Our first meet: Asotin Island Run

We finally got to our first meet!  We were super-prepared but anxious.  The course isn't great for spectating as it takes on the entire Chief Timothy Island.  So wasn't I surprised when our girls headed over the top in first place.  Kayte walked away with the WIN!  The girls team won, the boys team won and we were feeling pretty awesome at the start of this epic season!

So proud of my super-fast super-girl!

Joe and I celebrated that evening on our own.  I was completely wiped out from all the anxiety and excitement.  A glass of super-fine wine and a movie for the win!

The boys had a new jazz of energy when they showed up for practice the next day...so they started working on their group cheer.  This team is composed of almost entirely super-athletic 7th graders.  I'm so excited to see what they will accomplish in the next couple of years!

Tuckered.

Early mornings, late nights.

Officially back-to-school.

Reality finally hits when we start doing mass homework nights.

Sara's new 'do

Sara has been wanting to try something new for awhile, and then her cousins all got their haircut short, so she rushed home one day begging me to chop it all off.  So I did!  Now she's my little French girl and it suits her!

A September Evening

For some reason or another, we ended up with just the two littles for an evening, so we decided to take a stroll through the newly cut fields.

Such a beautiful view!

So... this boot.  A couple of years ago, Ben and Will headed down to explore the creek. Ben got stuck in the mud and Will yanked him out leaving one boot sucked down in the mud of the creek.  And there we found it!  A couple of years later....

Home.

Another unbelievable sunset:

Trying new things.

I went to a cooking class with friends downtown this summer, which was just perfect cause she was cooking up some risotto and salmon.  Which inspired me to try my own!  And I just happened to have Ben's perfect fish!

 

This was so good!  I made like 4 more batches of risotto within the next two weeks cause I was completely obsessed.  I love cooking it and eating it!!  Next up, bacon risotto! Yum!!

August Soup

Every month this year, Sara and Joe are trying out a new soup together.  This one was a chicken-curry type soup and a huge hit!
Joe likes to cook all tidy....like an engineer :)

Last summer days...

The last Saturday in August was a beautiful one!

The boys hit the river and helped Ben snag his very first steelhead.

The girls and I hit the market, of course.

Then dinner out at my parents.  Such a beautiful night and an perfect end to a lazy Saturday.

I love this.

Back-to-School Ball

These two love love love the ball.  But I truly believe no one loves anything quite like Ben.  He likes to dress himself - so dapper.

This beauty is an eighth grader!!!

Will is not pictured.  He goes to the ball and always enjoys himself more than he will ever admit (as long as his friends are there!)  But I don't (always) add insult to injury by photographing him. As a seventh grader he gets to go to the real, big-kid ball, and I think he loves that much more.

I cannot believe how fast they are growing!!

Engagement Anniversary.

Somewhere along the way, Joe and I started commemorating the anniversary of our engagement.  Which is a pretty sweet deal, cause why not?  And, because we had a winter wedding, it is nice to do a little something fun together in the summer months.  This year, kayaking!

We dropped the poor kiddoes off at school and headed up to the Lazy Joe.

We paddled down a couple of miles, ate a little lunch (a little soggy from the trip, haha!) and then headed back up.  It was slow and lazy and relaxing.  The sun was warm and not hot.  We saw a little dust devil hit the water right behind us, it was like nothing we had ever seen, the water literally lifted up just inches off the water in a little twister.  Such a great day.

I talked Joe in to saving our lunch with a little stop at the local St. Maries drive-in where they served some pretty amazing corndog bites.  I am a happy lady!

The First Day!!

Is the first day always so crazy!  I always forget but it always is!

This year I got up just after 5 so I could shower and be pretty for the day before we had to get to XC practice.  We jetted right home from there for more showers and lunch-making and picture-taking!

Ok, so Will doesn't have a tie.  On the last day of last year, I purchased him a real-live tie tie and patted myself on the back for my forethought!  I would be ready with a nearly-new tie for Will for the first day of 7th grade and I put it out of my mind.  Until the day before the first day.  It suddenly occurred to me that secondary ties don't look anything like elementary ties and it was all a waste!  This slightly stressed out my new 7th grader to show up on the very first day without a tie.  We'd have to make it to the office and purchase one and still tie it before rushing him off to his first class where there were just unlimited unknowns!  What pencil should he take? Or should it be a pen? Does he need a binder or a some paper or a book?  Fortunately, we had loaded up his locker on the Friday before so that was on less thing to worry about.  But still!!

Major mom-fail.

I got this one right though!

Rushing rushing rushing, but managing to look cool as a cucumbers.

The hallways are full of familiar faces.

Ready. And with confidence!  This kid got himself settled in which was great...

...cause this one still loves her mama to come along :)

By the time we rounded out that hurricane, I was itching to get back to the house and clean!!!!  All by myself!  But, I had to schedule in some baking time cause zucchini bread on the first day is just right.

And off we go!

Lentil Fest!

Riding high on the success of our Hoopfest glory this year, we decided to go ahead and sign up for the Lentil Fest 3-3 tournament.  It's not quite as awesome as Hoopfest, of course, but it was fun for the guys to get out and get some play time.  They hadn't really played together much since June, and I think they'll be motivated to do that next year.  I cannot believe how fun it is to watch them play...they are so scrappy!

My little lentil nut.

There was some shade! 

Joe, doing his coaching thing.

Forced Family Fun

So summer was coming to an end.  We had sold our boat, but we needed something to finale our way out of summer.  We called up some reinforcements and a laser gun delivery, parked the cars around our "yard" for various obstacles, and strapped on the weapons.  It was a super-hot day, as all Forced Family Fun Days should be.

So much fun!!!  We wrapped up the day with dinner out (my fav) and a surround sound movie. 

So long, summer. We are already missing you!