Sayonara Summer

(7/28) I worked from home for a few hours before our work event. We went to High Trek Adventures for axe throwing. I've never done it before and loved it! It was a bazillion degrees, and we were glad for the a/c break as we headed over to the Moonshine BBQ for eats and drinks. We had an amazing waiter, who was all by himself, who kept everything rollin' and we couldn't have asked for better service. The food was delish, drinks were great, and we had a fun time hanging out! I'm so glad we found something we could do outside!

(7/29) I took today off and the twins and I hit the road to go to the grands'. We had heard it was a one boat day, so packed our patience, but we scored and only had to wait ten minutes to get on the ferry. Shan, Mike and the little cousins were already there and we got to hang a bit before naptime, and then we watched the littles while Shan & Mike went to celebrate their anniversary. The twins did a great job playing with their cousins and we all turned in pretty early after such a fun-filled day. 

(7/30) Grandma and the boys opened Grandma's kitchen and got cookin' this morning. They made up 13 cookie cakes for us to decorate later. After that, the littlest cousins, Shan & Mike, and the grands all went to play putt-putt, and the twins and I decided to hang back at the house and read & video game. Jake, Amber, and cousins arrived later this afternoon. Jake, Granddad, and I went over to Finnriver Cidery for a conversation without the chaos and had a great time catching up. I'm so glad we got this time together! We headed on back with the whole crew for cake decorating followed by dinner and then cake eating. 

(7/31) We had a lovely breakfast together and then (grudgingly) got packed up to home. D was very upset about leaving but I'm glad we left when we did because we drove right onto the ferry. The wait time soared up to three hours by midday so we were extra glad to already be home. It was another scorcher today so I spent some of the hot hours at the nursery doing some damage. I'm gonna need a bigger back yard now! I bought some more deck flowers and the bees are already loving them. I got the yard tidied a bit and am looking forward to it not being quite so hot next week!

(8/1) Happy birthday to me today! Dad and I worked today and C started drivers ed. He said it was pretty boring, but we didn't expect it to be exciting.

(8/2) Dad put together our new grill today and the loaf about jumped out of her fur when she saw it 🤣 We both had to work today and other than driver's ed, the kiddos had a day of gaming and not much else.

(8/3) I went to a Zumba class and Dad met up with S&S to go car shopping. They got a great deal on a new-to-them car. They stayed to hang out and I got some bebé time. They ordered food while they were here which made the kids want the same, so C drove us to sushi and then to teriyaki and we had a great dinner!

(8/4) Dad had the day off and I worked on training videos for most of the day for work. We tried out the new grill tonight and we all gave it two thumbs up!

(8/5) I worked today and Dad had the day off. Sarah and I went for a coffee walk at lunch. It's warming up again out there!

(8/6) We slept in this morning and then I did some yard work before it got too hot. I ran a bunch of errands and came back to grab J in time to go to the Aquatic Center for afternoon rec swim. I read my book while he swam and that was pretty much it for our afternoon.

(8/7) I went to Zumba this morning and then came home and did a whole lot of nothing aside from reading my book. D had me select which dinner to make then asked if we couldn't do the orange chicken dish instead (his favorite). It turned out pretty tasty--not as good as one of the other rice bowls he likes, but "not bad", which is pretty high praise from D.

(8/8) Monday again. Dad and I worked today and C had his driver's ed class. I ran in to the office to water my office plants at lunch since I didn't make it in at all last week. 

(8/9) Today was a busy day of meetings and appointments for me. The kiddos hung out at home and except for driver's ed were left to their own devices. They're pretty much feral at this stage. Going back to school is gonna be so fun.

(8/10) I had the day off today and took a Zumba class this morning. I came home and bummed around for the afternoon and then drove out to Seattle to meet the folks for dinner at Duke's. We had some delicious food and good conversation. It's always so good to see them!

(8/11) I had to work today and C had driving practice, but then he and Dad headed out to camp. They weren't able to reserve anything beforehand and struck out at all the campgrounds so they came on home after having dinner out at Zeke's. 

(8/12) I worked from home today, but ran in to grab our school supplies that my coworkers generously donated and delivered them to our charity. J had a counseling appointment and it went way better with a candy bribe. I have a feeling I'm going to be buying a whole lot of candy for the upcoming school year...

(8/13) We had a lazy morning and decided to hit the river for a change of scenery. The twins grumbled because we had the nerve to make them get dressed and leave the house. So mean! It was nice to get out for a bit despite the whining.

(8/14) I met Sarah for a walk to coffee after sleeping in a bit. We didn't have anything planned for the day, so I read until I finished my book and then grabbed the next in the series on audio and went out and did some garden clean-up. It's Noodle's 5th birthday today and all the puppies got to share the birthday bone.

