Joshua and Isaac families visiting

We've had a very busy month in July.  We've had Isaac and his family visiting for the entire month while in transit to Hong Kong.  We also had Joshua and his family visiting for two weeks while on vacation. Tianna and her family were here over the Fourth of July weekend.  We've also got to see a lot of Talitha and Malachi and their families.  And Caleb is here too.

Here's a family picture one evening of people staying in our house.  Good thing we have a lot of bedrooms.  Isaac and Kim, with Joslyn, Dorian and Monroe, stayed in the upstairs bedroom.  Joshua and Rebecca were in the street bedroom, except for when Tianna and Jim were here.  Julia, Anges, Joslyn and Asher were on air mattresses upstairs.  James was on a couch.  Caleb has a bedroom.  Of course Jacquelyn and I have the master bedroom.  And outside on hammocks were Ethan, Christian and Elliott.  We had great time together.

One day we went hiking at Mt. Rainer.  First stop was Paradise Visitors Center.  We were surprised to find lots of snow and the trails there were mostly covered in snow.  We did a hike anyway up to a lookout.  Asher is leading the way in front of James, Ethan and Christian.  James got to stay with us the rest of the week after his mom and dad flew home to Spokane.

Kim and Monroe leading with Isaac and Dorian following behind.

Some got distracted by a snowball fight - Ethan, Elliott, James, Andrew and Mallory.  Looks like Ethan has Julia in his sights.  She better duck.

A view from up the trail.

Julia, James and Isaac helping Dorian.

After that we went down to our campsite for a picnic lunch.  Agnes, Jacquelyn, Asher, James, Ethan, Julia, Christian, Rebecca and Joshua.

Next we did a hike by Cougar Rock, one of our family favorites.  Rebecca and Joshua.

Heading down the start of the trail is Agnes, Joslyn and Dorian.  Here in the great outdoors it's run don't walk.

Rebecca helping Joslyn and Agnes cross the log footbridge over a rushing glacial river.

Joslyn found an interesting tree formation to frame her portrait.

At the top where you could see the waterfall.  James, Julia, Jacquelyn, Kim, Monroe, Joshua, Asher, Layne, Mallory and Andrew.

Tree exploring - Ethan and James.

A nice little tree hideout - Dorian, Agnes and Asher.

Next we had a big cookout for dinner at the campsite.  We had foil dinners and dutch oven peach cobbler.  Some of us stayed the night and camped out there at Cougar Rock Campground.  Others went back home after a very busy day trip.  Some of us had fun staying the night in tents and sleeping on the ground.  The next morning the rest of us headed for home too, after one more hike to see Nisqually Waterfall.  

 Joslyn and Agnes got a little wet and were ready to head back to the car.  

More July activities

There was a lot going on with so many people coming and going.  Never a dull moment.

We always had lots of good food with a lot of cooking going on; not just the meals but lots of cookies and other treats.  And Talitha brought over lots of treats from time to time and one day had cookie decorating at her house with Julia, Agnes and Joslyn.  Here is Julia, Elliott, Agnes, Asher and Rebecca.

It was nice to have a big backyard where the kids could play, and the weather was great all month.  Dorian, Asher, Kim, Ethan, Joslyn, Agnes and Christian.

One day Isaac and Kim made this Pirate Treasure Hunt for the kids.  They had to travel all over Manorwood finding clues and then solving riddles to get the next clue.  Finally they got the buried treasure chest.  Isaac, Christian, Elliott, Asher, Kim, Monroe, Joslyn, Dorian and Julia.

One fun day we went on a hike out by Puget Sound in Tacoma at Chambers Bay.  It's was about 5 miles of trail with the loop and extension.  Here Elliott and Joshua and others are on a part of the trail that goes on a raised extension out to the Puget Sound shore.  

Agnes and Joslyn checking out the ocean.  These are locks people leave on the rails.

Agnes and Joslyn.  Joslyn was wearing her mask but still looking stylish with her pink sunglasses.

We had to wear masks whenever we were coming within 6 feet of other people.  Joslyn, Isaac, Agnes, Kim and Monroe.

Joshua and the boys (Asher, Christian, Elliott and Ethan) throwing rocks into the ocean with Rebecca keeping watch.

We got to climb on some ruins.  Agnes, Joslyn, Asher, Julia, Dorian, Christian, Elliott and Ethan.

The same group all in place and posing for a picture.

We saw a huge nest on the ruins with some kind of hawk or falcon.

Magnificent bird. 

Agnes and Joslyn look lost.

Elliott, Asher and Ethan coming through.

It was a long trail and a steep climb.  Up on top was a fun little playground.  Jacquelyn with Monroe.

And on the way home we stopped for ice cream cones at MacDonalds.  We had to eat outside because in was take-out only.  Jacquelyn, Rebecca, Asher, Agnes, Christian, Elliott, Dorian, Monroe and Kim.  We did have more than 5 together at this table.  The rest of us were at another table.

Even more July activities

Joshua and his family left after two weeks but Isaac and his family got to stay longer.  It's really been great having them all around.

Things did get a lot quieter in the house.  Joslyn taking a peaceful moment to draw on etch-a-sketch.

But never too quiet with Joslyn and Dorian around.

It hasn't been all fun and play though.  Dorian and Joslyn kept the garden boxes free of weeds and picked up pine cones out of the yard.  And one day Joshua's family mowed the lawn for us.

