Summer R&D

In between the "big stuff" we plan for the summer, we find ways to entertain ourselves around the house. We answer the burning questions we don't have time to address during the school year. 

Like:

Can I paint my sisters whole face with acrylic paint before mom notices?

Can I create a huge slime bubble and encase the top of the stool in the very slime mom will not allow any where near her skin? 

Are chocolate chips perfectly suited to nestle in the valleys of a waffle?

Is popping boba better that regular boba?

Are papusas still super crazy delicious?

Answer key: yes, yes, yes, yes and YES!

A teenager no more

 Mathew is officially TWENTY!

He's living up in Idaho, working at a hospital and doing IT. He's so grown up!

He got a fantastic birthday haircut:

I know he's all grown up, but I still see this little guy peeking through:

He made the time-honored Chocolate Lover's Favorite Cake and it looks like it turned out perfectly.

We gathered on Facetime to sing to him...even though he was out on a walk. (When you don't have a car, you're always out on a walk). I hope everyone within earshot could tell how much we love him!

It took a couple extra days, but eventually his gifts arrived. 

Olathopoly!

And a guitar that almost didn't make it out to him because the shipping was so expensive. Luckily, Mark figured out that if he sold it to Mathew over Reverb for a dollar, the shipping would be much more affordable. 

Dad always finds a way!

Happy 20th, my sweet little monkey man!

Brace yourself

 He hasn't changed a bit. 

Under the knife

 While we were exploring in St. Louis, Mark had an unfortunate accident while doing a box jump at the gym. He knew instantly that he had really hurt his knee. He went in for an MRI and they confirmed that he had torn his ACL. He also had some additional damage on his meniscus. 

I was BUMMED. 

He needed to wait for the swelling to go down before they could operate. 

Finally the day arrived. He was ready to get this behind him and start recovering.

He said his goodbyes...

Coming out of anesthesia and hearing the new that the surgeon trimmed the meniscus was pretty hard for him to hear. He had hoped it could be repaired. 

Getting him in the car wasn't easy. He was so sick and struggling to stay awake. I was glad that Mark Anderson insisted on being there when it was time to get him from the car to the house. 

So he waits. He heals and does his physical therapy. 

He comes to the gym to see friends and get out of the house.

He takes terrifying picture of his staples. And maybe shares them on social media without warning. 

I'll be so glad when he's not hurting and can get back to doing all the things he loves. 

FSY for Laney

 I couldn't convince her to pose with her snacks....but I did get a pretty sweet shot of the banana sheets!

I received ZERO photos while she was gone. But this one is enough to make it all worth it. 

And check out the short haircut! Sports Clips girl wasn't afraid!

Peaches

 His little hands!

Father's Day 2023

Daughters, huffmuffins, pork babacoa and a healthy(ish) treat. 

I love it when I get help with the chopping and cooking. 

He's our favorite!

Sports Clips

 When Laney says she wants a short cut....she really means it. 

But we can't seem to find someone brave enough to go for it. 

Then we realized....we should go to the place where short cuts and hair clippers are the norm.

She's hopeful!

I love it! She's so beautiful!

Stay tuned.....

Chores and Sunshine

Good for the soul.

KU Orientation

This is starting to feel very real. 

All checked in!

Purchased a cute freshman hoodie from the bookstore!

Post-orientation car nap. 

She's gonna be amazing. 

Back to Kansas

Time to say our goodbye's and start driving home. 

I love this place and I'm grateful that my family (old and new) has found it's way back here. 

We spied a moose on the way out!

Traveling with my girls has been a pleasure! They are easygoing and up for trying weird roadside cuisine. 

Until 2025! 

Moon Lake Monday

We had a lot to fit in today. We gotta make the most out of all that Moon Lake has to offer. We leave in the morning!

But first! We need to drive down the road a ways so we can get a signal, call dad, check our emails and not loose our daily streak on Lingvano and DuoLingo. The little girls don't have phones, so they weren't up for the drive. 

We made our way to the beach. Jordan leveled the sand for Mom's camp chair. He's a good egg. 

I'm forever amazed at how kids can acclimate to cold water. 

My feet go numb after a few seconds, but these two are happily excavating this huge log. 

The cousins spent every cent of their allowance at the lodge. I remember how wonderful that freedom was when I was a kid. Sneaking off and coming home with a candy bar or can of soda just for me. Kit Kat and a rootbeer. That's the taste of Moon Lake.   

We made to feed our little porch pirate before we got too involved with our own activities. He's wasting away to nothing!

More games with Aunt Bri! 

I did my best to broil some cookies (flipping them like pancakes works pretty well!)

And the kids settled in with a generous supply of paint pens and the flat rocks I illegally swiped from the dry Roaring River bed last week. 

We exude coolness. 

Ethan missed the whole thing. And I'm pretty sure he's not mad about it.