**June**
This is no mistake. It is indeed a picture from June: June 10, 2008, to be exact. Just part of the winter that seemed never to end. And for the record...a snowplow passed by after I put the camera away.
Benjamin demonstrating his armor of righteousness during FHE.
The fiery darts of the adversary.
Benjamin is athletic and energetic. Finding outlets for this energy is difficult in our small apartment. So we finally gave in: we let him climb the walls.
A Trip to Chuck E. Cheese's (who, I've decided, ought to adopt the motto "Develop ADHD in 30 minutes or less or your money back!") With Grandma and Grandpa Player
Aunt Amanda took the kids rock climbing!
**July**
Random Acts of Cuteness
A Family Vacation
We got to go to the wedding of a friend from high school. Did I say we got to go? Nay...we pretty much ran the show. Or at least we were the cutest part of it, with Ainsley as flower girl, Benjamin as ring bearer and Andrew as a groomsman. (Luckily Ainsley swallowed the grapes before the ceremony started.)
Since we were travelling to the other side of the state anyway, we decided to make a real trip of it. We got to tour a battleship in Bremerton (which made me think of my Grandpa Smith the entire time I was learning what life was like for Navy sailors).
There was a really cool fountain that the kids had fun playing in. See how excited Ainsley was??
We also got to go to a real zoo with real (and really cool) animals: the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma.
After 29 years as Washington State resident, I finally got to see Mt. St. Helens up close and personal. It was very awe-inspiring. It was admittedly a bit less inspiring for the kids who, when we told them we were going to see a real volcano had envisioned lava and spewing ash. After such expectations, they were not that impressed with a barren mountain. I was able to recapture a little of the interest when I pointed to Mt. Rainier and told them that, too, was a volcano that could erupt at any second. A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but nevertheless true.
And we got to go swimming. What more could a family ask for??
**August**
We found ourselves boarding the potty train, as Mede insisted that he wanted to use the potty. The enthusiasm soon wore off, however, and as his desire waned, so did my patience. So we flushed that commode and he's back in diapers for awhile. But we got some darned cute pictures of Captain Underpants before I threw in the towel.
The Helm family also celebrated two major milestones on the same day. Princess Ainsley turned four and King Benjamin started kindergarten (and mommy marvelled at their growth).
To truly honor our little princess, we had a Ladybug Picnic/Tea Party. You would think that with a birthday in August we could plan an outdoor party for her without worrying too much about the weather. In keeping with true 2008 form, however, the weather did not cooperate and hence, winter coats at our ladybug picnic.
