Note - some of the activities mentioned below have photos and more of a story to accompany them, but if i didn't start somewhere i wasn't going to start at all. expect posting and back posting en masse in the coming days. i am also dedicated to getting pics of the inside of our house posted - decorated, unpacked or not.
Our first full summer in the PNW - and it was great! My life changed the day I got a call from a
lady in the know and she said the two most glorious words known to man - "outdoor-pool". This was precisely as I had gotten out of an indoor pool for a rather uninspiring swim. It turns out that there is not a complete absence of open-air water here at all. There are spray-parks, pools, fountains, not to mention a million lakes and the sound. I think we hit up every one in a 50 mile radius. Not really every one but we found a few to satisfy our craving for sun. And there is plenty of sun here in the summer. At one point I think it started getting light at 4:45am and didn't disappear until 9:45pm. Which perhaps explains the giant squash. What I could have used more of however was heat. Most sunny days it just wasn't hot enough to justify getting in the water.
We did have a few days of 100F + weather, which I thought was awesome. Even without a/c in our house we survived, so I'm glad we made the choice not to put it in. Speaking of the house - we are still doing projects and unpacking. It just never ends. Even though Ben thinks it would end if I spent less time gallivanting and more time at home.
We also made a couple camping trips. One was at the church campground where they had a stake pioneer day weekend. Camping, softball, food and church services outdoors, it was a lot of fun. We also went for a family trip and even though we left at noon on a Friday (on a non-holiday weekend) there were no spots to be found at any of the four Capitol Forest campsites we went to. 4 hours later we ended up at a private lake and campground which wasn't as rustic maybe as we had in mind but actually turned out to be the most fun for the kids and I would definitely go back. And next time we want to go camping in August we will go somewhere that takes reservations.
Summer also kicked off the season for visitors, which we always enjoy.
April H. and children were our first, followed by my grandparents, then my mom, then my sister and her friend Annie (whom Miles fell hard for) then Ben's brother Nate. We're gearing up for another round in the fall but 2010 is completely open so far...
What did we accomplish individually this summer? I think I have covered most of our adventures but something may come to me if I try to break it down:
Ben - Ben did nothing but work this summer (I sure miss those days when he had summer off - or at least a couple weeks off). He had a particularly horrendous month on the ICU, which he is still suffering the effects from based on his ratio of consciousness to unconsciousness when he is at home. One week he worked 100+ hours in 6 days with a smattering of sleep. If you're thinking this should be illegal. It
is. (They get around this by using an 80 hr average per month or something, whatever, I don't mind it so much, I know lots of you endure similar schedules - I just feel bad for Ben). I can't wait till he goes back to a 70 hour week.
He did get one fun trip this summer, work related of course, he got to go to Vail for a conference. I always wanted to see Vail in the summer (or anytime) but his room was already full - by those who fly-fish.
Miles - Miles would never go on a trip without me. He won't even go upstairs or downstairs without me. I'm hoping this clinginess subsides in the near future. He does just fine when I am not around, in fact he barely misses me. But if I am in the vicinity he wants to be on my hip. And although unflattering but true, he screams and cries in the morning if he wakes up and I am not around. Besides that he is a joy. He is starting to actually go potty by himself, on his own, either using a stool or by going outside, which is good since he seems to need to go frequently and when it is most inconvenient for me. He is also the most polite little sucker I have ever known and it doesn't seem to just be a phase. He's just nice. His sister on the other hand...
Avery - When we were talking about how she should behave at school in order to win friends and influence people I told her she should just be polite and treat others how she would like to be treated. She shrugged and said "Polite? I'm not good at that". At least she knows her weaknesses.
Besides spending our days out and about this summer we also did every reading program we could. The kids earned ice skating and zoo passes, rubber ducks, free meals at subway and a free book. The reading of course was done by mom or dad (and gpa dwight did his fair share of reading while he was here) even though Avery can read the very basic if she puts her mind to it, but she usually refuses. Which is why I am not homeschooling her.
Me - Reliving our summer schedule I guess moms work plenty of hours too, although it does seem like an awful lot of play. I did steal away for a quick trip to Indiana, which although I was going for rather somber circumstances, was actually quite enjoyable thanks to my mom coming up to watch my children so I could go alone. I also did a triathlon (thanks to my grandparents being here to watch the kids) and in medical news I had a punch biopsy on a mole on my back - which is not noteworthy except that I thought it was funny when I came home and Miles asked if the doctor took my "guaca-'mole'y" off.
Felt a little dizzy after swim - but not itchy. That is not me in the wetsuit. 
This is where I 
