July is slipping through our fingers like sand (warm sand!), so best get the June photos logged before I’m in over my head with pics of my kiddos in swimsuits and sunglasses…
Shane, Juliette and I found ourselves with a toddler-free day on Juneteenth, as the three of us had no school or work, so we dropped baby bro at daycare and headed northeast toward Wallace Falls for a family hike.
It was overcast that day, but the cool felt good as we climbed toward the falls.
This hike pushed our limits at six miles round-trip, but it was dotted with intermediate lookouts that broke up the journey. Plus, we felt extra light on our feet without Isaac in tow.
When Juliette’s feet started to drag, we made a game out of seeing how many Harry Potter characters we could name, from A to Z. Answer is: 88! We’re into HP World deep.
The money shot / turn-around point…
A few more minutes to contemplatively take in the view / catch our breath…
We made record time on the return trip, each of us motivated by the promise of Blizzards from the Dairy Queen we’d passed 10 minutes from the trailhead. Whatever it takes!
Three feels nice sometimes.
We spent the following weekend out on the Olympic Peninsula with the Rusts for a pickle ball bonanza in Sequim. Let tournament season begin! Shane and Jason talked strategy on the ferry deck while a pod of Orcas played in the distance.
Our AirBnB was farmhouse-y and cozy and the scene of much backyard game-playing.
The Rusts brought their net for some pre-game warmups. The inclusion of Isaac added a whole new level of complexity to the game.
Game day! Good luck, Daddy!
I didn’t watch many of the matches, mostly because I was chasing Isaac around the nearby playground, but also because I found I don’t have the nerves for it. It’s just a game, but oh, I wanted those wins!
Leveraging the beloved bottle to get brother to sit still and watch for a moment…
And a high five for a won match!
Isaac and I were both tiring of the same slide run on the playground by mid-afternoon, so I put the kids in the car and we drove out to a nearby dairy to visit some cows, pet a cat, and eat some ice cream.
Isaac isn’t quite ready for a solo cone, but not to worry – Juliette is an excellent sharer.
One last pat-pat goodbye…
Back at the courts, we found that our crew unfortunately ended the day medal-less, but not without a handful of wins. Super proud of you, Shane, Nance, and Jason!
Back at the house, Shane clocked in for Isaac duty while Juliette and I did our own dinking in the driveway court.
Dinnertime tickles…
And then more backyard gaming once Isaac was in bed. We played Spike Ball and lounged in the Adirondack chairs and Juliette brought out her jump rope to school Gryffin and Isaiah on how to do a double-under.
G and Z are teenagers and wanting more and more independence, but there are times when they’re still Juliette’s goofy big bros. What a joy to all grow old(er) together. We laughed a lot that night.
Early-morning front yard bird-watching with Buddy on Sunday…
Bacon and cinnamon rollss..
And then a short family hike out at the Dungeness Spit, as Shane didn’t have to leave for the courts till noon.
We only made it as far as the start of the actual Spit, as we’d left our stroller in the car and Isaac walks slooooow, but it felt good to get out together.
Driveway b-ball while the adults loaded the cars…
And then Shane and Jason took to the courts for mens doubles while I took to the beach with the kids. The Spit was calling us back and this time we made it down to the sand. The full stretch is five miles long, but we were happy just to cover a bit of it.
Juliette discovered that beached kelp bubbles make a very satisfying pop when stepped on, so the kids spent the better part of an hour racing up the beach, looking for kelp.
Keep up, Isaac!
Seriously though, this game was a thing.
Isaac was quite proud of himself with each and every one.
QUITE.
We hung out for awhile at a pile of driftwood, the kids picked out a couple of perfectly-sized walking sticks for the trek back, and then we zoomed toward the car to watch Shane’s and Jason’s final matches.
Top day.
And pro tip – use the stroller to get as far as the beach!
Back at the courts, Isaac got some skating lessons…
And we found that Shane and Jason were dominating the 4.0 mens doubles scene!
Last year they played this same tournament at only 3.0, so this was a significant jump for them. They held their own, though, and after a couple of nail-biters walked away with bronze metals!
The last week of June was packed with end-of-the-year festivities at Juliette’s school. There was her jump rope club performance, where she showed off her months of hard work with a series of double-under/skip-hop/fancy-pants moves. I didn’t even know such things were possible!
And there was the annual Move-A-Thon, where kids run as many laps as they can around the school parking lot in the space of 20 minutes. I volunteered as a lap counter and was very proud of Juliette’s get-up-and-go, despite the heat.
Girlfriend was flushed!
There was an outdoor movie night for third graders at the school playground, but when kids realized it was still too light out to see the movie screen, most of them opted for the playground. Juliette and this sweet, freckled red-head often call themselves sisters.
And the last day of third grade! I paused at the gate when I dropped Juliette off that morning and reveled in the sight of her stopping to chat with her favorite teachers aide while her friends ran to greet her with a hug. These school with these kids has been good to our girl.
DID IT!
Isaac toasted to his sister with a backyard popsicle and then we got down to the serious business of summering.
We’re comin’ for you, Idaho!
