Monday, August 19, 2013

Dear Mom, The end of summer is always bittersweet.

week of August 12 – 18

For Exacto, the summer was already basically over. He spent the week at school for the band’s Spirit Camp.

Other final summer highlights. . . .

Catching potahto bugs. (That is how she pronounces it). She loves putting them in the roly-poly playground we got at Mardel in Arkansas.

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Are we the only people in the world that call them potato bugs? Everyone else seems to call them roly-polies or pillbugs. . . .

Epic Monopoly games in the basement. And I’m talking games that lasted for days! They had to create more money to keep playing! (Wish I had gotten a picture.)

Chalk portraits on the fence. This was unauthorized as well as impromptu when I was distracted with our friends who had come over for dinner!

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(Can you tell where our sprinklers hit the fence? Shocking waste of water, especially for Fort Collins, haha. :)

Last day of summer sports camp with some families from church.

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Nutella popsicles. (Idea from Pinterest, where else? :) They were yummy.

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Starting on the Granite Flats series. We are enjoying it, and it fills that dark void we all feel while we wait for Studio C’s next season. :)

I think our collective favorite part is always in the opening credits when the jello jiggles. :)

Going to the Spirit Camp grand-finale concert. Some serious energy going on at this concert! It was great!

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(Exacto’s in the shadow in the middle, right behind the clarinetist wearing a red cape.)

Garage-sale shopping. Hummer haggled them down to $3 for this lava lamp. It was a great way to meet our new neighbors! haha.

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(That is his current trademark picture-taking face. I suppose it’s better than a tantrum.)

A fun date with DC where we hung up “my dream” in the tree in our backyard, shared some Café Rio, and then spent hours just sitting on the grass by a lake and talking, talking, talking. It was awesome.

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But again, the highlight of this week, was the arrival of a baby.

This time, a new niece for us, courtesy of Bob and Dani in Aurora! Yippee!!! She is just beautiful.

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We took dinner down to them on Sunday. Chris’s sister also came over with her two kids, and we had a heavenly afternoon.

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(Cousins are the best! I love it when our kids get to be with them.)

And so, we bid goodbye to summer vacation. Thank you for teaching me to enjoy it and treasure it. Those childhood summer days you created for us growing up are some of my very best memories.

Love,

Michelle

3 comments:

llamitanan said...[Reply to comment]

Oh, I loved the pictures. I have fond memories of the summers when you children were growing up. You were a big help and encouraged the activities. Remember the Dailey Bailey or was it Bailey Dailey? Fun times!

Andrea said...[Reply to comment]

We also call them potato bugs, but now they are roly polys because that is what my kids grew up with in Arkansas. Some things change. Glad to see you are enjoying your new home.

The Hof family said...[Reply to comment]

I showed Jacob and Melissa the Rolly Polly playground picture and they were in Heaven when they saw it. I think I'll have to find one for them. The Nutella ice pops sound yummy. I'll have to try them for the kids some time. I know they would love them. Seems like you guys had a fun summer.