Logan's actual birthday and enjoying the summer weather

Three weeks into my 30th year already! I need to get started on more of my 30x30 goals, especially the ones that will take a little more consistent effort. It seems like we've kept pretty busy though between our trip to Utah and then trying to get adjusted to being home.

Our first full week back home in Washington was nice. We started by celebrating Logan's birthday on Monday and ended the week with a hike around Round Lake and down to a little waterfall called Woodburn Falls.

We didn't get as many pictures on Logan's actual 4th birthday as we did last year on his 3rd, but here are a few:

Emmie on the balance bike!

Birthday boy with his yummy chocolate cake!

I did get some of the singing and stuff on video!

Logan was really cute on his birthday. I was worried that he was going to have a meltdown about getting older and not being three and a half anymore. He was so concerned in the weeks leading up to his birthday, and on more than one occasion he would tell me with tears in his eyes, "I don't want to get older! I want to stay three and a half forever!" Sweet boy!

We had another adventure on Logan's birthday. The doorknob on the exterior door leading into the garage had been getting stuck a little now and again, but that afternoon, it got stuck and despite out best efforts, we couldn't get it open! We eventually had to take the old knob off and use various tools to get the jammed piece in the middle out of the hole and get all the hardware out. We were left without a knob for a little over 24 hours until I got over to The Home Depot and got a new knob so we could secure our door!

I should have taken a picture when it was missing the knob, but here's a picture of the finished product. Feeling handy!

Door knob installed!

I don't remember exactly what day I took this super cute picture of Emmie, but she was sitting up on the dresser, making funny faces and wearing her sun glasses.

The little poser!

Suzanna and I have commented over the last couple of years that even though Logan has grown and changed so much, he still resembles himself from our family pictures in 2012 so much! I got him to pose next to the photo that hangs next to my computer and I snapped a photo. What do you think? Does he still look the same? Maybe a little more mature, but surprisingly similar even though he's four in "real life" and wasn't even two years old yet in the picture in the background with the yellow shirt!

Logan (4) and Logan (1)

The weather has been really nice since we've been back. It's SO nice to be able to go outside without feeling overwhelmed by the crazy Utah heat. I'm so glad to be living in the Pacific Northwest where we have totally amazing summers! The kids have been enjoying the cooler climate as well!

Luke, Logan and Emmie

Last Friday night at Tony Burgers, Emmie fell and scrapped her knee up pretty bad. The other night when she was in the bathtub, she crouched down, a little hesitant to get in the water, and I snapped this sweet picture of her and sent it to my mom because I thought she'd appreciate it.

Emmie in the tub; why do we love bathtub pictures so much?

We've got some plans to renovate a bit around here, and, not being able to find a babysitter, we decided to take the kids with us to Lowe's to check out a bunch of different options for things from kitchen counter tops to tile to doors and trim. The boys were a bit out of hand for a while at the beginning, but by the end, they were playing happily (and a little more quietly!) in the doors section.

Logan really wanted me to get a picture of him playing in the doors!

On Saturday morning, I headed out with my Camelbak and a plan to do my first 20-mile run. Last week's 18-mile run was my longest so far, and I was looking forward to coming back to the lower elevation and cooler temps to hit this next milestone. But I picked a route that had some pretty big hills, and I ended up slowing down to a walking pace a few times and took a shortcut that brought the distance to something a little over 17.5 miles. As soon as I got home, I took all the ice out of the freezer and dumped it into the bathtub and filled it with the coldest water that would come out of the tap. It was a little bit of a shock to get into the water, but it felt REALLY good, and I think my recovery was a little quicker after the cold water bath. I'll remember that one next time.

In the late afternoon, we headed back to Round Lake and did that hike down to Woodburn Falls that I mentioned earlier. It was a nice evening, though a little warm, and we had a good time exploring and having some family time.

Woodburn Falls

Suzanna, Emmie and me

Suzanna and the boys

Suzanna taking a turn with Emmie

Beautiful view of Round Lake!

On Sunday, I got a few cute photos of Emmie after I stuck some nerf darts to her head. She's a funny girl.

Emmie and the darts, pic 1

Emmie and the darts, pic 2

Emmie and her shirt, which I had pulled over her head

Ah, it was a fun week for sure. If nothing else, at least I've got a few photos and some captions to go along with them.

msh

Lower Falls

We headed back to the trails again today, this time determined to make it all the way to the Lower Falls. Last Saturday the boys and I stopped short because I wasn't sure how much further it was and we had already taken a few detours. Turns out we had stopped only a couple hundred yards short of the falls! Had we ventured on even twenty more steps down the path, this bridge would have come into view!

Bridge over Lower Falls. The water is low right now; when I was here last October with Ben, I think the water was higher.

The girls joined us on today's hike and had a great time!

One of the boys' favorite parts of the hike is the play structure at the trail head. Baby swings and spinning things are their current preferences. See below.

Luke on the taller spinning contraption.

Logan happy on the lower-to-the-ground version.

Baby Emmelise got in on the playground action today as well by hanging out in one of the baby swings. Cute girl!

Top Burger Drive In. Tasty burgers and shakes!

We've heard about Top Burger for a while now and decided to go find it for lunch after our hike. Turns out it is conveniently located on the same road as the Round Lake parking lot! A quick .7 mile drive down the road landed us at this tasty joint! If you want a juicy burger and chunky shake, Top Burger isn't a bad option! We'll definitely go back!

msh

The Potholes

Lately we've been taking advantage of our close proximity to Round Lake to do some Saturday hiking. Usually, we hike along the well-maintained Round Lake Loop trail that's just over a mile in length. We've done this hike a number of times, and I think the boys are getting a little tired of doing this trail. They've even started to ask me to carry them!

To mix things up, the boys and I took a hike today which began as usual, along the west side of the lake and over the first little outlet which connects Round Lake to Mill Pond. Instead of taking the usual route and immediately crossing the dam, we diverted into the forest and found our way down to the Camas Potholes. I didn't realize I had actually made it to the Potholes until I came home and did a Google search to see what the Potholes actually look like! Apparently, this is a pretty popular spot, and there have been a number of deaths and serious injuries from people jumping off the rocks in recent years. We were very careful as we navigated around the rocks and up the steep embankment.

The Potholes

After leaving the Potholes, we got back on the usual trail that crossed the dam, but then again veered off to the south to get away from the main Round Lake Loop trail. We took a trail toward Lower Falls but didn't quite make it all the way there on this trip.

Logan and Luke, trusty tour guides

A picturesque view of the trail, a small creek, and a bridge

The boys got stopped here for a while, checking out a big slug on the ground. We saw one last week as well on a nearby trail. It's so funny to hear Logan protest each time we suggested moving on. "I want to keep seeing this slug!" He'd bend way down over the top of it and watch intently as the little creature crept along, leaving a wet trail of slush behind it. I took the above picture while waiting for the boys to tire of watching the slug.

Reward at the end of our hike for the day

We eventually found a small off-shoot trail that led down to the water's edge. There were some good broad and flat rocks that jutted out in the river a ways. It was a perfect place in the shade to sit down and relax for a few minutes before starting back up the trail. The boys enjoyed some goldfish crackers and water at the edge of the river while I hiked around taking some photos.

Panoramic view of the river, from south (on the left) to north (on the right)

Heading back up the trail

Awesome picture of a stoic Logan, taking in the view

In the end, we went a little over three miles (great job boys!), and I was really glad we took the time to scout out a new trail! Ben Francis and I actually rode down this trail last fall when we were biking around the area, so I kinda knew where we were going, but it was fun to see it on foot this time. I think there are plenty more things to discover and explore in the coming weekends.

msh