Blog? What blog?

So it's been a while since the last blog post.....personally, I blame Facebook, since I can post short updates/photos without much energy at all.  But alas, here's the catch-up on the Williams family this summer.

June
The beginning of summer means the end of school, and this year was particularly end-ful as Kaela is officially leaving elementary school!  She's on to middle school next year, and this brings a little sniffle to mama.  Kaela's 5th grade class went on an overnight field trip to the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville, which included a stop in Salem at the state capitol building.  Mom was a chaperone, which meant sleeping overnight on the museum floor.  The following week we attended an informal graduation ceremony in the gym, and the 1st graders made special hats for each of the graduating 5th graders.  Later on in June, we celebrated Kaela's half-birthday which makes her 11 and a half now!



3D IMAX movie at the overnight field trip

Dad, Kaela, & Mom at 5th grade graduation

Half-birthday slumber party



July
4th of July is always fun, and especially in Bend where they have a big festival with tons of fun for kids.  Then we got to stay up late and watch the fireworks.  5 year old Maezie HATES FIREWORKS!  She has fears and anxieties with loud noises and fires, so she watched from inside the living room window.  Graeson played summer baseball which was great for him and no cold weather for parents to sit through!  Graeson also continues to excel in taekwondo, and is on the Demo Team for performances.  Kaela enjoyed acting in another play, this time a summer workshop where they focused on several one-act plays.  One character she played was Thisbe (from Shakespeare) where she even got to stab herself in full dramatic flare! The end of July brought us to the Sharp family reunion (Jill's side of the family) where we had tons of fun with cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents, and our favorite GG.

Maezie the flag girl

Batter up!

Graeson is a High Red belt in taekwondo

Kaela in her most dramatic moment

Jill's mom (Nana), Jill's grandma (GG), and the Williams women

August
August is just beginning, but already we've had some fun times! This past weekend, Graeson and Bryan went camping for Taekwondo Camp, and we girls stayed home and had our own fun.  We stayed up late watching movies and eating caramel corn; the next day we went to the park and had free lunch for kids then crafts in the park.  We met a friend at a big water park--swimming in the pools, floating the "lazy river", and careening down water slides.  We also did some school clothes shopping (which is way more fun with no boys!)  Meanwhile, Graeson was learning how to use nun-chucks, swords, and other martial arts; he also was taking late night canoe rides, and playing and playing and playing with the other boys!  We girls were SURE we were having more fun than the boys......and the boys were SURE they were having more fun than the girls.

Movies and caramel corn

Trying on school clothes



Can you find Graeson?