August in Washington

Millie and Mike with our chicken Whitey.  We are so happy he started laying eggs in August.  It is the best thing to walk out to the chicken coop and find a fresh egg.  He is such a good layer, that he lays an egg almost everyday with just a day off here and there.

We went camping in mid-August to escape the heat of summer (I love saying that!)  Here we are at Deception Pass State Park near Whidby Island.  We spent 2 nights in this beautiful part of Washington.

Searching for creatures in the tide pools.

We enjoyed the sights, the beaches, miniature golf, delicious food and ice-cream!  And we even got to visit and play with our neighbors and their children who were camping at the same park!

Almost time for bed.

Our lovely campsite.  Time to roast some hotdogs!

Nugget and Deli cat

August 7 our little Nugget died.  His friend Miffy is still here and seems to be doing just fine, despit being on her own now.

Five days later, Deli also died.  He was 15 years old, but I still thought he would be with us for another 5 years.  When he died, it came as a shock since he seemed so full of energy and life.

We have some great memories with Deli.  Here's some of our favorite pictures.

Gardens, chickens and summer living

Our new chicken.  We are still working on a name but have just taken to call him Whitey due to his white feathers.  The roosters found a new home at a home/farm here in town and we got this chicken in their place.  After a couple of days getting used to each other, Whitey has settled in quite nicely.

Our growing garden. Peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes.  The netting is there to stop our hens from eating our plants.  We gave up on the blueberry bushes.  Those are now treats for the chickens and they have pretty much plucked off every berry.

Loving summer!

Our garden in the front yard.  Here we are growing beets, swiss chard, radishes, cucumbers, basil and cherry tomatoes. 

Our new deck furniture.  I love it and it is so comfortable to sit back here with a cold cocktail and enjoy the summer.

Gymnastics camp!

Millie and her good friend Rachel, both did a week long gymnastics camp right here down the road.  Everyday they did a craft project, learned gymnastics, had a snack and played outside.

Having fun on the bars!

The award ceremony!

Happy 6th Birthday, Millie

Millie celebrated her 6th birthday this past Saturday with five of her friends.  She decided on a Mermaid theme this year.  So we had music from the Little Mermaid,  mermaid cake, a mermaid art project, and lots of under the sea decorations.

I had so much fun making this cake after I researched some ideas.

We had a really crazy rainstorm during Millie's party.  Thunder, strong winds and a power outage in the town next door.  Luckily we had planned an indoor party due to the really unstable weather this month.  The day before the party, Millie came up with the great idea of face painting.  The kids loved it.  I painted lots of rainbows, flowers and butterflies!

Working on the mermaid art project.

I organized a scavenger hunt.  Clues were located all over the house and the kids were divided into 2 groups of three.  They had to read the clues to discover where the next clue was hidden.  The last clue led to the location of their party bags filled with mermaid treasure.

Happy 6th Birthday, Millie!

With the house full of 6 girls, there was definitely princess dress up time, too.  Millie is getting ready to open her presents.  She really loved this.

Opening presents from the family on Sunday morning!  Thank you everyone for the great gifts and birthday wishes!