Summer Vacation! Part 1

Two weeks before school started, we flew to Granby, Colorado and stayed at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.  This was our first time to this location, but our second time to stay at a YMCA campground like this.  The Snow Mountain Ranch was very similar to the Estes Park location, but was more spread out and offered a few more activities.  The accommodations are not luxurious by any means, but the activities are so great!  We wore ourselves out each day!  It was a great trip that we each enjoyed!  Certain activities the kids were very fearful of and others not so much.  We had a lot of opportunities to be brave whether it was the outdoor climbing wall or horseback riding!  We had a lot of successes and a few "we'll have to try it again next time!"

We had a lot of luggage!

The trip going to Colorado was fantastic!  I love flying with our kids because it is so fun seeing their excitement during the entire process!  Sure, if it involves whining and crying it isn't so fun but all and all their wonder and amazement over something that seems so simple is fun to watch and be a part of!

Emerson slept peacefully under the cover our entire flight!

Piper loves the window seat!

After a long day of flying and driving we made it and took a walk in the sunshine!  The kids didn't make it far because of the altitude!

This little nugget was a great sleeper the entire week.  We wore her out!

Our first day, we scheduled the tubing hill as an activity.  Everyone was excited and ready! Until it came time to actually ride on the tube!  Briggs refused to go and Piper would only go once and she was DONE!  It looked so fun!  I didn't get to participate because Emerson was napping on me.

This location had a craft center as well.  We frequented it several times to paint some new treasures!  It was so peaceful being able to sit outside without the hum of traffic, in the fresh air, and paint!  Lovely!

My initial reaction to this picture was "My hair looks like it was cut crooked!"  Emerson was not a fan of sitting on my back!  She is more of a front snuggler!

We also fished with a fisherman helping us.  Fishing sounds good in theory but with kids, I'm not much of a fan!  They are not patient little people and they could hook you anytime because they are casting their lures out like wild people!  

This was his spot!  Our cabin driveway!  He and Piper played for hours in the dirt.  It was so nice.  I had the windows opened listening to them.  The air was cool.  There was no television!  So perfect!  Briggs did ask several times "Where is the TV?" on the first day and the second day he suggested a few times that we build a TV but by the third day I think he accepted the fact he would not be watching anything for the week!

2nd Grade!!

Piper, 

You were extremely nervous about getting Mrs. Seger as a teacher because you had heard she was mean and she yells.  You even have heard her yell you told me.  You were nervous you would not have any friends in your class either.  But at Meet the Teacher, your nervousness went away once Mrs. Seger gave you a hug and you saw that Nora was in your class!  You even told me Mrs. Seger was nice and you were excited about Monday!  WooHoo!

 Monday came and went and there were not tears or meltdowns.  Really the first week of school went great for you for the most part!  You started out sitting by Mimi and Ethan and now you sit by Emily and Ethan.  You are carrying a Sophia the First lunchbox and backpack because Mommy said you had to use last years one more year!  You weren't so thrilled about it, but you're handling it fine!  You were most excited about wearing your new rainbow tennis shoes with the mattress inside!  Haha!  

 My prayer for you this year (and one in which I have stolen from another mom!) is that the Lord changes you and matures you in ways only evidenced by His hand working in your life.  He knows where you are weak and need Him and He knows where your strengths abound! And as always that you are a sweet friend who encourages others...

 I think 2nd grade is going to be pretty great!

 You're the best!

 And I'm excited you still want to be a dentist after two years of claiming that occupation as your own!  Mama might need some good dental work in her olden years.

 P-Diddles, I love you!

Love, Mommy

The End of Summer...

This summer has been great.  It's been really busy and loaded with activity, tiring on mama, and not one bit boring!  But I loved it and wish school didn't have to start back!

 There was an end of the year banquet for swim team.  The kids dressed like rock stars!  Piper really ended up enjoying swim team.  Her favorite was the daily practices because she got to swim and see her friends every day.  The meets were intimidating!  Below is Campbell and Nora at Hawaiian Falls water park.  It was an end of the year celebratory thing the swim team does together.  Campbell's mom graciously took Piper!

