Seattle: Day 3: Dash Point

Normally the girls LOVE this place and spend hours here. But, we got to the beach later in the day and the tide was in, so the girls kind-of just stood around. It was weird. But, at least I got to talk to my sister which was awesome.

We went to Melissa's house for dessert and to play JackBox TV. This was a lot of fun, and we ended up playing a couple of more times before we left. I never won ;(

Seattle: Day 2Temple

 I really wanted to get to the temple, and I was lucky that the family obliged. Mom, Steph, and I did a session while Audra, Claire, Aubrey, and Makenna did baptisms, and Dad and Camille hung out outside. We went to lunch afterwards, and it was all just lovely. I haven't done a session there since I took out my endowment just before Ben and I got married. I didn't remember anything about it! It's a really big temple, much bigger than Denver, and absolutely beautiful.

After the temple, we went to the DeCremers. Audra and Claire went to their youth activity at church (bbq and playing at the lake) while Camille stayed home with Steph and me and we worked on our skirts for our WDW trip in September. They turned out perfect for the Halloween party we are going to there!

Seattle: Day 1

 In order to get away from the rain and gloomy days of Denver, we headed to Seattle to visit family.

Here we are gearing up to watch Into the Woods at the Hale's. Grandpa said, "I'm finally seeing a movie worse than Seven Brides!"

Claire opened up her Birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa and she was so excited that she got Kind Oatmeal. I mean, really, she was like, "thank you!" Grandma had to explain to her that oatmeal was not her gift and she needed to open the box to see her actual present. It was pretty funny.

Grandpa took us to get our free Slurpees from 7-11 for 7-11.

The girls always love hot tub time.

And. going to Treasure Island with the DeCremers.

The pictures are backwards, but hopefully you get the idea.

We celebrated Claire's Birthday on the 8th with extended family. After the Renaissance Faire, we went to Northridge Park and had pizza and a big Birthday chocolate chip cookie. 

Then on Sunday, we had a bbq and a cake that Camille made to celebrate again.

She didn't want make-up for her Birthday like Audra got for her 14th, instead she wanted a new pair of Converse. I think this is going to be a trend for her.

She insisted that after spending most of her Birthdays in Seattle, she wanted to be home for this one. Why? Because the Young Women spoil the girls on their Birthday, and she wanted to be spoiled. They definitely came through! Not only did they decorate the yard and the door, but two young women brought her over a plate of cupcakes. She was glad to be home for all of it.

Northridge Park.

Audra with cute Baby I.

Here is Claire at 14:

-She LOVES sports- it doesn't really matter which sport, as long as their is a team she can be on

-She LOVED middle school, and is nervous for high school

-She has made several good friends

-She is still fiesty

-She is still hilarious- she has excellent wit

-She picks on Camille WAY too much- they definitely know how to push each other's buttons

-She loves Converse. She wants to fit in, and her shoes are one of her ways

-She works hard- when she wants to

-She plays piano beautifully. I only wish I could get her to practice more!

-She wants to stay up until 9:30 or 10 every night. While I know this is normal for a teenager, it's an adjustment for Ben and me who are used to having that quiet time

-She always has to know the "why." She's not going to do anything without knowing the purpose, and if the purpose isn't a good one, she won't do it

-She asks to go to the doctor at least once a week. She's a bit of a hypochondriac

-She is also a germaphobe. I'm actually a little worried about this and hope she doesn't become OCD like her father

-She is insistent she will be a better driver than Audra and that she already knows how to drive and she doesn't understand why I won't let her drive all over town

-She is taller than Audra and she makes sure that everybody knows it

-She still loves traditions and hates when things are different than the way it was done before

-She has no interest in make-up and believes that girls should just be natural
-She thinks having a boyfriend is stupid
-She can drive us crazy with her mood swings, but then she'll be the sweetest and kindest person on the planet so it's hard to stay mad at her for too long

-She loves playing Batman with Audra and Ben on the computer

-She loves the TV show Roswell

-She still won't eat rice

Ranaissance Faire

 It has probably been a decade since we took our kids to the Renaissance Faire, but this year we decided to make it happen. We did get hailed on pretty good, because....Colorado, but it was fun. The kids did NOT like the fire eater or the sword swallower. They seemed to enjoy the jousting and the juggling.

We splurged and got cheesecake on a stick. It was nice to try once.

They preferred the activities more than the shows, so this maze was fun for them.

Overall, it was a good day.

Family Hike

We finally went on a family hike. With the terrible weather all summer, it was a long time coming. We just went to Regional Bluffs Trail. It threatened rain the whole time, but we were able to stay dry.

 

Independence Day!

It was a pretty low-key day that ended with severe thunderstorms that postponed fireworks until another day, but it was also nice.

It started with the girls being on the 4H float. They really wanted to do it, and it's their last year in 4H so we let them. Plus, Audra drove them to it early so Ben and I walked over when the parade started.

Krispy Kreme had free donuts so we went.

Matching Converse! Though Claire told me since I didn't get high tops I shouldn't have even gotten any.

A bbq for dinner- YUM!

And we ended the night with The Bourne Identity.