What have the Smith's been up to?! Well, let me tell you!

Ok I know it has been forever and a day since I have posted anything, and thank you so much for not hounding me! Once Shane got orders everything that wasn't an absolute priority got put on hold. But now that he is gone things have slowed, slightly. So, here are just a few little things that we have been up to since June.
We took a little vacation to Napa Valley, California for a week. It was wonderful. The coast there is absolutely gorgeous! We also saw The Old Faithful geyser. Did you know that there are only three geysers in that world that are faithful and erupt on a predictable basis? And we got to witness one over and over. It erupts about every 20 minutes or so. They also had a little miniature petting zoo. Below are pictures of the kids having a blast. Ryan could not figure out for the life of him why this goat would not eat this rock!

On our way home we drove throughthe red woods. Boy are they amazingly huge. And of course a trip through the Red Woods is not complete without driving through the "Drive through Tree" . But, we drive a suburban, not a geo metro, and it was not fitting! So we posed the kids and tried to get a picture, even with Ryan having a meltdown. The kids also just had to sit on this big fallen tree, so we let them.

Well after our trip there Shane and I were blessed by some of our Amazing friends and family to a weekend all by ourselves. It was a great time to reconnect as husband and wife and to create some fun memories as well. We went to Mt. Rainier and stayed in a beautiful place called the Carriage House. We went hiking, and sight seeing and just had a grand time hanging out together. Shane took me on a hike through a bat cave, which was totally pitch black. (I think it was just a ploy to get me in the dark)! And I was quite glad that we didn't see one bat. We dined in a beautiful riverfront restaurants and saw some magnificent sites. It was just wonderful!

We have taken several little camping trips as a family and many days just hanging out together. Lots of fun walks to the river and having lots of family time and memories to get us through the coming year.

We had a fun little barbecue with a few friends and family. Here's a picture of Shane with his dad and two brothers.

And then my daughter, who just hates to have her picture taken, learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. Just 2 weeks before her 4th birthday. Which is today, 7/28.

Zackary is the proud owner of his first wiggly tooth! Be sure to stay tuned as I will be sure to post pictures as soon as it falls out!

Here are a few pictures of when we dropped Shane off at the airport. The kids were in charge of the camera, as I knew I would be in no shape to take any pictures. Shane was such a good sport to pose time and time again for al the kids to take their own picture.And yes it was a very tearful goodbye. It was very hard to watch him go, but he goes with a purpose that I fully support. I don't think that Jordan quite understood what was happening until we said goodbye and then turned and walked away and left daddy standing there. She cried most of the way home as did the rest of us. So we talked about how brave Daddy was and how he is going to help people, and do things that will help people have a better life. We are so proud of him!

A few days after Shane left, I took the kids camping at Alder Lake. My family has a family reunion every year and I thought it would be a great distraction. It was very hot, and I wished time and time again that our camper had air conditioning! So I hung out in my Grandma's trailer or at the lake. The kids had a blast swimming and building sand castles and playing with cousins.

And finally, just a little something that I found waiting for me outside my shower .

Well, there ya have it. I will try to be more diligent in the future. And as soon as Shane sends me some pictures I will post them for you all to see. Hope your all having a great summer!