This month we tried to squeeze in as many lake days as we possibly could before school started at the end of the month. The weather was pretty cooperative which was nice! Things have been calmer this month all around and that has been great!
Tyler and I set a goal this month to add weight training back into our workouts and we have both LOVED it! I am a total gym goer but Tyler...not so much. We found a time to do it that works for both of us and it has been really fun getting back into it. Plus, muscle memory is awesome...unlike losing fat...you see results pretty quickly.
Here's some of what happened in August:
Ailey drives!!
Ailey is now 15 which means she can take Drivers Ed. She wanted to practice driving before she takes the class this fall. This is Tyler's job! I can barely watch let alone be in the car with our children as they learn to drive. This was Ailey's first time behind the wheel and she did great! Dare I say it...much better than the first time both Reilly and Kameron drove the car. Tyler only sustained slight whiplash with her first attempts at braking! LOL. We let her practice in Kam's car (we're no fools) and at the middle school parking lot one Sunday afternoon.
The Return of Date Nights!
With things a bit calmer this month and no travel; Tyler and I were able to have some fun date nights and we even saw a movie! The first movie date in a long time. Date nights with cotton candy too? Even better.
My friend, Annie, recommended this movie to me and she was right! We LOVED it!! It was so good and absolutely hilarious!!
Mission Prep!
Kameron filled out his online mission application forms. We are now waiting on his dental situation. He still has to have his crown put on and get the all clear from his dentist. He also just finished up several months of PT on his knees and hip and needs to get his physical form signed by his doctor. Slowly but surely his is making progress. He is getting antsy as all of his friends have left for either their missions or for college this week.
More Lake Days!
The girls and I had another lake day! We LOVED these!
Like mother like daughter! LOL.
Author Nights!
One of Ailey's favorite books is Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Chin. She read it in 6th grade and absolutely loved it! She wanted Bryn to read it this summer and Bryn did and loved it too. Bryn had just finished reading it when I saw that the author Grace Lin was coming to Spokane to speak. We had to go!
It turned out to be such a fun night! I love going to hear authors speak. It is one of my very favorite things to do! Tyler likes it too so even he came along. I love having a husband who is a reader and who "gets" it.
Grace Chin was wonderful and the girls adored getting to meet her and getting their book signed. It was quite exciting!! After that we went out for ice cream and had a fun night together.
School Shopping!
This year we got a jump start on our back-to-school shopping. That never happens. One day we did all the school supply shopping which is always a nightmare on its own and went out for lunch.
(We actually went out to lunch a couple of times this month. That was a fun treat to do with the girls. It was nice having a little more down time.)
Later in the month we did the back-to-school clothes and shoe shopping. Breaking it up into two different days in two different weeks was so nice and much less frantic. Perhaps it was also only having to do the back-to-school shopping for two now. It was weird...and pretty quick!
Dinners on the deck!
We especially enjoyed dinners outside on the deck with the patio lights and candles. We ate outside quite a lot this month and loved it. It was so relaxing to eat, have good conversations, linger over dinner, then move to the lounge chairs, and look up at the stars all while talking to my favorite peeps and cuddling a cute puppy. Reilly came over a couple of nights by herself and it was great to catch up with her and to hear all that is going on in her life.
Girls Days!
We went to Coeur d' Alene quite a bit this month. My mom partially retired from the vintage business meaning that she will no longer do shows but she has a booth at our friend Megan's antiques store called Midtown Market in Coeur d' Alene. They were moving their store to a larger location so one day Kelley and I met my mom and helped her move all of her stuff to the new location and then we went out for sushi. A couple of days later that same store had a big grand opening and Ailey, Bryn, and I met my mom for another girls day which was a lot of fun!
We went out to lunch at one of my favorite places...Woops Bakery. It is so cute!
I love the black and white decor!!
Even More Lake Days!
This year we came out a bunch during the week...not just on the weekends... and that was so nice and relaxing. We were able to do a bunch of paddleboarding and not have to worry about dodging boats.
Car Repairs!
Coming back home from the lake on this particular day our Suburban broke down which was quite the adventure. It was in the shop for over a week. Multiple mechanics could not figure out what was wrong with it and had to bring in two specialists from other shops to try to figure out the issue. We had a very expensive repair and got quite a few things repaired that weren't the cause of our initial issue. We have never had mechanics not be able to figure out what was wrong before. It was quite the mystery. They did eventually figure it out and gave us a bit of a discount for the amount of time it took to do so. Good grief. Cars are such a pain sometimes.
