Memorial Day Weekend Recap

The unofficial kickoff weekend to summer was just what we needed around here. After a successful but stressful week in Overland Park, Kansas for work, I needed these days in the worst way. My trip was extended 24 hours due to tornadoes at the airport and the inability for me to get home neither by driving or flying. I crammed into an underground tunnel with hundreds of strangers as the sirens sounded outside that airport, and my heart sank that Thursday night knowing I wasn't going to get home to my boys as planned. I'll spare you all the details, but I could write a book on that experience. I finally got home at noon on Friday afternoon ahead of the weekend and did something I hadn't done in well over four years. I turned off all the work email notifications on my phone and ignored that part of life until the following Wednesday. I unplugged, and it felt so good.

We kicked off that weekend with a casual and cozy Saturday morning. The forecast called for rain off and on all day so we took it as it came. I enjoyed a peaceful breakfast on the deck Saturday morning all by myself - dark thunder clouds rolling up above me and the final chapters of my mystery/thriller novel in my hands. It was the perfect ambiance to let myself exhale.

The rest of the day flowed just the same. We finally got our boat cleaned out, sat and taught Brandon how to play a game of card Golf while more thunder rolled in, sat out the downpour for about 30 minutes inside with more family card play and then finally got that boat out on the water for the first time this year.

We cruised the lake, were met at the shoreline by Papa Tim and Nana Deanne with a cooler of drinks waiting for us, and felt the peace of nowhere to be for what felt like the first time in a long time.

We ended our night with pizza and a movie - Independence Day - a favorite from my childhood and one the boys were eager to be introduced to before the sequel comes out this summer!

After an invite to join friends at Lake Ponderosa, we packed up the car Sunday morning and spent a full day out on the water. I didn't take many pictures because we were too busy having fun, but it was a great day. Greg raced that speed boat in circles for us all day long, playing into the boys' screams and laughter with every wave we sped across and over, Brandon got on the boating tube for the first time with our friend Cody, Jaden had the time of his life swimming in Party Cove, and we ate one amazing dinner to end our evening. We sat on Greg's deck overlooking the water during golden hour, as Dylan and "Dirt" played football with the boys on the lawn below, and feasted on the most delicious grilled brisket I've ever tasted. They worked on that meat from morning to dusk, and it was amazing. The speakers on that boat got a workout as we pumped music through them all day long, thanks to some fantastic Spotify playlists, and my heart melted over and over again as these teenage girls and college-aged boys helped take care of my kids all day long. We can't wait to go back again this summer - next time, kid-free. ;)

He looks scared, but he really enjoyed it! ;)

Party Cove was packed, and somewhere there are pictures of us floating around thanks to the drone that kept flying over our boat snapping pictures as we enjoyed beverages and deepening tan lines on the swimming platform. ;)

We spent Memorial Day Monday at the Falls for our first pool day of the year. We made plans to meet up with friends and felt that happy and familiar joy of returning to a place that feels like home to us in the summer. The winters are long but so worth it when we are able to come out from underneath them.

We had family over Monday night for grilled food and ice cream and dinner on the deck and ended our holiday with thunder and rain as we tucked the boys into bed - so incredibly sleepy and fulfilled. I then took Tuesday off as a day for myself. The boys went to school, I sat outside all morning reading and spent the afternoon inside napping and catching up on the DVR. I forced myself not to clean or organize or run errands and just let myself dive into all my guilty pleasures. Mama needed it.

 

A weekend full of water and bathing suits and good food and friends and a little bit of family. Summer is so good for the soul.

 



23/52

"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2016"

 

Jaden: Isn't he handsome?! I can't get over how big he looks lately. (I say that a lot - he won't stop growing). What a big week he's had. He was called in to pitch two innings in his first baseball game after only practicing pitching once, he received numerous awards at his awards assembly to close out 2nd grade - including the leadership award and his class P.E. award - the second time he's received that one in his three years of school. He secretly gave my cell phone number out to his friends and received phone calls while in the shower on Saturday morning, and he got to make a special field trip with his teacher to watch some professional basketball dunkers perform due to his performance on the Iowa Assessment tests this school year. Daddy told him over the weekend that in just six years we'd be teaching him how to drive. I told Daddy to be quiet. ;)

Brandon: I love seeing the world through his eyes. It's a big week for him, too. He got to attend a special pizza party for surpassing his goal and reading more than 2,000 minutes at home over the last nine months, he has a Kindergarten recognition ceremony during his last day of school tomorrow, and he has one stubborn loose tooth that's dangling by a thread and will NOT come out. Since we had to have the dentist pull the last one, we're really hoping this one gives up here pretty soon. He's having a really hard time eating anything at this point. Ask him how many days until Disney World and he can tell you the correct number every single time. How fun it's been for us to have this trip to look forward to together.

a day in the outdoors

A couple of weeks ago, Cody had the itch to return to his roots and do some fishing in his favorite fishing hole from his childhood days.

This little hidden gem is privately owned by some close friends of his and they have given him a welcome invitation to come and visit whenever he chooses. It turned out that this particular Saturday was the right day for it.

Warm - with temperatures in the low 80's - bright sun - and fish that were more than happy to bite all day long.

Papa Tim and Cody loaded up the truck with their old canoe, Nana Deanne and I loaded up the vehicle with snacks, drinks and sunblock, and we all drove 30 minutes outside of town to enjoy a day sitting at an old picnic table, watching our boys fish and splash and boat and climb the biggest sand hill you've ever seen.

Brandon lost a flip-flop at the bottom of the pond, I canoed for the first time in my life, Jaden caught so many fish that we lost count, and Papa Tim and Daddy managed NOT to tip the canoe over with both of them in it. That in itself made the day a success!

That sand hill. It was no small feat to reach the top and it was where Brandon spent most of his time. He loved it up there. I'm not sure if it was the view from the top - or the repeated sliding down and climbing back up that he enjoyed more.

We grilled water-side, developed our first hint of tan lines, stayed until dark and brought three fish and a canoe home with us.

These three fish - caught by Jaden and Brandon both - now swim in our little backyard pond and the canoe now sits next to our fishing boat on our own little piece of land. I guess we're collecting fish and boats now. I don't think I'd have it any other way. ;)

 

 It was a fun kickoff to all the adventure that summertime brings. Happy JUNE! :)

 

22/52

"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2016"

Jaden: I came down with a bad case of the hiccups last night while the boys were brushing their teeth before bed, and I did what I always do with hiccups - tipped my head back and held my breath for as long as I could to try and get rid of them. In the middle of holding my breath with my eyes closed, I felt his little hand come up and stroke my back, and when I opened my eyes, he had tears in his own eyes. I asked him why he was trying not to cry, and he said it was because he was worried about me holding my breath for so long. He didn't want me to die from it! He acts so tough and tries so hard to show us how old he's getting so much of the time, but underneath it all, he's still that sweet and sensitive little boy.

Brandon: We spent a day at the lake over the holiday weekend, and this one had his first boat tubing experience. He was eager and begging to do it until the moment arrived, and then he let his nerves get the best of him for a few minutes before - once again - showing us how brave he is and forging ahead to do it despite his fears. And sure enough, he loved it. It's one of the things I admire about him - how he doesn't let his fears hold him back from trying something he really wants to do - no matter how nervous he gets beforehand. We've seen so many cases of this in his young life. He's a brave and determined kiddo, and I believe he's going to soak all he can out of life.