Mount St. Helen's

One of Shawn's bucket list items has always been to visit Mount St. Helen's.  Well check it off the list - it's been done!  We drove out on the weekend and loved seeing the beauty of Washington.  The site itself is really quite breathtaking and awe inspiring.  When you see the remains of the landslide from over 30 years ago - it really leaves you in awe of the power of nature.  The rangers said it was a great day to view the mount because it was so clear, which I guess is unusual.  So we timed it just right.

 There are still trees that were ripped apart from the blast and this is one of the many that spot the North side of the mountain.

Max was quite the sport for this trip.  We really are lucky to have such a great travelers - the kids never complain about road trips which is good because our road trips lately have been 4+ hours!  Max was in his happy place watching Frozen.  I had to take a picture of him watching the movie, he literally smiles like that during the entire show.  He loves him some Elsa and Anna!

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We tested out our first cherries of the season picking them fresh off the tree!  I am not a big cherry fan, but these Rainier's are awesome!  The kids always love to go picking so we made a night out of it.  Nothing beats yummy produce at amazing low prices!

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Finally, the saga is over - Sam finished the Harry Potter series two weeks ago!  I loved these books so much, and it has been so fun to get to share these books with him.  We both have some Potter Fever! I will continue to tell my kids that nothing beats a great book (lucky for us there were seven great books!)

2014 Family Pictures

For some crazy reason I have put off getting "real" family pictures - meaning an actual photographer, who takes, edits, creates wonderful pictures.  I reasoned it away saying I have a good camera, I can take quality pictures, etc.  But my eyes have been open!  The one perk of being the only girl in a family of boys is that Olyvia was the focal point of most of the picture taking.  I don't blame them - she already has the posing down and her curls and pearls were hard to resist! Here are some of my favorites: 

Needless to say, I loved each and everyone one.  I will definitely do this again, but it has also inspired me to look a little deeper into picture taking!)

Father's Day & Summer Begins

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Shawn and the kids on father's day.  He is such an incredible dad, and my kids are so lucky to have him as their hero, coach, project manager, doctor, and dad!  The more fathers we meet the more I am convinced that Shawn truly is one of kind, and I am so grateful for all that he sacrifices for his family.

One of my favorite thing that Shawn does is comb Lyv's hair after a bath.  He always takes such care to not pull too hard, and I think it is adorable that he does it.

The summer is off with a running start.  We had such a great time with our visitors I think we think that level of awesomeness must continue all summer!  So we hit up our first hike - Boulder Cave, 

 Lyv got her first manicure - and LOVED it!!

 We filled up the pool, found a mermaid living there, and two crazy boys who think it's hilarious to do a running belly flop! OUCH!

 and we found out that Max is having a hard time keeping up with the fun!  He has been insistent on not napping anymore (he'll sit and yell Ma! Ma! for over an hour in his crib, seriously what is his problem?) but by late afternoon he wipes out: open mouth, me in the background making dinner, siblings flying in and out, and not even a flinch! It is tough to be little.

Summer Visitors

People who know us, know that we love visitors! We were lucky to get two sets in one week!  First Grandma and Grandpa Summers came to watch Sam's tournament and check out Yakima.  Apparently we were too busy having fun to get many pictures in, but this one is a favorite.  Lyvie cuddling with Grandpa Kelly!  We had such a fun weekend with Shawn's parents - it is always too quick.

Our second set of visitors had ulterior motives - the Yankees were playing the Mariners, and that is one of the only ways I can lure my dad away from St. Anthony!) Shawn was a good sport and stayed home with the kids so I could spend a little quality time with my parents.  We had a great time at the game, and the biggest highlight came seeing Derek Jeter play one of his last games of professional baseball.  Mom and I had a great time giggling and dad had a great time watching us do it! 

Mom was a little disappointed that Jeter didn't notice his number one fan in the stands!  I think he did, but he didn't want to make my dad jealous:)