I’m not buying school pictures this year outside of class photos, and I didn’t dictate anything outfits for them to wear.  This is what they came up with on their own:

We finally got a weekend at the cabin and took along Parker and Cecily—my niece and nephew make great accessories at the cabin.

 

In between showers, we adventured down to “our” beach.  I’ve never seen the tide out so far!  Left behind was sand so goopy that only lightweight kids could partially walk on it without sinking to their knees.

 

Cecily and Parker were not impressed…and were the only kids who didn’t have to be hosed down later.

The others played and shlopped for hours.

I had to zoom in, as I am too big to take on that goop and win!

That’s Wesley, Piper, and a neighbor friend—somewhat a female equivalent of Wesley, but better adjusted.

And here’s the rest of my heart…

Wesley wrote a special note he slipped into his sister’s lunch bag.

Wesley starts first grade.

Piper, 3rd.

4th Graders don’t need their moms taking pictures of them.   Perhaps, especially, when said mother is doing something like this:

 

Did I mention that for the first time in ten years, all kids are in school full time this year?!?!?

My first day of school:

1) Take kids to school and click my heels in celebration several times. 

2) Help host the First Day of School Welcome and Coffee.

3) Help a group of PTA-ers put together Back to School packets.

4) Have lunch out with a group of friends at a local Japanese steak house, including a celebratory cocktail.

5) Return to PTA work.

6) Pick kids up from school.

And it was lovely, lovely.

With Kyla’s and Dwayne’s birthday 7 days apart, it’s irresistible to not combine the family birthday parties. 

Luckily, I have ways of saying “I love you” that don’t include homemade birthday cakes, especially when Cold Stone makes such great cookies-and-cream frozen masterpiece.

We began with sipping cocktails while admiring the trellis Dwayne had constructed that weekend (more later), and had dinner on the  sunny front deck, with cake and presents. 

The Wesley-Parker entity read Piggie and Elephant books together.

Happy birthday, Beloveds!

A beautiful day in late summer

+

a few hours of Mama free time

Time to clean the neighborhood drains

It’s not a pleasant job, but it can be satisfying taking out wheel barrowsful of smelly debris. 

Piper came to my rescue, though!  On a warm day, she put together a repast for me, packed it in a basket, and engineered a way to drag it behind her bike up to where I was working.

Thanks, Pipes! I love and appreciate you.

It was pretty easy to figure out how to spend Kyla’s birthday.  Everyone agreed to head down to Pacific Science Center on one of our last days of summer vacation.  The kids were completely delighted by their first monorail experience….once we scrounged up enough change in the car to pay for it.  

With the Brain Store at the other end of the ride, we spent a delightful hour, and surprisingly, not a single dime.

We did very little inside the PSC this time, as the outside beckoned.  I like this sequence of teamwork:

Happy Birthday, Kyla!

1) She is delightful child who is “uncommonly bright” (direct quotation from the May assessment)

2) Kyla loves to learn, and has so many interests. This makes her an interesting conversationalist, like her father.

3) She works hard, whether or not she enjoys what she’s doing, which shows remarkable maturity!

4) Kyla is sweet-natured, thoughtful of others and self-aware.

5) She is so well read, across of variety of genres!

6) Mama tries to emulate Kyla in her ability to keep just the things she loves and not be controlled by her “stuff”.

7) Kyla is beautiful. She has clear blue eyes, a genuine smile, and a lovely profile.

8) She is observant beyond her years.

9) She is so expressive in her communication.

10) Kyla jumps in to help without thought of her own reward.

11) Kyla takes excellent care of her siblings while developing independence.

12) She used her creativity and ingenuity to blend artistry and engineering together, designing and sewing a skirt for Amber.

13) We often take her independence for granted but we’ve really come to rely on her being self-sufficient—a true young adult!

14) Kyla is very polite and loving. (from Piper)

15) Good sleeping partner! (from Wesley)

16) Kyla has excellent sportsmanship. (Piper)

17) Kyla is crafty and is adultish. (Piper)

18) Kyla jumps with me on the trampoline. (Cecily)

19) She is a good playmate. (Piper)

20) Kyla is HELPFUL! (Piper)

21) She is a person who tries new things, like food and audiobooks. (Piper)

In written form, it seems that Kyla’s birthday went on forever.  But in real time, it felt very sweet.

A few days before her birthday, Kyla invited 3 other girls to tea at an adorable, local tea shop.  The girls came to our house, I drove us all over, sat the girls together at a reserved table, and then went to the opposite end to quietly enjoy my newspaper, tea (in a cozy!), and scone.  The girls all ordered a proper tea, liked most of it, and had a chance to behave like the young ladies they are. 

I paid the bill and got to wholly enjoy the experience.  I just had to find a time that worked for 3 girls, call the tea room ahead of time, and remember to bring something to read.  I hope to duplicate this in the future (I prefer pragmatism over creativity when it comes to birthdays!). 

The reason I like Pt. Defiance Zoo so much is that it is the one summer day I take the kids and meet up with one of my favorite friends.  I can’t prove that she and her niece where there, as I seem to only have camera eyes for my own children, but I promise Kristin was there!

Here’s my new marching song.  Thanks, ants!

There was lots of playing and very little animal watching, per usual with my kids.

Long after my kids outgrow it, I will insist we see the noon showing at the Animal Amphitheater.  There’s a good chance I won’t outgrow the animal show ever.

Kristin had to leave for naptime, claiming it was for her niece, but I have my suspicions of who really needed the nap.

I showed my ducklings the beach down at Point Defiance, where they happily played among the rocks, seaweed, and, ahem, crisp sea water before we went to hunt down dinner on the Tacoma waterfront.  Not only was there dinner and gelato, but we also found the new splash park and playground.  We could have used another day down in T-Town, but those summer days stretch long and then snap shut quickly.

We’ll be back next summer, Kristin!