The Rest of Summer 2019!

Howdy!

I cannot believe how fast the summer flew (seeing as we're a month into autumn)...and while it seems like we ONLY vacationed (and mostly, that's what we did), we did have some other fun as well.

Click for Summer fun 2019 slide show 

From days on Lake Anderson,

pool time,

mini golf,

play dates,

baseball games,

professional soccer games,

cooking classes,

and deep sea fishing.

Of course, now we've hit the school year and (knock on wood) so far, so good. Both kids are enjoying their return to routine and all the fun & learning entailed. Soccer season has also kicked off with E on the Blue Megalodons and J on the Unicorn Sparkles (I know, strikes fear in the heart, right?).

Other big news is that E went from having lost zero baby teeth, to losing 3 in a week. Including a tooth that he thought was a "seed" from a piece of garlic bread which he almost ate. The tooth fairy had an expensive week, for sure.

For those of you who don't know, Bailey had a bout with cancer this year...and it seems like he beat it back. And in celebration, Nana & Papa took him on a 2+ week trip to Lake Powell. I even got to head out there for a long weekend to watch him bask in the sun, swim, and play HOURS of ball on the beach.

Click for Bailey's "No more cancer" vacay slideshow 

Also, we took our annual kids' backpacking trip to Angel Island and had a blast. What a difference a year makes! Even after the mile hike with packs, the kids were able to do a 6-7 mile trek (sans packs) around the island and even made it to the summit. It was so much fun watching them all play and experience the magic that I find in backpacking.

Click for Angel Island Slide Show

Speaking of magic, I also got to go on the annual dads' backpacking trip. While there were many steps that I questioned why I do this sort of thing...they're easy to forget when compared to the Crown Jewels of memories: summiting three ~11,000 foot passes, passing only 8 people in four days, and witnessing the most magnificent sunset with some of the best buddies I can ask for. The morning I left, E asked me, "Why do you have to go backpacking?" After swallowing the pang of guilt, I answered, "I don't have to go, I get to go backpacking...and I can't wait until you're old enough to come with us too."

Click for Backpacking Mineral King Slide Show

Reflecting on this summer, there were very stressful moments trying to balance all the fun, work, and day-to-day. Moments that I asked myself, why do I have to do all this? Why can't I just binge watch Stranger Things 3? Or like clean the house beyond a vacuum once-over? And you know what? I could (and maybe SHOULD do a little more of the vacuuming type thing)...except in the end, I get to do all these things and share them with the best people. And that makes all the stress and the cluttered house so easy to forget.