all it was just the best day! Hot and sunny and fun.

We tried...

 Swimming was so much fun! We pretty much had the pool to ourselves. And I was so proud of Kelsey. For a time, she took off her floaty and remembered how to swim!! I still don't totally trust her alone in a pool, but she could jump in, touch the bottom, come up for air, and swim to the side! It was so exciting.

Julie is the best in the whole world, and moved Hayes's entire birthday party up a week so that we could join!! I was almost in tears I was so excited!! You guys!! She throws the best parties. They are always so thought out, the theme is out of control cute, its executed perfectly, but so low key that you don't feel intense about anything. I don't know how she does it. How can it be all those things at once?! Its crazy, but I love that we get to go. This them was baseball and it was just so much fun.

 Cool "tornado" we saw in Idaho

 After two VERY long years, we got to see the Johnsons, which was a miracle in itself because they live in Chicago and are moving to Florida. The 4th in Utah is truly a magical time of year.

We thought it would be cute to get the two "babies" together in a photo. They did not like this idea

 We took a trip up to Pineview and took out the paddle board for the first time. I am so happy we made this purchase! So is everyone else I think!! no one can deny the joy of a paddle board

 I love that Diana is in the background. So so cute! Also, side note, Madison LOVES the "paddyboard" or "boat" she would not get off. She rocked at standing on it while I paddled and got really good about jumping off and climbing back on. Shes an all star. Kelsey did great too, but she was a little more interested in playing with Harper which is fair because Harper is awesome.

 

No reason. Just becasue it was warm. I didn't realize we had become such warm blooded people

 The Wings had a big family reunion which brought many visitors from out of town including Aunt Kay and the Robbins. It was great to see our Arizona family again.