I always enjoy doing the summer look back posts--always nice to think back to one of my most favorite times of the year with all the fun and special memories. This summer wasn't as busy as last summer with as many trips, but there was still a lot going on and it was a good summer.
The part I liked the best was this was the first summer the boys were mostly home, had the least amount of camps or pre-planned activities, and were old enough to have a lot more independence. And it was so fun watching them be true summer kids--riding everywhere on their bikes or e-scooters, exploring the Ridge and old Snoqualmie with friends to get Starbucks, go to the park, ride around or meet up with other friends, play at friends' houses, play soccer or football, set up lemonade stands, go to friends' pools, have sleepovers, etc. It reminded me of my summers with less screen time and tons of time outside wandering with my parents barely knowing where I was.
New Roof
The first major event of the summer was we got a new roof for our house! I sadly didn't get any photos because it mostly looks similar to how our house looked before. But the roof is much more quality. That was a project hanging over our heads for awhile so we were VERY happy to get it accomplished.
Hiking
Right after school ended the boys and I kicked off summer with a fun hike to Rattlesnake Ledge. It was the first major hike the boys had done and they loved it!
Camping with Spauldings and Antis'
Our first major trip of the summer was the annual camping trip with Spauldings and Antis' to Lake Kachess. It was a pretty warm weekend considering it was early July--summer showed up right away in July this year. We had a fun weekend of playing in the lake (although sadly it was a pretty low level this year), playing with Ollie and Ivy, making food, sitting around the campfire, playing cornhole, going for walks, paddleboarding, playing games, and enjoying the forest.
Young Life Camp
As I mentioned in the prior post, Nate went to his first overnight camp this summer! He went with the Snoqualmie Young Life group to Washington Family Camp Creekside in Antelope, OR. And had the TIME OF HIS LIFE! He went with some buddies from school and they had tons of fun playing in the incredible pool, playing games, having good cabin discussions, participating in worship time, wandering the camp, meeting friends from other schools, etc. I grew up going to Young Life Camp so I was soo happy Nate finally got to experience it!
Soccer Tournaments
I didn't realize but looking back we were at a soccer tournament pretty much every weekend in July! They were fun, but whew! Definitely made for busy weekends!
Kayaking
One of my favorite days in the summer was when James and I took the day off work and took the boys kayaking in Lake Union. We rented kayaks from Agua Verde and rode on Lake Union towards Downtown Seattle. It was a gorgeous day. And since it was Seafair weekend we also got to watch the Blue Angels do their show above us. Then we stayed and had a yummy Mexican food dinner at Agua Verde. James and I did that activity a few times when we were dating and when we lived in Seattle so it was really fun to experience and enjoy it with our boys finally. Sadly no photos--I was too busy being present. :)
Idaho with Friends
Our cherished summer trip to Idaho with friends didn't disappoint! We joined the Faders and Ridges at the Stevenson's property again in Priest River. This year we had more storms and rain than before, but we didn't let that stop us--we just made the best of it. We played in the water, us girls had a nice long walk day and also a day in Sandpoint this year which was fun. One night we all went into town for dinner to celebrate all the friends birthdays (James, Leslie, Brie, Brandon and Carter all have birthdays around the same time in August--Brandon, Brie and James are all on the same day!). This year we added on an extra night which was a special treat and helped make the trip not feel so short. Such a magical place for us!
Lumineers Concert
We took the boys to their first major concert! Technically SYML was their first concert back in Fall 2024, but this concert was their first large concert. We saw the fun band Lumineers play at T-Mobile Park. And we found a new favorite band--The Head and the Heart who opened for them. It was fun to be in an outside venue on a beautiful August evening and we had great time as a family seeing one of our favorite bands.
Whew! Such a fun summer and it totally flew by as it always does. Time is so fleeting with these amazing kiddos so we're just soaking it up as much as we can! Looking forward to seeing what Summer 2026 has in store for us!
