August Catch-Up | Part Two

The second half of August was again filled with lots of activity! I had joined a running group (for non-runners!) at the beginning of the summer and it culminated with the Care Net Pregnancy Center's 5K Walk/Run for Life. I had a lot of fun doing and was very excited to raise over $1000 for the cause!

My cheering squad!

We've been enjoying the bountiful harvest of our vegetable garden, with Abby's and my favorite dish being this simple pasta meal topped with mostly vegetables and herbs freshly picked from the backyard. So much fun! :)

My good friend Kirsten invited us to go to the zoo with her and her two kids. We were so excited! My boys had never been before (well, Ben went as a 2-month-old but that hardly counts!) and Abby was less than 2 the last time she'd been. On the way up there Ben asked some pretty silly questions about what we might see at the zoo, so it was nice that he now finally understands what a zoo is really like. :) Our friends drove separately and left shortly after lunch, but we stayed for many more hours. Everything went decently well until the end when we were about to exit and realized Jake had kicked his favorite pair of sandals off somewhere as he was riding in the stroller. :oP Little stinker! At least he was just about to outgrow them and summer is almost over!

We ended our weekly park playdates I'd organized for the moms and kiddos at our church with a fun morning and afternoon at my friend Allison's house. A year ago at church there weren't any girls Abby's age (just one a bit closer to Ben than Abby), but now there are three others her age since we've had several new families join! It's so fun for her and I love seeing her build friendships with these sweet girls.

Our friends have a very, very fun swing that we all enjoyed trying out. I even went on there with all three of my kids! (Don't worry, Jake didn't go this high again - some of the kids got a little carried away with their pushing!) :)

My kids loved all the chickens...

And geese...

The month ended with a trip up to the Museum of Flight and a visit with my Aunt Doris on Mercer Island. The Boeing 747 was open for tours for the first time that we've been there. My mom stayed down with the stroller while I took the kids up and she snapped this picture. The stairs were STEEP and I guess the kids and I made quite a spectacle as we climbed down SLOWLY and people had to wait for us. ;o)

Jake's favorite part is the space section. He's wanted to be an astronaut ever since the first time we went to the museum!

My nephew Solomon came too!

After the museum, we headed over to my aunt's house to play some games, go out for dinner and then back to her house to visit a bit more. It was a nice visit, but made me wonder why I never learn my lesson about taking my boys out to sit-down restaurant! :oP Thankfully, Aunt Doris didn't seem to mind the craziness and just relished the time with her great-nephews and niece. :)

(Jake refused to get in the picture - he was cranky after no nap that day!)

And that is the end of August! (I'm getting closer to catching up! ;)