These kids are STRONG….

COURAGEOUS…

and cute.

I’m in love with them all.

Strong!

Courageous!

And Cute.

And mostly delighted to be kids at the cabin. I love these guys!

We had to drop the car off for about 5 hours for new tires and brakes before the Big Road Trip, so we played around our ‘hood a bit (and bought all our school supplies).  Bassett Hounds are “our” thing here…which pleases Piper!

Dwayne’s group hasn’t done a family picnic in years, but my kids still remember the free cotton candy.  So let’s just say they were eager to go to this year’s event.

They started with games…

…went on to face painting…

…and then rock climbing….

…before winning watermelon-eating contests (while losing our face paint).

There’s lots of benefits to Dwayne’s job!

Piper not only considers herself an artist, but actually practices her craft in whatever medium comes before here.

Which made me think of our time in Tacoma,  when she used spit, charcoal, and a quill to create a drift wood painting and temporary tattoos.

And when she found a few markers on a long car trip, not far from a Wesley as bored as she was, well, it’s become A Thing they do now in the car.

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‘Nuff said.

She’s my only kid who has no desire for extracurriculars during the school year, so she asked to go to a Living History summer camp this summer. Her wish is my command, including getting a hotel for Me & 3 down in Tacoma so she could attend every day.  We had great adventures through the week, but I was glad enough to get to Friday and pick Kyla up for the last time before driving home.

During the week, she played old-fashioned games (something about “Where’s the Stone”, made a corn-husk doll, felted a purse, made homemade marbles, went on nature hikes, and cranked out ice cream.  She wants to do it all again next year!

Happy Anniversary, Babe!  It’s our first anniversary apart (er, sorry about that), but Friday night is a better night to celebrate anyway.  Remember what we were doing a year ago?? (Besides waiting for Hillary to win the election.  Ah, the innocence.)

2(Bread + Ritz crackers + rice crackers + Swiss cheese)