Karlie's 10th B-day

We made a quick trip up to Issaquah for cousin Karlie's birthday party. It began with a sign-waving drive-by, followed by a BBQ, then concluded with an ice cream cake.

Outside Fun

I remember at the start of summer and they all played at this same spot for a short time. It is a steep bank with lots of tree limbs overhanging the bank. Earlier this summer Tor had a hard time even climbing the bank and forget swinging on branches. Yesterday they spent almost the entire day at their hang-out calling all the tree limbs different names from all the imaginary stories. Here Tor is getting a ride on one from Jillian and Bridget.

While in the woods Tor fell into some bush that left lots of soft stickers in his hands. He tried washing them a lot but that didn't help. So Papa came up with some super sticky tape and got them all out.

The next time they were at their woods hide-a-way, they saw Tierney come home from school and went and visited her. Tierney is getting known for her fancy cookies she makes so they were thrilled to get these Pokemon cookies. 

Later that evening it was so nice and warm out that they hated to come in so did a lot of rip-sticking and scooter riding in the dark. No problem getting them in bed and they were asleep in a minute.

 

Garage Sale, Day 2

The second day of the garage sale is 1/2 price, and run by the kids (except Tor ... he's not quite old enough), who keep all the profits. Here's a picture of them, trying to stay cool under the awning. Cousin Rielee was in charge of the cash register, Jillian bagged items, and Bridget (her first time) ran errands and straightened up the clothes. They ended up making a lot of money!

Garage Sale, Day 1

Our day started off with a visit from new cousin Josie Jean. We were excited to hear that she will be moving to CR for a time.

Jillian spent a lot of time this summer making coasters with the photographs she had taken. She also sold masks made by her cousin Rielee.

Bridget had a stand selling hand-drawn cartoons and art, by request.

The neighbor girls Hazel and Ila stopped by to shop and get a tour of the property.

Cooling Off at Willow Grove

The kids got lucky on this trip, finding a huge tree halfway in the water. They had a great time playing on and around it the entire time.

Friends Fun!

Getting a serious picture with this crew is a challenge, as this was one of the best of several tries. Ava, Harper and Jillian paid attention, Tor was acting shy (not typical for him), and Bridget was paying attention to her cone in all the shots. They did get Mocha to come over and get in the picture. 

They went up to Aunt's to play first until lunch and then the twins got to come down after lunch. It is fun to have other kids around. After awhile they started their favorite activity-making rock homes, a beach scene, tiny dolls, or a dog toy box. It didn't take Tor long to finish his and go on to other things, but the girls worked for a long time.

 

Cooling Off in Skamakowa

The temperature was supposed to almost reach 100 F, so we headed to Skamakowa to cool off. The river water at Vista Park was comfortable, and there were lots of waves. The kids played there for a couple hours.

At Papa Ken's property, the kids explored, and threw tons of rocks into the slough.

We roasted hot dogs for dinner over the fire pit, and visited with Cousin Curt from North Dakota.