Father's Day Camping at Priest Lake

The day school got out, Josh went to Camp Spalding with Daddy and the kids and I (with the trailer!) headed up to Priest Lake.  The original plan included Drew and Annie's family along with the Swanson and Lochhead parents, but Nels got an ear infection--and we all know what camping with a sick toddler is like--so the plans changed.  Oden came up with our crew and we met the parents, who had gone up earlier to set up camp.  They were so helpful in getting our trailer all set up.  Usually Jeff transforms the little trailer into a pop-up camper, but he was gone and I had to try to use the part of my brain that usually relies on him.

Jeff and Josh got to us on Saturday, and the cousins had loads of fun before Oden went home with Slick and Bama.  (Nosebleed in the middle of the night #1 called for laundry and mattress woes...)  But the cousins had lots of bike memories and wrestling in the camper memories...!  Colleen and Scott gave us an anniversary gift of...a night without children!  All three stayed in the camper with G'ma and Papa while Jeff and I...went to a movie and ate out at a fancy restaurant.

Actually we shivered down at the dock for 10 minutes--took a pictures so that we could remember that it happened--and then turned in to watch Ocean's Eleven on the laptop in the camper.  Wahoo, eleven year anniversary!  Actually, not having to pile blankets onto cold kids in the middle of the night and/or telling them to go back to sleep at 6am in the trailer is actually quite a vacation!

Amazing Grace.

Oh my JOSH!

Micah Man.

 

 

 

We have an awfully sweet daddy.  It's fun to spoil him with presents and love notes in June to remind him how amazing we think he is...  He's the kind of dad who wrestles with his kids, takes them on grand adventures...and then carries their lake-wet underwear on a stick back to the camper. Ha, ha, ha!

Father's Day ice cream on the way out of the campground...and sleeping babes in the two cars going back home...

 

Camp Spalding--Josh and Dad Camp

Dad and Me Camp at Spalding was EPIC, according to Josh.  His dad all to himself, and time with Kai and Uncle Matty, and THE FISH...check out this fun!

2nd grade...CHECK!

Grace had a great year with Mrs. Whorton this year...we will always remember this year when her narwhal interest was sparked!

Jeff Lives the Dream

So...turns out that there was a really important soccer game (Copa America Centenario--100th year of this amazing tournament) on Jeff's LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, and he got a wild look in his eye on Sunday when he found out that Seattle was hosting...and his sweet wife who cannot resist his whimsy encouraged him to cut out of school early and zip on over to Seattle to kick of his summer with vigor!

After the 7pm game, Jeff crazily headed home, stopping to sleep for a few hours at a rest stop...oh, jeez!!!

Kindergarten--in the books!

 

Joshy's last day of kindergarten.  He loved his year with Mrs. Badeaux!  And that's all I have to choke out SAY about that!  His last day was on Thursday, due to half day kindergarten...Grace had to still go on Friday!

Of course, Josh is the only kindergartner to use HILARIOUS in his favorite memory of the year...

Swimming Lessons before School Ends?!?!

This year, we got a little excited when Miss Leslie and Miss Cindy offered a week of longer lessons as an alternative (or addition to) a normal two weeks of shorter lessons.  I got out of work a whole week before the kids did, so I thought...what else would we do after school?!?  As I remember, it was a little crazy to have evening lessons for a week, but we did it, so that we could be free in June to galavant, if we needed to...

Grace and Josh were in back-to-back classes that were a little longer, so it turned out to be a long time for little Micah to watch...but hey!  It was only a week! (and on Friday we didn't go because we took off for camping and Camp Spalding!)

Our kids love the water!

At home in June

 

I'm officially old.  I watch birds in my (rare) spare moments.  (And I confess that I downloaded the Audubon Society app for my phone, shhhh, don't tell.)  These cute little warbley birds had babies in our church birdhouse and I loved watching them zip in and out of that house all spring, feeding their littles. I couldn't find them in our bird book, so I texted these pics to our favorite veterinarian, cousin-in-law, Carmen, and she told me we are home to a family of Pygmy Nutbrown Hatches!

 Putting spring decor away...

 ...and bringing out the summer stuff!

 Something bit Micah...and G'ma Joan THOUGHT she was retiring!  Phone calls and texted pictures from sick family members happen on a regular basis.  Benadryl did the trick.

 Subliminal reminder that Drew and Annie's anniversary was coming...

 And Scrooge counting his money in his money house...

And we love to watch things grow.  June is my favorite time for flowers and gardening...

Girl's Night at Wandering Table

"A nurse, designer, pianist, teacher, and missionary walk into a restaurant...and are the last to leave, of course!  Friendships I couldn't have planned better myself." -Jess

Donuts with Pappy

Micah and I had several visits with Pappy when he was recovering in the nursing home.  On this particular day, we heard he needed some calories, and we were happy to oblige.