chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

Our first major summer activity came just a few days after school finished. We ventured to Alder Lake for a weekend of camping with the Pettingills. They've been to Alder Lake before, but we were newbies who were totally converted - we left loving the place. The campground has paved roads (yay for the scooter riders), a great playground and swimming area, good sites with lots of trees, and not too far of a drive - plus, we completely lucked out with amazing weather!! While in the midst of camping prep I remembered why it's so hard sometimes to commit to camping - it's a TON of work. But every time as we ride home I am always so grateful we went. It's a serious family bonding activity and my kids absolutely love everything about it.  Our first night into camp we unpacked just in time to get cozy by the fire with marshies and s'mores. Evidently, we timed our trip to align perfectly with the hatching of a certain species of caterpillars (do they hatch?). Our sit...

While my life as a mom mostly revolves around my kiddos, I do have a separate responsibility in my church putting on activities and supporting young girls ages 8-11 as they work on the Faith in God program (more details here .) This has been on my "dream" calling list for a while and I've served almost a full year, putting on activities twice per month. Especially this spring, we've had some BIG things going on and I wanted to document here what I've been doing with this fantastic group of girls.  Temple Trip (April) (we totally lucked out with the weather!)  Recognition Night (May)  We had an ice cream potluck where each girl brought a topping. The girls each shared a recent goal they've completed in their Faith in God books. They also brought a "prop" to describe something about them and then we let their parents brag about them for a few minutes. It was a fun night.   Pinewood Derby (end of May) This was on my list of thin...

Paige has been anxious to try softball, so this year we officially joined Little League. It was a learning experience. Baseball is at a different level than soccer. It takes more time, it involves fundraising (gah!), and the weather is an unpleasant reminder of how gloomy the PNW can be during the spring. We had two games rained out and she missed one other game because of her dance recital, but all in all, it was a GREAT season. We are proud of her for the progress she's made and new skills learned. One of the best parts of softball is having ALL girls. Such a different atmosphere. Less competitive and lots of cheering! Paige was a great hitter! They give the girls 5 good pitches and if they don't hit after 5 pictches they let them hit off the tee. I think throughout the whole season Paige used a tee only 3 times. Yay!! And Paige was always quick on the run. The Softball moms started calling her "wheels" because she was so fast! Paige made strides ...