{Pool Party}

Over the weekend we enjoyed the annual "Guenther Pool Party" hosted by Adam and Carey. It's fun to look at pictures of the kids each summer and observe their growth. It is also a ton of fun to watch the men in the family act like big boys. They always provide the entertainment. Ruby, Peyton, and Maisey

I don't know how many drinks had been consumed by this point... And, although we don't drink, Chad's goofiness is the product of a fun-loving personality!

If only I hadn't erased the picture of Adam jumping off the ladder onto the pool toys!

Boys will be boys in this family.

{saturday}

This weekend we went to the annual stake fair at church. It wasn't as hot as last year, but it was still pretty warm at 96! We only stayed for an hour and a half- just long enough to take it all in (performers, face painting, cotton candy, snow cones, and games). Ryley got soaked just standing next to the squirt gun games and from standing under the misters!

Chad took Maisey swimming while Ryley napped and I worked on some things at home.

I've been busy sewing away on some baby accessories every chance I get (many not pictured).

{Sand in the City}

We were excited for another year of Sand in the City (click to see pictures of last years sculptures), especially Maisey since she's old enough to remember the past three years we've gone. The themes varied but we liked the featured Toy Story and Alice and Wonderland. There weren't as many sculptures this year, which was kind of nice because it was easier to walk through. While Maisey got her face painted and played in the sand, Ryley tip toed around (he wasn't keen on the crowd or the wet sand. I think he was hung up on how it got in the middle of Pioneer Place. Chad noticed the reptiles immediately and wanted to see if Ryley was as crazy about them as he is. The answer was NO! And, if I could have only caught the other faces of terror he made...

It was very crowded, so we were quite surprised when we ran into our ward missionaries (in suits), in the heart of down town!
We love this annual tradition, and if you haven't been, you should check it out next year. Along with face painting, sand playing, sculpture viewing, reptile petting, and eating, there are also other educational kid friendly booths.

Within the last couple days I've been down town and discovered (thanks to friends)

and

.

Since having children we've really just been hanging in the burbs. I have to say, Portland is weird (you know the saying, "keep Portland weird," but it's also a little fun when you take away the traffic)! I seriously planned out places I want to go with only Chad for the next five years... If only we dated more than 1 x a year!!!

{Summer Days}

The summer weeks are flying by! We've been enjoying our days swimming, playing in fountains, playing with friends, sewing baby stuff for my friends new store, and keeping up with the important things.

Video games at the Family Fun Center in Wilsonville (is he a boy or what? Just wait until he finds out my opinion of boys who play video games! We do have a Wii, but I really dislike this time waster. And, I hate TV too!!!

We are lucky to have so many awesome fountains all around us!

Boating, before my camera got wet and quit working for 4 days!
I think we have managed to "mold" Maisey a bit this summer... I couldn't be prouder of her! Since Chad and I are both neat freaks, we clean up the kids' messes before they even notice them. I made it a vow that I would put a stop to this before she got even bigger- and Chad is actually trying to let her "stand" on her own too (he's a big softy)!

This is how her day goes:

Wake

Make Bed

Eat Breakfast

Do 4 pages of school work- she's still about a year ahead and I don't want her to be part of the "summer slide!"

Spend up to an hour with media (although she's too busy to care)

Practice Piano

Eat lunch

PLAY, PLAY, PLAY (she really does a lot of this)!

I won't say EVERYDAY goes according to planned; however, she is almost completely on target at sticking to her routine!

I loved having a bit of cool weather early this week and I hope it's not too hot on Friday when I plan to be indoors sewing, and baking for Saturday's Garden Brunch!

{4th}

We spent the 4th in Eugene this year. The weather was the perfect temperature. Sometimes it is wonderful to get away from all the hustle of our everyday lives up here in the city; but I will say right now, it can be a catch 22! My kids are so use to running from one thing to the next, that they can't enjoy the down time. We (or shall I say Chad) spent TONS of time (and gas) driving Ryley around. He always wanted to go somewhere, and he wouldn't sleep until at least 11 PM every night (which led to our coming home on Sun. night- well, it was 12:30 AM) rather than MonDAY. While we were there we roasted marshmallows. *Tip: DO NOT use the BIG marshmallows for consumption. They are just too big and messy!We spent most of the 4 TH with family at a friends home (or their yard rather), before returning back to my grandparents for fire works. During fire works Maisey managed to lose a tooth and she was very excited (as usual) to cash in. However, the tooth fairy that visits this house isn't very good at tracking the rate of lost teeth. And, Maisey reminded me this morning the tooth fairy has paid less for her teeth since the first initial loss. Maisey is sharp, and now I make a vow to find out the going rate and stick with it!

What do you think is fair?We were exhausted upon coming home but we had a great time! Isn't that funny- you can be MORE tired the less you do!!!

It was great seeing the family we were able to.