Summer 'N' Motion Wk. #1

{ School's out - another year with a fantastic aide. }

Myriam had a full week before catching up with Addi and Charlie on summer vacation. Once she was done, we immediately began the fun! Our first stop was Summit Trampoline to bust out some crazy and take advantage of small crowds. Of course, the kids were ready for treats which made Edaline Ice Cream in 

Fairhaven the perfect tasty treat. 

 { Jumping beans. }

 { The training continues with the team. }

I'm so proud of this here group. Many of them are new to trail running and doing amazing. Some minor injuries they're working through but this team is dedicated to making the fall race a success. Hoping we can get our entire team (13 of us) together on the trails soon! When most of the team are project managers with jobs across the country, it makes for a true challenge to get everyone in the same spot at the same time!

 { Father's Day with Papa }

Since Daddy was out of country on Father's Day, we decided to spend the afternoon at my parents. The picnic never moved out of the front yard while big kids took to the bike jumps, playing basketball and others sneaking popcorn next to Papa. 

 { Greater Vancouver Zoo }

Boys Only Hiking Adventures

{ Mason, Charlie, Uncle Ryan & Kalen. }

This past Christmas Grandpa Doug gifted each grandson a hiking backpack with the
promise of taking them all on an overnight trip.
Charlie was so excited and prepared for this backpacking overnight. Tim helped get his pack all set up with protein snacks, cushion to sleep on, cool gadgets and, bonus, Mom's old trail runners that fit the Man Cub to perfection. The pack was ready a couple days before and the hiker was up two hours before Grandpa Doug picked him up. Excited, giddy, ready to explore and spend quality time with his cousins.
Thankfully, the smoke hadn't settled too much but still cast haze and pink sunrises from a distance. The boys had a great time! Games of hide and seek, swimming and attempts at becoming a photographer filled Charlie's time at Lake Ann.
He's now ready to start planning the next years trip with Tim.
Thank you Grandpa Doug for the gift of quality time and investing into our Man Cub.

{ Views on the way to the campsite. }

{ Exploring the grounds. }

{ I can't imagine what the truck smelled like on the way back from hot, sweaty feet. }

Playtime at Lake Chelan

The first year our family traveled to Lake Chelan and camped at the Lake Shores RV Park was on my golden birthday in 1988. Great Aunt Betty had traveled with Grandma and Grandpa Van Dyken and along the years other family members joined the group family vacation. Aunt Cheryl's parents and nephews eventually began camping with the party and cousins were added as the years went on. 

My sister and I would attempt to defeat Gigi at a fierce game of Phase Ten or SkipBo while all the grown ups sat around reading. Bike rides or walks around the Riverwalk happened then and continued this year looking at the same ducks, walking the same route and rehashing the past memories of trips before. 

This camping tradition went all the way through my high school years and continued on as an adult. Addison's first year was when she was not quite a year old. Since then the family hasn't visited every year and my last visit was back in 2010. 

Trying to recreate a tradition is impossible when those you loved aren't here with you anymore. Grandma and Grandpa are passed, Great Aunt Betty took a rocket to heaven according to one of the kids she ministered to, Aunt Cheryl's mom has passed and Traci no longer spoils the kids at the donut shop or candy shack. The cousins are all grown up and our own kids now do all the entertaining. Vacation as a kid is fun and easy; carefree and spontaneous. Vacation as a parent is exhausting and busy; home-life squished into a twenty-five foot home on wheels. 

The memories I cherish from eight years of age forward will always be dear to me, but if I've learned anything over the past eighteen months, it's that you can't live in the past. You must move forward. 

So, with that, came a new year. 

A new trip to Lake Chelan with a different landscape and new faces. 

Uncle Bob and Aunt Betty joined us for the first time this year and cousin Chad brought his sweet girlfriend. Most stayed in the RV park, but others wanted the comforts of a regular shower, comfortable bed and space to breath when not all crammed inside of a trailer. (smart ones there) It was a new year; a chance at creating a new tradition. 

The cousins got along great as most often Ashlyn, the smallest of the group, chose to pull the two little girls in the wagon around the loop. The teenager only said she was bored a few times, Charlie had to be told not to spend all his money on candy and only a few times did Myriam make new friends when unattended.  Baylee sang Twinkle Twinkle throughout the camp ground on the back of Tim's bike, Charlie and I learned we're not so great at miniature golf, Addi enjoyed the first cup of coffee with Dad sitting outside bundled in blankets and Myriam got so many snuggles during rest time. Tim and I both came home relaxed and blessed from all the one on one time with each kid.

