The summer of Root Beer

Meet Root Beer - this cow was loved and loved and loved.  

All 3 kids worked together this summer to take care of this cow.  She was calm and easy going - easy to love. 

Chores occurred 2 times per day and they took turns filling the buckets of feed, giving Root Beer water, and leading her.

Fair week was busy but great!  Lots of scrubbing at bath time and time with all the animals we could find.

Until next year!

More summer adventures

 What do you get when you grab your mama tribe and all their kids and you pack your whole house into your husband's truck????

Answer: an insanely fun camping trip that I will do again and again and again. 

One evening during a loooong mama's night out dinner we got this plan and we pulled through.  

 We cooked dinner, kayaked, paddle boarded, had epic smores, told ghost stories, and slept in tents with an amazing fire.  Each husband checked in once during the evening and let's face it, they were jealous and surprised it was going so well!

I will remember this trip forever...I hope the kids do too!

 We also welcomed Chris' new wife Amanda and her daughter Delaney into our family.  

They got married on a beautiful morning in July on the boat in the middle of Miller's Bay. 

It was gorgeous.

We also headed to Minnesota for a Twins game, world's largest candy store, and a walk around the sculpture garden. 

 The Twins had a great game, we had beautiful weather, and we even me the organ player!

First Day of School

 And they're off!

Summer came and went and now we have 3 kiddos in school.  

All were excited to begin again.  

 They are all three in the same building this year- the only time that will happen.

 Marie 4th, Bennett 1st, and Brooks Pre-K.

DC

 

We all took a trip this summer out to DC so Andy could take a course and we could enjoy the city again and see Greg and Katie.  

Uncle Nathan tagged along thankfully to help with the kiddos.  

We hit as many monuments and museums as we could and the kids never complained. 

 

One of the highlights was visiting 2 air and space museums. Bennett loves space and so this was especially great for him.

 Marie got to spend some time alone in the city with Greg and Katie for her birthday.  

 Brooks loved the Museum of Natural History and took special interest in the moving walkways at the airport!

Aunt Martha

Our dear Aunt Martha passed away in July.  She had been dealing with cancer for over a year and her body was done fighting.  She was ready to go, but it doesn't make it easy on us all. 

She was like another mom to me and I am so very thankful that my kids were so close to her as well. She spent time with each of them -noticing their quirks, personalities, and reminding to me to cherish them every day.  

Martha was a safe place for me...she knew everything about us since she lived right next door to me as a child.  I would go to her if I needed help or a break from my house or if I thought maybe I was in a little trouble. 

When we moved to Spirit Lake, I was so anxious to get to spend more time with her.  We spent many mornings and afternoons with coffee, lots of talking, crying, laughing, and of course a treat or two. 

We were blessed to be a part of her care over the past year giving our relationship a whole new dimension. My kids got to see her and spend time with her up until the last few days of her life.  This is a special gift that I will never take for granted.  I truly believe that sharing this part of life- dying-with them as young children was the right thing to do. They got their goodbyes, they cried, said their prayers, and truly saw how ready she was to go meet Jesus.  

I also do not take for granted the moments I spent with Martha in her final days. Sitting with her in the hospital and her home just the two of us...those final conversations will be with me forever.  

This beautiful plant was given to us by our friends.  As soon as I saw it at the wake, tears filled my eyes.  The kids and I planted Martha's flowers for her at her house each Mother's day. It was our job to water and care for her flowers in her front yard and they took that job seriously. 
So, we have this special plant in our yard now that will always remind us of how Martha lives on.  She lives on in the stories she told us over and over again, they way she was kind to everyone no matter what, the way she made my kids feel like they were the most special little people in the world, and in our memories of her humor and laughter.   

Summer Fun

 I love looking back through our summer photos because it makes me realize just how much fun we really get to have. Sometimes it's easy to move quickly onto another activity and forget completely about the fun you had!  This blog is a way for me to re-live it all and I hope the kids will too. 

This summer has been full of adventures, baseball, friends visiting, lake days turning into lake nights, nature center camp, musical theater camp, and even strawberry picking.

 Andy & Nathan ran in the triathlon again and both did great. Right after they were done a huge storm picked up.  Thankfully everyone was alright but it was kind of scary.

 Brooks had his first experience with Camp Foster and he loved it. 

Bennett did day camp and enjoyed all the activities while Marie continued on with horse camp this year.

 On a random Tuesday night we decided to go to the drive-in movie to see "Lion King."  The kids were tired and so were mom and dad, but it was so much fun to cuddle up under the stars with popcorn.

 Each summer we wait until the end of the year to play the games at Arnold's Park...such a silly waste of their hard earned money but it is fun to watch these three compete against each other and the love it. 

This summer we had a wonderful nanny with the kids 2 days a week while I worked in my speech clinic. It was a bit of an adjustment for us all but it went smoothly and the kids had a lot of fun with her. 

Bennett is Seven!

 

 This kiddo is 7!

He is a smart, inquisitive, joker who is always looking for more information. 

Bennett wanted 2 things for his birthday: pizza and his buds playing games in the yard.  

  He was a little excited for this party :)  

Bennett, you are a wonder.  

You love to learn, you are always looking for a hug, you are so good at helping others and willing to try new things.  

Happy Birthday bud! We love you!