After school snack...

This time of year is probably the end of watermelon season. During the summer it seemed like whenever we bought a watermelon ...we always had a lot leftover. So, I ended up freezing the rest in hopes to add it smoothies. The kids didn't really care for the watermelon taste. 

Instead, I tried this watermelon sorbet recipe:

1 - 1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup of frozen strawberries

Fill the rest of the blender with cut up frozen watermelon

                                     Blend until it has a sorbet texture.

 I think it was a hit!

....Not just a table.

 This summer we finally got a new table...one that would fit us a little better. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to that little table. I had to take one last picture of it before we passed it along to someone else who could use it.
 I wanted to share my appreciation for this table with the family who gave us this sweet table.

Because they didn't give us just a table...it was a place where we shared so many memories. Where we celebrated birthdays...where we made gingerbread houses with friends...

Made cookies...celebrated Father's Day!

A place where we gathered with friends to share life...and there always seemed to be room for one more chair. 

                                           

I wish I could find more of the pictures of times shared around this table, maybe I will add them later. For now, I just want to share our gratitude for such a special gift. 

August

The last month of summer. The last chance to cram all the fun we can into what seems like the shortest month there is.

 Oh summer, why do you have to leave so quick? We enjoyed a day up at Steamboat rock.

 The water and park there is so great. We always have fun. This time our friends the Ingrams went with us.

 Some fun babysitting kitties for our friends. Nathaniel couldn't get enough of them.

 Fun at the Grant Co. Fair!

 Fun with our cousin Morgan for a week.

 ...and we did sneak in one more day at the beach.

 This smile. The laughter of jumping in the waves and surf! Oh I could watch this all day!

 Jaron and I watched from the sand. While the rest of the kids got completely soaked!

 We could not have asked for a more perfect day. The sun was out, hardly any wind and we saw so many whales spouting!

 This little guy loved exploring the beach.

 This beautiful girl is getting so big! Oh, I want to soak every last minute up with her.

 And this precious one! How can she already be old enough to start school?

 The last day of August and the first day of 4th grade for Jocelynne.

I did shed a tear when I dropped her off. I know she will do great. So many things I love about her, she perseveres, she is diligent, she is thoughtful.  

The rest of our vacation...

Jocelynne's request was to ride horses on the beach. We were not able to take our camera on the ride. It was beautiful though and I wish we could have captured it.

 The horse that Jocelynne rode was beautiful. Her name was Tiny. What a fun memory!

 Jay's cousin Bill lives in Salem, so we invited them to our beach house for a day. What fun it was to have them.

 The kids enjoyed playing with Marli and Jaque. It was so fun catching up with them and talking about Jay's trip to Burkina Faso.

 I love that Nadi brings her culture with her wherever she goes. This piece of fabric is commonly used to carry children on their mothers back in Burkina Faso.

 Jaque and Jocelynne having fun even though the wind was wild that day.

 Our neighbors had just brought in their catch of crab for the day. They were so generous and shared some with us! What a treat!

 I don't remember the last time I had crab that tasted this good. It was such fun sharing it with Bill and Nadi and their kids.

 Jay usually woke up before all of us and went for a morning beach walk. This was one of the many pictures he captured.

 I love watching our kids enjoy the beach, probably because I have fond memories of playing on the beach as a child. We took many walks.

 ...and did lots of exploring.

 I wish I would have taken more pictures of our little beach house.It was perfect for our family. It had a fun backyard full of sand and toys that the boys loved to play in.

 Out of all the beaches we have been to in OR, this is the only beach we have found whole sand dollars at. Emily's request was to find shells. We got quite a collection during our visit.

 This picture reminds me that there is beauty even in the broken.

 This is one of my favorites. The last morning of our stay Jay got the kids up early for a morning beach combing walk. They did find some really unique shells too.

These are just a few of the many memories we made during our visit to Pacific City. So many things I didn't capture on camera, but we will treasure them nonetheless.