It was a great week and praise God we all got home safely to the piles of laundry awaiting detergent. 

Thank you Mom and Dad for making this possible!

{ From oldest to youngest: the Van Dyken cousins. }

{ Life guards they claim to be but Broersma and Van Dyken is what they be. }

Finding Joy on Our Family Vacation

{ Self-note: Much of this blog is like a yearbook. Sorry for the length of this post. }

This May will mark a year since Gigi passed. My Dad decided rather than investing the inheritance from her deed, he would give our family an experience in Grandma's honor. For six months now we have been planning, preparing and getting excited about our family Disney Cruise. 

It wasn't until a couple months ago that we started to become worried about how it would be made possible with my sisters health. If there was anything she wanted more than her health, it was to see our family go on this cruise. She was adamant about this trip happening. Traci loved to go on cruises and having her nieces and nephews there to experience the fun gave her such joy to look forward to.

We took off from Seatac airport one month exactly after she passed; the wheels leaving the ground almost to the minute she passed. I tried to hide the tears, but this was truly a reality that things happened and my sister would not be with us on this trip. 

Happy Birthday Super Papa

With a double excuse to celebrate, we took to the roads and tackled the ride to 

Papa and Nana's for our Birthday Super Bowl Party. 

With all things coconut and carrot cake themed along with wings and bean dip, we had plenty to munch on while Lady Gaga flew through the air and the game got underway. Thinking the game was a given win, we headed home after half-time making it home before trees fell across the Hannegan due to the ice storm and wind. Papa was thrilled to have the hours spent in the afternoon with the kids and the adults were happy to get out of the house...even though we'd be stuck inside for the next week due to the snow storm of 2017. 

Papa, we wish you the happiest of birthday's and we thank Jesus for the most 

awesome Papa a kid could have. 

The Transition From Flip Flops to Tall Boots

Summer ended with a big bang and reluctant kids to see it go. 

Grandpa Doug flew all his grandsons to Stehekin along Lake Chelan where they crammed into his plane and spent a night exploring, swimming and eating like grown men. With Charlie gone and Miss Bee on a visit, I then took the older girls on a lunch date to The Mill and explored a little of downtown together. 

Our family, along with many other family and friends, surprised Nana with a back yard party celebrating her 60th birthday with burgers and cupcakes. 

We also braved the heat and spent all day at The Northwest Washington Fair. We ended up splitting the group as Tim took the older ones on rides and I took the melted young ones home. 

Charlie spent time on the boat fishing, catching crab, hiking and enjoying his time with Papa, Nana & Auntie Traci. There were last of the season sleepovers, school shopping trips and BBQ's all before the rush of shelving our exposed toe shoes for tall boots. 

{ Cousins & a cool uncle by the campfire. }

A Drive, A Hike & an Ice Cream Cone

On the heels of our family camping trip came an all day hike up Hannegan Pass with Grandpa Doug and Aiti (Terhi - Finnish word for Mom which all the grandkids call her), M & M and our tribe of six.  The morning started out chilly, but don't worry, it was toasty hot up in the hills. After we made our way through the curvy roads and last mile or two on a dirt, pothole laced road we made it to the trail head. 

Our adventures started out stinky as Miss Bee pooped up her back before even stepping foot on the trail. After a little clean up, we all had potty breaks, checked our shoe laces, applied the sunscreen and marched forward towards the peak. Uncle Ryan and Charlie were out of sight in minutes while the lady crew and Tim slowly made our way three miles in. Myriam made sure all we passed on the trail were greeted with a proper "Hello" or "Have a nice day!"

The sights to see were spectacular with high lines of flowery fields, green pastures, rocky cliffs with trickles of water, snow caps and pesky flies that some weren't too fond of. Yes, they bite. Miss Bee sang and talked most of the way until we stopped in the shade to have some lunch. Recognizing the fatigue on the young ones, some of us chose to turn around before reaching the top four point eight miles in. 

This was Doug's first hike since crushing both his heels a year ago making this an accomplishment towards his recovery. On the way down, Tim showed the girls how to drink from a stream and thankfully, no one got sick from the two sips. Myriam went down about a mile from the car and Uncle Ryan stumbled slicing his knee, but otherwise all were injury free. 

After making our way to the car, I took the little ladies to cool our toes in the refreshing and chilly stream. Miss Bee was not a fun as she's a warm water only baby while Myriam could have dipped her wholeself in if we allowed her too. 

