The next major thing that happened was that my Dad and Kathie flew in. Kathie stayed for a week. It was great to see them with Hayden. They all had a great time together. They showered him with even MORE duckies, and had fun just hanging out all together. Kathie had to fly back home to get back to work, but my dad stayed on to tackle the project of turning his house over to a rental.

We went over to Wenatchee to help him for a few days. It is amazing how much stuff we weeded through. Actually, Vern and Arlo and my dad worked for the better part of 2 weeks getting the house in shape to rent out. They had a huge yard sale and donated a lot of stuff that didn't sell to Goodwill. It was a MAJOR effort and they deserve all the credit for whiping that place into shape! Great Work Guys!

It was hard having my dad SO close, but not being able to see him. Since he was over in Wenatchee working and we were over here, I only saw him for about 1/2 the time that he was actually in WA. But, it had to be done, and I think he feels so relieved now that it is done. He even sold his boat (to Mark) and the Volvo is on the market too! It's like starting fresh! He did keep some sentimental things and built storage to keep them in right at the house. So when they move back, those things will be there waiting for them.

In the midst of all this, we had a big family reunion BBQ. It was the first time that nearly everyone in the family was together. Along with Vern and Arlo (from Maui) and my Dad and Kathie (from NY), Chad and Mary (from Eastern WA), Steve (from TX) and Mike and Kim (from Wenatchee) were the out of town guests that joined all of us on this side for the big event. It was a great time! It happened to be on Hayden's birthday, so he was able to celebrate turning 2 with all of his loved ones.

After my dad left to go back to NY, Sandy and Greg came for their visit. They just missed each other by hours, literally. I wished it could have worked out that they would have been here at the same time. Greg had never been to Washington, so this was a good opportunity to show him some Seattle sites. We did a few touristy things (Pike Place and the Waterfront, lunch at Brackett's Landing in Edmonds, a trip to the beach at Carkeek Park, and Photos of the city skyline at Kerry Park), but the rest of the time was spent just hanging out and enjoying the sun on the deck. We had another BBQ to introduce Sandy to a few family members. She was able to meet Vern and Arlo for the first time, which was very important to me. They were also able to meet Cameron's sister, Marcie, and our niece, Rayna, and Cameron's brother, Mark. We also met a friend of Vern and Arlo's (Will) who had a very similar adoption story to ours. It was fun to hear how his reunion unfolded. Sandy and Greg stayed for about a week. We look forward to visiting with them again soon. We are going to try and see them at least once a year, one way or another. Maybe next year, we will be the ones making the trek to NY to see them and my Dad and Kathie.

Cameron's dad is actually still here. He leaves on Tuesday to go back to Maui after nearly 3 months in WA. Quite the extended vacation. I think he is ready to be back home. It was nice to have him here. You don't feel so rushed to fit everything in, when there is time to spare!

The weather this summer was exceptional. Warm and sunny most of the time....HOT for some of it too! We had about 2 weeks that stood out as the hottest I can remember in a LONG time, maybe ever (since living in Western WA). It was 90 in the house for quite a few days! We couldn't cool it off at all, which may have convinced us that we need to get air conditioning installed. We'll see. Hayden's room gets so hot, it is almost unbearable when it doesn't even cool off for him at night. It would be nice to be able to get some reprieve during the really hot days.

All in all it was a nice summer. Full of family and fun activities! -- mam