I love lazy summer days that randomly turn fun in sweet, unplanned ways. The kids and I were just hanging around one morning with nothing going on. I decided we should go down to Old Snoqualmie and walk about and check things out. It’s an easy, flat place to go with all four kids, and I can let Layla walk without holding her hand and she is safe. We wandered around the old train museum and even found an area we’d never discovered before. The boys enjoyed reading about the local railroad history. We roamed in and out of shops and got ice cream cones. The kids were even feeling extra photogenic and wanted to pose for pics! Such a fun afternoon reminds me there is so much possibility in each and every day. I just need to bottle days like these!

For Father’s Day this year we went for a family hike up Little Si. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun, and Layla even did quite a bit of the hike herself!

June means the end of the school year, and it was loaded with all kinds of parties, performances, and celebrations. I really enjoyed volunteering at Field Day at the elementary (thanks, Mom, for helping out with Layla so I could show up.) The older grades celebrated in the morning and the younger ones in the afternoon, which meant I either had to choose which child to be there with or spend the whole day there, and I was so glad to get to be there with both.

Silas and Layla both had performances which they worked very hard on. I realized I have no pictures of Avery. I guess Middle School is a little less eventful at the end of the year!

Our little Layla Blythe turned three in June. What a sweet, precocious girl she is turning out to be! Having become fully potty-trained shortly before her birthday, and more and more verbal every day, it feels like she is no longer a baby or a toddler, but a little girl with thoughts and opinions of her own (and she makes certain that we know it)! She is sensitive, inquisitive, nurturing and fiery. Having three older brothers gives her a grit and determination I admire already. Layla loves animals big and small, coloring, playing dress-up and with her dollhouse, and practicing riding her bike.

I think in past birthday posts I’ve considered the future careers of my little ones. If I had to guess Layla’s now, I’d handily say veterinarian. Or maybe cowgirl. This little lady has never met an animal (cat, dog, horse, cow, goat, etc. that she didn’t want to nurture and get to know. At her well child visit she was 29 bls, 38″, which translates to 33rd% for weight, 74th for height. For now, she’s quite the sting bean.

Shortly after we moved into our house a neighbor gifted me an Alice dress she made for her daughters, who’d long since outgrown it. It was SO cute, and so it became the inspiration for Layla’s third birthday party. Soon she’ll be picking her own themes, which I anticipate (and hope) will include ballerinas, unicorns & mermaids, but for now (and not much longer) that choice is up to me! When I brought it up to the boys they quickly started sorting out who would be whom from the story. A quick Pinterest search gave me more ideas than I could imagine, and the party came together pretty quickly. Layla and her friends were so sweet and careful during the tea party, and her brothers were incredibly helpful. I think we pulled it off!

Happy 3rd birthday, Layla Blythe. We love you so!

In June Jonathan and Layla went to their first Father Daughter Dance. Layla loved getting dressed up for a fun night out with Daddy! I think she thought they would get up on a stage together and perform, but she still had a ball!