Summer is here...

We've been in full swing summer time mode around here. :)

A garden harvest, one of many. :)

I tried to capture how my garden glows at night, but it's just one of those special things that can't really be capture I guess, at least not with my camera. This is the best I could do and it really doesn't do it justice at all...

Fun at the library. :)

A butterfly at the park!

Monkeys, monkeys, and more...

MoNkEyS!!!!

We went out to a parade in the town I grew up in. :) Their Neenee was in the parade with the library float, and the kids thought that was pretty cool! :)

Neenee!!!

Beautiful

She thought the dancers were pretty awesome! :)

Cousins! We stayed the night at my brothers and went on an adventure down to a neat spot on the river.

If you can't play in the water then sand is the next best thing...

Love... so glad he didn't work this weekend and got to spend time with us. :)

Sand angels!

I try to keep other peoples faces off of my blog for privacy reasons, but this picture is so stinking cute!!! The dads fell asleep with their daughters watching a movie, ha ha!

The next day we went to a spot on the river where you can play in the water, and it was so much fun! 

Wading with Neenee...

Hot... Haha!

Modern day Huck Finn. ;)

Playing in the sand...

Cooling off.

Having fun in the sun, going to the river and hanging out has got to be one of my most favorite things in the world. :) All good things happen at the river.

Daddy's girl. :)

Group hug when it was time to go, they love their uncle Ben...

We packed all that into one week, summer is here! :) Seriously it's been a bit of a heat wave in good ol' Washington... In the 80s, don't laugh, we are talking pacific NW folks, the land of moss and raindrops. :) And a coffee stand on every corner. ;) I am melting at 80! Melting!!!

Garden is bursting. :)

More garden pictures, just because. :) I'm always amazed at how fast a garden can grow!

Veggie garden bursting forth with amazing goodness!

I'm amazed that anything grew quite frankly, my big fat chickens got into it a few times in the very beginning and tore it up! I had to replant more times then I care to remember. Tears were shed. I was about to eat chicken soup!!!

I'm growing some squash in containers this year, because I ran out of room. We will see how that works. :) The containers are moved onto the walkway in this picture because I'm working on the other side of the path. I've decided to just keep the gravel on that side and grow things in containers over there. I would love to get some big wooden barrels for that side, but they aren't cheap so we will see if I can swing that. Now begins the tedious back breaking task of smoothing/moving gravel once again. Yuck.

Decided to grow my tomatoes in containers this year. All will go well if I can remember to water them consistently. :) I haven't grown tomatoes in containers since the time that baby Atty and baby Ira ripped to pieces every single tomato plant I had on the deck the first year we were here. I think {hope} it's safe now. ;)

This blue makes my heart happy...

Pretty pink as well...

And even some purple. :)

My favorite flower, the simple beauty speaks to me. :)

Bursting... :)

Black currents are ripening! :)

I've mentioned this before, but this is by far my favorite rose. I believe it's called a peace rose and the smell in phenomenal! Every one should have one. :)

Like a star in the sky. 

Happy...

We have yet to have a humming bird visit this feeder! They come to my flowers all the time, but the feeder  they snub. I guess why get the fake stuff if you can have the real thing right!?!

And a cute cat picture just because. 

Our beautiful 4th of July

Fourth of July in pictures... with a few words of course. ;)

Iverson Spit Waterfront Preserve, first time visiting and we love it! We will definitely go back soon. :)

Banden looking for baby crabs, of course. :) And boy did he find some! The rest of the family headed straight for the water.

Love

My little explorers. :) I love their adventurous spirits. 

Picnic lunch on the beach, perfect weather and amazing views. :)

My husband found the perfect hollow log and I just had to get all of our pictures taken in it. :) 

Leiella, 3 years old.

Ira, six years old.  

Atticus, six years old.

Banden, 7 years old.

Ryder, age unknown... ;)

Miriah, age... I'll never tell. ;)

 We went over to a friends house, my kids very best friends that is, and ate some good food and watched some fireworks. It was a lot of fun! :)

Thought up a fun, patriotic dessert for the 4th, red, white and blue baby! Blueberries and strawberries over top of coconut whip cream. Atty style. :) Super simple and fun and all of the kids gobbled it down.

Fireworks! :)

She's a daddy's girl...

This is the latest Leiella has ever stayed up on the fourth, she made it almost to midnight! When I was packing up she fell asleep holding her best friends hand, sweetness!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th with their families!

You are about to be flooded with summer happens... :)

Leiella made her very own robot and she was super proud. :)

I can't believe how fast my first born son is growing up! It's enough to make a lady feel old... ;)

Teeth are being lost left and right, I feel sorry for the poor tooth fairy. Pun intended! ;) Atty lost his a while back but I think I forgot to post about it here. Facebook has ruined me. Ha ha!

Banden has now lost both front teeth. He's going to be on a liquid diet soon if he keeps this up. ;)

Ira FINALLY lost his first tooth. Notice the crime scene in the back ground? Yeah, while I was watching a movie, after already tucking them safely into bed, they {meaning my trouble twins, Atty and Ira} got back up and worked on his loose tooth with a lego pick until it came out. Shesh! To say that Ira is a determined and competitive child is a massive understatement. He couldn't handle not having lost a tooth yet for a moment longer. ;) Is it just my kids or do they all seem to loose their teeth late at night? Mine are always so excited to have a good reason to come out of their rooms past their bedtimes, ha ha!

My boys love camping out in the same bed on the weekends, and I couldn't help snapping this adorable picture of them all passed out together. Sweetness. :)

Our chicks are, well... no longer chicks! 

Nothing better on a hot day then sitting in a pool in the shade eating popsicles!  We have ended up having quite a hot streak around here! And it always takes me by surprised, as is evident in the next picture... Ha!

Oh yeah, it was bad! The back was even worse... Ouch barely covers it, and I'm still peeling.  Lesson learned, for the time being. ;)

I thought this was way cute. Leiella picked out our shoes that she wanted us to wear and set them up by the front door. :)

Red heads need a little extra sun protection. :)

Trying to cool off once again...

And I leave you with this funny picture, my desperate attempt to cover up after scorching my body the day before...  Good thing I didn't need to go anywhere. ;)