Eben and Kivi Go To Camp!

We had a busy July after getting back from CA, 2 weeks of VBS, Dada's Birthday, Kivi's Birthday, Maker Camp for Eben, Girl's Bible study for Kivi, and I got to go to Wicked with my wonderful friend, Niki! The last week of July we sent Eben and Kivi to a week long Jr. Camp this year at Black Lake Bible Camp, July 26th - August 2 thanks to Shari's bargain hunting. This was the first week long camp that either of them had been to and Peter and I were probably more anxious than they were. We dropped them off and walked them and their belongings all the way to their sleeping quarters. Kivi met her counselor in her cabin and picked out a top bunk.

Eben met his counselors in his wagon and also chose a top bunk. They were both the first ones to claim a bed. Later we found out that a boy in Eben's wagon puked all over their wagon and they had to move into a cabin. Everyone else in the camp slept in a wagon or teepee.

Then we hugged and kissed them both goodbye for the week.

Jasper and Opal really stepped up their sibling game while Eben and Kivi were gone and both Peter and I realized how much more we can depend on them for many things around the house. They are excellent helpers.  After we picked Eben and Kivi up the next Sunday, we stopped for lunch at Tumwater Falls Park, threw some frisbee, learned about salmon runs and heard all about their week. It sounded like they had an amazing time and we were all happy to have our two bigs back.

Tuff and Luna

Tuff is the smiliest baby. He was finally sitting well on his own, at least for a while. I just had to take him outside where the flowers were blooming and get his cutie picture before we moved at I forgot that he even lived at our cute little Lake Louise house.

On the 25th we decided to take some pictures of Kivi and Luna. A play on the Alice in Wonderland croquet pic seemed like a good idea since we had been playing earlier. She loved it outside and even found a dead worm to eat. Her favorite part was burrowing herself in the Viking stick house that the kids had built on the slope.  (We had a family stay with us for a couple of days who was trying to get to Japan but was stuck at the airport and they are the ones jumping on the trampoline.)

Kivi's 10th Birthday!

On Kivi's actual birthday we had our "pretend cousins", the Schocks, come over for swimming and Kivi's favorite dessert raspberry bars.

On the day of her party, just three days later, her real cousin, Emma, surprised her with her pet hedgehog, Luna. Kivi's the only one who can hold her without getting prickled. She was super excited to have this cute little pet.

That morning we had her friends come over and make trail mix and pack their bags for the big hike. Kivi opened presents and then we were on our way. Auntie Tonya and Uncle Chris stayed with the three littles. Dada chose Spray Park Falls to hike to and it was beautiful! It was quite a hike! There were lots of little bridges to go across, steep ravines, scrambling up rocks and gorgeous views!

There was no real pathway up to the falls so we just tried not to fall as we made our way up the slimy rocks and got soaked by the falls as we sang "Happy Birthday" to Kivi although we could barely hear each other yell as the water was so loud.

We hiked up a bit farther from the falls and stopped at a serene meadow to eat our lunch or MRE's Dada had collected as many as he could from friends and each girl got to pick one for her lunch. Some were OK and some were...gross. But they all loved how much stuff was in each one, especially the condiment pack with the cute bottles of tabasco sauce. You'd of thought they all won a prize. We stuck a candle in one of the desserts and sang again as Kivi blew it out. 

We hiked back down the mountain and then cooled off by swimming in Lake Mowich. It was a long fun day of celebrating our adventurous girl!

 Kivi, you are ten! How'd that happen? It seemed like just the other day you were a little purple newborn on the kitchen floor! Now you are tall, smart and beautiful inside and out! You are growing up so fast. You are a part of so many ministries. You bake for our Cookie Ministry, serve on two different Serve Teams one for Promiseland and one for Awana, you are doing T&T, help with babies and toddlers at church and are are crucial here for the running of our home, too! I don't know what we'd do without you! You are loving, caring, kind, helpful, brilliant, friendly and you love Jesus. You are an amazing daughter. We love you, Kivi! Happy Birthday.

