Summer of 2018

Summer of 2018 was gone in a blink as we settled into life at home as a family of 6. The day after school ended, we packed up the car for our first road trip with Kate. Every inch of the car was precisely loaded with luggage. Even the pack-n-play fit! Thank goodness because I'm still not ready for a mini-van!

We ventured off to the Wisconsin Dells for a weekend stay at the Wilderness. The kids had a great time at the pools and arcade.

 

They were so tuckered out at the end of each day that everyone thankfully slept great - a miracle as we were all squished in a studio room. It was a great little getaway!

The rest of the summer was filled with some of the kids' favorite activities.  Cole participated in T-ball again this year. He LOVES T-ball and looked forward to it every week. He plays on an all-inclusive team and each player gets a buddy. Popi Dave was once again his buddy. They had a blast hitting the ball, running the bases and playing in the field. By the end of the season, he wasn't even using the T anymore.

 

Cole even had his very own cheering section! We all loved the beautiful MN evenings at the game cheering on Cole.

Cole started riding horse again at a new stable. He really enjoys riding which seems so strange for a boy who doesn't even like animals. He's quite the little cowboy. Although it's a bit scary for Mom to see him on the top of a giant horse!

Owen's summer included swimming lessons (the boy is a fish!) and lots of fun week long camps. He started swimming at Foss and is working on all sorts of difficult swimming techniques. He's a natural in the water.

Owen (of course!) picked out a couple Minecraft camps through our school district's summer enrichment program.  He loves Minecraft camp! He took one last year and jumped at the chance to do it again this summer.  His other favorite game is Roblox (he likes it even more than Minecraft!) so when I found a Roblox camp being held at Concordia, I knew he'd want to go. The Roblox camp was an all-day camp (compared to all the others which were only for a few hours a day) AND it was all the way in the big city at a college, which did give me pause. I wasn't sure I was prepared to drop him off in St. Paul for the day, but he was eager to attend so off he went to college for the week. It was sure quiet around the house with Owen off at camp all day long!  He had fun, but it was more coding and less gaming than he had hoped.

Owen took another year of woodworking camp this summer. It was at the same place with the same teacher as last year. He was so proud of his finished projects - a tic-tac-toe board, a boat, and a house shaped rack to hang keys on.

Owen signed up once again this summer for sailing lessons through our city. It was the same program as last year so he was able to refresh his sailing skills.  He loved being out on the big lake peacefully sailing around. Unfortunately, I was so busy chauffeuring the rest of the crew around that I didn't have a chance to watch him in action. Hopefully next year!

Rose's summer was pretty quiet as we were mostly driving the boys around the city, but she did find time to take gymnastics. She had taken the Parent/Tyke class with me last summer, but now that she was almost 4, she could take a class all on her own. The day and time we were signed up must have not been popular because she was the only kid in the entire class! It was awesome - private lessons for the price of group!

Kate did great being dragged around from activity to activity. She's become an expert napper in the car. She barely naps in her bed anymore. A little 15 minute cat nap here and there and she is all set for the day.

On a beautiful summer day, we made our annual trek to the swim pond - a chlorinated and filtered man-made beach that is shallow and perfect for little ones. We all had a blast splashing away in the water, digging in the sand and soaking up the sun.

We had hoped to return to the pond, but summer slipped by and before we knew it, it was September. We managed to make one more trip to the beach just before school started, but this time to Turtle Lake. The weather was a bit chilly as the sun was going down, but that didn't stop the kids from getting drenched from head to toe. Kate sat on the blanket for a while and started to play with the sand. Before I knew it, she was putting fistfuls of sand into her mouth and chomping away. Our girl puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and sand is no exception!

What a beautiful evening at the beach. It was the perfect way to say good-bye to summer.

Adios Summer of 2018! It's been fun!