The Rest of August

After all of the traveling and fun with family, I was a little tired of going all of the time. The rest of August was pretty low-key and I didn't take a ton of pictures.

I finally took Spencer's 13 year old pictures - just 4 months late! Gosh, he's looking so grown up!

Thankfully, the wild fire smoke stayed high in the sky this year. I had some slight PTSD from the horrible smoke last September. I got really nervous any time I smelled any smoke at all. Some parts of Oregon were not as fortunate and had it pretty bad again. The only good thing about it was that it made for some pretty sunrises and sunsets. 

"Hey Mom, come take a picture!"

In addition to worrying about the smoke, I was also nervous about super hot temperatures like at the end of June. We had a few high 90's days in August so I create this tent to save my struggling hydrangea. So trashy I know, but it helped!

We had our last Sunday dinner with Alan's parents before they officially moved. We have been blessed to live close to them for the last 15 years and are missing them! This was a good move for Darwin and Debbie though and they are really enjoying Idaho. I am happy for them, but sad for us.

Spencer's piano teacher started teaching him how to play the organ in August. She hasn't taught him how to do the pedals, but showed him how to work the stops and how to hold his chords and blend them together without a pedal like pianos have. He practiced for a few weeks and then played the opening hymn (I Know That My Redeemer Lives) for Sacrament Meeting. He was really nervous, but did a great job. He will probably take a turn playing every month or so now. 

STEM projects and challenges from the library's summer reading program. We don't go to the library multiple times a week like we used to, but we still go often and I am incredibly grateful for a good library system.

Playgrounds! It's so crazy to think that we couldn't even go to playgrounds last summer. That was one of the few Covid restrictions that really made me mad.

The boys and I took one last trip to the beach to hang out with the Holden's for an afternoon. The weather was amazing and the kids had a fabulous time. Hooray for friends!

We got to tour Spencer's school and find his locker and classrooms a couple of weeks before school started. It was my first time ever being in the building besides the gym. It's very big and kind of confusing since it used to be a high school and had been added onto. It was actually Alan's high school!

My garden was just okay this year. Mason's sunflowers did awesome though and he was really excited about them. They were probably 10-12 feet tall.

I took the boys to Langer's on a two-dollar Tuesday. We played laser tag and did some arcades. It was fun that a bunch of other kids from the ward happened to be there at the same time.

I took Mason and some friends to the park by our house one afternoon. It was fun for about 10 minutes before Mason stuck a stick into a rotting stump and a bunch of bees came out. He wound up getting stung six times on his arm and side. Ouch!! I took his friends home and then gave Mason benadryl and ibuprofen and put some essential oils on the stings. That did the trick and he was feeling much better in about 30 minutes. We still cuddled and watched a movie for awhile though. Something similar happened to us at this same time of year two years ago. No more playing in the forest at the end of summer! 

Watching virtual Stake Conference. I actually prefer it this way! Our ward always just watches a broadcast from the Stake Center at our building so it's virtual anyway. And, it's so much easier to keep Mason happy and quiet for two hours when we're not sitting on benches in a dark, mostly quiet chapel.;)

Mom, Dad & Michelle Come to Visit!

Mom, Dad and Michelle flew up to visit us just a few days after we got back from California. It had been over five years since they had been up here so we were thrilled to have them! They stayed for almost a week and we kept busy with lots of fun activities.

Bowling at Langer's:

Music on the Green: It was our first and maybe only time going. ;)

Nature walk at Tualatin Hills Nature Park: It turned out longer than expected because we didn't realize the end of the loop we did was closed and we had to turn around and go back the same way we came. Still a pretty walk though and we had a picnic afterward.

Mini golfing at Tualatin Island Greens: Michelle and Mason were surprisingly good!

Riding the Max into Portland to see the Portland International Test Rose Garden. We weren't sure how many roses there would be in August, but the blooms were still amazing.

We rode the Max to the Zoo and then switched to a shuttle bus. Mason thought the Max tunnel was super cool and had fun shouting down it and listening to his echo. My favorite part of the excursion turned out to be the shuttle ride. There is some amazing architecture in those Portland neighborhoods!

Lunch at the Beaverton food trucks. So many choices and such a Portland thing to do!

Michelle is never finished with dinner until she has dessert. :)

Ladder Ball and Corn Hole in the backyard:

Beaverton Farmer's market. I wish I had taken more than this one lame picture. We got some really yummy bread and cherries. I didn't get any pictures, but Dad also scouted out a place to pick blackberries a few blocks from our house and went picking a couple of times. They were so yummy too!

And, no trip to Oregon is complete without a trip to the coast! We booked a couple of nights at a friend's condo near Devil's Punchbowl. We went on August 8th which was Mom and Dad's 41st anniversary! It was their first time ever spending their anniversary at the beach. Too bad they had to share it with all of us! 

The property and beach were gorgeous, but we were not prepared for the cold and wind! We almost froze to death walking to the pool and back, but it was alright once we were in the heated water.

The tide pools were a bit treacherous to reach, but we saw some pretty cool urchins and anemones once we made it.

Weird ducks at a pond on the property.

Beverly Beach was just a short drive or walk from the condo so we spent a couple of hours there. It was still cool, but not freezing and not too windy at first.

Mason loved it when Grandpa buried him in the sand!

Checking out Devil's Punchbowl:

We stopped in Depoe Bay for salt water taffy and watched a couple of boats come into the harbor. It was super windy there!

I don't even know how many times I've been to Newport and never knew there is a place in the harbor where tons of sea lions rest on the docks. We watched for awhile because they were so funny; all fighting over sunning spots.

I got up early on our last morning for a short run on the beach. This picture doesn't show it well, but the sunrise was so amazing as it was reflected in the wet sand. Running on the beach always helps me feel close to God and is one of my favorite things to do every time we visit.

And then, way too soo, it was time for Mom, Dad and Michelle to leave. We had such a wonderful time and are so grateful they made the trip up to see us. Goodbyes with these guys are the worst. Love you guys!