Though the summer felt slow–as I looked back–the kids were able to do just about all the normal summer activities. From splashpads, to birthday parties, to neighbor pool parties–they did it all! Mommy and Baby stayed home while friends kindly provided their entertainment.

The first weekend Thatcher was home, Stephen pulled in the driveway with a can of blue paint and began the transformation of the boys’ room from airplane theme to Colts football. They were ready to grow up!

We were just a little bit insane when we planned and executed a garage sale with a 3 week old infant. But, I know from past experience, that promising to host a garage sale is the only way to keep the boys from hawking lemonade, prickle burs, or random toys to our neighbors every weekend.

The kids were treated to berry picking, a hike and scavenger hunt, a park day, playdates and water fun by loving and gracious friends who wanted to give me some down time.

For the first time, we scoped out the Beaverton Farmer’s Market. They had just as good a spread as the Portland Farmer’s Market! We were impressed, and the live entertainment was a lot of fun. Silas and Cooper each came home with their very own Venus fly trap plants. (Silas’s caught a baby dragonfly just the other day.)

Stephen started building the kids a tree fort in the backyard, and Brynn learned how to ride her two-wheeled scooter.

The Clark County Fair in Vancouver, WA, was highlight. I wasn’t prepared for the way my heart would catch in my throat at seeing little Brynn-a-girl waving at me as the carnival rides went round. Cooper was a sweet big brother to help her on and off the carousel horse. The older boys thrilled at the rollercoaster, and Silas kept talking about the fun he had on the Area 51 alien ride. We made sure to watch the magic show since Silas has been all about learning magic card tricks this summer. His diligence to carefully watch a YouTube instruction video and then perfect the card trick is truly remarkable.

We barely squeezed in a visit to the Conestoga pool where Thatcher had his first swim. He didn’t seem to mind the water, but he didn’t love it either. The kids were so happy to finally get some swim time in the big pool.

The final week at home was a incredibly full. Silas went to his first ever day camp: flag football with his best friend.

Another friend picked up Cooper and Brynn each morning so they could attend a Backyard Bible Club. Also that week, Stephen’s Physics buddy from college came to visit for a few days. We hadn’t seen him in 13 years–since our wedding!–so there was a lot of catching up to do and sights to show him.

Then, I left for a girls’ weekend in Culver with friends from small group while Stephen camped in the backyard with the older three and suffered through a toothache that ended in a root canal. Whew! I told you it was a big week.

After that, it was time to leave for Illinois for Jon’s wedding and Moody family reunion, but I’ll leave that for another post.