Peter's 37th Birthday

We attempted to surprise Dada this year for his 37th birthday. He's very hard to trick. The kids did a great job of celebrating him on his actual birthday with signs and banners and a big string maze to follow to presents that we all bought him. I think that threw him off. Then two days later we threw him a surprise party with family friends. My plan was for people to just show up randomly and make some excuse as to why they were there like wanting to swim or borrow a tool, and see how long it took him to realize what was happening. By the time the third family came, he looked in their van window and saw a salad on the wife's lap and said, "Okay, I see what's going on here." Once he figured it out I started setting up the party food. It was actually the easiest party ever because I did nothing before hand so that he wouldn't be suspicious and everyone helped me prepare food and barbecue! The kids all swam. The guys played the new game of Beersbee and then the women tried it. Peter won his match, but I am horrible at throwing a frisbee. Then we all ate key lime pie, Dada's favorite.

After everyone left, the Schocks took our kids and I took Peter on an overnight fun trip (thanks to my parents family friends!) to Seattle! We went to some fun restaurants, walked around Pike and the waterfront and even played ping-pong on the pier. Two surprises! Whoo hoo we did it!

Our Quiet Fourth

The third of July we tried out going to Anderson Island. Lots of people from our church go for the actual Independence Day, but we didn't feel like crowds so we ferried over with the Millers and hung out with a couple more church families on the beach playing frisbee and eating crabs at the Van Houte Family beach house. It was low key and quiet. 

On the actual 4th of July day we did...nothing.  Our lake didn't put on a fireworks show. No decorations (they were all packed already). No party.  We only had five kids! It was crazy - quiet. We had planned on going to the Steilacoom parade but we were so lazy that didn't even happen. Actually it felt good to have no plans. It was hot. We swam. I even swam, that's how hot it was. Eben had fun playing around with fire crackers, we didn't even buy any fireworks.

Later that evening we headed over to our soon to be neighbors on Lake Steilacoom, the Evarts. There we watched their next door neighbors amazing personal fireworks show with glow sticks. After the show I gave the kids a gallon of ice cream and a handful of spoons to devour on a blanket. They loved it. Happy Quiet Independence Day.

Jasper's California

We went swimming at Poppie and Nonnie's house. The next day we went to the pool and then we swam and I learned how to dive and Opal was training how to swim. Everybody went bowling and I got 3rd place. Uncle Kookie got last. We just hanged out for the rest of the day.  The next day we went to the beach and went swimming. We dug holes and got an ice cream cone and made some friends. Then we left. The next day while we were in the car Nonnie and Poppie told us we were going to a park but we actually went to Knott's Berry Farm. We had fun there and I got my Jasper rock and saw lots of geodes. My favorite ride was Supreme Scream. The next day we swam in Nonnie and Poppie's pool. Later that evening we set up a blanket at a 4th of July party. Uncle Kookie and Buggy came and while we were waiting for them Opal got her face painted and we got kettle corn and I ate all of it at the fireworks show. All of their friends came to the party.

Opal's California

First, I think we went swimming in the morning in Nonnie and Poppie's pool. Then we practiced swimming. I played doll house with Buggy when she got home. Jasper played a little bit. Then Buggy had to go. We got to go bowling and Buggy beat Uncle Kookie for the first time! I think Jasper won. After that we went swimming and that's when Nonnie helped me swim. Then we got out and we ate lunch. 

Nonnie and Poppie said, "In the morning we're going to go to somewhere that Kivi and Eben would say, ' What? They got to go there?'" We kept guessing. When we got there there their was a huge line. We met some people and they were really nice. Nonnie and Poppie said to them, "If you can open the gates, we'll let you go first." We finally got to go in to Knott's Berry Farm like after an hour. We sat on this bench next to this fountain. It was beautiful. It was surrounded with flowers and in the middle there was a big, cement statue, I don't know what it was. There was a stone bench all around it and we sat on that bench and we sat down and asked some people to take all these pictures of us. 

