July

Traditional laundry basket photo: Gracie wasn't a big fan.

Grace turned 8 months old and was mobile enough that all she wanted to do was grab the sign! Alan had to be pretty sneaky to place it by her while I shot the picture. We still got some great smiles from our girl though. Such a cute stage!

By 8 months, Gracie was super close to crawling. She could scootch around some. And she learned how to get in a seated position from lying down. She was very proud of herself and loved being able to move on her own. She also still loved bouncing on her legs, eating more new solid foods, and having Spencer and Mason around more. 

It took her two full weeks to get over her diarrhea from the stomach flu, but after that was finally over, she started sleeping really well through the night. 

Our 4th of July was low-key and relaxing this year. We don't run a race on the 4th anymore, but Alan, Spencer, and I all went running separately that morning. Mason didn't want to run but had fun riding his bike to the school and back with Alan instead. 

We spent lots of time hanging out, playing games, and barbequing in the backyard. Gracie looked super cute in her Independence Day outfit and had fun playing in her little splash pool for the first time. 

Mason took these four pictures. Arya is our next door neighbor. We purposely left a board off when repairing the fence between our houses last year and it has been the best thing for Mason! We stayed home a lot due to Gracie's naps during the summer but Arya was also usually home so the two of them entertained each other all summer. It was a huge tender mercy!

We bought a small package of fireworks to set off in the street in the evening. Arya's family always buys a bigger pack and is always so kind to share their long sparklers with Mason. 

Spencer left for High Adventure with his Priest's Quorum later that week. It was the first time that Alan didn't go with him and it was a little weird/sad sending him off without one of us. They spent some time in southern Oregon and visited Crater Lake and took a jet boat tour. It definitely wasn't a super adventurous high adventure, but Spencer had a good time and made some good memories. Alan and I are so incredibly grateful for the youth programs in the Church. Spencer has a large quorum with lots of good boys and stellar leaders. The time, dedication, and influence of those good men on our boy is invaluable. 

I signed Mason up for a couple of weeks of swim lessons in July to keep him busy while Spencer was gone. He was working to pass level 3 and did it!

Gracie's first time at a splash pad - Cannery Square with Arya.

Early morning berry picking: My berry picking time was pretty limited this year and we didn't get nearly as many as usual, but these two were good helpers. Still one of my favorite summer activities.

Teri invited us to a birthday lunch for Great Aunt Peggy on July 13. She turned 93! I'm sad this is the only picture I took. Teri, Jim, Chris, and all of us were there to celebrate. Peggy lives in a nice, assisted living home just a few minutes away from Teri in Beaverton now. I used to try to visit about once a month before Grace came. That just isn't possible now and I miss our chats! Peggy has an amazingly optimistic attitude and has lived an interesting life. She is a sweet lady and I'm so glad I've been able to get to know her a little these last couple of years. 

Finally big enough to ride in the seat of a shopping cart! She loved it and has been a good shopping buddy ever since. 

We sent Spencer off to Steens Running Camp with his cross country team the third week of July. Steens is an intense high elevation camp in south eastern Oregon. Spencer really wanted to go and earned the money to pay for half of the camp. I knew it wasn't going to be posh, but I figured for the amount of money we paid, the kids would be sleeping in cabins and have access to a shower. I was wrong. They slept in tents and the only way to clean themselves after running hard and sweating all week was to jump in the creek. Spencer loved it though! Ha! At least the food was good. They did a lot of team building activities and tons of hard running of course. I wasn't super thrilled that Spencer came home all scratched up from a run they had to do through the brush, but he loved it. They weren't allowed to take any electronics so this is the one picture I got from Spencer's coach to let us know they were alive. :) I'm glad I didn't know what it was going to be like before he went so I didn't have to worry so much. Spencer is looking forward to going again next summer.

The rest of us kept busy with normal summer activities while Spencer was gone. They boy's new piano teacher, Miss Loraine, was in the process of moving to Sherwood so she came to our house for lessons several times over the summer. This was Mason's first experience having a teacher besides me. He was anxious about it so it was nice that she came to our house where Mason was comfortable and Grace could keep napping.

A friend from another ward was giving away a weight machine so we got it for our garage. I thought Spencer might like to use it but it turns out that I'm the one who uses it most. Mason thinks it's fun to play with. 

Gracie discovered her shadow in afternoon sun patches and was fascinated. 

Robin Hood Festival! Alan wasn't working for the first time in awhile so it was really fun to have him there too. We watched the parade in the morning and then went down to the festival in the afternoon. It was hot! 

Spencer survived Steens and had some piano lessons too. Switching teachers wasn't easy for him and there were some growing pains, but it has pushed him and Spencer is a better pianist now because of it. 

Trying to stand up!

Cute baby in church. Making through church got a whole lot harder when Grace became mobile. Thankfully, Alan's and my Sunday callings are on opposite weeks so we take turns with her during 2nd hour. 

Cooking lessons: Grandma Rasmussen's chicken enchiladas

Pulled up to standing! She did it!

New shoes for school that we found on sale at Kohl's. Mason was super excited to get high tops this year.

Finally able to chase the kitty!

Grandma came to visit for a couple of hours before meeting Teri, Chris, and Carol for a sister's weekend at the beach. We miss having Grandma and Grandpa close by!