When Kate's volleyball camp was canceled at BYU we canceled her trip first solo trip to Utah. Then my father pointed out that she would have nothing to do the entire month of July so we asked our sister-in-laws if Kate could still come to visit even without volleyball camp to go to everyday. Of course they said yes! Hubby drove her out and she got to swim, shop, bowl, have slumber parties and have a magnificent time. I'm so glad she could have this time to bond with extended family and create wonderful memories. She is growing up so fast!
Danny and Michelle also journeyed away from home that week. They went on a backpacking trip with Avid 4 Adventure to Gunnison National Forest with the destination being Lost Lake. I absolutely loved hearing the stories they told me on the ride home from pickup and over the next few days. When their leaders sent out photos it was even better. All 13 children and both leaders had trail names that were inside jokes. Danny was The Great Danbino due to his ability to play baseball with only a stick and twigs or pebbles. Michelle was Gandolf for finding a branch of a tree for firewood and saying, "you shall not pass" during capture the flag. They made great memories, fast friends, and are ready to go off on another adventure next summer. If you ever want to feel a chunk of your heart break off, send your middle children away for a week and watch them come back older in just 5 days. I'm so proud of them.
After dropping off Danny and Michelle and with Kate and Hubby out of town, Natalie and I got to spend a day with just the two of us playing games and getting her ready for her adventure. Natalie got to head off with one of the dogs, Maisie, to stay with my parents and came back completely ready for 2nd grade. I was thrilled that she was able to do crafts and go out to eat and spend time with her grandparents where she got to be the center of attention. I dropped her off the day Hubby was driving back from Utah so that I could get all those things on the to do list that only I could do done. With just one dog around my house seemed like a mansion for the two of us and I was able to have alone time for the first time in weeks. Self care is a real thing and it felt so nice but it felt even better to have Hubby arrive home a few hours later.
Hubby and I had a staycation anniversary celebration for a couple days that included crossing things off our dating wish list, most of which we had been saying we should do since last summer. We played tennis, went on an amazing hike at Eldorado Springs State Park (Piper did great on her first long hike), ate Nepali food, ate at Tortuga's -- delicious is an understatement -- watched movies like Will Ferrell's Eurovision (which was so bad we watched Ryan Reynold's 6 Underground directly afterwards), and Tom Hanks' Greyhound. It's so fun to date my husband! Amazing how 72 hours without responsibilities can make you feel young! I'm very grateful to my parents, my in-laws, and Avid for providing us with a wonderful week for every single member of our family.
P.S. Michelle finally got to have the birthday party that was originally set for March. She had had enough of waiting! We changed the party to be completely outdoors for only a couple hours but they girls seemed to have a great time painting wands, playing Quidditch (with Danny as the snitch), trying Butterbeer, eating cake and opening presents. Such a great group of girls from Michelle's class last year, her Girl Scout troop, and even a new friend she didn't know back in March.
Last but not least, Natalie got to go paddle boarding with our next door neighbor and she absolutely loved it. These two have been playing almost every day together this summer. We've decided the dogs think she's a member of the family and are probably wondering where her bedroom is. lol. I'm grateful for the wonderful people we get to live near and the friends our children are able to make. This year may be an abnormal one but there is still joy to be found in celebrating what we can, where we can and how we can.
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