An Anniversary Party

We threw Les and Kathy a surprise 40th anniversary party.  It was so fun!! We rented the clubhouse.  Mike and Shannon did a great job with food planning and prep.  Karen brought flowers and decorations.  Everything looked great.  We had a big crowd, just under 50 people.  And Les and Kathy were SO surprised. 

The boys planned an early dinner with L & K... or at least that was the idea.  They picked Les and Kathy up and told them they wanted a quick picture in front of the Indianola Clubhouse, to compliment the wedding day photo from 40 years ago.  Meanwhile, we had the Clubhouse ready to go and full of guests just waiting.  When Les and Kathy walked up the steps for their picture, we threw open the doors and yelled "SURPRISE!!"  and boy were they.  It was so neat to see them enjoy an afternoon with all their friends and family.  Happy Anniversary!!

Cougar Game!!!

Matt got sick for this year's Seattle Cougar game. :(  You know he's sick when he misses a Coug game.  I pushed on without him and had a fun time in his honor.  There was kid free ferry riding, tailgating, friends, enemies (OU Ducks), and even a little football.  Wish you could have been there Matt.  Next year...

Flashback circa 1999.

Somehow we ended up in a Suite. Sweet.

Canning

Amanda and I share a birthday week.  This year we celebrated our 80th birthday.  I gave her some mittens I knitted for her and we spent a sunny fall day canning.  It was actually really fun and we were really proud of our creations.  Also, canning appears to be an extreme sport for us.  There was a lot of shouting, jumping around, and even some cursing... who knew?

 Amanda makes canning both dangerous and sexy.

Pickles, pickled garlic, and our favorite... Bloody Mary accoutrement. That means garnish.

Paul's 4th Birthday!!

My first baby is growing so fast.  He's 4 years old now and hardly a baby anymore.  It's so fun watching him grow and he's such a wonderful little person.  Paul can dress himself, brush his own teeth, reach his milk from the fridge, put on his coat, spell his name, count to 100 (or so he says), and he can understand some amazing concepts.  I love this little guy so much and am amazed by his sweet side and watching him interact with the world.  Happy Birthday Paul!!

For his birthday we had a much smaller party this year and it was just the right amount of chaos.  We had 7 little friends and their parents.  We made pigs in a blanket, tater tots, 7 layer bean dip, french onion dip, fruit and veggies, and a firetruck cake to finish it all off.  We measured our babies and their friends on the growing giraffe.  We opened presents and practiced patience waiting to play.  We took our usual picture on the front porch, and had a fantastic time.  I love birthday parties!!!

 Of course you get to lick the beater before your own party!!

 This year's cake was a tag team effort.  Baked by Lisa. Decorations started by Matt.  Decorations completed by Amanda (when halftime of the Cougar game got over).

 I can't believe we got them all to sit still. 

From Left: Audrey, Braydon, Olivia, Lauren, Paul, Connor, and Nathan. 

They're even almost lined up by age... We just need Connor to slide in between Olivia and Lauren.

 Lots of fun presents.

The hit of the party was this dirt table courtesy of Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Les... My front deck will never be the same again.

First Day of School!!

My babies are growing so fast!!! Paul started his second year of preschool at the Indianola Preschool and Olivia started in the tots class at the Learn and Grow preschool in Poulsbo.  They are so cute and LOVE to go to school.  Paul did great and was excited about all the new kids and toys.  Olivia has been there to drop Paul off at preschool for so long, she was ready for her turn!! I'm so proud of them.  Well behaved, enthusiastic, and so big.  Love my two little learners!!!

 

Pullman football game

Matt had tickets to just one home Cougar football game this year. He bought a couple extra tickets because he didn't know who'd want to go. This turned out to be a perfect opportunity for me to catch a Coug game too and a great opportunity to show Lara an American college town.

Matt took a couple days off to enjoy some summer with his big babies. Paul, Olivia, and Daddy had a great time at Camp Malaga with Grandma and Grandpa. They swam, played by the lake, and Daddy got in a round of golf with Grandma. I'm happy Matt got this special time with his babies and they loved the extra time with him.

Meanwhile, Lara watched Will during the days while I finished up my work week.  Then we zipped over to Camp Malaga to join in the fun. 

Early Saturday morning, Matt, Lara, and I headed to Pullman.  The weather was awesome and it was fun to hear Lara snapping pictures as we drove.  We met some friends for a quick tailgate session then headed into the game.  Our seats were fantastic and we had a great time teaching Lara about American football.  After halftime, Lara and I headed out to see campus while Matt watched the rest of the game.  It was so fun to wander around Campus again and Lara said the campus is much different from German schools.  After the game and our site seeing, we met at Sellas for some delicious dinner.  We headed home shortly after and made it back to Camp Malaga around 8:30. 

Uncle Mike was in town and spent the night.  We sat in Grandma and Grandpa's borrowed hot tub and chatted.  Sunday we headed to the pool to enjoy some final warm summer weather before heading home.  What a perfect weekend!!