Shiny Smile

 This guy has a shiny new smile. 

In addition to his expander, Max just got braces.

They are very blue...but he was excited about the color which he picked out himself.

If he's happy, I'm happy!

He's been a trooper with the whole thing.

He has a lot going on in that mouth of his.

Summer Happenings

 Summer is in full swing and the kids have been taking full advantage.
So much fun!

Thankful for amazing friends 

and that we still have more summer ahead.

Meet Spangle

 We recently added a new member to the family -- Spangle.
It was time. Carmen said she was ready to look for a new kitten. 

She wrote a note explaining how she thought Blitzen needed a friend to make him happy, 

and that maybe she needed a furry friend too.
She did her research, looked at many, many kittens and decided Spangle was the one for her.

Spangle was in Republic, WA. A short 6 hours away...

Luckily we were able to time it with our camping trip in central Washington

and picked up the sweet kitten on our way home.

Spangle is a delight. The perfect addition.

She's cute and cuddly, spunky and playful.

She likes to hide and sleep in tiny spaces,

she loves to jump and run and hop.

It took a few days for Blitzen to warm up but after a couple of days 

of curious and some hissing, the two cats are getting along beautifully.

They play, they chase, they eat together.

A win, win.

Welcome Spangle!

Lake Pearrygin 2021

Just back from a long weekend away. Camping at Lake Pearrygin. 

Just outside of Winthrop.

As was to be expected, the weather was beautiful 

and the company couldn't have been better.

The kids had a blast -- 

tubing, knee boarding, waterskiing, riding bikes, 

fishing for trout, making smore's, trips to town for ice cream. 

Adults were in heaven too -- boat rides, lounging in the sunshine, corn hole, 

good food, conversation and the kids gone for hours at a time out on the water. 

Adults event took their turn at tubing and 

there was a swim across the lake event that Carmen participated in too.

Thank you Simpson's/Jay's for a weekend full of fun and memories.

Until next time!

Proud of this Girl

 There is no doubt Carmen is a hard worker.

When she puts her mind to something, there is no stopping her.

It's been fun to watch her develop her interests and figure out what she's passionate about.

This past year she has really enjoyed and excelled at online design and coding.

She's always been artistic and has been engineering and creating things since she was small.

It seems like online design has blended her two loves.

Through school last year she was exposed to a program called Shapegrams.

A special digital learning specialist came in once a week to lead an 

online design session on how to use basic shapes to create objects and pictures. 

It was a pilot program that was a big success.

Carmen loved it and couldn't wait for those special days.

She caught on to the program and tasks quickly and was recognized for her work.

She developed a pretty cool Christmas card of her own design which 

earned her a nod from the creator of Shapegrams, Tony Vincent.

After a couple more months of working with the program, 

Carmen and one of her best friends, Allison, got further accolades. 

They both were featured in a blog post

Tony also had some nice words for the girls.

This summer Carmen is participating in one of Tony's online design courses.

All participants are adult educators and Carmen is the only kiddo.

She's learning a lot, honing her skills and her craft. 

So excited to see what this girl will do next!

Swim Meet Routine

 Swim Season is officially here. 

The kids have been practicing 5 days a week for a month or so now, 

but meets have now started up.
They are excited to compete in the pool and have the fan-fare of meets 

(ie. hanging out with their friends and eating way too much candy).

Go Beach!

Fun on the 4th

 It was a fun filled and festive 4th!

Sporting red-white-and blue.

Decorating for and participating in the neighborhood bike parade.

Friends on the 4th.

Trampoline shenanigans.

Apparently several of the dads planned their outfits--

red shirts and blue shorts.

Firework fun -- sparklers to go around.

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