June started out celebrating my brother, Ryan, turning the big eighteen.
Soon, he'll be off to college and we'll miss having him around.
We also enjoyed our Maple Valley Days parade.
Kendrick insisted on wearing a hat, and successfully made a getaway into the middle of the street to join the parade.Twice. Those bubbles get him every time - it's like baby crack. The other kids filled their bags with candy like it was Halloween.
After the parade, we checked out the festival where we saw Lydia's Lorax artwork displayed. She was excited that her drawing was chosen at school to be shown with others' at Maple Valley Days. We walked around the booths and the kids volunteered to help pick up trash, earning them one free roller coaster ride.
We finally finished up school! Lydia finished up second grade and I loved her personality coming out when she insisted on flashing a peace sign for her last day of school picture. She grew so much this year and my favorite compliment from her teacher was that she was so kind and that other kids enjoy being around Lydia. I was so happy to hear that. I know how kind and sweet she is, and to hear that she treats others that way makes me feel like something is going right in this world. As the school bus turned the corner on the last day of school, I could hear all the other kids chanting "Summer! Summer!". And yet, when Lydia stepped off the bus she was crying because she was going to miss her teacher so much.
Ammon finished up Kindergarten - boy has he grown! When I got his final report card I was so thrilled to see his marks in focusing and following directions had gone up a level. This kid has matured so much from the shy boy that was so unsure of himself. His reading level also impressed me. I'm so sad to send him to first grade and lose my buddy for half the day. I feel like it's been me and him together for quite sometime, and I only have the guts to send him away all day because of how much I've seen him grow at school this past year. (And I'm happy he gets to try hot lunch because he is REALLY excited about it)
I conquered another 10k. And by conquered, I mean I made myself do something that was so hard for me last year and did it again this year. I thought I would do so much better, and while I did improve on my time, it felt just as hard, I didn't get the time I wanted, and I cried....again.
Oh man, this course kicks my butt. I had trained and ran six miles and felt fine, but the trail we run for the race is uphill the entire second half. And it just drains me. I prayed and cried and watched a 5 1/2 month pregnant woman pass me as I cheered and clapped for her. But I finished. I can do hard things. I learned I need to train on this trail in particular, and that I need more practice than I thought. The only people that came in behind me was a ten year old girl and her dad, who ran with her.
I also included a picture of the 5k results of Brigham and the kids. I was really proud of them running/walking the 5k together. I've always dreamed of us being an active family together, and though we are at different levels, it was nice to get out on a Saturday morning and move. Their participation was a huge support to me as I ran my race.
A couple minutes after crossing the finish line, I got a call from my brother inviting our family to go hiking later that afternoon. Not much keeps me from hiking, so I said yes. So a couple hours later we were out enjoying the hanging garden wall hike.
We packed in lunches and sat on the rocky banks eating and enjoying the river. Kendrick was thrilled to sit on the edge and through rock after rock into the water.
After eating, we threw rocks to splash each other and Brigham tried to impress us with his throwing prowess.
The hike back to the car was up a decent incline and it took it's toll more on some than others.
It was a fantastic afternoon, and the hiking kept my legs from getting too stiff or sore after the race.
We had a tree that died in our front yard. Our landlord said he was going to take the tree down, but months later it was still standing there. So, we had our friend who is an expert in tree removal, and he kindly agreed to help us take down the tree. He brought all his fancy equipment and we had fun playing as loggers as we removed the dead tree from the yard.
Jon let Brigham use his big equipment, and then he even let the kids play around on it for a little bit. Lydia and Ammon both drove the claw machine and were able to knock down wood in the tractor.
Now our yard is dead-tree free. I kind of miss the thing. It added character.
Our yard was gorgeous in June. The flowers started blooming and the grass was green with the sunshine finally breaking through all the rain and clouds.
We can't keep ourselves indoors and the kids have actually been spending time out back willingly.
Lydia and Ammon like to run through the sprinkler or put it under the tramp, and Kendrick was feeling left out. Thinking I found the perfect thing for him to do while the kids run through the sprinkler, we bought him a little pool. Unfortunately, the kid was terrified when I put him in a swim diaper, terrified of sunscreen (born and bred in WA), and afraid of his swimsuit. And then he refused to step foot in the pool. Lydia and Ammon spent hours playing in it while he just watched from the perimeter. As Lydia and Ammon moved on to the sprinkler, I finally got Kendrick to throw his balls into the pool, hold my finger and step in the water to throw the balls out, and then step back out to do it all over again. We're slowly discovering that he is not a fan of swimming.
And that's June. We are getting used to the sun again, running around growing up, and being crazy together.
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