Summer Girls

Our summer was a total whirlwind.  I feel like I worked most of it, and found myself especially exhausted this past week as we finally were able to move back into our building.  The unpacking and continued construction work has been stressful, but I work with the most amazing staff that has totally rolled with the punches.  It's not completely finished, and won't be for a while, but our building is ready to welcome kids tomorrow.  Anyway, as I've been wrapped up in learning more than I cared to know about architecture and construction, the girls have had a great summer!

A couple of weekends ago we had a fun family day at Hurricane Harbor ... this was the only picture I got.  We spent all day on water slides and had a blast! The girls were daredevils and rode everything they were tall enough to ride!

Over the past week, the girls had a second summer trip to MN for Camp G&G Round II.  Emma was so thrilled to be included, and it came at the right time for me as I could put in some long hours without feeling guilty!  Steve and I also managed to try a couple new restaurants and enjoy patio Coronaritas!

The girls loved Corn Days and dancing to Grandpa's band.

 Auntie and Adam hosted an early birthday party for Emma.  She was so excited, and it made me so happy to see lots of family members show up to celebrate our almost-five-year-old!

The girls got to ride Big Mabel on Prior Lake!  She didn't make an appearance when we were in MN in July since Grandpa was dealing with his shoulder issues/hospital stay, so they were really excited to ride this time.  Everyone loves a lake girl!

 And if you look closely here, you can see the crazy boat hair happening!

What a great way for the girls to end the summer.  And now, just like that, it's time for school.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Sara's off to 3rd grade and Emma to pre-k ... we're looking forward to a great year!

The Thing I Said I'd Never Do

I should know by now to stop saying I'll never do something.  People often ask me whether I have my girls come to my school, and I always say no.  We are good in our own places, we can see our neighborhood school from our front yard, we are happy with our arrangement.  That's all still true. 

However, in an unexpected twist a few days ago, the district opened up just a few spots in my school's pre-k program to staff kids.  I debated, weighed the pros and cons, and then - potentially against my better judgment - decided to add Emma's name to the list.  It was hard to tell Primrose that she wouldn't be returning, but I felt better when one of her teachers told me that she is ready for a bigger school.  Emma misses the kinder cut-off by only two days this year, and in many ways she is ready to move on, so I think this different setting with bigger kids will be good for her.  I have an amazing pre-k staff, and a handful of other teachers who are also bringing their kids to the program, which is now a mix of staff kids and kids who qualify based on financial need.  It's an exciting opportunity that I just couldn't pass up!

Sara will stay at Daffron, and next year Emma will join her there.  For this year, though, we are going to be daily carpool buddies.  Here she is with some new friends at Meet the Teacher!  Having a bunch of four-year-old kids on campus promises to be eventful for everyone!

Soccer Season

A couple of Saturdays ago, while Sara was still in MN, Steve, Emma, and I got to see the US Men play in the Gold Cup semi-final (they went on to win the cup a few days later in a game versus Jamaica).  It was such a fun event.  I love that soccer fans literally come from all over the world.

Emma was super proud of her sign, and held it high as she cheered loudly throughout the game.  She definitely earned Super Fan status.

After the game, we waited on traffic to clear out and hung around with a friend of Steve's.  We happened across Kellyn Acosta's mom, who was carrying his still-sweaty jersey.  Emma and Steve were both thrilled to pose with it!  Kellyn scored that night, which was exciting because he is a local kid who also plays for FC Dallas.

 This past Saturday, we all went to see FC Dallas play.  Unfortunately, they got pounded, but we had a great time anyway.  I took this selfie and put it on Twitter ... the girls were super excited to see themselves on the big screen when the Twitter pics were displayed throughout the game.

Not long now before fall soccer season starts again for both girls!

July Catch-Up

July is flying by!  I just haven't had the motivation to blog, but I need to catch up so I'm making myself sit down now to do it.  After returning from Estes Park and celebrating the 4th of July, the girls and I headed to MN for a visit.  We had a great week, but unfortunately Grandpa spent the bulk of the time in the hospital (another shoulder surgery) and trying to mend.  We sure missed having him on the boat and out and about with us, but we all made the most of it and enjoyed our time up north.  After a week, Emma and I headed back to Dallas, but Sara is still there enjoying her G&G/Auntie camp again!

We spent a lot of time in Auntie and Adam's backyard, enjoying their deck, their amazing cooking, and some old-fashioned summer fun!

 The girls love riding in the "red car".

 One day my mom and I took the girls to a great pool where they enjoyed the diving boards and big slides!

 My mom signed Sara up for a horse camp, so we had to go to Fleet Farm to get her some cowgirl boots.  She was so excited!

 Boat hair, don't care.  Emma thought she looked like a troll!

 The girls, Auntie, Adam, Expo, and I enjoyed a day on the boat and lily pad.  The lake is its own kind of therapy for me!

 Like last year, we visited the huge yellow candy store.  The girls thought it would be fun to take on the bean boozle challenge ... so gross.  We all got a good laugh out of it (except Adam, who didn't realize what they were when he got home from work, and grabbed a handful to eat, thinking they were just normal jellybeans!).

 We had to have a girls day at the Mall of America.  Thanks to Grandma and Auntie for hooking the girls up at American Girl!

