Happy Independence Day!

Hey all...  a bit late but it's still fun to see the photos, right?

We had so much fun gathering as a whole entire Sawyer Family at my sister Suz' place up by Spokane. We had a great time with wiffle ball, eating, making the tradtional flag cake, bocce ball, eating, playing with cousins, eating, taking Sadie to her first camp, eating and chasing cattle. Yup. A fabulous independence day.

Lake Fun!

We were lucky enough to go to Priest Lake again this summer. It is such a treat for us to spend time on the lakefront with the ability to boat on the water too. We had so much fun with family and loved every minute of it!

Pee Wee Sports Camp

(Sorry for the long delayed post!!!)

Grant enjoyed Pee Wee Sports Camp earlier this summer. He spent 5 days doing all different sports-- soccer, bowling, tee ball, basketball and track and field. It was so fun to watch him learn the basics of these sports! When we asked him his favorite, he said "all of them!"

The New Sandbox

We've had the little turtle sandbox since Sadie was just a toddler. In the past few years, we've realized it's a bit small for three kids... particularly one with a machinery lot full of construction equipment.

The joy of digging is a PASSION for Grant. There is no denying that he loves it. People who have only known him for minutes of time could guess that he "digs" dirt.

Our garden has been the resource for a larger digging area for the past few (muddy) months. But now that it is planted, we needed a new spot for Grant.

To justify a change/purchase for Daddy, I pitched the plan with a "kill two birds" approach. We have a low spot in the back yard that becomes a muddy puddle area anytime it rains or we play with the sprinkler or pool. And we have a small patio. To give better drainage to the wet spot, I suggested putting a sandbox there. And in case we ever want to extend our patio, the sand/gravel would make a good foundation for new concrete.

So-- it was done. After waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for the spot to dry out for digging and filling, Grant was awarded the joy of filling his new sandbox last week. The whole family pitched in, and we're all having fun playing around in it too.

Come on over and play!

Superstar Allison

Sweet Allison is so amazing... this girl is physically capable of a lot! We are so impressed by her mad climbing and gymnast skills. She's had a lot of practice on a climbing wall at school, and has enjoyed a few gymnastics classes.

We love to see her accomplish great things, and she never ceases to amaze us.

In just two weeks she'll be starting up gymnastics again. We're so proud of her!

Donation Time!

She's been growing and growing for months. And the time came this week to make her donation!

Sadie chose to grow out her hair for Locks of Love. There were many shampoos, tangles and tears that come with longer hair. But she persevered and waited for the 8 inches of donatable hair to grow.

We knew she'd look super cute with a new and shorter do since she used to always wear it short. We had forgotten just how cute, though. Check out the work in progress:

LOVE that smile! She feels great about her new look. And I think that is fabulous. :)

Teachers are Blessings

I did not know it until this evening, but this is Teacher Appreciation Week.

A few weeks ago (and therefore before I knew of apprecication week), our family planned to invite our teachers (3rd grade, 1st grade, preschool and AWANA leaders) to our house for dinner on Cinco de Mayo.

They came this evening and enjoyed dinner with us. We were blessed to get to know them better and the kids were overjoyed to have their teachers here.

It was a joy to have our teachers in our home. We certainly appreciate them!!!

Sadie-- our Piano Gal

Here's Sadie's spring recital for the WSU PPLS program. She's had the same piano teacher for three years now, but is saying goodbye as Miss Christina is graduating and headed off to grad school (such is the life we live in Pullman... always saying goodbye to people!)

Sadie did a great job, and has grown a lot. You can see her very first piano recital here that was 2.5 years ago. She was so little! :)

Just Across Town

It's amazing the fun that can be found in your own town! We had so much fun riding the city bus to campus to visit Ferdinands for ice cream.


Wanna come with us next time?

Spring Break Fun

We spent one night away from home for Spring Break-- a fun trip to Spokane for cousin Trent's 1st birthday and a visit to Chuck E Cheese!

Dear God,

Dear God, Please send another sunny day so my kids can go outside to play. My husband and I would sincerely appreciate it. Thanks, Angela

(Turn your speakers up as loud as they can go for the full effect.)

Thankful that Spring is Here!

Happy Spring, all!

Happy Birthday Allison!

Today Allison turns 7.

What a blessing to have this little ray of sunshine to brighten each day! She keeps us on our toes and with a smile or a giggle, she can fill your heart with joy.

Happy birthday, sweet one! We love you.

Jump Rope for Heart

Sadie participated in her second annual "Jump Rope for Heart", raising money for the American Heart Association! She had so much fun with friends and with the activities planned for the day.

This year was a little different-- Sadie decided to jump in honor of her cousin Mya. After learning this year through Mya's heart surgeries that kids have heart troubles and need lots of medical help, she was so excited to support her cousin through the event.

Next year, we'll participate in even a bigger way-- Allison will get to jump too!

Wintertime Farming

So, two "big" events for local farmers in the winter is servicing your combine and attending the Ag Show in Spokane.

They're especially big events for a 4 year old. And they're also BIG for the older generations when 1. it's a new (to you) combine and 2. a first time for a child to go to the Ag Show.

Grant, Dwayne and Grandpa John got to enjoy both on the same day! (Mom tagged along to take photos and do some downtown Spokane shopping BY HERSELF!!!)

We first stopped at the dealership where Grandpa was working on his new-to-him John Deere combine. Dwayne and Grant HAD to check out the cab.

(Not sure what the spots on the photo are??? Floating dust???)

After a small arm twist, we got Grandpa to agree to leave the work for the day and take his grandson to the farm show. I guess that Grant got to crawl onto lots of the equipment and was all grins.

That much farm work in one day can really exhaust a boy! Gotta get some sleep before spring work...

Another Winter Pastime

We're tired of rain and muck. And mom's willing to sacrifice her carpet to play doh in order to prevent extra hours in front of the television. They came up with this one on their own... play doh bowling.


What creative activities are being done at your house?

Muck... Yuck.

The weather in Pullman has left much to be desired for kids who love snow. If only it were a few degrees colder, we'd have repeats of the last two years' mountains of snow.

And the kids would be playing outside.

But it is just mud out there, and although Grant enjoys playing in it... even he says it's "too deep" right now.

So Mommy had to go to extreme measures to entertain indoors. We resurrected the rice tub (yup, the tub AND rice we got when Sadie wasn't even yet two. Not recommended to be eaten...).


And we've had rice in places you can only imagine. But my kids (particularly Grant) have been busy. And are spending a few less hours in front of the TV.
But when the rice runs out, the muck better skidaddle too. I'm ready for the sun!