It’s almost go-time!  We’re about to go across the pond for almost two weeks, and we did two necessary things before leaving: pedicures and underwear.   I got it in my head earlier this week that everyone needed to have a 3 pairs of travel underwear–basically noncotton underwear that dries quickly.  We are traveling each with a carry on and backpack, so ease of laundry is near the top of my packing priorities.  

Piper has other priorities.  

As I handed out underwear, I had done some reminiscing about how the kids used to like putting on unders as a super hero masks.  Piper obliged.

And here’s her pedicure.  The cat faces are a perfect touch for her.

Wes and Wes have known each other since pre-K, and even though we only get to see him and his grandmother a few times a year, we are all still good friends.  We’ve had time to meet twice this summer, and enjoyed time at the pool together.

In the meantime, Piper was out on the lake with friends. #WeLoveAugust

The best part of the park is the water.  We don’t have pictures of the 3 hour innertube adventure we did, but all the kids love water.  

 

Of the seven grandkids, 3.5 have August birthdays (Kyla is the .5, with her Sept. 1st date of birth). Julie made cupcakes to celebrate Cecily’s 7th birthday.

For the first time in our Me&3 career, I took the kids camping…and we all really enjoyed ourselves!

Because Kyla needed to be droppped off by 9 and picked up by 3pm in Eagle Creek (aka Middle of Nowhere But Pretty), OR, I searched for a convenient place for us to stay that week.  We found a pretty campground less than 10 minutes away from camp.  We only stayed for 3 nights, but if I had been able to alter our hotel reservations, I would have happily done a 4th night.  I was too busy reading books (currently evangelizing Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series– started first book at 10pm and finished at 3 in the morning!) to take many pictures, but the kids were happy to *hang* out all day at camp, too.😁

But down we went, and Kyla really enjoyed living in 1850, not far off the Oregon Trail.  It was just a day camp, so I picked her up at 3 every afternoon for more adventures in the morning.  

During the day, she did some pretty great things she never would have gotten from Mama Camp.  She blacksmithed this S hook, made a Jacob’s Ladder toy, made clay marbles, and had many adventures.  

We celebrated our 17th anniversary by having a Family Adventure & Creative Day.  We like downtown Redmond with its Saturday market and the outdoor shopping center (with a Brazilian coffee shop!), and I made arrangements for us at the ceramic painting place.

Dwayne and I made a glass infused clock (two years after getting engraved watches for our 15th) to mark our anniversary.  Dwayne and I are the larger flowers, and the kids each chose a glass color for their own shorter flower.  Clearly, we need to now add numbers!

Despite the TANTRUMS that my announcement of summer school (aka “Spelling Camp”) ignited last spring, I’ve had cooperative kids up and out of the house by 8 o’clock every day in July.  However, today, “being ready to go” meant falling back to sleep in the hallway.  I was inexplicably charmed. 

This is a cup-cake holder that a made off of my thoughts. I made it for cousin Amber’s B day.