July 2009

It was a record and thermometer breaking month in the Seattle area. In the last week we saw triple-digit temperatures and a lot of cranky people who couldn't sleep in the heat (we slept like babies in our A/C).

We celebrated the 4th with the Neels on the 3rd by lighting off some fireworks that Dan bought in our backyard (illegally). Then on the actual 4th Becky took Kyla to Winthrope to camp with Linda (Becky came back on her own that night), while Blake and I went to the Chambers' to enjoy some sun, barbeque, and more fireworks.

Twice this month Linda took both Kyla and Blake overnight, giving Becky and I our first overnight dates in five years. Blake seemed to enjoy spending time at Grandma's and slept pretty well. Kyla was (surprisingly) really excited for her little brother to join her.

Not to be outdone by my mother-in-law, I took the kids out of town for an entire weekend. We left Saturday morning while Becky went to climb Mount Si with her Stroller Strides group and spent the day in Yakima celebrating Grandma Marian's birthday with my parents, Dale, Mary, Garrett, Ethan, Allysa, and Trevor. Then that night we went to my mother's to sleep and spent Sunday in Ellensburg. When we returned to Issaquah that night both kids were out. Aside from hiking, Becky spent the weekend gardening and enjoying the quiet house.

Kyla has been going to preschool during the summer one two week session at a time, but took one session off so she could go to ballet camp to keep her dance skills up before the regular class starts up again in the fall.

Now we are entering the busy month of August with two road trips, a wedding, and Kyla's birthday party.