Naomi looking super cute in her 4th of July outfit!
Marshall was in on the action with us. We were about to head up to Mom's house to celebrate her birthday and Independence Day!
Hanging out in the afternoon -- shooting off fireworks and swinging.
Helping Mimi put up her tiki torches.
Happy to spend another 4th with my cousin, Seanna
Heather and her kids joined us this year, which doesn't always get to happen! So we were excited to have everyone together for part of the day.
Our newest tradition includes going to the Falls City pool for part of the afternoon.
The girls had fun splashing and going down the slide. Levi went off the diving boards for the first time! Both low and high! Uncle Paul and Daddy put him through the ropes of treading water and jumping in and getting himself out and he passed the test.
Miriam's 6th birthday!
The girls and I had fun going to Miriam's dance recital on July 10!
Miriam looking cute in her tap outfit!
Mama and daughter getting ready together
We rode bikes, ate lunch meat and chips and a special treat -- glutino oreo cookies! It was hot, but we splashed in the water and had fun anyway. The kids found a snake, Zoë did some nature journaling and we had a great time together as a family.
Then we decided to ride the train before we left.
Choo! Choo! It's a fun little train ride, right next to the trail. The kids have fun going through the dark tunnel :)
Peas from our garden! I wasn't sure if we'd get any, so I was happy, even for so few.
It was a pretty rainy month. One morning the kids were downstairs in the sub-basement and saw frogs hopping in the window well. So they went outside and captured them. They had a lot of fun playing with them that morning. When the kids came in for lunch, the frogs/toads promptly hopped away to somewhere more quiet and safe -- ha ha!
Aunt Teresa and her family went on vacation, so we walked and fed Maverick every evening. One day we brought him over for a doggy play date and they had a blast! They played until they were exhausted and have become good friends. Hopefully we will get to have more times for them to hang out together.
The last weekend of July we went up to the Platte County fair on Saturday morning. Zeke is interested in participating in 4H this year, probably in robotics or other STEM activities. We went to the horse, swine, and poultry shows and then went to the exhibit building to check out some of the kids' exhibits, which included a robot!
Before we left on our trip, I tried on my wedding dress after 13 years! I was happy it fit and the kids all had fun seeing it after we've told them stories about our wedding. It made it come more alive for them. I had noticed a few years back another lady who wears her wedding dress on her anniversary every year and I thought it could be fun to do something like that too.
Jeremiah dressed up for a picture too {top half - ha!}
These kids are the best!
Headed out early Monday morning (7/27) from the KC airport
This was our beach the first night, the water totally disappeared! It was low tide, but it still felt a bit bizarre as to such a dramatic change.
The next morning we explored the beach to the south and walked out as far as the tide allowed.
Then we went kayaking at Broad Creek marina. It was the first time I'd gone kayaking, so I was feeling pretty nervous, but Jeremiah assured me he'd stay near. It was intimidating at first because the water the moving pretty fast and the wind was blowing too. It took me a bit to get the paddling down, but by the end I was feeling quite a bit more confident and ready to go on another excursion. Also my muscles were very tired :) But we saw a couple of dolphins and had a great guide that has lived in the area for 21 years and was well-versed in the highlights of the area.
The view from our Air BNB condo.
For our anniversary dinner we ate a very nice dinner at Skull Creek Dockside. This was Jeremiah's plate
Mine was delicious, scallops, crab cake, stuffed shrimp, veggies, and whipped potatoes.
Our last morning (7/29) we went exploring for about 1.5 miles to the north. We found this horseshoe crab shell.
And this enormous mound/area of thousands of shells!
We had a great few days away and were very thankful for the chance to go somewhere to celebrate our anniversary! We realized that this was actually our first airplane trip together as just a couple! We've gone places separately and with the kids, but never just us. So I think it felt even more special because of that as well. Once we got back from our trip it was time to prepare for Zoë's 5th birthday and the start of school! Stay tuned for more about those.
To life... full of exploring new places!