(8/15) Sarah and I went walking this morning before I started work today. I'm gonna miss my walking buddy for the rest of the week while she's away on vacation. Today was a hot one, and I noticed one of my carnivorous plants is flowering. They are very much enjoying this weather even if us mere mortals are not.

(8/16) Today was a work day for Dad and me. The boys were left to their own devices for the day and I didn't see much of them til dinnertime. 

(8/17) I'm on a mini vacation now through the end of the week. We talked about going hiking or something but with driver's ed in the middle of the day and the teenager sleeping until noon, we couldn't go too far. So we hung around the house and didn't do a whole lot.

(8/18) We got ourselves packed and ready to go to Opa & Cherissa's. After C's driving practice, we headed out and got Sonic for dinner while we charged the car. We rolled in around 8p, and the twins were out of the car and into the pool lickity split!

(8/19) The kiddos were up and in the pool right after breakfast this morning. J was in the pool for probably ten hours with only a couple of breaks. We had the neighbor boys over for them to play with this afternoon. C got to drive Opa and Isaiah around today and they ended up at the go-kart place since the arcade was closed. C came home with victory Doritos and a Monster, and was pretty pleased with himself. We barbecued tonight and a friend brought over ribs, so D was thrilled. D was so tired tonight he kicked us outside when our convo got too loud, and was zonked out when we retired for the night. He played hard today!

(8/20) Opa and Cherissa were in a parade this morning to support their congressional candidate. The kiddos decided they'd rather not go and we stayed home to swim instead. The parade was long & hot and the sun pretty much wiped everyone out, so we had a pretty quiet afternoon until some friends came over. We had a whole herd of boys in the pool and us adults just tried to stay out of the splash zone. The kiddos had a blast and should sleep well tonight! 

(8/21) We packed up to head home today. The twins went for one last swim and fed watermelon to the chickens before we left. We stopped by to see Oma and then headed off to find a charging spot since we weren't quite where we needed to be to make it to our next stop. After we topped off, we headed out. Traffic wasn't too bad until we hit Ellensburg, but then it was stop and go over the pass. It was a looooong haul home with over six hours in the car all told. But it was good to be home--the doggos were thrilled to see us, and I heard the adoption event went well and that our lil mister has an interested family!

(8/22) Back to work with me today. Dad's been going in early to cover for a coworker which means he comes home a little early too. That's been really nice! He bought s'mores supplies for this evening and we sugared up the kiddos before bed.

(8/23) Dad and I had to work today. I had a mid-year review today and was pleasantly surprised I was about three quarters the way through everything I said I'd do. Whew! They lifted the mask mandate at work so I'll be back in the building this week and will go in twice a week after Labor Day. I gotta remember how to people again! 

(8/24) I had the day off today and drove up to see the lavender farm before it closed for the season. Wow, what a beautiful place! I picked up a couple of plants and came on home. C had his last day of drivers ed this afternoon and he drove us to get some celebratory teriyaki when he passed his final.

(8/25) I went in to work this morning and peopled all day for a change. Dad had the day off and took our foster doggo, Sonny, up to meet his new family. They have renamed him Jimmy Dean, which is absolutely perfect for our lil sausage man! He will be spoiled rotten and we are happy for him, though will miss his silly spinning snorty self.

(8/26) Sarah and I went for a walk and finally had a chance to catch up since she's been gone. I worked from home today and Dad and the kiddos had the day off. It was a pretty quiet day for a change.

(8/27) Dad and C drove the Miata down to enter it into the Radwood Car Show. Jake, Amber and kids rode down with the twins and me. We checked out the car show and then hunted down some food for a very hungry crowd. It was so fun to hang for the day! The kiddos were begging them to stay longer and to come back tomorrow too. Cousin time is the best!

(8/28) We had the kids over today to celebrate S's upcoming birthday. S, baby W and I went to the Sunflower Festival at Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm. Dad and the other S went and picked up a new foster doggo and ran by Rob's to put a few parts on the car. We met back here to have barbecue and to hang out. The new foster doggie is very cute and we learned she'll likely only be staying a very short while.

(8/29) It was a pretty quiet day around here. Both Dad and I had to work, which took up the bulk of our days. The boys hid inside because we're heating back up in this corner of the world. I'm so ready for fall. 

(8/30) Today was a work day for Dad and me. We had a power outage here at home and I very nearly had to pack up and go in, but thankfully it came back on before my meeting ended and I was able to continue my day at home.

(8/31) I had the day off today. C drove us over to his school to check out his tablet for the year and then we stopped by WinCo to grab lunch. Nanan joined us and she and D geeked out about their ArcticAir machines. She ended up staying for dinner, which even J ate because he loves burgers (he normally refuses because what I've cooked comes from a meal delivery service).