We had an annual summertime lemonade stand with Nora.  They split the proceeds and Piper used to it towards purchasing a watch!  She loves her watch!  

 This was Piper's first year attending Pine Cove In the City.  It is a daytime church camp.  She obvioulsy loved it but I think it stirred her heart in the area of her relationship with God!  I'm so thankful she had this week to focus on that and be with special friends! Her counselor for the week went by Koala Balla!  She did not reveal her real name until the last day.  But I cannot even remember what it was.  Koala Balla gave Piper an encouraging certificate at the end stating that Piper was compassionate to those in need and expressive in the way she communicates to those around her! Sweet and pretty accurate! I was a proud mama!

 More Pine Cove...

 She attended with three friends from school...Emory, Campbell, and Nora

 She began a little journal that week.  So sweet!

 And this is Super Piper on superhero day of camp!

We had some friends over to water slide!  This was the only time we got the slip and slide out!

 Michael treated us to a Texas Rangers game one afternoon.  The weather ended up being breezy and cooler, especially in the shade!  No complaints here!

 And, a very special treat Piper was invited to be a part of, was preparing and hosting a tea party with Nora!  Nora's grandma, Moe, asked if she could take the girls for a few hours and led them in preparing the food and setting up the table and then serving me and Kate!  While we ate lunch and sipped on tea, Moe played with our younger children and fed them lunch upstairs!  Sooooo Nice!! Piper was extremely excited and loved every minute of it!  I love it when other adults invest in her life!  She loves it too!  I think they had a fantastic time and may have been a little crazy for Moe!

The End of July...

The end of July, means the end of summer is near.  Some parents love this but I am particularly not fond of it this year.  I get these sad butterflies in my tummy!  School and schedules and waking up early is around the corner.  

 Towards the end of July, Briggs came down with some weird virus that caused him to fever for four days and have a tummy bug as well.  It was a lot like the flu.  Emerson got the tummy bug too but no fever and she wasn't sickly for days like Briggs.  Poor buddy did not feel well!

 After being cooped up together, I took all three kids to the mall to run one errand, which turned into several errands, which turned into lunch at the mall and several other things.  But this unprepared mama was not expecting The Great Diaper Blowout of 2015 while we were there.  I thankfully had diapers, but no wipes and not change of clothes, so we walked around in Northpark looking like this below! (Because she was unable to sit in the car seat/stroller because of said Blowout! Her rolls sure are cute though!  Lugging three hyper kids around and riding escalators together is not cute!  

After everyone became completely well, we left for Oklahoma.  We stopped to see the kids' great grandma Homa first, then stayed at Grammy's house.  Aunt JuJu came for dinner and gave the kids these silly faces notebooks.  Instead of using the stickers to make silly faces in the book, they decided to make their own faces silly!  Hehe!

 Aunt JuJu is fun!  She helped Piper pull a few pranks on me and she let them play games on her phone.  You're always a child's favorite if you allow games to be played on your phone!

 Grammy, JuJu, and Piper

 After Grammy's, we drove to Grandma Judy's & Papa Roger's house.  The highlights were sleeping and playing in a tent Papa bought them and set up in the living room and picking tomatoes, peppers, and squash out of Grandma's garden.  My kids are completely city-fied though because they were so squeamish around the plants and the bees.  I didn't like the bumble bees either!

 After Grandma's and Papa's, we drove to OKC and Piper had her eyes rechecked.  She needed glasses again.  I really think she needed them this past year as well but that's another story for another day!  She chose these red ones this time around.  After the eye appointment, we stayed with Aunt Sheryl and had fun swimming most of our short time there!

 Emerson really loved being at Aunt Sheryl's.  Really, she loved being at everyone's house.  She did not like Grammy's church nursery!  I was paged twice but the pager never worked so I was the lucky person called out in the middle of the sermon as all eyes watched me walk out of the sanctuary.  Fun, fun!

And, on the very last day of July, Piper was invited to spend the night at Nora's house!  But before they went to Nora's, the Wallace kids came to our house to play and eat dinner.  Here they are at the dinner table being silly!