B-Day

In July we had much to celebrate. We ended the month with a visit from my Mom and Dad. Even though we went to Kauai in June to celebrate my Dad's 60th, we decided to have him come down for the weekend of his actual birthday. With such a guest of honor, we had other visitors join in on the fun. My Sister, Angie and her kids spent the weekend and we had a nice dinner with my Grandparents and Uncle from Idaho Falls.

Back Row: Uncle Kirk, Grandpa Swensen, Grandma Swensen, Nathan, My Dad-Craig

Front Row: Madison, Mitchell, Ryan, Danny, Lydia

B-Ball

Mike coached Nathan's AAU Summer League Basketball Team. Not all of the boys from his Regular Fall Team play, but it was a great opportunity for Nathan to hone his Basketball Skills and Mike to get a taste of coaching. Good for all involved. :)

Seaside

For our Summer Vacation we went to Seaside with the kids. Mike and I have always had an affinity for the Oregon Coast. We spent our Honeymoon in Cannon Beach, and have made this a destination for Spring Breaks and other occasions. Despite this we had never tried Seaside. We really did fall in love. Almost everything was within a few blocks, easy walking distance. Arcades, Taffy Stores, Aquariums, Pancake Houses, Shopping and Carousels. I took a boat-load of pictures, but here I have posted only two.

I hope this gives you a taste...can you just feel the damp, salty air?

In the background of this picture you can see the resort where we stayed. We did S'mores and a Campfire two of the nights. My only complaint? It was COLD. Now don't go and try to explain to me that it is always cold on the Oregon Coast and that I should have known better. All I have to say is that for the middle of July, a High of 70 degrees would have been much more appreciated than the High of 60 that we got. There is a HUGE difference! Swimming in these kind of temperatures, with an overcast sky, did not interest me, but my kids were fearless. Great memories!

My Dream

One of my Life Long Dreams has been to have a swing set for our kids. I had thought about this moment since Nathan was old enough to walk. Imagine our luck when passing through Costco, on a Date Night (does anyone else do that?), we were observant enough to notice they were selling the floor model...for a discounted price....already put together. Do you know how long it takes to put these babies together? The only problem was getting it home. After a long fiasco of borrowing trailers, trailer hitches and imploring some friends for help, we got My Life Long Dream, home. It was a piece of cake getting through the front garage door. The trick was the back garage door, the one that leads to the backyard. All of the men were determined to give it a try. The path of least resistance, right?.....Well, sort of.

It took some figuring and jostling but finally the swing set came through the garage door. It was a CLOSE fit. In fact, so close that I figured that this Very Garage Door was simply made to have that Very Swing Set carried through it. Do you believe in Destiny? ;)

Make a Wish!

Danny turned 10 Years Old this year. He got to go to lunch on his actual birthday with our family and his best cousin, Paige. He chose Primo's Pizza. In Danny's eyes you can't go wrong with all you can eat Pizza, Dessert Pizza and Soda. It was also a year for Danny to have a Friend Party, so we had about 10 boys over for a movie and yes, more pizza. They played a few games having to do with Greek Mythology like: Zeus, Zeus, Hades (which looks strikingly similar to Duck, Duck, Goose) and watched "The Lightning Thief." My boys LOVED this movie and LOVE the book series by the same name. Danny-Thanks for being such a great kid!

Happy Birthday!

We Celebrated two Birthdays in July and an Anniversary. Mike is the first, and actually on the first of the month. A few days later we celebrated our Anniversary by taking a quick over night getaway.