Blog overload--Our trip out west

Well here it comes. Almost a month of vacation out west to catch up on and post about. This may take awhile. We flew into Spokane July 13th. It was a 12-13 hour day of traveling and we were shocked and very happy with how good all the boys did on the trip.

The last time we flew, Ammon got sick and threw up every time we landed. This time we were watching as his face went from pure excitement and elation watching the ground get closer, and suddenly the smile disappeared and his face frowned and crumpled a bit, and he turned away from the window and started wimpering. But he never threw up. He cried through the airport as we went to our next gate, then crawled under the benches and fell asleep for the entire 4+ hour layover. Poor kid. Then just before boarding the next plane, as I was holding Micah and he was finally acting sleepy and cuddly, he decided to throw up instead.

This was already past everyone's bedtime in Virginia. It was 3 a.m. for us when we finally put everyone to bed at Grandma Passey's house in Washington.

The Living Museum

We took a little break from our Living Museum membership but then decided to renew it. This place is such a good place to go when it's too hot or too cold or rainy outside. The kids never get tired of the animals and exhibits. There is a front exhibit that changes every 3 months, and this time they did the dinosaur ages. I brought just one extra kid with me but 2 toddlers that don't stay by me, limits the pictures I take....I didn't even take a picture of the big T-rex that made Micah cry!

This place is always a favorite spots. They have spider crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, conk, and different things that they will take out and let the kids feel with their hands.

Our harvest

My constant dream and challenge is to be able to grow things well. I just don't have he natural knack for it, and yet really love trying and the rewards of success every once in awhile. This year, we tried again to do a little garden, which did give us a few pea pods before those dried up. We planted them a little late and it gets so hot so fast here. The beans and corn made cute little plants and that's as far as it went. and the zucchini and pumpkin in the ground almost died and then cam back to life and gave me hope before we decided to take off for more than 3 weeks. They missed me apparently.


I always have a little more luck planting in pots it seems, and our pots were doing all right, but this year I also planted cucumbers and tomatoes in a couple of home made earth boxes that someone had given me. We had to have gotten 30 cucumbers from it before our vacation and both the cucumbers and tomatoes grew about 10 feet high before tipping over. It was awesome. And my zucchini in a pot gave us 2 zucchinis (I know ANYONE can grow zucchini....apparently I am not just anyone.

Anyway these are just basking in the fun of homegrown vegetable. I accepted the fact everything might die if we left for almost a month in the heat of the summer. I did. A friend was so nice to come over and water, but alas, we came home to just a few things surviving. And Kaden asked what happened to our garden and why it's just a bunch of weeds out there....

Fine Arts Day

For a squadron playdate in the beginning of July we went to the Fine Arts Center, where they have 2 days a weeks that you can bring the kids and just let them go in a room full of supplies. This was so much fun, and is something I really don't let them do at home as much as I maybe should. Here is our friend Grace making her masterpiece.

Micah and Noah #1

Noah fakes a little injury in this one to show how loving Micah is being whenever he hurts him.

Micah and Noah

Micah has been clinging to and playing with Noah more and more lately, and Noah eats it right up. I LOVE it.

Tramp

Garrett and Micah LOVE to jump on the trampoline together. So far no casualties. This day, though, Garrett was being moody so I didn't get the cutest jumping. I like how Micah is trying so hard to be cooperative and do what Garrett does.