June Wrap-Up

We have been winging it with childcare so far this summer and it is all working out ok.

June included Cadie's school trip to Florida, all the kids at Sky Ranch while Grant and I went to Key West with Tom and Shauna Gray, Cadie and I celebrating Aunt Kathy's 70th birthday in Boise, PLUS...

• First week of summer Jack Ranger and Colton did baseball camp with the HP Scots. Neither one was a fan. I was trying to get them to try out different sports, I did not pick a winner with this one.
• Grant taking Cadie and Jack Ranger to New York for a quick weekend to see Coldplay. They loved it! I can't believe they squeezed this in right before Sky Ranch, but sounds like they had a blast. They left at 6am Friday morning and returned at 9am Sunday morning and then went to Sky Ranch Sunday afternoon. I don't know when they slept. They went to the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, saw BeetleJuice on Broadway, went to the Central Park Zoo with Russell, Katya and Alex Jonas (and Pearl the dog), ate cheesecake at Juniors, and went the Coldplay concernt and had an adventure getting on the bus back to the city.
• Cadie helping at Aunt Susan's cooking camp one final time! Aunt Susan has sold the camp to a friend and she is excited about taking on new adventures. 
• Colton at VBS with Nina and Ranger volunteering. Ranger liked it that he was old enough to volunteer! Sounds like he worked pretty hard, mostly supervising one of the playgrounds.
• Canton Balloon Festival and overnight at CRC with Kristie and Thomas Jacob.  Hot but fun!
• Colton did two camps at UP - 1) Drawing Animals and 2) Camp Invention. He thought they were ok but not great.
• Celebrating Aunt Becky's 70th birthday. Cadie and I were sad to miss because this was the same weekend we were in Boise celebrating Aunt Kathy's 70th.
• Ranger did the "Improv Comedy" class at Dallas Children's Theater and he was pretty funny in the final show. I made him to do because I believe he would be amazing on stage.
• Ranger went on the HPPC mission trip to Waco and loved it.
• Cadie went on the HPPC mission trip to Birmingham and she was having a great time - for 48 hours until someone got COVID and they had to come home early.

Celebrating Aunt Kathy's 70th in Boise

What a special weekend celebrating my Aunt Kathy's 70th birthday! B and Nina stayed with Aunt Kathy in her adorable townhouse. Cadie and I stayed with Alan, Shanna, Harriet and Oliver (Note: I had no idea how much Cadie loves Ollie). 

We arrived on Friday morning, departed on Sunday morning, and made the most of our 48 hours together. The weather was amazing and we spent lots of time outside. We had lunch at A'tavola when we landed (delish!) and then drove to a reservoir where only Cadie was brave enough to venture into the water, but we all enjoyed the view. That evening we ate outside at The Funky Taco and then wandered around a bit before enjoying ice cream and saying good night.

Cadie and I slept great in Shanna and Alan's super comfy guest room. On Saturday morning we went to brunch (including Harriet), an adorable Farmer's Market, and some shopping at local boutiques. Cadie and I found lots we liked and we were glad to leave our birthday presents with Aunt Kathy so we had some room for new clothes on the way home. 

We went to a winery in the afternoon and had a wonderful time talking about prayers and what is on our hearts right now. It was a gorgeous view with great drinks and charcuterie boards. Even Cadie was a cute non-alcoholic drink flight.

Saturday evening Alan and Shanna fixed an incredible meal. They even made everything so that it worked for B! No one was hungry. We facetimed for a short time with CJ and opened gifts and cards. Cadie and I got in the hot tub with Alan and Shanna after B, Nina, and Aunt Kathy left for home and then we slept like logs. 

I went on a short hike with Alan and Harriet on Sunday morning, and then Aunt Kathy came by to take Cadie, Nina and I to the airport. B was staying a bit longer. I just LOVED the time with family, getting to see beautiful Boise, and honoring Aunt Kathy who has played such a big role in my life and the life of my daughter. We love you Aunt Kathy!

Key West

We ate all the Key Lime pie! Anyone who hears about a Key Lime pie shortage, we apologize. We even ate dinner one night at a Sushi place, and they didn't have Key Lime pie. So Grant had to run across the street to get a Key Lime pie at another place right before they closed. Then we ate it at the table when we finished sushi! We were not kidding around with our Key Lime pie during our trip.

We did a wave runner tour, took a sunset cruise, brunched at Latitudes, ate Lobster, lounged at the pool at the Marriott Beachside, slept in, visited the Hemingway House, and drank lots of cocktails (mostly mojitos). It was great to spend time with Tom and Shauna. 

We dropped off the kids on Sunday afternoon. Our flight left at noon on Monday to Key West, we arrived back in Dallas late Friday afternoon, and picked up the kids Saturday morning. Grant and I actually spent the night on Friday in Van, TX after visiting the farm. We are super anxious for things out there to be finished. 

Thanks Sky Ranch for keeping our kids happy so we could spend time time together!

Sky Ranch: Cadie in Chamberlain (32)

This was Cadie's first year in Morph. She shared that the Bible studies were more in-depth and that they did additional teambuilding activities focused on trust and relationships. 

Cadie reports that it was not the best week at camp, but she looks like she is pretty smiley in the pics. I am also proud of her for receiving the Compassion award which says, "Cadie, When we think of you - we think all things compassionate! You have the best attitude and are always so loving towards other campers. We often admired this week the way that you showed compassion by thanking Sky Ranch staff, helping with trash at lunch, selflessly cleaning the cabin even when others weren't, or being willing to do a talk for a counselor without complaint. In conversations, it is clear that your compassion also exists at home with your friends. We love the way you see others' sides and give grace when others mess up or wrong you. We are so proud of you sweet girl!"

This was the first year that Avery and Cadie camped together. Grant and I loved getting to go to Key West while the girls were at Sky. More to come on that in the next post.