And to sweeten the deal on the drive home, some of us indulged with ice cream at Graham's Store on our way off the mountain. 

It didn't take long to have all but a few of us sleeping from tired legs and exhausted bodies. 

I was shocked from how well all the kids did; the girls a total of six miles and Charlie rounding out at almost ten miles. According to my Fitbit, we climbed 95 flights of stairs making this single track trail an easy one for kids if they don't mind getting sweaty, stopping to fuel and going slow to not tipsy top over the side. Myriam only made me nervous a few times otherwise it was safe for even the youngest ones. 

I can't wait until the next hike!

{ A hiking we must go. }

{ Sandwiches, cheese and meat sticks and fuel bars to keep the feet moving. }

{ Grandpa Doug's coffee bean. }

{ Hot and thirsty. }

{ Tim assisted all the ladies with holding back hair for a sip. }

{ Mickey's face flinging flies is how some felt the entire time. }

{ Snow capped peak to cool off in at the top. }

{ Charlie and Uncle Ryan conquering the trail with confidence and speed. }

{ Getting ready to dip our toes. }

A Little Family Fun

Every Christmas my parents gift us a family trip somewhere local or out of state. This years trip was camping at the Birch Bay State park for a few nights. 

What I loved most was in case we forgot something, our home was all but thirty minutes away. Such little stress went into packing this year even with little feet supplying baby food, diapers and bottles to keep things pleasant. 

The kids loved exploring on the beach for crabs and shells and up at camp riding through the bike jumps. Charlie and Talan were curious burning sticks and creating smoke trails. Addison was all about beating the unlucky one at a game of Rummy while Myriam and Ashlyn chilled in the popular hammock reading books and telling stories.

Thankfully, all six of us slept great even with a couple midnight bottle calls. Myriam learned a few lessons about consequences and lost her opportunity to go to the water slides and the C Shop. Hard times for little minds, but there must be follow through regardless of the fun to be had.

Uncle Jason and Aunt Lindsay took off in the morning to the water slides with Charlie while the rest of us trickled in once the sun popped through the clouds. The water was still quite cold which I quickly found out on my double ride down the river with Charlie. Brrr.

Nana kept Miss Bee cozy after splashing in the pool and loving it. Back at camp, Tim took Myriam for a walk through the forest and enjoyed some down time. Melissa and Michaela joined us for the day and later Mickey smiled her way into staying overnight. Yep. We piled all seven of us into the Lazy Daze 

and slept surprisingly peacefully. 

The most entertainment came after we stopped on our way out to pump the tanks of our bodies natural goodness. Everything was fine until we went to start the Lazy Daze back up and found nothing to be cranking. A quick call to Dad and an hour later of trying to fix something turned into the two little ladies and Mommy catching a ride home while the rest of the team stayed behind. It wasn't until I left that I thought about the locked up house and left behind house keys. Thankfully, not all windows were locked and no alarms went off. The other half of the team managed just fine walking to grab burgers for lunch and eventually making it back home. 

A team effort in unpacking and getting laundry going left all showered, smelling fresh and happy beds to rest in. 

Thank you Papa and Nana for another great trip and many memories for the books!

{ Charlie & Talan exploring for critters. }

{ Hundreds of pinching friends. }

{ Myriam & Ashlyn smashing shells. }

{ A sensory playground: sand, shells, rocks & water. }

{ Camp Life: hammock win. }

{ Addison & Auntie Traci getting competitive. }

{ Nap time...these two paused for almost two hours. }

{ Splish Splash it's a campers bath...}

{ Miss Bee loved splashing in the shallow pool.}

{ C Shop evening sugar highs. }

{ Our attempt to contain our mobile one. }

{ Addison was all about the win. }

{ From kites to fire the kids kept busy. }

{ That's not right. }

{ Still smiles after waiting for the mechanic & busting into my own home. }

Whatcha Up To?

The month of June quickly slipped past us and July has yet to 

prove itself any slower. 

June began as school studies came to an end. Addison and Charlie enjoyed a morning with their classmates at the Mp3 Field day saying goodbye to their teachers and friends. Many of Addison's friends will be attending a different school next year so it was bittersweet. Charlie will be attending an all new school as well saying goodbye to home school and hello to traditional classrooms. 

Addi shared an afternoon with her girlfriends celebrating the year's end, Myriam swam with her bus buddies at Homestead and all the kids were able to swim again at a Mp3 pool party. I don't remember having such parties like this when I was their age, but I'm so grateful for the friendships the kids have made. 