(9/1) Today was jam-packed. It started with an orthodontist consult for J, then a doctor appointment for me, then I went in to work. Dad handled D's appointment and then as soon as I got home, we went to go meet the boys' teachers. J is in a 4/5 split this year and D will be out in the portables. Something different for each! They're very reluctant to even talk about school so we'll see how things go next week.

(9/2) Sarah and I got treated to a beautiful sunrise this morning on our walk. I worked from home today, but we were let out early. I went out to run errands and ran into a friend I haven't seen in forever. So that was fun! Dad ran a bunch of errands earlier and came home with a pie from the Pie Co which was delicious as always.

(9/3) Happy bday to S! We're so glad we got to see them recently! Dad took our little Westie girl up to Rob's to see how she's get on with their pupper. It's looking like a match so they'll be adopting her. I'm so happy for them! C went out to the mall to hang with his friends today. He came home exhausted from all the peopling!

(9/4) I did something to my knee so was happy when Sarah proposed a Starbucks walk over a Zumba class this morning. After our walk I went to the hardware store to pick up some mulch but then let myself get sidetracked and ended up at Sky Nursery and spent way too much money. But I bought some pretty things. I spent the afternoon getting most of them in the ground and ran out of mulch in the process so will have to go back, although I'll skip the nursery trip this time!

(9/5) Labor Day ~ Dad worked today and the boys and I had it off. I went out to Lowe's and limited myself to just mulch and finished the work in the yard. 

(9/6) Dad and I both worked today but Dad went in late so he could take J to his counseling appointment. They played D&D with corgis and J has talked non-stop about it since.

(9/7) Dad and I took the day off and after we got the boys off to school, we adulted and hit three grocery stores and then pulled the Miata out and went to lunch at Spuds. After we returned we grabbed Toffee and took her to meet the boys. She got mobbed by all the kids and was a little blitzed by the attention, but did well.

(9/8) Day 2 of school for the boys and I worked in the building. Dad introduced the boys to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium YouTube and they've been watching the otters and jellyfish before school as motivation to get all their stuff together and be ready to go.

(9/9) Sarah and I are back to our super early walks and are now out there before the sun rises. I am working in the building two days a week now and picked Fridays as my second day. It sounded like the boys had a good day today. I got to see them all at dinner since dinner decided to take longer to cook. That was a nice surprise.

(9/10) J and I made monkey bread to kick off the day. D requested monkey bread for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and artichokes for dinner, and that is what we did. Dad ran up to Rob's to go junk yarding and the boys and I had a wild day of staying at home and playing on our respective devices.

(9/11) I slept in this morning and then went to a Zumba class. It was good to be back! I did some work in the yard after I got home and then finished up my book and got into another. The boys enjoyed their day. C went to hang with a buddy at the arcade for part of the evening. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet, restful day. 

(9/12) We decided to skip our walk on account of the smoke, so I set my alarm for work, but not early enough to make sure C was up and at 'em. He was not and missed his bus. Doh! Good thing I was working from home today! The rest of our days went much smoother and the smoke cleared out so we'll return to our normal schedules tomorrow. The spiderweb below is tucked in between two houses and still got covered in ash.

(9/13) Today was a work and school day for all of us. Dad went in and stayed late due to J's appointment. The boys had good days and it was pizza night, which is always a crowd favorite.

(9/14) I had the day off today and went for an early morning walk with Sarah and then to a Zumba class. I went shopping afterwards for longer clothes for the kiddos growing like weeds. I bought an orange shirt and D put it on as soon as he saw it. J also chose to wear bright orange today too and there was no missing us! 

(9/15) I trekked down to Seattle for a doctor's appointment this morning and then went in to work. Dad had the day off and got to enjoy a day of sloth once the boys were in school.

(9/16) I worked in the building today and joined my coworkers for drinks at the hotel next to the office afterward. It's a pretty impressive hotel and we enjoyed our time. Dad and C headed out camping this evening. We were going to join them for s'mores tomorrow but there's a burn ban inside the park. Le sigh. Hope the guys have fun!

(9/17) The twins and I went up for cousin R's birthday. It was held in an arcade and the boys loved every minute! J spent much of his time playing air hockey. I died about a dozen times in Frogger and Pac-Man and then may have pulled my book out while the munchkins played. Dad and C were feeling kinda creaky so decided to pack it in a night early. They came home in time for s'mores with us in the backyard. 

(9/18) I went to Zumba this morning and then picked all the apples off our little trees out front. We got a huge bag full! The other tree should be ready in a few more weeks. I started reading a book to the twins about pies, thus we needed to try our hands at Granddad's famous apple pie. It sure didn't turn out pretty like Granddad's, but it wasn't bad for a first attempt and was quite tasty. 

(9/19) Monday again? We're off and running for another week!