 We also rode rides and ate at the Hard Rock.  It was a fun day!

 Like I mentioned, Sara is still in MN.  She had a great time at horse camp and is enjoying being queen bee, as my mom said.  Today she and Auntie went for mani/pedis, and she enjoyed an art fair earlier this week.  I'm so thankful for her to have this fun summer experience ... little sister is lonely and jealous, though!

I've enjoyed my one on one time with Emma, but she asks everyday when Sara is coming home.  She's looking forward to being five so she can stay for extra special time in MN, too!

I started back to work on Monday, and it's been crazy.  My building is under construction (as in total gut job), and I go to construction meetings once a week to check progress.  Let's just say it will be an interesting start to the year.  In the meantime, though, it's still summer and we're soaking it up!

Book Talk

Summer is for reading!  If you're looking for a book to take to the beach, on the plane, or just to your own porch, I'd recommend any of the following. None are super recently released, but a couple have been on my list for a while, and a couple piqued my interest - between synopsis and price tag - while browsing.

 All Fall Down was one I picked up on a whim for just a couple bucks. Although it was an easy read, it was certainly more intense than I anticipated as it was largely based around addiction: a suburban mom's addiction to pain pills that creeps up on her without her really realizing it's happening.  Her journey through addiction, rehab, and the impact on her family are detailed in this story; a few other long-kept secrets are reveled along the way, too.  Maddening, heartbreaking, and sort of understandable all at once.

 If you haven't already read it, you've probably at least heard of the Big Little Lies HBO mini-series with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.  I haven't watched it, but I want to after reading the book.  While at a fundraising event for their kids' high-brow private school, the parents' behavior misses the mark and someone ends up dead.  That sounds outlandish, but once you get to know the characters and the setting, it feels completely plausible.  Liane Moriarty is a great story teller; lots of silly, lots of serious, and an engaging story therein.

A Sudden Light turned into more of a ghost story than I expected.  I loved that it was set out west, among the tall pines and I was finishing it on our way to Colorado.  Trevor tells the story of the summer he spent out west with his dad, who had lost his job, their house, and almost also his wife.  Trevor isn't at first sure what the trip is all about until he realizes that his dad has to make amends with pieces of his past.  All the while, they stay in his dad's childhood home, the seemingly haunted Riddell House.  Definitely a coming-of-age story.  (P.S. I was glad to have this one in hard copy rather than electronically because there was a family tree at the front that I kept looking back at while reading.)

I couldn't put down The Forgotten Garden, which was recommended by my sister. When Cassandra's grandmother passes away, she's left with an inheritance and a mystery that her grandmother expects her to piece together.  The mystery takes her from her home in Australia to England, where she meets a variety of people eager to help her uncover the past.  All the while, Cassandra reflects on her own life experiences, and learns about the importance of coming to terms with the past in order to move into the future.  Kate Morton is another wonderful storyteller; start this when you have an entire weekend to devote, because you won't want to stop reading.

"Sleep is good, he said, and books are better."

-George R.R. Martin

Rocky Mountain High

Steve and I just returned from a long weekend in Estes Park with some of our good friends.  We had the best time enjoying the scenery, the fresh air, and some much needed R&R after a very busy school year.

 We took a couple of lengthy and semi-strenuous hikes and the views did not disappoint.  

 We spent our evenings by the campfire next to the river.  Lots of laughs and some good s'mores.

Our fire pit by the river.

 Being in the mountains sure makes you feel small.  It's incredible to think about how powerful Mother Nature is.  On our hikes, we spent a lot of quiet time just enjoying and reflecting.

 Due to late snowfall in EP, there was still quite a bit of snow on the trails.  It made for interesting maneuvering on the inclines, especially as the sun shone and the snow became slick.  We managed without falls, though!

 Not sure why, but we didn't see a lot of active wildlife this time.  This elk was grazing nearby on one of the trails, but other than that, all we saw as a bunch of chipmunks.

 Last time we went to EP, we took a nighttime tour of the famous, haunted Stanley Hotel. That was fun, but this time we opted for a drink in the hotel bar.

 Of course the Stanley is also where "Dumb & Dumber" was filmed, so I had to take a selfie with the "we landed on the moon" sign from the bar scene!

 We spent one day enjoying Downtown EP, where the annual Scandinavian Festival was in full swing. 

While downtown, we did some shopping and site-seeing, and we ate famous hamburgers at Penelope's.  They were delish.

 The weather was gorgeous for the entire trip, and although we were in multiple layers at times, the sun shone and the sky was blue.  After our downtown excursions, we found a patio to enjoy a beverage and a river/mountain view.

 The pictures of this place don't even begin to do it justice...

 Taking it all in. 

 

After our trip a couple of years ago, we knew we had to go back to eat dinner at the Dunraven.  We were there Saturday night, and then made another reservation for Monday night ... it's that good.  If you're in EP, you have to eat at this delicious, funky little Italian place! 

 While we were gone, the girls had a great time with Papa and Mamas.  They swam, went shopping, and even went to their first drive-in movie.  We were all glad to see each other when we got back, but the short vacation was good for all!

What a perfect way to kick off my summer break! After a little time at home, we're headed to MN next before I go back to work.  More adventures to come!