Legos, Video Games, Grandma Camp Awards

I came home from Spokane last Friday and picked up Nico from my parents' house, bringing home with us a crock pot full of sausage and sauerkraut that Nico had put together: dinner!

Grandma sent me these pictures from their day together on Friday. Apparently Nico REALLY won Monopoly!

Nico has ALL the money and properties!

Friday night it was a very simple decision to open up our lego from Grandpa Russell to start putting it together - we were finally all together in the same spot! Nico started in on it and got a lot done, we picked up the rest on Saturday and finished it on Sunday.

The lunar lander! Nico played with it for quite some time on Sunday night.

Saturday it was also imperative that in the afternoon we go to Fred Meyer to BUY Monopoly. Guy took him, and they didn't have the version he wanted, so he bought the regular version. Nico and I played it after they got home.

That night we watched Wonder Park (Guy's choice) downstairs (Jeff & Allicia and kids were away), and ate yummy pizza. We've had a long string of great movies, we haven't seen a bad one in a long time.

This week was the LAST week before school starts! And it's one of the only weeks this summer that Allicia and I were both home on a Monday, which is our day to hang out. So on Monday morning we sent the kids downstairs to play video games while we stayed upstairs to play board games. She taught me a new board game called Azul, and I taught her how to play Pokemon.

Tuesday, Grandma Camp started out at Bruce and Rory's apartment complex's pool. It's huge!

Guy and I had a date that afternoon for lunch. We went to Pho Le.

Afterward, we went to St. Vincent's next door and found an A&W mug we bought Nico, and a new shirt for Guy. Nico loves A&W root beer. 

Wednesday was another video game day.

Today was the last Grandma Camp of the summer. To celebrate, there was a BBQ and Awards Ceremony. Check out the video at the end of the blog! Each grandkid was awarded a serious award and a silly award. It was a great way to end the summer and look back at the same time.

School starts next Monday. Nico received a post card from his speech therapist, Mrs. Williams. 

What a great bunch of people he's got at his school.

The promised video is below. This has snippets dating back to June! Enjoy!

Grandparents Russell, and Portland!

Friday the boys went to breakfast with Grandpa Russell, they went to Goldy's. 

That afternoon we all went over to the hotel Grandpa and Grandma were staying at. The pool is on the 5th floor! Guy and I hung out in the lounge chairs while Grandma and Nico swam.

After swimming we walked downtown to The Lemon Tree sandwich shop and had an early dinner. The food was very good, just like I remember.

After getting home that night we let Nico open his birthday present. We told him he was going to need it the next day. The Nintendo Switch! This boy saved up $150 to cover half of this, and we paid for the other half for his birthday.

Saturday was party day! We had 17 kids total, and we met at a trampoline park called Jump Time. We had the place almost entirely to ourselves! 

Sweaty kids eating pizza

Jason, Liz, Rory, and Lexie

When it was time to open presents, everyone gathered around him in the corner to watch.

Saturday night was pizza night, we watched episodes of a show called Corner Gas, a 90's Canadian comedy series that Grandpa and Grandma introduced us to. Nico loved it, as did we all.

Sunday we had a busy church morning and met up back at the Clubhouse that afternoon and evening.

Saying goodbye.

We said a temporary goodbye as we would see them later that week (read to the end and you'll see why and where!)

Monday was Nico's actual birthday. We bought him a small gift that he could open that day (some pokemon cards), and I asked him what he wanted for dinner that night. He said Pizza Pie Cafe, so that's where we went! At exactly 5:57PM we sang him Happy Birthday (the time he was born). That hasn't ever been a thing we do, but this year it was!

Then we drove home and cut into the cake I made for him earlier that day.

He has been playing the Switch every moment he can. We have been purposefully lax on the rules for screen time because... it's summer, it's a new game system, and, it's summer! We took the Switch downstairs several times to hook it up to the big screen.

On Tuesday was Grandma Camp! They mixed up some meatloaves, went to the Creperie, and went to see The Lion King.

At the creperie. They have gluten free crepes??!

