Because I'm Happy

My current view: my front yard where my dog is rolling around in the grass to get relief, an old man taking a leisurely walk around town with his cane to boot, my coffee mug that says "Good Things Happen Over Coffee", my 14,000 Things to be Happy About book, one of my littles sitting next to me with his car mat, silently running his matchbox cars over the carpeted roads, and I'm feeling happy. So very happy to be alive.

Every year as the school year draws to a close, I spend a great deal of time getting excited about summer: writing bucket lists, making plans with friends, going on pinterest to find fun ideas, and in all reality, setting really high expectations. I know that the fun in planning summer is truly just the excitement I get from all the potential that three months of summer holds, and that more often than not, a lot of my big "plans" don't ever happen.

I've reflected a lot this week on how fast the summer has gone, what we've done, and wondered if I've wasted a lot of time doing "nothing". This morning was a pretty perfect morning. This is the first time I've resisted waking up early to enjoy the stillness of morning this summer, and that makes me a little sad. My house is also a lot less clean than it is during the school year, and virtually no project I intended to get done has been done. So there's that. However, since I've had time this morning to ponder, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is a waste of time as long as you enjoy doing it. I rarely get to sleep in during the year, so I make up for it in the summer, and my house is just going to get messy a few hours after I clean it, so why not enjoy other things instead. The work will always be there.

We've done a lot more than I give myself credit for. We've spent a lot of time at the pool, at ball games, playing at the park, having picnics, going to the library, meeting up with friends for coffee, spending a quick getaway to Wisconsin, boating with family and friends, going to a concert, going to the lake, shooting fireworks, going out for frozen yogurt, going to the movies, riding our bikes, and the list goes on.

Friday the calendar will change again. Another clean slate of potential and possibilities, and also the transition back to school. I'm in a limbo of feelings right now. I always get this way as summer winds down. Right now, I'm feeling a lot of things: sad that summer is drawing to a close, anxious to see whether or not my room will be ready to move into before school starts, excited to see my colleagues and friends that I don't get to see often during the summer, a little mixed about my youngest little going to Kindergarten knowing it's the end of the "baby years". But with that, I still have roughly 3.5 weeks to suck the marrow out of summer and possibly still feel productive. We're going to make it good.

And just because it makes me feel excited and gives me things to look forward to, I'm going to jot down a list of all the fun stuff we plan to do before we go back to school. :)

*Annual school shopping date with Jaedyn and my mom
*Make the most of pool days
*Take the boat out a few more times
* Wake up early enough to have coffee on the front porch in the morning
*Go for more walks/runs
*Purge clothes from our closets
*Blog more
*Read more blogs
*Find fun ideas for my classroom
*Read magazines
*Spend quality time with people I love
*Calico Skies

I'm sure there are so many more things we will do in the ebb and flow of our days, but I'm excited to see where August takes us. :) Happy Hump Day!!

Ode to Highschool....and Boats.....and Camp.....and Other Summerish Things

There are many reasons I could never be a stay at home mom. For starters, I can't get out of bed. I love to sleep. LOVE to sleep. And when my kids can sleep until 10:00, it's hard not to do the same. Second of all, it doesn't matter how much I clean because 8.4 minutes later, it looks no different than it did before I cleaned it. I find that so very frustrating, so I don't do that a lot either. No, I don't think staying home would work well for me. So we will enjoy the "3" months of freedom and be productive when we can.


Baseball season has come to a close. It's bittersweet. It frees up a lot of our nights, but the boys live for ball season, so it was hard to watch it end. Hospers has had a lot of little boys in t-ball the past few years. Because of that, they've had to split up into two teams. Coach Mike set up an "All-star" game this year to wrap up the season. There was so much thought put into this game. Playing under the lights, music in between innings, calling their names as they bat, decorating their dugouts, new t-shirts and best of all TROPHIES were just a few of the amazing details that made this game great. The boys won't soon forget it. Mike has done an amazing job coaching these boys. The dedication and heart he has for them is amazing. Thanks Mike and all the other coaches for a great season!

I haven't made the time to upload all of the pictures of 4th of July weekend, but the ones I got on my phone suffice in sharing the wonderful time we had! Dan had off both the 3rd and the 4th which was awesome. We didn't have any huge plans, but filled up our time with friends and family which always equals a great time!

Uncle Jerry and Aunt Monica came home for the 4th and we celebrated their 25th anniversary! We love them so!

Any excuse for froyo is a good one. Grabbing a quick bowl before we hit up the fireworks at the village.

At the open field a very nice family let's us set up shop for the fireworks show. After a bottle of bugspray and some jackets, the kids played catch, rolled down the hill and caught fireflies until the fireworks started!

We went to Lost Island Lake on Sunday with my mom and Dave, not realizing that the water was PURE green. Like somebody could have dumped green paint in the water and it would have been the same thing. I didn't do any swimming needless to say, and while we left early, we still enjoyed some sun and fun.

Some of the boys left early to fish with Grandpa, making their trip very worth it!

Car selfies are a must.

This one....she's a keeper.

Jaedyn spent the 4th with the Prescotts up at Cutty's. Since she was going to be gone for 4 days, come home for 12 hours, and go to camp for a week, we made the trip to the lakes to spend a day with friends on the pontoon. Great day!

Jumping off the boat with dad! It's a hot one.

This one may have had a little sea sickness, either that or was just really tired. She took a break to lounge and be adorable.

If ever there were two peas in a pod.....it's these two.

Hot weather calls for jumping in the water for a dip!

Wasn't scared for long. This boy's getting brave!

I've always loved that the kids have Hospers friends and school friends. It makes living here a heck of a lot easier, but when summer comes around, it's hard to go so long without seeing some of those friends that you are used to seeing every day. Needless to say, Jaedyn was ecstatic to spend the week at camp with some of her school friends. She went to Wilderness camp for the first time, and it was a bonus that it wasn't a requirement to shower every day!

Excited to head off!

A little dirtier and a bit more tired, but ready to sleep in their own beds after a fun week at camp!

For many many years, Dan and I have had discussions about whether or not to get a camper or a boat. We both grew up camping, but I'm not exactly the outdoor type. I can do it, and we have, but if given the choice, I'd rather have a boat than a camper. We knew we'd never be able to afford a new boat, and decided that if we ever bought one, it would be an old one in good condition. We've spent many years pulling over on the side of the road to check out boats that were for sale, and after many years of searching, we found one! So after many days and weeks of research and conversation, we decided that our family is at a perfect place right now to get one. The kids couldn't be more excited!!

1992 Sunbird

What's even better is that Dawn and Brent have one too, so when we want to go up with our group of friends, we have more space and can enjoy the water together! We took it out for it's debut on Sunday, and have decided that it's a keeper! Here's to many more fun days on the water!

Packing up

Ready for boating! He needed to match Brent. Forgot to get a picture of the two of them with their patriotic headwear.

All kinds of excited!

Special friends!

I heart her.

Fishing on the pontoon

They were a hurting unit on Monday after they asked for a beating!

These two.

My 10 year high school reunion was this past weekend as well. It was fun getting to see old friends and classmates from high school.

Class of 2004

Still love these girls

Other summerish things we're enjoying:

Getting my hair done. Renee you are amazing.

The pool obvs.

Tea parties with blue kool-aid and fine china on a rainy day.

Getting in a workout- err day

Box forts. Duh.

The polar vortex has been nice this week. We've had lots of things to do, so I didn't feel so bad leaving the house and not going to the pool. Today may finally bring some sunshine, so the pool we will hit. Busy weeks ahead with some birthday fun and a mini vacation! Have a great Thursday!