July Adventures

July was packed full of summer adventures. 

Sleepovers on the trampoline, soccer camp, swimming, hiking, blueberry picking, beach days . . .

To start out the month, Drew and I enjoyed a couple of kid-free weeks while Lily and Henry played with their grandparents in Utah. We mostly worked, but also went on some hikes and ate yummy food, like Ethiopian, that the kids wouldn't appreciate.

I made some more things, and also began preparing an inventory to display/sell at Camas Days.

  

 

We drove down to Idaho on the second Saturday to pick up the kids, and then ended up feeling ambitious and driving back the same day. But we did get a little time in between to hang out with family and play with cousin, Emmaline.

 

 

The kids were happy to be home and to see their friends again. Henry really wanted to sleep on the trampoline, so we set up a tiny tent to ward off bugs. None of us got much sleep, but I think they had fun? :)

Lily loved the idea, too, and had her own trampoline tent sleepover the next week.

We enjoyed some local trails and walks by the river on the cooler days.

 

 And Henry went to soccer camp, and was awarded a camper of the week award with accompanying Squeeze and Grind gift card. :)

I decided to try to sell some wares at the Norris Arts booth at Camas Days. I figured it would be a good learning experience if nothing else, and would maybe earn me a little money for clay and studio sessions. Lily also came along to help out at the booth, and she was really into it. She actually did a really good job talking up the pottery classes to anyone interested, and got gifted a couple ceramic pieces for her help. I got to meet a couple other local potters, and really enjoyed talking with and learning from them. At the end of the last day, we did a pottery swap with our leftover inventory, they each wanted one of my berry bowls, and I got to choose a couple of their beautiful pieces to take home.

Drew and Henry also came down on Saturday to play and watch the Camas Days parade. The highlight of the parade is when the local paper company float comes by and throws out rolls of toilet paper! We managed to snag 6 rolls, which is pretty awesome. :)

 

 

 

The end of July brought us berry season! We drove up to Prairie Berry Farm to pick big, sweet, juicy blueberries. We ate as much as we could, baked a blueberry crumble, and then froze the rest to use throughout the year. I only wish I had more freezer space!

As this summer's big heatwave hit, we sought out ways to keep cool. I took the kids to the Vancouver Mall one day to walk around and play at the arcade.

We also stopped by Drew's work on the way home to play some ping pong and shuffleboard.

And the kids rediscovered Shel Silverstein poems and read them to each other at night, trying to memorize their favorite poems to recite the next day.

On a particularly warm day, Henry and I sought refuge at the local swimming hole. It was packed, and we had a long walk from the car, but the cool clear water was worth it.

 

And finally, we headed to the coast! Our car is still awaiting parts and repair, so we rented a car for the day so that we could drive out to Lincoln City to see Drew's sister, Erika, and family. We headed out early in the morning, and stopped in Pacific City for some breakfast pastries. Erika's family joined us there to hike the giant sand dune and play on the beach. We found some cool sea creatures in the tidal pools, including a few star fish. It was a beautiful day, and about 20-30 degrees cooler than back at home!

After spending the morning at the beach, we got some lunch and then played at Devils lake in Lincoln City all afternoon, taking turns on the paddleboard. 

We finished out the day with dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, where the kids all cleared their plates and then, finally exhausted, were ready to say goodbyes and head home to bed. 

A perfect finale to a fun-filled month.

🎔🎔🎔