Walking Beverly!
We have spent A LOT of time walking Bev! She has so much energy to burn. Good thing she likes to go for long walks and is doing great! She's up to three miles now!!
Three Miler Bev!!
Bryn is a very proud puppy mama!
(Bryn has also spent all summer in braids and space buns and I am all for it! Summer hair don't care!)
Dance Team started up again!
Toward the end of the month dance team started up and Ailey had practice nearly every day of the week! Their choreography weeks were pretty intense but Ailey enjoyed it and seems happy to be back despite it being the harbinger of the upcoming school year.
Funky Junk Prep!
This is a fun show that I look forward to every year! So while the summer was winding down for the kids it was also winding down for me as my work picked up again.
Tyler assisting me with my thrifting! This finger was purchased...for Kam. LOL. Family joke...every time I see it in his room I laugh!
We literally tried to be at the lake as much as possible on any day that we didn't have something going on.
Bryn looking entirely too grown up these days...and with the infamous space buns!
Many traditional jumping shots were taken and perfected during our lake days:
In addition to that fabulous jumping...LOL...Bryn also got really good at diving and paddleboarding. Both she and Ailey had so much fun out on the water this summer!!
Then all too quickly it was time to go back to school...
And then there were two!
It was very weird only getting two kids out the door for the first day of school. We were also really missing Kam because last year he drove he and Ailey to and from school and seminary. This year I will be driving once again. Ailey doesn't turn 16 until the end of June so no driving this year for her except with us in the car. Boo. Kids driving does have its perks!
Ailey went slightly dressier as she likes to do!
Bryn did want us to accompany her into the school and we were glad that she still let us! Although she did NOT allow me to take a picture of her at her desk this year. :(
Bryn was so happy to get our family's favorite teacher Mrs. A. We love her so much! She taught Kam and Ailey and Reilly rotated into her classroom for different subjects too when they used to do that. We have known her for so many years and adore her. When we walked in she ran over for hugs and said "The Last of the Mohicans!" She promised not to retire before Bryn got her and she has fought hard (and continues to fight hard not to do it). She was diagnosed with cancer over the summer and will have a team teacher for the days that she has and recovers from treatment. Mrs. A is a force to be reckoned with and this cancer doesn't stand a chance.
After the school drop off Tyler and I went out for breakfast as is our tradition. This year we had a little friend with us! Right after school got out the three of us headed up to Sandpoint, Idaho to set up for Funky Junk which was that weekend.
Funky Junk!
This was the theme for the show this year. It is always Labor Day weekend and that is the weekend that my brother Kirk and his family usually come to town which makes it extra fun! I did this show by myself (and with Tyler) which was extra extra fun!!
This was the entry display this year. I loved it! Vintage forestry items...very cool!
The show was great and I made good money so that's even better. But I have to say that the highlight of the show were a few of my favorite customers!! LOL.
Kirk, Ramon, my nephew Tarren, Meki, and Jordin
Look what happens when your brothers are let loose at your vintage show!!
Even your nephew gets put to work! Ha ha!
Labor Day Weekend!
This was such a great weekend...one of the best! We stayed out at the lake with Kirk and Meki and their family. Reilly and Hunter came out each day. Jordin and Ramon and their kids were out as well. It was such a fun and enjoyable weekend!! NO DRAMA!! I loved it! It was good to see Kirk and Meki again especially after last month and all that they have been going through. It was nice to just have some darn fun for once!!
The weather was absolute perfection!!
On Saturday of Labor Day weekend my cousin Kellen and his family came to stay. This was actually quite momentous. As I have mentioned before when my Grandma died it was like a bomb going off that destroyed my extended family. She died two years ago and my extended family has been estranged for those two years. Since then we have had very little contact with our cousins, aunts, and uncles. The lake house was sold to my mom and it became her permanent residence which meant that my aunts and uncles got paid their share of the sale of the home and property but it was no longer a vacation home for everyone. A lot of other crap went down as well and a lot of damage done. My heart broke for my cousins who love this place as much as I do and who haven't been able to come out and stay.
