Happy 4th of July

 Given that this is the 250th birthday for the U.S., I really wanted to do something fun for the fourth of July. By fun, I mean go watch some fireworks! 

The fun actually started on Friday. Annaliese was invited to go with her friend Semarie and a few other girls to the Wild Waves water park in Federal Way. We dropped her off at 8:30am and they all piled into Semarie's motorhome. They spent the whole day having fun and they didn't get home until 9:30pm!

Piled into the motor home and on their way!

Ella, Annaliese, Emma, Esme, Megan, and Semarie

Meanwhile, the rest of us decided that we also needed to go swimming. We met up with Kim and Malachi and went to Grandview Heights for a few hours of swimming. The traffic at the border was ridiculous and we were very grateful for our Nexus passes! We stopped at Edaleen's for ice cream on the way back and considered it a good day!

On Saturday, Kyle met up with some guys for a mountain bike ride at Galbraith. Kim and I went for a run along the river (only to discover that park of the trail has been blocked off...such a bummer because it was a great place to run!)

Mom and Dad, Kim and Thane, and Malachi came over for dinner. Then we headed back to Kim and Thane's for dessert before heading out to Blaine to see the fireworks. It stays light so late that they didn't get started until 10:30!

The show was scheduled to start at 10:00. We got there around 9:45 and it was still this light out!

I was very impressed with the whole show and was so glad we went! I think the girls all enjoyed it, although Lydia was very tired by the end!

Our First Summer Adventure

 Guemes Island...2026. 

Our first summer adventure took us out to Guemes Island, a short 7 minute ferry ride from Anacortes. This was our annual Hendricks weekend and we stayed at an amazing house that belongs to family friends of Thane parents. 

We had amazing weather and spent the whole weekend hanging out around the house. Kelsey planned a bunch of fun games and activities, including the Hendricks Family Olympics. We played pickleball, basketball, and volleyball. The kids played slip-n-slide whiffle ball. We hiked and ran to the top of Guemes Mountain. We ate good food, watched some World Cup soccer, and played games. There was even an art project!

Lydia, Mallory, and Haleigh

Playing Kub

At the top of Guemes Mountain

End of School

 While Annaliese finished school on Tuesday, June 2, Haleigh and Lydia didn't finish until Thursday.

Lydia's class wrapped up the year with a fun end-of-year party. 

Musical Chairs

Maestra Barrientos

Final prayer of 3rd Grade

We are grateful for another wonderful year and are looking forward to the slower pace of summer! 

Our final school activity of the year came on the following Saturday, with the Farmer's Day Parade. Annaliese and the rest of the band marched in the parade. The weather forecast showed the potential for a fair amount of rain, but thankfully it held off and turned out to be a decent morning for a parade. 

Elias is on the base drum.