We are officially settled into our new Maple Valley home! Right before we left for Hawaii, something just clicked and it finally feels like home to us. Ryan ripped out our old carpet and vinyl flooring on the main level of the house and laid brand new flooring with the help of my brother. It took them a long time and was super hard work but man does it look better! All that is left is the millwork and the new kitchen pantry doors. Hopefully by the end of the year, we will be placing brand new stone countertops in my dream kitchen! As my friends and family know, I love to cook. My new kitchen is very large and has a ton of counterspace and cabinets! I finally got the chance to really cook in the kitchen today actually! I made 16 freezer meals for the fall! I plan on making 16-18 more this week.
Not only is our house feeling more like home, we have really gotten the chance to get to know our neighbors. To the right of our house is another stay at home mom and her sweet little boys. The kids get along well and seems to love playing together. It was cute to see them try to figure out their boundaries and personalities. Shelley is very sweet and super easy to get along with. It is so nice to have another mom right next door to chat with and become friends with! To the left of our house is another family that is very friendly! Laura and Dave were the first people we met when we pulled up with our moving truck. Not only did they welcome us with a warm smile, Laura actually helped me unload my car! Both Nat and Cam love Laura and Dave because they take the time to talk to them and get down on their level. Laura and Dave have two older children and you can tell they are a loving family. It makes me feel so welcomed and loved to have nice neighbors like we do. I can't wait to have friends and family over this fall/holiday season! I couldn't be happier!
August was a lot more calm when it came to weekend getaways. Ryan went camping for his annual guys camping trip with my brother, cousin Brandon, Doug (Heather's dad) and my dad. They all had a great time and according to pictures I saw, they all got a lot of snoozing in! While Ry was away, I had a sleep over with my mom at our house. We should have spent the night up at her place because it was nearly 100 degrees outside that day! Our house was 86 degrees at bedtime and we were all miserable! This summer was crazy hot and I'm excited to have more milder weather soon.
The last weekend of August was my favorite part of summer - we left for Hawaii!! Ryan and I have been to Hawaii twice before this trip, but this trip was extra special because we got to see Hawaii through our kids' eyes. Both Nat and Cam did AMAZING on the plane ride to Hawaii - all 5.5 hours of flight time. I think they were very excited to be on an airplane and couldn't wait to go swimming. After we landed, they were thrilled to arrive at the condo. I've never seen them this excited! They were literally jumping up and down and squealing! After we unpacked, we explored the resort with the understanding that we are just looking around, not getting wet. We walked down to one of the 4 pools at the resort and BOTH kids jumped right into the shallow end of the pool with their clothes on! I mean, how can you be mad at their excitement?! After exploring the pools, we walked the boardwalk down the the beach. Both kids squealed and ran straight for the water. About 3.4 seconds at the beach, Nat and Cam were both sucked into the current and taken out (without their lifejackets of course). Both Ryan and I had to jump in and grab them! One of the scariest moments of my life!! After that, we made a rule that they need their lifejackets on 100% of the time that we are at the water. Needless to say, the kids were in their jackets for 7 days straight!
Over the next week, we swam, we went to the Maui Aquarium, waded in the ocean, sunbathed, ate, napped and most of all RELAXED!! The kids are at a fun age because they are still easily entertained yet can go do things by themselves - which us supervising for a far of course. One of the pools had a waterslide - I'm not kidding you, Cameron went down that slide 4 dozen times a day without any help! It was so much fun to see his little butt walking up the stairs and his adorable, happy face fly out at the bottom. Miss Nat did the slide one time (which shocked me that she even tried it). She did not like it at all! Apparently, she fell backwards and got a little scared. I'm just proud that she was a big girl and tried. While Cam did the slide, Nat waded around the family pool in her lifejacket the entire time, singing, "Just keep Swimming..."
Natalie celebrated her 3rd birthday in Hawaii on the 4th! Unfortunately, the poor thing had a fever and wasn't feeling very well. But in true Natalie fashion, she was still happy and active. Her appetite was still amazing so we decided to treat her to the ultimate Hawaiian treat - Kimo's Hula Pie! The dessert was as big as her head and she loved to hear us sing "Happy Birthday" to her. I can't believe my baby is 3 years old! I couldn't be more proud of her. Not only is she adorable and sweet, she has such amazing manners and is constantly giving out compliments to others and saying "I love you so much." She is really becoming a kid now and its hard to accept. I still very much see my little baby in her and will always hold onto that. I love you, sweet little Nit Nat.
On the 5th, our dream vacation came to an end. We flew home last night and arrived home late (2am!!). Again, both kids did amazing and never acted out or complained - not once! Nattie still wasn't feeling well but snuggled up and watched a movie on my lap. I was so proud of them and we received several praises from multiple passengers. YAY!! I really look forward to traveling with them in the future. Cammie already requested our next family vacation - Iceland!
Cammie starts his finally year of Pre K tomorrow morning! He is beyond excited to see all his friends again and go back to WeeSprouts. This year, Cam will be attending school 3 times a week and will have a new teacher, Ms Keely. I don't feel as sad as I did last year, I'm actually looking forward to it. I know he will do great and have a fantastic time! I'm also looking forward to having more personal time with Natalie while Cam is at school. We enrolled her in My Gym on Tuesdays! I think she will have a great time experiencing something just for her. I also enrolled myself at a gym and can't wait to work out with my girlfriends!!
Cam wanted to play soccer again this year and is excited to be on the same team as his best friend, Jax! We asked Nattie if she wanted to play but she wasn't interested yet. I believe we are going to start her in swim lessons again this fall. Now that she is 3, she can do lessons with her own instructor! As you can see, we are starting fall off at a running pace! We love having our kids busy in school and sports - we love to be involved.
I hope September is wonderful for everyone! Enjoy the turning of the season and all the fall festivities!!
Hugs!