Kellen is my mom's sister's son. My mom and her sister have a somewhat tumultuous relationship but Kellen has been good to reach out and has made a point to see my mom when he is in the area. Last year we all met up for lunch at the Daft Badger with two of my uncles and things were a little awkward but I was glad that we made the effort to do so. Then when I was in Utah Kirk and I decided on a whim to go and watch Kellen race. Kirk went again another time and saw two more of our cousins...two of Kellen's brothers... and all of that helped to make the weekend possible.
Kellen and Kirk
I think Kellen said it best in his Instagram post so I am going to quote it here:
“It’s just a house. The last few years I have said that over and over to myself. I spent most of my childhood summers in this house. I always figured the memories I cherished were based off of the people they were made with, not the building they occurred in. That’s partially true. My aunt bought the place when granny died. I was unsure if and how that would change the feel. We were lucky enough to come out yesterday afternoon to spend a few days here again. Brains are interesting. As I turned down the hill toward the cabin I was 8 years old again flooded with memories. We got out of the truck and were greeted by some of the same cousins from my earliest memories. We’ve laughed in the same spots as always. We had boats filled with kids enjoying watching and trying new things. Steve was at the wheel of his old boat driving and coaching the 2nd and 3rd generations of this family how to ski and foot. We had funny, serious and reminiscent conversations on and around the dock as always. Laughed about getting yelled at for swimming past the “Long Dock.” We skipped rocks until our arms were shot. We enjoyed great food and drink. Sitting in the office I can still hear, “I was wondering!” In Pops’s voice. We tucked our kids into the same bunk beds we slept in as kids. Currently I am relaxing listening to the loud comforting hum of the light outside the sleeping porch... It is just a house, But damn I love the memories it brings back and new memories it’s helping create. I am already looking forward to next time..."
The lake house should still be filled at times with our aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children. I understand how hard this situation has been for our cousins. It would be agonizing for me too. I am just so glad that some healing has occurred with a few of our cousins and it gives me hope that it can happen with the rest of our cousins over time too. In fact, one of my cousins texted me yesterday to say that she would be in town and wanted to meet up. She will also stay at my mom's house for a night. Progress.
Lola (Kellen's daughter) and Bryn had so much fun together! It was instant love! Isn't that amazing? It's been several years since Bryn has seen Lola and it was like they had never been apart. They loved their cousin-ness. They also thought that they looked just like sisters and kept asking me to take their pictures. They also wanted their hair done the same way each day. Thanks Ailey! You are a trooper! It was so cute to watch them have so much fun together.
 |
| Lola, Bryn, Ailey, Oliver, Kirin, and Kaiya |
Ailey and Kaiya also had a great time being back together!! I am so glad that we did that crazy Texas trip! We made so many great memories that we were dying laughing about while all together again. It was so nice to be with Kirk and Meki again and to be able to relax and laugh.
I just can't say enough Labor Day. We had such an incredible weekend! Family, good friends, the lake, Funky Junk, Coeur d' Alene, cousins, cousins, and more cousins. There was a lot of love, good talks, and laughing until I was crying more times than I can count! Not to mention boating, tubing, wakeboarding, barefooting, skiing, kayaking, paddleboarding, swim competitions, late night talks on the dock, shooting stars, and we even saw the Northern Lights!
On Labor Day Monday we met up with even more family which was so fantastic! My cousin Paul and his family were also in town. Tyler and I and the kids (Hunter included) met them at the Coeur d' Alene Resort for brunch. We had such a great time! After that we all met up with Kirk and Meki and family, Jordin and Ramon and family, and my mom.
Quinn and Zoey joined in on the cousins fun!!
Later we went and ate at Hudsons Hamburgers which was my grandpa's favorite place to go. It brought back a lot of great memories!!
Yes, we ordered cheeseburgers and buttermilk just like Grandpa!!
Then it was back to the lake for more swimming, boating, and fun! Kellen left that morning but Kirk and Meki didn't leave until Tuesday so we got in one more day with all of them.
Hunter in his lake outfit...LOL.
Bryn tried wakeboarding for the first time this weekend and got up on her first try! That was super exciting! She loved it! Ailey is also getting to be a good wakeboarder too. They had a blast on the water. I wish I took more pictures. So many memories were made and shared with people that I love! Not a bad way to end the summer!!
It is hard to believe that it is already September...
0 comments:
Post a Comment