Monday (08.05.24)
Clara went to a “cult meeting” as she and her friends call it. Tweens. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ They did all sorts of nefarious things like watching a movie and eating ice cream sandwiches. Or… maybe that’s all just a code…. 🤔🤔
While she was gone, Jonas and Logan each had a school friend over. The plan had been to just hang out and maybe do some Minecraft. But, the timely arrival (just after the first friend arrived) of the re-usable water balloons meant that we had an impromptu water balloon fight. Cause, of course we had to try them out!
I am happy to report that they are awesome. The water fight lasted for a good 45 minutes, and it was mostly peaceful, AND there was no mess to clean up!
In the evening, the three older kids had climbing club.
And I made some flippin’ fantastic bruschetta for dinner.
TUESDAY (08.06.2024)
Cute little froggies, during outside time:
Clara and I went and hung out with one of our favorite mother-daughter duos from West Seattle. Lily was Clara’s best friend in WS, and her mom, Laura, was one of my closest friends. We try to get together with them fairly regularly. Our last get together was back in February, so we were quite overdue.
We did Go Karts, Taco Time (fortunately, our friends love it almost as much as we do), and then we went to Barnes and Noble (where we only spent ~$20! Be proud of us!) Five of those dollars were spent on a most marvelous thing: a baguette pen! (It’s literally a pen in the shape of a baguette)
After Barnes and Noble, we headed home. The drive USUALLY takes about 30 minutes. It took us almost an hour and a half. We were going a little crazy at one point. So I grabbed Clorox wipes and started wiping down all the surfaces while we were at a standstill. Cause I’d been meaning to do it anyway. And I figured it would be better than losing my mind because of traffic.
Clara joined me, and we giggled madly the whole time, planning how we would survive if we were stuck in this spot long-term. Cause we’re nuts.
Guitar lessons for Logan; YW for Clara;
We watched Olympics- Sport climbing.
WEDNESDAY (08.07.2024)
I am one of the co-chairs for our our school’s Harvest Fest again this year, and so I had a meeting today with my partner and with one of the PTA board members. We met up at my favorite park in the area. And while we chatted and hashed out details for Harvest Fest, our kids played on the playground, and in the little creek that runs through the park.
Violin Lessons
Jonathan cooked dinner cause he’s the best. And most handsome.
We also went and saw Inside Out 2 as a family after dinner. We all very much enjoyed it. And I imagine it will bring up some excellent conversations in the days to come, when people aren’t so sleepy. Ha!
THURSDAY (08.08.2024)
It has been a fairly busy week, so today, we stayed home and got things done.
Oh, and Logan and I were twinning today. At his insistence. He demanded that I even had to wear jeans.
Also, it was Mom’s night off, but I opted to stay and watch the Olympics with the fam. We watched some Rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic swimming, lead climbing, and speed climbing.
Also, I’m pleased to report that I got four gold medals 🏅🏅🏅🏅 in the speed getting-children-ready-for-bed event. Thank you! Thank you! I couldn’t have done it without my partners, Isaac, Evie, Logan, and Jonas. (Clara didn’t want to partner with me. Rude.)
FRIDAY (08.09.2024)
Another low key day at home, getting stuff done. Specifically, I worked on memory books and organizing photos.
I worked in the yard for a while. And I picked some of the beautiful flowers from our yard and brought them into the house. I love having cutting flowers in our yard.
We watched Olympics in the evening. We have all loved doing that.
SATURDAY (08.10.24)
Today, we got to hang out with the McKean’s again. We drove to Cushman Lake, which was gorgeous! And we all had a grand ol’ time. We brought both of our paddle boards, beach toys, and snacks and all of these things were a hit.
Clara, Jonas, and the two older McKean boys basically spent the entire day on the paddleboards. They loved it.
The twins went with Jonathan on the paddleboard, and they and Logan swam a fair amount too, but eventually, they started sifting the dirt, looking for gems and that kept them occupied for the rest of the time we were there.
In addition to being an incredibly beautiful lake, it had a really cool swimming area. Nice and shallow for a good long while. 
MJ and Danny 
Alex with hoodlums in the background 
Jonathan and the twins paddleboarding 
The twins wanted to come back in before Jonathan was ready, so he put them in the water and they swam back. 
Gem hunting 
The lake got pretty busy by the end of the day, and there was even a large group that came and did a series of baptisms.
We left in the mid-afternoon and went to a pizza place that the McKeans love. And we now love it too. It was perfect. There was a big outdoor dining area, and it just had a big ol meadow behind it where the kids were able to run around, and the grownups got to talk.
But, probably the highlight of the place for the kids would be the little tiny frogs that live there. They had a great time hunting for them, then catching them and holding them.
And then we called it a day. We got everyone home, showered, and we finished up by watching some Olympics.
SUNDAY (08.11.24)
Clara once again had a “cult meeting”. At her friend Charlotte’s house this time. I left Jonathan and the kids home while I went to drop her off. And when I got home, the four remaining children came out in the garage and started asking me all the questions and demanding things. I nearly pulled away again. Instead I locked the door, took some pictures, and laughed.
We had Urie family book club.
Jonathan and the kids worked on their D&D campaign.
