Kieron, Silas & Layla participated in another season of summer swim. Unfortunately, Kieron fractured his arm right before competition started and then we had our Europe trip, so his season was pretty short, but once we returned he got a few meets in. Layla and Silas made a lot of progress this season. It was fun watching all of them grow and improve.
Look at her butterfly form!
Kieron’s relay team, Matthew, Owen & Josh
Jonathan in the parents relay
At the end of July, Gianni and his family came to visit all the way from Belgium. Gianni was the King’s foreign exchange student during Ashleigh’s senior year of high school and our last year of college. Ashleigh and Mark flew in from Colorado so we could all spend some time together. It was fun catching up with Gianni, getting to know his beautiful wife, Emeline, and their two sweet kids, Aiden (11) & Rose (7). Silas and Aiden became fast friends, and Layla and Rose, whose English is not as fluent as Aiden’s, played a lot of Barbies together with the help of an iPad and Google translate.
We took everyone to Bainbridge Island aboard Everlong one day and spent another being tourists in Seattle. We had a great time and look forward to seeing them again!
At Proper Fish, on Bainbridge Island
These two headed to Boy Scout camp mid-way through the visit
We took everyone to Seattle to do the touristy things. Realized it was also Layla’s first time there!
Watching cheese get made at Beecher’s
We went to Lake Chelan with our friends, the Estes, for Fourth of July weekend. We had a fun time playing at the pool and the lake, and just spending time together. We met up with more Snoqualmie friends at a local winery the morning of the fourth. Here’s our group all together.
At the beach
With Casey & Darcey
We rented a boat the afternoon of the fourth.
4th of July BBQ
At SlideWaters with the Miles
Playing Jenga on a stop on the drive over
Here’s the rest of what were up to in June:
We had a deer visitor (notice her big tummy). She gave birth two two fawns a couple weeks later, but was very interested in Phoebe. She came a number of times and the two got quite close!
Kieron and Virgil having a sleepover while Avery assembles the R2D2 Lego set he bought himself.
Kieron made this in workshop. Nice work!
Father’s Day was squeezed in between graduation and Europe
I rediscovered this in my makeup drawer. Such an honor! It was from Silas.
FaceTiming with Layla from Europe
We decided to tack on a trip to Munich for my birthday since we were already in Europe until the 26th. I’m so glad we did. It’s a birthday I’ll always remember! Here we are celebrating at Augustiner Beer Garden. The vibe there is SO Bavarian!
We bought Avery his first beer here
Don’t worry, that’s not a dark lager, Kieron opted for root beer
First meal in Munich at Zum Brunnstein
Our first meal in Germany had lots of sausage, sour kraut & German-style potato salad.
The Glockenspiel
Inside Hofbräuhaus, where Hitler gave speeches
Views from atop the Cathedral
Here’s what happened the morning of my birthday. We originally planned to go to Neuschwanstein on my birthday and Dachau the following day because who wants to go to a concentration camp on their birthday? Well, we had some trouble with the trains and ended up in traffic in a taxi, and arrived at the tour company literally one minute late. By then our bus had left without us! Fortunately, the tour company worked with us and was able to switch our tours so we could do the camp on my birthday and the castle the next day. I’m so thankful we were still able to do both, but it made for a somber birthday. I was on the verge of tears half the day!
Solitary confinement
Neuschwanstein! I love the crazy story about this castle and it’s creator.
Uncle Scott, same place, 44 years earlier!
1981
Don’t ask me what he’s playing!
Taking a carriage to the castle in 1981
I always thought this picture of me was taken of me looking out the little window at the top of the castle – but I just learned it is not! It’s from some other castle in Europe.
At Kinder Paradise, 1984
Downtown Munich. I love that my birthday falls on Pride Weekend