We finally went on a water ride and Jasper and Nonnie got the wettest. We got out. 

We went to the little kid land and we went on Mud Bucky's. It was so bumpy that afterward our bottoms hurt so bad. Me and Jasper got our own car. Jasper went in the back and I went in the front. And then there were two steering wheels in the front and back so we both got to drive two steering wheels. 

Afterwards we tried to go on the ferris wheel, but it took too long because there was a long line. After lots of rides that were really fun, Nonnie and Poppie said that we could each buy a rock for at least five or six dollars. Jasper bought a Jasper egg and I got an Amber. Then we got Nonnie and Poppie to do one more ride for Jasper because Jasper and Poppie really wanted to go on it. While the ride was going, it was kind of short, but it was kind of fun because the seats spun so fast around and it kind of went upside down. Nonnie and I both closed our eyes for the whole ride. Nonnie let us have a lollipop in the car. We had a great time. It was really fun!

The next day, we went swimming. We played with Buggy. I took a bath and then Nonnie did my hair. That night we went swimming with Uncle Kookie and Buggy then we ate ice cream and played with the music thingy and toys. 

The last day we went to the beach and Nonnie called them drippy ice cream cones because they dripped so much. Nonnie had to eat like half of mine because it was so big and I couldn't eat it all myself. Then we went swimming. It was really cold. After a while, we got out because it was so freezing. We built a whole race track on the sand and me a Jasper built this well and then we met this guy. He was really nice. He had black hair and he kept calling Jasper "Dude". We had lunch there and met Nonnie friend. Then we went home. 

Then after that we got ready for the fair. Nonnie and Poppie got popcorn. Brilely and Tanner and Uncle Kookie and Buggy came and we all watched the fireworks. Everyone except for me and Nonnie kept eating so much popcorn before the fireworks show. We were trying to save it for the show. But then Nonnie ate it all, too. Me and Jasper got to decide if we wanted tattoos on our faces. I got one, but Jasper said, "No". 

When we got home we got packed up and then went to sleep and in the morning we went to Washington. Our drive was awesome.

Shmee's Wedding

We drove down to CA in record time about 18 hours actually. The kids did amazing! Dada is amazing, he drove straight through the whole time. We got to CA, late Wednesday night and set up camp at Mimi's house. God bless Mimi. She housed us all and my two aunts. The kids took over the whole living room and basically made one huge bed out of the floor. During the day we would go over to Poppie and Nonnie's house and, of course, the kids would swim. It was very hot, I even swam.

Thursday was the Bachelorette and Bachelor parties. The guys took Steve fishing. The girls took Shmee on a scavenger hunt of her childhood, we didn't finish, so we didn't get to her adulthood years.  At each stop there was a question she had to answer and if she got it wrong she had to wear something crazy and if she got it right she got to draw a mustache on one of us. Only Bug, Fifi and Nancy got mustaches. Then mustaches, crazy clothes and all, we went to Maggiano's for dinner and county dancing, although we didn't stay long because we're old and got tired.

Friday was the Rehearsal and Dinner where we all learned the flash mob dance.

Saturday, Eben and Kivi made the Wedding Cake! It took them all day. Between swimming and eating they managed to make two small layers and two big layers and put them together with bright pick frosting, which they said Mr. Steve wanted. Late that night, they frosted the whole thing and right before the wedding started, they put on the flowers and heaviest cake topper ever.

And Sunday was the Big Day - The Wedding!  It was beautiful! Shmee looked amazing, Missa Teeve looked great and the wedding was gorgeous and fun. Here are some pictures of the day:

The bride and groom

The Kids

Married

The Flash Mob & Dancing

Our Family

The Sparkler Send Off