THE BIG BOYS' BIRTHDAY BASH

Silas and Devon decided to have a joint birthday party this year for some ultimate frisbee and dodgeball fun. They also decided they wanted dump cake, and lots of it, as the dessert that was served. So Tim and I made lots of dump cake!

I was busy chatting with people the whole time we were at the park and failed to take a single picture of the games or guests. Oops! I did, however, get a few different combinations of Ws. First up, Tim and I before the party started.

Then all six Ws with Tom and Linda, my bonus in-laws, during the dessert break.

One shot of all 6 Ws as the party ended.

And one of our family with Gabi, one of our bonus Ws, before we headed home.

Perfect weather and fun people made for a great day to celebrate two little Ws!

DEVON & SILAS MADE ME SMILE

Check out this awesome bouquet of hydrangeas that Devon brought home from work for me yesterday afternoon! There's a fifth bloom in the back that you can't see, but they're all big and beautiful.

He'd gone straight outside to chop wood when he was done arranging the flowers and I was in the middle of making freezer jam, so I didn't think to take a picture with him and the flowers until nearly 10:00 last night. Better late than never, right?

Silas had to take care of some Water Wars prep later in the evening, so I asked if I could come along to help. It was the second day of thunderstorms and the sky was gnarly, but the thunder, lightning, and torrential rain let up and we stayed dry while we got our work done.

We finished our project at the church and then he treated me to my first Salt & Straw outing. The skies opened and we got completely drenched in the half a block from where we parked to the front door. That's fine. Water dries. And because I know people will ask, the three flavors we shared were pear & blue cheese, strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper, and almond brittle with salted ganache. 

It's a good day when I get fresh flowers from one of my big boys and ice cream from the other!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for powerful summer thunderstorms that rage for an hour and are followed by gorgeous sunsets. What's something that you're thankful for?

DAD CAME TO TOWN

Dad rolled into town on Thursday afternoon for a visit. It didn't take Gabi and Tyler long to turn the bed of Dad's truck into a playground.

Tim and Silas eventually got home from work and we all had a low-key evening at home, including Dad and Silas spending time strumming together.

The plan for yesterday was Dad and I to go on a bike ride at Champoeg with Naomi, Tyler, and Gabi. Our morning looked like this, but with multiple bikes.

We finally had to accept defeat. No bike ride. Super frustrating for various reasons, but we decided to go to the park anyway to hike and hang out. I chuckled as I got out of the car at the park and saw this tucked in my window.

I'd put it there the day before, knowing I sometimes need a perspective shift. Perfect timing. What's weird is that it blew out the window in the parking lot as we were leaving, but none of us could find it anywhere. I guess it was just meant to be there for that morning.

We spent a couple hours walking trails, checking out the river, rolling down hills, watching various wildlife (a doe and her two fawns, squirrels, several neat birds), and eating a picnic lunch.

We had some down time after the park. Gabi went home for a while and Dad played word games with Naomi and Tyler.

Silas and Natie showed up later. We spent some time looking through old pictures and running errands before Tim got home from work and Gabi came back over. Our evening was filled with games, dinner, popsicles in the front yard, playing with superballs, talking about all sorts of things, watching YouTube videos, and using (or trying to break, depending on who you are) secret codes.

Devon's out of town and didn't get to join us, which was pretty disappointing, but the other five Ws and two bonus Ws enjoyed our time with Dad (AKA Bruce and Papa) before he headed back home this morning.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for dry roasted almonds. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

DEVON'S BIRTHDAY - 2019

Devon had a milestone birthday last week.

That means I took this picture of him as we returned from his first time behind the wheel. Here's to round two of teaching a little W to drive!

Schedules were wonky, but he and Tim finally got out for their traditional doughnut date on Saturday.

And I snapped a quick birthday outfit picture of him yesterday morning before he left town for a week. Better late than never, right?

UPDATE - Due to the big boys wanting a joint birthday party and Devon being out of state for eight days, the boys' birthday bash happened a couple weeks after Devon's birthday.

FATHER'S DAY - 2019

Three kids gave Tim some Father's Day gifts yesterday morning, then I snapped a quick picture before we all headed off to church. 

The fourth kid's gift was a concert on the Unashamed Forever Tour, which is where this picture was sent from later that evening.