But there's always time for a little fun with the sprinklers, especially on a hot day.  Joslyn and Dorian.

Joslyn and Dorian know how to enjoy themselves.

One day Joshua invited Isaac and I to go on a hike with him, Ethan, Elliott and Christian.  We climbed the trail up Mt. Si.  It was really really hard.  About 7 miles roundtrip.

We made it though.  Elliott and Christian on a rock at the top of the trail.

And one day Talitha invited us to the lake.  It was sunny and nice and just a great place to relax and enjoy summer.  Talitha with Joslyn and Isaac with Dorian.

Fourth of July in Puyallup

We had a great time with family on the Fourth of July.

 On the Fourth of July we celebrate Independence Day for the United States of America.  We are grateful to be Americans and for all the freedoms we enjoy.  Here we are with James, Ethan, Ashton, Elliott and I putting a large American flag on the room.  Down below watching - is Jacquelyn with Ashton, Joslyn and Agnes.

 July 4th is also Malachi's birthday.  He and Layne invited us over to their house to celebrate.

 They prepared an enormous breakfast feast with pancakes, fruit, eggs, sausage, cupcakes and more.  It was amazing.  Malachi is in the back cooking and talking with Joshua while Ethan, Elliott, James, Andrew and Kim are starting in the food line.

 We had long tables set up outside with patriotic decorations.  Spencer, Christian, Asher, Elliott, Joslyn, Kim, Monroe and Dorian are ready to eat.

 Inside tables too.  Andrew, Jacquelyn, Ashton, Julia and Ethan are all there.

 A view of the other direction on the outside table with Agnes, Joslyn, Isaac, Kim, Dorian, Talitha and David.

 There were decorations set up all over the yard by Malachi's family.  Spencer and Mallory are up on the hill.

 Julia and Asher on the trampoline.

 Baby Monroe is a champion crawler and thinks he can now go wherever he wants.  He was the youngest grandchild there.

 Ashton up on the back property line.

 Two little cutie pies - Joslyn and Agnes.

 Joslyn, James, Christian, Andrew and Agnes on the playhouse slide.

 Ashton pushing Asher on the swing.  Caleb behind Christian.

 On the trampoline is Agnes, Joslyn, Dorian and Asher.  Caleb in the background.

 After the food we had time to set and talk and tell stories.  Joshua, Rebecca, Layne, Jim, Jacquelyn, and Kim with Monroe.

 Malachi opened up all his presents.  At this moment he was reading a card Mallory got him that she she thought was just hilarious. 

 We also went to a private bird aviarium to see the birds at Layne's Mom's house.  They built the aviarium themselves from scrap material and she has about two dozen parakeets and finches and cares for birds people don't want any more and are getting rid of.

 Joshua in the yard playing a stick game with Joslyn and Agnes.

 Jim and Tianna.  They might be moving and have made an offer on a house in Pocatello.

 Spencer and Elliott having a sword fight.

 One interesting thing to see, they had little baby birds that had recently hatched.  The parakeets let you handle them and don't seem to care but the finches do and will abandon their chicks if you handle them.

 Back at our house for the rest of the day the kids had plenty of room to play in the back yard.

 Ashton seemed to really like making fires and has been making one practically every day since they got here.  Christian and Isaac were helping with this one.

 A popular game was around the house with frisbees.  You start on the deck and see how many throws it takes to get around the house and back to the deck.  Of course there are lots of trees and some fences in the way.  You're not supposed to land on the roof but it happens.  Elliott should not have been up there getting his down.  He wasn't the first one and probably won't be the last.  At least no one has gotton hurt and it's a lot of fun.

 We also played bench ball.  It's kind of like a free-for-all dodgeball game with every person for themselves.  If you get hit you go sit on the bench but if the person that hit you gets out then you're back in.  You play until there's only one person standing.  All ages play, and in this picture James, Ethan, Joshua, Ashton and Christian were scrambling for the ball.

 Dorian setting on the bench, which was our deck.  He loved to play and didn't care he was an easy target for the bigger kids.

 Joshua about to throw at Ethan, which would then leave Joslyn as one of the last two standing.

 And of course in the evening we had fireworks, before the little kids bedtime.  We did sparklers and Asher, Agnes and Joslyn had a lot of fun on the driveway.

 Everyone else had fun watching.  Caleb, Rebecca, Julia, Christian, Elliott, James, Ethan and Tianna.

 Asher playing with sparklers.

 Agnes and Elliott with sparklers.

 Also Dorian with a long sparkler.

 After dark we had our large fireworks to shoot off.  We had a lot because Jacquelyn got a bunch at the fireworks stand.  When they heard she was a veteran they were giving her all kinds of good deals and free ones.

 Setting off fireworks in the street in front of our house.

 We had a lot of good ones that shot up into the air and exploded.  I think it was more than we've ever done before.

 The next day was Sunday.  The children took part in an online Primary Program from Isaac's home ward.  Then we had a family Sacrament meeting.  Then an online Sunday School class from Manorwood Ward.

Finally bedtime.  This picture was taken the next morning and shows three of the four hammocks the children set up in the back yards.  Staying at our house with us we had Caleb and Tianna and Isaac and Joshua and their families for a total of 20 people.  Then we also got to see Talitha and Malachi off and on and their families.  We had a great Fourth of July weekend.  The best part was getting to spend time with everyone.