Manito Park

 I took the boys for their yearly check-ups.  Connor had to get a vaccine. He does not do well with needles. Kaiden has no problem, but Connor gets nervous, anxious, freaks out. They both brought a friend- Rachel and Alex who waited in the lobby. Afterwards we all went to Manito park to explore for hours. We went to Rose Hill, Nishinomiya-Tsutakawa Japanses Garden, Duncan Garden, Gaiser Conservatory, Ferris Perennial Garden, Duck pond, both play grounds, splash pad and stopped for a cold treat. Rachel, Kaiden and Alex got ice creams. Connor chose a raspberry lemonade instead. 

Jabba's free

 Connor got Jabba (his toad) from the Columbia River in a spot we call Frog Hollow.  It's a nice little quiet inlet off the Columbia with a nice beach area and every summer the entire beach is covered in itty bitty toads.  Well, he brought one of those toads home 4 years ago.  She (or so we think it's a she) still had her tail but had just sprouted some legs. He raised her and cared for her for 4 years.  She lived in a 60 gallon tank on his dresser. For years he would hand feed her worms.  For the last several years we raised red runner roaches for her to eat and Connor would put a few in her tank and let her hunt them down. She swam in the bath tub, loved to hide in her moss hut/cave, loved to look out of her tank at Connor and Piper and would occasionally make a little squeak noise.  Toads are not real interactive and don't care to be handled, but she did seem to like Connor.  In the wild they are lucky if they live to be 1. In captivity they can live to be 4-5 years old. On August 3rd she turned 4 years old.  After talking and thinking it over for a while we decided it would be best for Jabba if we returned her to the beach she was born on and set her free.  Connor spent 2 years getting her to hunt down food on her own and trying to prepare her for life on her own.  Knowing there is a chance of her dying by setting her free (as there is for all animals in the wild) we decided if any of us were in her shoes WE would want a chance to feel freedom! To walk on the beach and feel the sand and to swim in a HUGE body of water.  After a lot of consideration Connor decided he would rather she died in the wild than in a cage.  Hopefully he prepared her enough so she gets to enjoy lots of freedom before she dies.  Mason went with us and we took her back to Frog Hollow.  She instantly went to the water and swam.  This is the first year that we've actually seen quiet a bit of sea weed at Frog Hollow, which I think will actually help Jabba to hide and stay safe.  She seemed to love it.  She swam and floated and stuck near the sea weed for cover. We played on the beach and kept a eye on her for hours and then finally had to say good bye and leave her.

August Memories

 Drinks at the Cider House after work with Rachel and Emily.  Our first outdoor movie in the backyard- Connor, Mason, Kaiden, Alex and Tony.  We had burgers and then they enjoyed some popcorn with a soft fleece blanket while watching the newest Planet of the Apes movie.  My parents stopped by for a quick visit.

Wednesday shenanigans

 Today I took Connor, Kaiden, Colten and myself to the Garland theatre.  I've never been there before and I've always wanted to check out the inside.  When the Garland theatre opened in Nov. 1945 it was the premier movie house in the west.  The large auditorium features stadium-style seating and an original capacity near 1000! Currently it seats 630 as the seats have gotten larger and the rows are now extra wide.  We watched the Rise of Gru movie.  Afterwards we went to a new Lego store that sells new and used Lego sets.  Connor found 4 Lego characters that he wanted. Then we stopped by Dicks for some hamburgers. Dick's drive-in is an iconic Spokane business from 1965 and I've never been there before, which really shocks people since I've lived in/around this area my entire life. Then we stopped at Liberty Park... yet another place we've never been before.  The boys played for a little while before we ventured to our last destination (after a mini oreo snack).  Last stop: Discovery Playground.  Kaiden and Colton played, splashed in the splash pad, played in the sand... Connor and I sat in the grass and read our books.  Fun day making memories in the sun!