After looking at the Dry Falls which was really educational (and kind of boring to my kids) stop, we swam in a lake and it was wonderful! I'm so grateful for this time I spent with my family!

We finished off this day with a bad meal at a hole in the wall diner and a gorgeous sunset. Overall, net positive!

One of our tourist stops was to Dry Falls. A huge glacial lake filled up in Montana many times and was stopped by an ice dam which broke repeatedly sending an insane amount of water through Washington and into the Pacific Ocean. This water carved and influenced the landscape we now live in. It was really fascinating to learn about it!

Our last summer hoorah was the the interior of Washington to the Grand Coulee area. It was a breathtaking landscape and we had so much fun! We spent 2 nights there and every day we same at Steamboat Rock State park. We loved the sandy beach and the water. There's an island that can be swam to and we all liked to do that. A couple times I had Maeve hold on to my swimsuit strap and I swam her out. One time, Conor went with Greta and Holly, but left Maeve behind. The entire time they were gone, Maeve was where she couldn't touch trying her hardest to swim to them. She was determined! That girl loves the water. Summer has ended but our discussion about swimsuits, swimming and lakes may never end.

Gotta catch up on the old blog! First things first, on Thursday, we became licensed foster parents and on Friday evening we welcomed our first placement, a little boy. He's sweet and I feel like I'm in over my head but also like we have a handle on this too? I dunno, it's really strange to have a child dropped off at our house who we don't know. Lots of kisses, hugs and cuddles around here!

Right after we arrived home from camping at the Fire Lookout, we showered, re-packed and went camping in Idaho with friends. It was lovely. Just what I wanted!

This may well be the highlight of our summer. I booked a night at the Quartz Mountain Fire Lookout in Mount Spokane State Park and Holly, Greta and I went on a little trip just the three of us. We had to hike in, which was so fun, and the kids did great! The fire lookout has an incredible view and the terrain up there was so pretty and interesting. We played a ton of games, ate jiffypop and watched the sun set and woke up early in the morning. It was a pretty glorious trip! I had so much fun playing and being with my daughters. This was a surefire momma victory. The cherry on top is all the huckleberries we picked!