The Keene Family

Haley planned a back-to-school-end-of-summer-celebration party for JT and two friends. It was so sweet to watch her plan a menu, purchase everything, make decorations, and set up the house. (She directed JT and I as helpers, but we just did whatever she told us to do!) She planned pizza, salad, fruit, fruit punch, and dessert. She invited Sawyer and Jozie, and it was a surprise when they arrived! What a little hostess. :)

How exciting to be starting another school year! Both kids were so excited to go back. They love their teachers and they But let's begin at the beginning. First, Haley and I went back-to-school shopping with Grandma Keene, an annual tradition. We got clothes and shoes and even some things for JT. Grandma Keene is always so generous and we have a blast watching Haley pick out and try on clothes! The day before school started, the kids had their hair cut appointments. Haley decided to go short! ...and our Zappos back-to-school shoe shopping order arrived. They each chose a pair and the rest went back, as usual. It's the best! And then the big day arrived. We waited at the bus stop for quite awhile (first day and all), and JT took some time to explain some school specific details to Haley. And then I stopped at our neighborhood bus stop (our kids ride a different bus to a different school) and took a quick photo with the oth...

Yet another fabulous Labor Day Weekend spent in the sunshine at my aunt and uncle's cabin on Spirit Lake! What was special about this year is that the cabin wasn't empty... my aunt and uncle were there, as well as my cousin and her two kids. We had so much fun hanging out with them! We stopped for pizza in Spokane on the way in on Friday night. Then woke up Saturday to some clouds, but still warm weather. The clouds definitely didn't stop us from enjoying the water right away! And then the sun poked through... Saturday afternoon, Jim got to watch Alabama play football from the deck. This is one of his favorite parts of the weekend! And I spent reading on the dock, one of MY favorites ways to spend the weekend! We had a campfire each night, and s'mores... which is so much fun. Sunday morning took the kids on a treasure hunt field trip to the island on the lake. And Sunday afternoon, the kids and I did a little hike. ...

Jim and I have been doing a boat trip to Poulsbo for the last five years or so. We are so thankful my parents still have an ocean-going vessel! Sometimes we invite friends along with us, but this year we decided to just go with the two of us. It was a gorgeous day on Puget Sound! We had an early dinner at our favorite spot, The Loft. We also walked around and ate chocolates (okay, just I did that). It was really relaxing and fun. Hooray for date day!