July Review

When I look at all these pictures and remember all these experiences, I feel so blessed We live a beautiful life. Here's Lucy on our first day in Fergus Falls. Guessing that's a selfie.

My darlings looking out the front window in Fergus

Cuddling with the recliner

Playing with frogs by the cabana

Lucy took dozens of pictures of this bird. An egret?

The best pictures of the year! I brought this little swim diaper on purpose for Cason to pose and bring us all joy. Oh, my goodness!

What a handsome hunk. Where did that swim diaper go, you ask? Let's just say it was a casualty of potty training.

All the cousins!

Grandkids and grandparents. What a blessed crew!

Cuteness and straight up trouble by the cabana. He was into everything.

Choppy waters at beloved Pebble.

This is in Downy, Idaho, on our way home. My amazing mom drove up to Minnesota and back home with me. She forfeit plane tickets both ways to keep me safe and she was heaven sent. Poor Corby was sick.

My beautiful darling after we got home.

And a perfectly cleaned out hall closet, devoid of all Bowen belongings. I spent several days packing us up. Doug flew to Utah to help me pack the last few things and get our things from storage. I worked hard to get as much as I could into the garage, ready for our move, before he came. I even had a babysitter hauling boxes up the stairs with me. It was hard with plantar fasciitis.

We needed to post a sign to let Mom and Dad's neighbors know they could oppose building there. No one opposed the building. I wish we had a lot of extra money so we could lead the building. It's still my dream to move there.

And then we made it to Washington. Here's our neighborly emu on the Chehalis trail right by our house.

Precious pumpkin and all our boxes. We had a gate up for a week or two until Corban figured out stairs.

This is the blanket Mom and Peanut made for him. I want to use it on his bed. Right now, he has a pirate theme, so I'll need to figure that out.

When we brought our turtle, Rex, with us to Olympia, we spent $200 getting him all the supplies he needed. Then, we noticed it looked like he had cotton clinging to his body. It's a fungus, and I put him in a salt bath. Problem solved. We're so glad he didn't die. He has gotten so much bigger!

Cute kiddies on the stairs

My wonderful piano! It's a Wurlitzer, and it heals the hurt I felt selling our piano in Ammon, also a Wurlitzer. This one needs a paint job, new hardware, and a B key fixed.  The piano and bench cost $100.

This table and chairs cost $75 total. It's not the sturdiest, best set, and we've already thrown away one chair, but what a deal! I just think our family is too destructive right now for fancy furniture.

Our gorgeous bike path. It's even prettier now with all the leaves in different colors.

Yummy cookie baking! I love that we have two ovens and an island!

Funny story: Doug told us Priest Point Park is amazing, and we should go. We were picturing an actual beach with waves and sand. Instead, we got there at low tide, got bad directions to walk through mud flats--so gross and so impossible with flip-flops!!!!--and we were COVERED in mud. It was one of those horrible, sort-of-wonderful-because it was together and so gross and funny experiences.

Mud warriors!

I love this! I took this picture when Daddy came home and came up to see what we were up to.

This is at Burfoot Park, one of our favorite places to go. I love this cool squirrel.

My darling at our neighborhood park.

This cracks me up. Ben and Jerry's is seven sorts of wonderful, but I am NOT eating it right now because I'm doing a health challenge with Dan, MaryAnn, and Katie, plus Kara from Utah and Nicole from North Carolina.

And finally, Cason all ready for a stroller ride. Note the lack of shoes, the shirt, Corban poking his head around to see what's up, and the licked knife. Ah yes, we were ready for adventure. July was amazing!