Summer is coming to a close, and with that in mind I wanted
to share what we were blessed to be able to do.
I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Andy and the boys this
summer. Last school year was my first
year of teaching and let's just say I was slightly busy for 10 months. My men (Andy and the boys) were a huge
support to me all school year long but I worry that this placed a strain on
them a bit too often. There's a few
changes that we're making this school year because of that. Nathan (my 6 year old) will be going to
school in my district this year instead of in the district where we live. I have about an hour commute to work, and
initially I felt this would be too much for him. However, after realizing his days last the
same amount of time either way, Andy and I both felt it would be better if
Nathan was with me during the day. This
means that instead of finally seeing him for the first time that day at 6 pm, I
will now see him in the morning before school and immediately after
school. I think anytime a parent is more involved in
their child's life that child's quality of life goes way up.
June
Anyway, in the spirit of making some quality family memories
we had an absolutely amazing and fun-filled summer. First off- California visiting family and
Disneyland.
Nathan and I rode the Dumbo ride together. He's not as much of a fan of selfies as Josh is.
One of my absolute favorite pictures. We're going to have to get a frame for this one.
Josh was a trooper even with the full day of activities. This storybook boat ride and its gentle rocking was too much for him.
Nathan has been transformed into a Star Wars fan after this trip to Disneyland. I'm ecstatic about this since I'm a big fan as well.
My selfie king! I can always count on Joshua to give me the goofiest faces when it comes to selfies.
In case it's not completely obvious we had an amazing time! Andy and I hadn't been to Disneyland since our Honeymoon in 2007 and it was such a great experience to share our favorite places and rides with the boys. I was surprised at how much we were still able to do with younger kids. They boys were real troopers too, they never complained and nary a tantrum to be had in the happiest place on earth. We only had one day to spend there and boy did we make it count! If you're ever in Tomorrow Land I highly recommend the make your own lightsaber station. That was by far Nathan and Josh's favorite souvenir. They were able to customize everything from the handles to the colors.
We did have one scary moment in Disneyland that occurred right after we exited the Buzz Lightyear ride. Disneyland is oh so crafty with their marketing and manages to conveniently have their patrons exit this ride directly into a gift shop. Well played Disney, well played. So as the boys, Andy, and I are looking around at all the nostalgic Disney paraphernalia we manage to become separated. This is where we made a horrible and scary mistake.
Andy assumed I had Josh, and I assumed Andy had Josh. I finally decide I'm finished looking around and exit the store to find Andy and Nathan waiting for me. "Where's Josh?" I ask. "I thought he was with you" Andy replies. My heart instantly falls into my stomach. I go back into the store to confirm what I already know, Josh is not in there. I walk back up the exit towards the ride and ask the employees standing there if they've seen a three year old boy. No such luck. By this time, it feels as though an eternity has passed. I'm pushing back panic because I know that won't help anyone. I calmly walk back down the ramp and inform the employee at the counter that I have lost my son.
By this time it felt as though forever had passed, although it really had probably only been five minutes at the most. This is the amazing and wonderful thing about Disneyland. Security already had Josh! We hadn't even reported him missing yet but they had already noticed that a three year-old shouldn't be walking around by himself. Where was he you ask? All the way back at the entrance to Tomorrow Land. He wanted to see the train. The train, the thing we had already gone on and circled around the entire park. Apparently he hadn't had enough of the train. I can't express enough to everyone how much this kid loves trains. He obsesses over them. He will carry around trains all day long and then sleep with them. I should have thought of this, but I didn't.
After I finished my crying from relief we continued on with our fun-filled day. I watched him like a hawk the entire time. I have never felt that level of panic over anything in my life up to that point. I cannot imagine what life would be like if anything happened to either of my kids, and those few agonizing minutes brought that idea way too close to home. I am so grateful to the efficiency of Disneyland's employees. They are amazing, and they were my superheroes that day.
Along with visiting Disneyland we got to see most of our family members. The hardest part about moving to Wyoming (Andy and I both grew up in California) is how much me miss our families. Our boys got to reacquaint themselves with their cousins, and it was so much fun to see how quickly they became best friends again. I amount of love and laughter that filled every day will keep me going until we can see each other again. I hope it is sooner rather than later.
While visiting family the boys were able to visit a genuine zoo. While Wyoming has plenty of wild animals for our viewing pleasure, there's not much in the way of zoos close by. They had so much fun seeing the different animals and they even got to feed the giraffes! I think one of their favorite parts about the Fresno Zoo was all the animal statues around the park. They had to stop and pose with almost every single one. Note the excitement below:
July
By the time July hit we were pretty exhausted from our road trip to California. 36+ hours in the car will do that to a family. We stuck close to home for the rest of the summer and enjoyed the 4th of July festivities and camped in some of the most gorgeous places on Earth.
The boys made quite the haul with the parade and all the entries throwing candy for kids. Our hometown knows how to throw some great parades and celebrations.
Annnnnd my selfie king is making his appearance again. This kid loves to make goofy faces.
Camping in the Bighorn National Forest and West Yellowstone was very relaxing and peaceful. I don't think camping will every get old for us, we're big fans.
Poor Dolly was exhausted by the end of a 2 mile hike into the mountains. She's just not as spry anymore, it brings a few tears to my eyes. On that note I've seen pictures floating around on Facebook with people putting their dogs into backpacks while they're hiking. I just may need to do this for her. You can't judge until your dog becomes a senior citizen.
True to Golden Retriever nature, both Dolly and Ashlee showed no hesitation in testing out the creek waters.
Just look at that gorgeous view! I really can't complain about where I live.
Happy after a day of hiking.
The boys are excited about the campfire and the eminent s'mores! Yes, they are in pajamas while its still light outside. It was already 8:30 pm folks. The north has daylight for a long time in the summer.
This was our second camping trip. This was our campsite in West Yellowstone. Absolutely breathtaking. Again, no complaints here.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Elk in the town of Mammoth. I got more of a kick out of watching the tourists than I did the Elk. Obviously a sign that says Danger should be ignored. Wildlife are not petting zoo animals people.
Mammoth Hot Springs. I'm seriously spoiled that this is practically in my backyard.
I would post about August, but really August is just like one long Sunday night for teachers. I've spent the last few weeks researching, attending meetings and professional developments, and readying my classroom for my students. I have to admit, I'm getting pretty excited for another school year!
So, what did you all do for summer fun? Do you have any gems in your home state that make you feel blessed to call it home? Feel free to share!
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