Summer 2018



 We are loving living near so many beaches!  This one is just 20 minutes from our apartment.




Clam shells.


Preston has an obsession with seaweed.








 This is definitely their happy place!





On the Fourth of July, we went to a VERY crowded park for fireworks and fun.

 Lost in thought...





Sometimes it's the simple, unexpected pleasures in life--like finding out that the doctor's office has a children's garden where you can pick berries.







Hanging out with his big bro at the sporting goods store.

 One of the (few) advantages to living in an apartment is the pool.  The kids have gone swimming almost every day.  Dallin has been teaching Preston to swim, and he's come a long way.  A few months ago, when we were staying in hotels, Preston was scared and wanted to spend all his time in the hot tub.  Not any  more!



In the deep end!

Preston had as much fun as any of the girls at Sariah's birthday party.




Sariah got to go sailing as part of a church activity, and when we went to pick her up, Preston had fun playing with this dog at the beach.



And then we went to the beach again for Dallin's birthday.


 Of course there have to be seaweed fights.




The kids made some friends at the beach, who let them borrow their kayaks.  Preston did pretty good!




 Last but not least, our hike in Rainier National Park.  Preston is a natural!  He had so much fun.




































Here are a few straggler photos from earlier in June, before we got out of school.


Learning about odd and even numbers.


I believe this was Memory with math problems, having to find two cards with the same answer.


Preston with the beanbag he knitted.


The day after school got out, we deep cleaned everyone's bedrooms.  It's amazing to see what toys suddenly came out to play after being hidden and forgotten about for weeks.



We've still been working on reading over the summer, and he is enjoying it.



I hope you can see that Preston is doing quite well.  Moving is always a bit scary and stressful, and just before and just after we moved, he had a lot of anxiety and difficult emotions, meltdowns, and things like that.  But he has settled in and is doing much better.  Of course now as we move from an apartment to a house, we may seem some of that come back for awhile.  His doctor is a bit concerned about him from an anxiety standpoint and wants to keep a close eye on him as he does seem to have more anxiety than most kids, and all transitions will probably be a bit difficult for him, but overall he is doing much better.  Getting along with other kids in the complex has had its ups and downs as Preston is really tender-hearted and doesn't always completely understand the rough-and-tumble ways of some of the other boys (although you'd think he would as he has plenty of practice living with Dallin).  His best friend here is a little girl name Mila, and he also gets along really well with her brother Creeden, who is also alot like Preston and just a more gentle soul.  They have been gone on vacation for three weeks, and he is eager for them to return.

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