A Day at the Lake

 One of the families in our small group, Jeff and Laura, have a family house on Lake Whatcom. All summer we've been talking about going to the lake and taking the boat out, and we finally made it happen. Sunday afternoon, everyone from our small group who was able to make it headed out to their place for burgers and a fun afternoon. It was a bit chilly when we got there so we started a fire (the burn ban ended the day before!) 

Naturally, the girls were still hoping to be able to go tubing and Jeff was more than willing to take them out. Annaliese even got to drive the boat for a little bit!

Michelle and Salem in the paddleboat

Annaliese, Laura and Lydia

Kyle and Annaliese in the paddleboat

Kevin and John fishing from the dock

Hard to tell, but that's Annaliese falling off the tube!

Happy 10th Birthday Lydia!

And just like that, our youngest is double digits! Lydia has been planning her birthday party for almost a year, and we were able to make it happen. She wanted a friend co-party with her friend Kenna, whose birthday is just a few days after Lydia's. They wanted to do a sleepover pool party and Kenna's mom was all for it. (So were the friends...then they all only had to go to one party!)

On the Friday after her birthday, I picked up Lydia, Kenna, and Kaila from school and we headed over to Kenna's house. Siena, Cora, and Liliana all came within the next little while and the rest of the time was filled with swimming, eating pizza, opening presents and watching a movie. Only Cora was able to spend the night, so Lydia, Kenna, and Cora pulled out some ginormous bean bags and slept on the living room floor. There was also a last minute request for an ice cream cake with sprinkles and a dog...we did everything except the dog:)

Cora's dad stopped by and showed them the bear he had just hunted!

Everyone had fun and it was a successful birthday! Lydia has a great group of friends at school...I love listening to their conversations and hearing them all laughing together!

At home, we celebrated on her actual birthday. She received so many fun gifts from her relatives and it was great to watch her face as she opened each present! 

A few fun facts about Lydia:

Favorite Food: Hamburgers

Favorite Color: Light Green

Favorite Subject in School: Science

Favorite Bible Verse: John 3:16

Favorite Activity: Listen to music and read or play outside

Favorite Book Series: Middle School...by James Patterson

Fall Sports

 The beginning of the school year also means the beginning of fall sports. This year both soccer and cross country started the week before school, which was a bit of an adjustment. 

Annaliese is playing on the JV Soccer Team. She's been playing 'center back' and has really improved a lot in just a few weeks. It's been really fun to watch her get faster and more aggressive each game. They've had three games so far and are 2-1. Most of my pictures aren't very clear, but she's number 16.

Haleigh is running cross county. They had their first meet this past week at Bellewood Acres. Unfortunately Kyle and I both had to work and weren't able to be there, but Auntie Kim, Auntie Kelsey, and Grandpa and Grandma were there to cheer her and Mallory on! They ran the whole race together and Haleigh finished with a time of 13 minutes. 

Back to School

 School officially started on Sept 1, but soccer and cross-country practice started the week prior, so it felt like we were getting back into things a bit sooner. This is our only year where we have one kid in each building-high school, middle school, and elementary school and it's a lot to keep track of!

Annaliese had freshman orientation the week before school started. She got her schedule, found her locker, and discovered that she doesn't know how to work a combination lock (and thus can't get into her locker!) The high school operates on a block schedule and has a complicated schedule to figure out. Now that we've completed the second week of school, I think it's started to make more sense. Next week is Parent Night so Kyle and I will have the chance to see who her teachers are!

Not able to get into her locker...

Haleigh is in 7th Grade; she has Auntie Kim for her homeroom teacher! She's still in band and has Debate for her other elective. She's really enjoyed having different teachers for each class and seems to be getting the hang of the schedule too. 

Lydia is in 4th grade and has Maestra Hernandez for her teacher. The past two years she taught in the middle school, so this is her first year teaching 4th grade, but I am so excited for Lydia to have her. 

Last night was parent night for the elementary and middle schools; Kyle and I were able to meet all the teachers, as well as hear a little 'State of the School' update from the superintendent. It was so good to hear all of the teachers talk about how much they love teaching and love our kids. They genuinely care about our kids, value the time that they have with them, and want to them to know that God loves them and how through each subject, they get to learn more about God and who he created them to be. It was a good reminder of why we continue to choose to send them to LC!

One last summer adventure

 Naturally, we filled up every available moment of August to make sure we ended summer tired and happy. Our last big 'event' was a trip to Seattle to the Museum of Illusions. This was actually part of last year's Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma, but it took us this long to coordinate the trip and find a day when everyone was available!

We all drove down to Shoreline and then took the light rail the rest of the way. We got off just a few blocks from the museum, but first found a little park to eat lunch. The museum was fascinating...it is basically an assortment of optical illusions, mirrors, and things that alter your perception of what is happening. 

Hang on tight!

Playing cards with herself

Auntie Kim, Lydia, and Mallory

The top half is Haleigh but the bottom is Annaliese!

Annaliese is towering over Auntie Kelsey

Once our brains and eyes were tired and we'd made it through the entire museum, we decided to head to Pikes Place Market. It was only a few blocks away, and we all decided that if you don't have to drive and find a place to park in Seattle, it's not such a bad place to visit!

The famous fish market!

By the time we made it back to the light rail, we were all tired and glad that there was room to sit! Except for the girls, who decided to do pull-ups on the train!

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for a fun day! We would definitely recommend checking out this museum.