Every year, once Quinn is back in school, I upload an album of the summer. I don’t want to forget summer activities, memories, and sweet moments. This summer, we traveled to the west side of Washington so many times that it felt like we were there more than we were home. It was a crazy, busy summer with lots of driving, all for fun and good things. We are back to routine, back to school, and getting ready for cozy time.

We started the summer with Quinn’s first Skyhawks Basketball camp, where she was one of two girls who participated. She had a lot of fun, and basketball has become her favorite sport.

We took advantage of cooler temperatures by skateboarding around the neighborhood, where the dogs would pull Quinn on the longboard. The dogs were dog-gone tired afterward. haha

Quinn celebrated her birthday at a local candle-making shop. It was so fun and the girls had so much fun! They each got to pick out their scent or mix a couple of scents, pick out their candle jar, and mix and create their candle. It was a hit!

We hung out with family a lot this summer, and one of those times was at my cousin’s house. We did the bedtime routine right before we went out to visit under the gazebo. They have two kittens, and Cody thought putting one in a tree would be a good idea. Well, it got stuck, so we rescued it like firefighters.

We spent many days at Silverwood, so here is an album within an album. haha

We had some bonfires, but we have learned that bonfires are more of a spring/fall activity when it starts getting cooler. It just doesn’t cool off enough in the summer here.

We lost Tarzan, Quinn’s first bunny this year. I cried, and here’s a funny picture to prove it. I was also laughing because I knew it was ridiculous. I cried more because Quinn was so mature handling it, and she wanted to “have a moment alone with him.”

I celebrated with my high school best friend at her bachelorette party and bridal shower. We showed we loved her A LOT by hiking Oyster Dome, which is a very intense hike. Bring on Palm Springs!

Jordan and I filmed a wedding for some friends. It was such a beautiful wedding, and it’s fun to film because you get to see and do all the behind-the-scenes things that make it special for the bride and groom later on. When we were there, we also went to a Mariners Game where we ended up on the Jumbotron.

I made homemade pesto. YUMMY

Quinn’s best friend’s grandma has a house on the lake, so we spent some days laking it up.

We caught a Marmot eating my flowers. We released it into the woods.

Quinn spent her annual week at my parents’, where she ate a ton of clams and seafood in general. She always has so much fun making memories with her Nan and Pops. It’s so generous of them to do this, and it’s so special for Quinn. My brother and I would do this with our grandma when we were younger; it was always the best time.

We did the fair. And at this fair, we went to Chandler Moore. It was the best one hour of worship I have had.

My family all went camping at Lake Osoyoos, and it was so fun! We went to Canada, tasted wine, went mini golfing and golfing (we aren’t cut out for real golfing), and got to do a you-pick for apricots and cherries. The kids had a blast.

We ended the summer with a friend’s trip to my parents, where we went to the zoo, Deception Pass, and the guys to a UW game and horse races.

On Labor Day, we usually go to the last day of Boulder Beach at Silverwood Theme Park. Our tradition still lives on! While walking into the park, Quinn grabbed my hand to hold it. I realized that she won’t want to hold my hand very soon and won’t always grab it out of the blue like she does now. I soaked it in and also snapped a picture to remember my feelings.

Outside our many trips to Silverwood, we had a 50th birthday party because it was 100 degrees out. Usually, parties are held at one of the private residences, but because of the heat, they moved it. They opened up one of the wave pools for us to cool down in. We got to do some fun after-hours activities that aren’t allowed when Boulder Beach is open. It was so fun! It was a great summer send-off. We are jumping into fall!

Our summer was so full of fun. Bring on the cozy, the candles, the blankets, the sweaters, and shorter days. We are ready!