Last minute before back-to-school fun

 Checked out a new nature center. They have 100 acres and more than 2 miles of trails. We will be back in the fall for some fall colors, and this time with bug spray!

Turkey feather

August won a free ticket to the ball game after a reading initiative in the spring, so he and daddy and grandpa had a fun afternoon. (most fun: eating hotdogs and getting a new stuffed animal)

Meanwhile the girls and I had lunch at Culvers and home to watch Frozen.

This happened a few days ago, elbow dislocation. Thankfully it had already fixed itself before the doctor even came in. 

I backed into a brick wall with Doug's jeep. I was thankful it wasn't another car!

The kids and I checked out another nature center where I grew up, I hadn't been there since elementary school. It was really nice. 

They had this gorgeous door into the kidscape area

We picked all these veggies from my mom's garden while she was on vacation. And the kids demolished the entire thing in one evening.

Doug and I had a date night, we saw the Twisters movie (so good!) we had the whole theatre to ourselves.

And this was actually our only day at the beach this year (!) The kids had a blast in the sand.

This was the 3rd groundhog caught this summer. Altho not before utterly decimating my zinnias, climbing beans, a lot of bush bean plants, and possibly the melon leaves too. 

And one more playground this morning

We've had a good summer overall. Lots of togetherness. Lots of squabbles. Getting excited for back-to-school, altho not the getting up early/rushed mornings. And still nervous about home-schooling 2 now, while balancing a soon-to-be-3'nager mini-tornado ball of energy. But we shall see how it goes!

Birthday trip to CO

 I may or may not have a history of returning birthday gifts. 

Which is odd for me because I would say gift giving is one of my love "speaking" languages, but it's not a receiving language. I've been working on it. 

But anyway, this year turning 43, Doug decided to get me something he knew I would love. A trip to visit someone! I decided to go visit my brother. 

We saw him and his family in June. (and actually he came for my Grandpa's funeral which was unexpected in July). But normally I only get to see him 1x a year. 

Plus he'd just moved and I wanted to see his life in his new space and maybe have some 1 on 1 time with his girls. I remember when my first niece was born and I was just obsessed with her. Then you have your own kids, and it just changes. Not the love of course, but the availability, I would say. Whenever we see them I am busy watching my own kids, or they are busy playing together as cousins (which is also something I super value). But I do have a sense of fomo or just sadness that things are different. 

He picked me up late from the airport and we got started right away with good chats. The next day the girls were actually at their grandparents so we went on a bike ride through their new neighborhood. 

The girls came back and we all went to the pool. Then out for a tasty Mexican dinner and then cake and icecream at their house.

The next day I had really wanted to hike Horsetooth. I hadn't done it in years. So Joel and I and the 2 oldest girls went. It was a gorgeous day and such good exercise.

See the horse's teeth?

We went out for smoothies and came home and showered and relaxed. Then I spent time with the girls while Joel and his wife had a date night. The girls and I made cookies and watched movies. It was nice. I do wish I saw them more often, there was that element of distance/unfamiliarity, but I enjoyed my time with them and was thankful for it. 

Then breakfast together the last day and back to the airport! Short but sweet visit, and was very thankful for it. And of course, thankful for another year of life.