Wednesday was prep day for our trip to Portland for Tom and Emily's wedding! We went grocery shopping, packed, and... played the Switch. Very important.

Then this morning, off we went! We caravanned to Portland because I am leaving from here to Spokane on Saturday while the boys head home. We were prepared with Walkie Talkies so we could always be in touch. Most of our chatter was, "Nico found an Alabama license plate", or, "There's a rest stop in two miles, let's go". At every rest stop, they checked license plates.

We stopped near Portland to see Multnomah Falls. We climbed up to that bridge you see in the picture, and Nico and Guy walked across it. I couldn't bring myself to. I fall over from dizziness when I'm near high things these days, so it was safer for me to stay on the side. They said you could feel the spray from the waterfall.

We arrived to our Airbnb in the evening, and then went to the rehearsal dinner. It was SO good to see Tom and Emily again.

The dinner was at a Chinese buffet and Nico tried some new things. Sushi with imitation krab, and clams! He also tried a crab leg. He said his favorite was the clams.

Tom and Emily!

We cannot wait to see them married tomorrow!

Then we went back at the Airbnb and the boys played Battleship.

City of Rocks, G.G., Grandma Camp Overnight!

On Friday Nico and I finished packing and preparing everything for his and Guy's trip to City of Rocks. He diligently put all the camping silverware back in their sleeves after I washed them.

In the afternoon, Evelyn and Nico helped me bag up and label some ribbon on its way to Amazon.

Then they traded Pokemon cards.

Guy left work early and met us at Jonny and Alanna's house. I was still dog/house sitting there at the time. We finished packing up Guy's car for the trip.

They arrived late that night, set up camp, and went to sleep. Then Saturday they went for a long hike!

Nico spent most of his time with a boy named Max, he is one year younger than Nico in Cub Scouts. Guy said they were being silly together the whole time, but not crazy silly. They told riddles and made up puzzles and were being very punny the whole time they hiked. Sounds like a good friend!

Guy said to Nico, "Go climb up on that rock so we can scare Mommy!"

Relaxing in the "Clubhouse" they called it.

They went to the Hot Springs nearby on Saturday afternoon. I had packed trail mix with chocolate in it, which melted. Nico ate it anyway, of course!

The camp coordinators provided all the food except dinner on Friday. They knew Nico was gluten free and so they made him gluten free pancakes on Sunday morning!! On Saturday morning it was bacon and eggs and oatmeal with coconut milk and bananas. They had chicken, and other good foods too.

Sunday they packed up camp and came home. Here are their road trip snacks!

Sunday we made pizza over at Jonny and Alanna's house. I chose the movie - Meet the Robinsons. It is so good! It is one that Jonny & Alanna own. Afterward, Guy went home for the night and Nico stayed over at the house with me. He chose a few games for us to play.

I was not thrilled about Wet Head, but I had told Nico: "Pick out any game and I will play it!" You wear a helmet with a tiny bucket of water on your head, you spin a dial and pull out that many pins from the bucket. If it's the wrong one, you get wet!

I lost!

Allicia and I have been trying to hang out on Monday mornings. Evelyn and Nico did more Pokemon trading, and some legos.

Avery came running inside while we were talking and told us he had found a black widow spider outside our door. Allicia grabbed the Bug-A-Salt gun to kill it. We found one black widow and a super ton of egg sacs.

Monday afternoon Nico and I went to visit GG. We played Upwards (a Scrabble variation).

Monday night, Guy met Nico and I at the house for dinner. We played Cranium and then Guy headed back to the Clubhouse for the night and Nico stayed with me.

The next morning I took him bright and early for Grandma Camp! This week was the overnight Grandma Camp that lasted from Tuesday until Thursday. They stayed at a hotel and swam a whole ton in the pool.

They also went bowling.

And then today they went to Roaring Springs water park. Nico said his favorite part was the Avalanche ride. Grandma Salisbury rented a cabana, so they had a nice base camp.

Papa dropped Nico off to us tonight at church band practice after they were done at Roaring Springs. Thanks Pa!

And when we got home, Nico fell right to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was wiped!

Another week of summer is in the books!