{ School Friends: Noah, Kayden & Lydia. }

Myriam completed her first year at Lynden Middle School Intermediate Preschool and loved every minute of it. From the bus to and from school and all the activities and one on one help...the routine has been missed greatly this summer and we look forward to next year. This program has done wonders for Myriam and we look forward to see even more progress next year. We can't say enough good things about this program. 

 { Favorite Bus Driver: Miss JoAnn. }

 { Tea Parties with Great Grandma Broersma "Cookie Grandma" }

{ Lunch Date with cousins, Papa & Uncle Jason. }

The first weekend of June we enjoyed a balcony view of the Farmer's Day Parade. We nibbled on snacks from The Mill and witnessed Lynden making history with the longest strawberry shortcake display. Myriam was camping with Papa and Nana at Deception Pass and missed all the sizzling hot commotion. We saw many red faces and sun kissed shoulders from a top the Windmill!

Tim and I were able to get away to Whistler for a few nights to catch up on sleep, relax and play while all our kids were cared for with much love by others. We ate ourselves through the village and had an afternoon on the ski chairs riding the gondola from Peak to Peak even catching glimpses of black bears below us. 

The older three kids went south to support Auntie Traci as she got her special medicine and Miss Bee played with C & K for the 

weekend receiving lots of snuggles. 

The following weekend we packed the Suburban with our little ladies and headed to the Vancouver Aquarium with Melissa and Michaela. I wish we had more time to spend in Stanley Park walking around, playing in the spray park and exploring the beach. We'll have to save it for another day!

Charlie was exploring the natural aquarium on the Knot So Fast with Papa and Uncle Jason at Sucia Island. Charlie and his cousin were exhausted from hiking, exploring the beaches, playing games of hide and seek and eating like King's. I could tell by the smell that Charlie had a grand time. 

Myriam attempted to have some fillings, or as she calls them jewels, done at Dr. G's, but it turns out the laughing gas was not quite strong enough for our busy one. We go back in August and have the real deal in order to fix a few mishaps in her mouth. The true challenge comes prior to the appointment as she's not allowed to eat or drink from midnight before until noon the next day. I'll be needing some covering of intense prayers August 19th, as we try again for "jewels" in her mouth. 

Charlie completed another year of swim lessons with Teacher Shannon. His skills have much improved and we are excited to see Shannon's talent impress Myriam as she starts her swim journey in August.

{ Rainy Day Roller Fun. }

Last week the kids enjoyed Day Camp at NCCTK. Addi volunteered with the pre-school crafts and had many adorable stories from remarks made by the little ones.  Her favorite was from a little boy who kept eyeing her and finally said, "Hey you, you young lady! I like your bracelets." He again told her on the last day how he really liked her bracelets... She was puzzled at first, but quickly realized he meant her braces! This was Myriam's first year at Day Camp, but it proved too much stimulation and noise for our little one. She stayed home with Miss Bee and Mommy the rest of the week. 

{ Charlie, Myriam & Michaela ready for the Cave Quest Camp. }

Charlie made some new friends, Todd and Tyler, as their daddy just moved to Lynden and started working at Elements. We had a great time entertaining them after camp playing outside games, showing them the creek, cooling off with Otter Pops and getting to know them better. We can't wait to see them again!

{ Pre- Camp Hot Chocolate at Wood's. }

My girlfriend and mentor was in town and I was able to celebrate her birthday and visit a bit before she headed back to her sandy beaches in Kona and checking in on the families from Chosen & Dearly Loved. I love watching Catherine talk about her "job" because nothing that is apart of God's will is work. She is extremely passionate about the families she meets with, supports and advocates for the orphans coming into their forever families. 

{ Selfie's with the ladies. Miss Bee loves the camera. }

This weekend we walked through the Raspberry Festival tasting JP's BBQ and the famous bowls of ice cream and berries. Tim and Addison were up early as they prepared a few rooms to be previewed at The Mill Inn & Bistro. Addi has been Tim's sidekick working at the hotel and loves to be of help with whatever Daddy asks her to do. Later the two of them toured the activities on Front Street as I took the other three home to decompress. 

{ Myriam dancing to the beat. }

So, there you have it. A quick run-down of what we've been up too. Next week brings more craziness before we set out to do some family camping at 

Birch Bay State Park. 

Summer is passing by fast so keep up the pace and enjoy!