The Fair

So, to be precisely correct, Brooke's first introduction to the great Puyallup Fair was last year, but she wasn't able to express much of an opinion on anything. She wasn't allowed to taste an onion burger or taffy, and she thought that empty horse stalls were as interesting as the merry-go-round. But this year was a different story!

Her favorite part, and therefore our favorite part, was the petting zoo. She ran over all the 4-year-olds while chasing a certain goat and sheep around the pen. The goat in particular received lots of affection from our animal-loving little toddler.

And there were more animals! What joy!

 At a certain point, she let us know that she was ready to explore on her own two feet, and her adoring entourage just followed, snapping photos!

Sadly, she is too young to be allowed on any rides, but that just means we have them to look forward to next year! And really, she was well entertained by her favorite past time, eating!

Chocolate milk from the Dairy Barn

Taffy! Licorice flavored. She wasn't too sure at first, but had strong feeling about it being taken away.

Scones!

Onion burgers! That wonderful smell that takes me back to classrooms at Meeker, Kalles and Puyallup! It's really hard to focus on school when your nose is at the Fair.

Funnel cake, and yes, Darren did share with Brooke, I just thought he was cuter than her, at least in these pictures!

With a little determination, we even tracked down the giant pumpkins as they were being weighed. All of this year's three biggest pumpkins were record breakers!

Baby at the Beach!

Darren and I have visited Long Beach often. Darren's mom has a little house just two blocks away, and we love to visit, especially when it is stormy. There are lots of things we enjoy doing, but nothing compares to the pure delight of playing with Brooke in the sand and waves!

August

One of the many jokes about weather in Western Washington says that we have two seasons: the rainy season and August. Now that is a slight exaggeration; "August" starts in mid-July and lasts through mid-September. But regardless, those few weeks are highly treasured, and we have been making the most of every day!

We started August with the first official Temus family reunion! The first event was the traditional late summer trek to the Mt. Fremont fire lookout at Mt. Rainier. I have soooo many memories of this hike. Somehow it seemed much shorter than when I was a kid, but those fragile alpine meadows and gnarled fir trees retained all of their magic. We had beautiful weather, and since Mom watched the rug rats, we had plenty of time to watch the sun set and the lights come on from Olympia to Seattle.

Liz and Cory joined us for the main event in Hood River, Oregon. It was nicknamed "Dust Bowl 2012" when the babies launched themselves out of their carseats into the giant, dusty sandbox. But it was a lovely place with the river right by our campsite. You know it is a Temus vacation when we pack all the equipment for bicycling, whitewater rafting, kayaking, hiking and rock climbing, all for a one week trip. Brooke and Charlie weren't thrilled with the interrupted nap schedules, but they thought that the blueberries and dirt made up for it. The Gorge is a beautiful place, and I'll be returning to hike more waterfalls and to learn kite boarding!

For more pictures of the Temus reunion, check out Katie's blog at A Day Like This One!

The Little Jaggi reunion is in its 4th year, I think. They have figured out how to keep it simple and have a great time! Brooke was stunned by the enthusiastic reception she got from her cousins, but quickly got used to all the attention. I think she really misses having them all around to play with. At last year's reunion, Aunt Lara got the very first laugh out of her, so Jaggi reunions appear to be great fun for Brooke.

The two Wednesdays that we were home, Brooke and I enjoyed our last two hikes of the summer with the kid's hiking group I started with people in our ward. We explored the Slippery Slab at Denny Creek, which is a sort of natural waterslide. And our last hike started at the fish hatchery in downtown Puyallup, where the kids got to feed the fish! The hatchery has lost its government funding, which is crazy since they raise fish for the WDFW, but you can learn more about them and how to support them at http://www.facebook.com/SOPFH.

August ended with a company BBQ at Darren's new CEO's house. They have a trampoline, and Brooke wants one. :)