Gray 8 Months Old

Gray is a mover. I might compare him to a dog sometimes. Instead of wagging his tail he is always kicking his legs or scooting on the floor. When you pick him up he smiles at you everytime and then proceeds to grab hair or your face and wiggle all over the place. Holding him is wrestling a bear. Such a cute bear though.

September Getaways

We joined some friends at a cabin near Roslyn over a September weekend.  We joined up with Kim, Brian, Jennie, Mike, Amy, Patrick, Jason, and Tim (no other kids) for a fantastic sunny outing.  We stayed at a beautiful, big cabin overlooking the lake and mountains.  Our kids did great being the only little ones, and had fun paying out on the big deck and visiting the fun swimming pool down the hill.  September was a sunny, gorgeous month and we took full advantage by doing another fun hike around Discovery Park.  You'll have to ask Mayson about the story of "Tayson," a little girl who ran down the hill away from her family and wouldn't come back.  Mayson learned that it was dangerous for Tayson for her to run from her family and how she could have gotten lost in the woods.  Mayson's consequence was being stuck riding in the stroller, but thank goodness it wasn't as bad as Tayson's consequence of being scared and alone in the woods.  By the way, you'll also have to ask Mayson about the story of Sylvia (very similar to the Boy who Cried Wolf).

First Day of School

Our annual first day of school picture; Gray's first one! 

Summer Outdoor Family Fun

The zoo-- Mayson finally embraced riding on the carousel and not just watching! Now she is selecting the biggest horses she can find. I know the zoo pic isn't actually of the carousel but Keri and Gray just looked so cute at the zoo play area.

Picnics--Love them!

Carkeek Park--we found a perfect urban trail hiking outing that ends up at a beautiful beach, complete with trains to watch going by.

Fairies

A lot of different fairies visited us this summer. Mayson was the Sugar Plum Fairy as she collected plums from our fruit tree. The soothie fairy also came to visit. Mayson put her soothies in a bag in the back yard up in a tree. The soothie fairy visited overnight and took her soothies away so they could be recycled for little babies. When Mayson woke up the next morning the soothies were gone and a brand new Sofia doll was left for Mayson instead. Luckily we problem solved before the soothies were taken and Mayson decided that Monkey would help her at night if she missed her soothies. But she was a big girl and adapted great!

Favorite Summer Activities

Mayson's summer was really summed up by two main activities that were so much fun for her. First, she spent the summer going to Ava and Aliza's house under the amazing guidance of Mimi. Mimi was so patient and kind as she took Mayson and the girls to the beach, library, swimming, and of course Starbucks. They had a blast! Ava, Aliza, and Quinn were fantastic summer companions, and along with Mimi, they will be greatly missed! Mayson also did gymnastics lessons for the first time with coach Tara. She completely improved her confidence on the playground and taking more physical risks.

 

Dress Up Summer

This summer Mayson fully embraced dressing up. There were often times we couldn't leave the house unless we had our amulet, purse, or princess dress. Our last visit to the park involved going dressed as a ladybug.

 

Summer Beach Trips

We had a lot of fun at the water this summer. Maryanne came to visit with Isaac and the twins, so we met them at two really great beach outings with Jenn and Waverly--Two beautiful sunset nights at Golden Gardens and Magnuson. We also took some great hikes as a family to Discovery Park and met Grandma and Grandpa at the Edmonds beach park for sand toys and a pizza picnic.

 

Mobile Summer outings

Ferry rides, first gymnastics classes, story times, and lots of ice cream!

Bend Mobile Summer pics

These were my favorite moments on our Bend trip. Loved the cottage and fun with our friends!

Mobile summer III

Swimming at the beach with Amy, train ride at Country Village, summer blackberries.

Mobile Summer part II

Favorite Summer Mobile Moments

I took most of my summer adventure pictures on the go with my phone but didn't keep up with posting them as I went along. So here is my attempt to chronicle a wonderful, busy, sun filled summer of first ice cream cones, our new Maple Leaf park, berries, beaches, playgrounds, and outings. This might take a few posts...

End of August

The end of August brought Gray to his 7 month birthday.  He is in love with eating and is obsessed with Mo Mo.  He loves pulling on his fur and screams when he sees him. Mayson continued her obsession with princesses, and insisted we buy her Halloween costume early so she could start dressing up like Sofia.  She also modeled her big girl underwear. We had to catch some of the last summer rays before preparing for the fall.