Holy cow! Can you believe it's been a month since I last posted? Yeah, me neither! But I just went to look at my last post and sure enough - it was June 12th. In typical fashion, this post will be random. Here goes...
1. We had a birthday in the last month! #2 finally became a teenager. Can you believe it?! I have TWO teenagers now. That's just crazy.
At 13 years old, #2 is:
- sensitive. She still wears her heart on her sleeve and I'm sure she always will.
- funny. She has a great sense of humor and I love to hear her laugh.
- caring. She takes great care of her sisters and our puppy and really does what is best for them.
- a chef. She loves to cook and does such a fabulous job. I need to utilize her more often!
- athletic. She is such a great soccer player and so fun to watch.
- smart. She does great in school with zero prodding from us.
I'm sure I could go on and on, but I'll stop there. In short, she's fabulous and I just love her to pieces!
2. Our road trip truly was EPIC! I'm serious. We had so much fun and I'm thankful for that because the girls were not exactly pumped to hit the road. But after more than 2,500 miles I can say it was totally worth it. If you have not done that trip or parts of it (Black Hills, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons) you totally should. For reals.
I'm not going to write much more than that and post a few pictures because I hope to write a detailed post or posts about it in the future. My former boss gave me her family's itinerary and it was so helpful so I figure it might be good to write it all down for those of you who would like to do it in the future. Because you totally should.
I will tell you our favorites, though:
#1 thought the entire day in Jackson was her favorite. We started out whitewater rafting, went to lunch and shopped, and finished the day by taking the aerial tram to the top of Jackson Hole ski resort. (It totally fits her personality that Jackson was her favorite. I swear she'll move to the mountains some day.)
The aerial tram:
View from the top:
You must eat waffles at Corbets Cabin:
#2 loved whitewater rafting. The end. Her favorite. (No pics because I didn't buy the digital negatives - I just ordered an 11 x 14.)
#3 had a tie between whitewater rafting and swimming in Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone.
Firehole canyon:
#4 loved our horseback trailside the most. Now she insists she wants to take horseback riding lessons. (I only see dollar signs but I'm torn because it is the first thing she has been interesting in pursuing since ever.)
Trailride at Blue Bell Stables in Custer State Park, SD:
The hubby's favorite activity was whitewater rafting.
Mine was a tie between swimming in Firehole canyon and book-ending our trip with stays with friends. Firehole canyon - there was just something that was so neat because it was "off the grid" and not many people knew about it. So cool. Major props to my former boss on that one. (Thanks, Laurilyn!) And spending time with some of our oldest and dearest friends and their family will always be a highlight for me! We are so lucky to have such great friends that they will take us in - ALL SIX OF US - and still love us at the end of the day!
Friends in Sioux Falls, SD:
Friends in Denver, CO:
My college girlfriends and me (all sans make-up since it was a pool day):
3. We got back from our epic road trip on Monday (the 27th) and turned around left for my mom's house that next Friday. Yep, we only slept in our own beds for four nights before heading out again. Of course it was worth it and we had a great time in Arkansas with my family. We had decent (not perfect!) weather and lots of family time. We were able to go boating, waterski and wakeboard, hit up the Farmer's Market, shop a little, eat too much, blow off fireworks, and watch fireworks get blown off. I'd say that's a pretty great weekend if you ask me!
4. We got back from our Arkansas weekend and then the hubby and I turned around and left for Lake Okoboji on Wednesday night. Yep, only two nights in our own beds that time! As in past years, we had a BLAST with our friends.
Luckily, the hubby's parents were able to watch the kids for us and of course the kids got spoiled! They went out to breakfast at t.Loft, went shopping and bowling, and had movie night every night. I'd call that a success.
As for us, we had so much fun. We went for several runs by the lake, did some boating, went shopping, drank too many beers, ate at lots of fun places, sang karaoke (not me), played darts, and danced our asses off one night. It's so fun to have friends that we have known forever. One night we sat reminiscing over beers and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Man, we have the best stories! From stealing Iowa flags in the middle of the night to stealing golf carts, there's a story from every year.
5. As for the kids and I, we are making the best of our summer. We saw Finding Dory last week and loved it. #2 - #4 have all gotten haircuts and #4 chopped hers. (It's simply adorable.) We've gone out to lunch a few times ranging from Freddy's to Costco. We've spent major time at the pool with our numerous floaties - including our mammoth swan. Today #4 got her ears pierced for the first time, #2 pierced her one ear that closed, and #3 pierced hers a second time so now she has two earrings. #1 celebrated their ear piercings by getting a couple new pairs of jeans. (Why do I feel the need to keep things even?!) Sheesh!
6. There you go! I'd say you're all caught up. I hope you are having as great of a summer as we are having over here. We have no crazy plans for the rest of the summer so I should be able to get back onto my regular Sunday night programming. Also, I hope to get my epic road trip post or posts up soon - before I forget the good stuff. Have a great week!