Summer Fun

I have some catching up to do on blogging about our Tahoe trip, but for now, just a quick photo post of some recent summer fun :) 

They liked riding with daddy because he wiggles the board and paddles super fast, making waves!!

'surfing'

Family fire...tho during the photo, the kids were off climbing...

Summer fun at Grandma D's

Ice cream celebration at Tucci for a great drop off for Ryder at the elementary school summer program Thursday!! (No tears after about 7 rough drop offs that took an hour +!)

Friday fun home with mom

Fun with friends

Loving summer!! It's felt pretty laid back without too much running around :)

Elementary School

This morning, Ryder started his first day at elementary school! Technically, he doesn't start Kindergarten until the fall, but he's doing the summer program at his school to help with the transition - getting to know some kids and getting to know the school before having to sit still and learn all day, too! It is also helpful for Shawn and I to work out the logistics with two drop-offs.

This morning, he came into my room at 5:45am, all dressed. I was sound asleep. I don't even think he said goodmorning. He just walked up to the side of our bed and said 'Should I brush my teeth now?' I had warned him that he'd have to be up and out the door much earlier than normal. Guess he was prepared! So we headed out with his backpack, lunchbox and a snack to eat in the car for a 6:30 drop off.

He didn't seem nervous at all. He was excited about seeing a friend from daycare and made jokes / silly talk all the way to the first classroom. He chose to be dropped off in the Building Room (lots of Legos) and was perfectly content with being left there. I think preschool was a big help with making drop off easy.

Logan, on the other hand, seemed to be more affected by the change. He woke up just as Ryder and I were heading out the door. He was crying, pushing the door shut and holding onto my leg - trying to prevent Ryder and I from leaving :( I guess we had spent enough time prepping Ryder, but maybe not enough prepping Logan.

Shawn picked him up and explained to him that it was just going to be the two of them hanging out together in the mornings from now on. He actually seemed receptive to that explanation and Shawn said he was an angel all morning (which I don't think is typical!).

So hopefully things continue to go this well, as we seem to be off to a good start :)

Friday Fun

I have been getting stuck in the habit of checking work emails on Fridays, so today it felt great to draw the line and leave an 'out of office' message for work.

I felt like I was able to really savor my time with the boys (and meet with the tailor to make my bridesmaid dress into a maternity dress & have another ultrasound for baby).

We went to the skatepark (they love this!!), to the playground, and walked along the lake to the library :)

Ryder: I'm pretending I'm relaxing in Huntington Beach! (Black chair)

Chillin...not sure why they don't do this at home ;)

Great morning with the munchkins :)

Duluth

For Memorial Weekend this year, we spent a coule days on Duluth. We decided to go for a number of reasons. I was missing a bachelorette party for an awesome friend (so this was a nice distraction), Shawn and I used to go to Duluth / Lutsen every year for our anniversary (no kids), and we had the long holiday weekend. But to the kids, it was all about a 'vacation'.

The boys were so excited because they love Duluth and looove hotel stays!

Our first stop was showing the boys Spirit Mountain where Shawn skied a ton in college.

Then, onto Canal Park Brewing for lunch. The huge bonus here was the kids could climb on the rock pile nearby while we finished eating in peace :)

We spent lots of time throwing rocks into the lake and trying to teach the kids how to skip rocks. They would do this all day if we let them.

We also got to watch the scenic train drive right by us from the lakewalk.

The kids were troopers with all the walking, so they were treated to ice cream both nights :)

Eating ice cream with a view.

Watching the shipping boats come in and out of the canal...

Lots of time walking to dinner and to the hotel along the lakewalk...and stopping to throw rocks...

Hiking Chester Creek...

Ryder pretended he was mountain biking on the trail the whole time, just like daddy used to in college (below)...

Hiking Enger Tower and enjoying the park...

On Saturday, the kids logged just about 7 miles of hiking!! Good training for our upcoming Tahoe trip ;)

Vintage thrift store find :)

On one of our nights, we received an upgrade to a suite! That made bedtime a lot easier (able to close the bedroom door) and meant we had a jacuzzi! 

You know it was a successful weekend when the kids pass out moments after being in the car on the drive home :)