2022 Summer Activities

The summer started off rough with an unfortunate bout of COVID spread throughout the house. Fevers, aches, and fatigue were the worst of the symptoms. Thankfully I was asymptomatic and able to take care of the little ones. It was a pretty mild case for everyone, and after just a few days of feeling crumby they were all back to themselves. There'd be several more days of quarantining before the summer fun could begin. We snuck in as many fun activities as possible in June and July since we would be venturing to Denver in August for Aria's 3 week therapeutic intensive at the NAPA Center. 

Shane spent many hours on the golf course since we now have THREE golfers! Owen, Rose and Kate all practiced hitting balls and fine tuning their skills throughout the summer.

Both Rose and Kate partook in golf lessons at the North Oaks Golf course to teach them the basics of the game. They had so much fun and are becoming quite the little golfers.

Rose and Kate spent their Monday afternoons doing backwards somersaults, walking the balance beam and learning all sorts of other gymnastics moves at Midwest Gymnastics. 

Owen spent a couple weeks sailing on White Bear Lake with the White Bear Sailing School. He typically sails on Pleasant Lake but unfortunately that class wasn't offered this year so he reluctantly joined a new sailing group. 

What should be a peaceful experience can turn quite chaotic with many sailboats being launched from the same dock and being manned by inexperienced youth. Owen's boat narrowly made it out of what could have been quite the collision. It was a bit stressful to be standing on land watching it all happen in what seemed like slow motion. Thankfully they all sailed away with no problems.

Rose and Kate spent two weeks perfecting their swim strokes at Foss Swim School. They both did amazing and made huge progress. Kate was the only person in her class so she had lots of quality instruction. She is starting to swim short distances with very little support. She loves the water! 

As for Rose, she is swimming like a fish. She taught herself over the last couple years and now can swim the front stroke, back stroke, and more! They both passed their classes and will be moving onward and upward to the next levels.

Both Cole and Aria played adaptive T-ball with Kids Abilities. While Cole has been playing for years, this was Aria's first time. Cole was hitting the balls out of the park - he no longer uses a T! Aria on the other hand, wasn't so sure about this batting thing. She would sign 'all done' every time I tried to put the bat in her hand.

When a ball would come Cole's way in the field, he'd scoop it up and toss it on over to Aria. He knows how much she loves to throw and he loves to make her happy. The baseball was pretty wide for her to grip with just one hand, but after several attempts, she'd usually get ahold of it enough to give it a good toss.

Popi Dave was Cole's helper again this year. They are quite the duo! And I got to be Aria's sidekick. 

We tried our best to enjoy the short-lived summer days with many bike rides to the kids favorite destination - the gas station for yummy treats and snacks. It's the closest store to us and at 1.4 miles one way, it's about the max we can go with little peddlers. 

We are quite the crew to behold coming down the sidewalk - with Shane pulling Kate and Aria in the bike trailer, Rose cruising on 2 wheels, Cole either driving his go-cart or his new flashy 3 wheeled bike, Owen biking or running, and me usually at the back of the line making sure everyone is staying safe. It's definitely not the most relaxing of bike rides with our wild bunch.

We stayed cool on the hot summer days in the backyard with our little kiddie pool. This is the second year we've had it and it's been well worth it. The kids love spending the afternoons splashing away. 

What a wonderful summer break! It was a fun time for all and many precious memories were made.