Summer Fun

We had a wonderful summer in Washington.  The weather was HOT and sunny.  We did as much cooking outdoors as possible to help keep the house cool.  I was grateful that we had a better BBQ than last summer so we could use the burner and grill outside.  We also used our electric griddle and crockpot and even our toaster oven outside.  It really helped keep the house cooler!  Tristan mastered the art of outdoor cooking for sure!

These boys are so goofy.  They had lots of fun playing outdoors most days.  A lot of time was spent in the sandbox and the backyard.  Carter especially loves frog-hunting in our backyard and has gotten really good at it.

One afternoon we found this little guy in our backyard.  I will never forget the look on Ethan's face when the salamander shed it's tail and all he was left holding was a wiggling tail.  It was HILARIOUS. We managed to find the rest of the salamander again and spend some time watching him  before releasing him to be free (and grow a new tail).

We hit up several parks throughout the summer with friends and on our own.  The boys love Yauger Park.  They had a blast chasing each other up the tower and down the slide and back up the tower again.  I was glad we went early because it was a hot, hot day--even by the time we left around 11:30.

Ashton had fun exploring the playground, too!

He loves the swings!

The two big boys at the top of the tower

Ashton taking charge

Finding some shade

I have no idea what is all over his face.  I'm pretty sure Tristan took this picture.  But I love this crazy kid.  He is getting goofier by the day.  It's fun that he is talking more and more so I can really get to know him.

I love how much my boys love getting out and playing outside in the summer.  I hope they always love to get out and run around as much as they do now!

Hanging with Our Marlatt Buddies

So after camping all weekend, we decided to keep the fun going with the Marlatt's for the rest of the week!  The weather was hot so we made a trip up to the splash park in Tacoma.  Ashton had a great time playing in the water.

We also made a trip up to the zoo.  I love this picture of my three boys at the Meerkat exhibit.

Carter is really into the frogs right now.  I love how he's showing Ethan all about them.

The boys had fun going down the otter slides, too.

Dylan and Carter were good buddies on the playground that day.

It's so nice to have great weather to enjoy all the fun things there are to here.  And we really had fun spending so much time with our buddies that week!

Camping at Dash Point State Park

This was THE summer.  The summer we decided it was time to dive in and do real camping with our kids.  We decided to start small and just do one night--in case we were miserable.  I figured it was better to go one night and wish we had done more than to go several nights and wish we hadn't.  We also decided to go to a campground we were familiar with for our fist time.  Tristan and I had done one night of camping at the end of our honeymoon at Dash Point State Park and really enjoyed it.  There is beach access and light hiking, plus it is only about an hour away.  Our friends, the Marlatts were also looking to do some "practice camping" so we paired up and headed out!

I was mostly worried that we wouldn't have good weather, but it was beautiful and HOT that weekend.  Perfect camping weather.  We arrived a little early and we were able to start setting up camp to make the most of our 24 hours.  

Here's the before:

And the after:

Once we both had our camps set up, we spent a little bit of time enjoying the shade and making a plan. Cody was enjoying the shade, too!

Ashton ended up falling asleep on Tristan for a little afternoon nap.

We decided to walk out to the beach and enjoy the water.  Dylan was having a great time playing in the sand while the rest of the boys got their feet wet.

Ethan was in heaven.  He always loves getting in the water no matter what.

Ashton had fun in the sand, too.  I'm pretty sure a lot of it was in his mouth and diaper by the end of the afternoon.

Carter got a little wet, but was a little shy about getting into the water.  He had fun wading and playing in the sand with his friends, though.

Ashton loved getting his toes wet!

Buddies!  Ethan and Skyler had fun in the water together.

We hiked back through the woods and found this fun log that was perfect for sliding down.  The boys couldn't resist.

I love this bridge that's about half-way to the campsite.  I vividly remember it from when we were there on our honeymoon and it was just as pretty as I remembered!

That night we roasted hot dogs and did chili dogs at our camp.  The boys had fun cooking their own food over the fire.

They also loved playing in the wooded area surrounding our camp.  The were climbing trees all evening!

Ashton was happy as a clam!

Later we roasted marshmallows and had S'mores.

The kids went down relatively easily (that's what I love about camping--it wears you OUT!)  And the adults stayed up WAY too late visiting.  I'm pretty sure we were the last ones up in our loop.

The morning came early and we had a light breakfast and packed up a little so we could get some playing in before we had to check out.

Tristan decided to try a roasted banana with his breakfast.  In a tiny chair.  I can't remember how it turned out.  LOL.

Ashton got so dirty that morning.  He was crawling and rolling in the dirt and putting it in his mouth, too.  A boy, through and through!

He did have a partner in crime, though!

We decided to take a short hike again and the boys had a great time playing in the creek under the bridge.  It was a beautiful morning!

We headed back to camp and finished packing up.  It was a quick 24 hours but we had a great time!  I was glad we headed home wishing we had stayed longer and we ended up booking our next trip as soon as we got home!

Ashton's First Haircut

Yep!  It was time.  We added Ashton to our line on haircut day.  Here's a before:

He LOVED it.  It was a fun game to him and it cracked me up watching Tristan trying to wrangle him. At least there were no tears.  :)

Sorry about the shadows...I was having a hard time getting a good angle on that squirmy boy!

All done!  Looking so much better and happy, too!

This sweet boy is such a happy kid.  I think Tristan is relieved that Ashton seems to like haircuts.  He has done great on every one so far (knock on wood)!!

Tristan's Birthday

It seems like every birthday in our family is crammed next to another celebration, which can be fun, but sometimes makes it hard to fit it all in with Tristan's work schedule.  So it was with Tristan's birthday.  His birthday is in June, but with Father's Day being right before he left for work and 4th of July being right after he arrived back we delayed celebrating it.  But we found time and enjoyed celebrating him.  I tried a new Asian inspired recipe (Cashew Chicken) because he loves Asian flavors.  This was his response when I told him to actually smile in the picture...I think that's what you call overcompensating.  ;)

So then, of course, the boys wanted their picture with their food as well.  Ethan did a pretty good impersonation!

We kept it simple for a birthday cake this year.  Ashton wasn't sure what to think about the candles.  He's looking a little somber in these pictures.

Brownie sundaes was a yummy treat and a great way to celebrate his birthday.

We are so grateful to have such a loving man as a husband and a father.  We are blessed to have him!