The first 30 days...

If you have kids, or even if you don't, you might recognize this Phineas and Ferb theme song;

"There's 104 days of summer vacation

And school comes along just to end itSo the annual problem for our generationIs finding a good way to spend it..."

Our first 30 days of summer vacation have been pretty busy and pretty darn tiring.  We're trying to pack a bunch of stuff in.  Every year the kids make a summer vacation 'bucket list'.  While we've only crossed off a couple of activities so far, I'm confident we will, hopefully, finish our list successfully!  We've got a lot to do to accomplish that task, time to pack it all in before the 104 days is up!  

It turns out this single mom stuff is pretty dang tiring.  There are NO breaks, especially with it being summer vacation!  By the end of the day, after the kids are in bed (much too late during summer vacation), I find myself not wanting to take my very little 'me' time spent on the computer blogging.  I'd rather veg on the couch and watch some pointless reality show!  My brain is fried.  I'm not used to only having 'kid' talk all day and night with no hubby around to have a normal adult conversation with. But I figured that in order to keep up with our summer blogs posts/pictures I had better just sit down and knock this out!  I have a feeling my summer posts will consist of pictures and that's about it!  When I get the blog printed, my favorite part to look at are the pictures anyway.  Who needs a bunch of mumbo jumbo written down anyway?  

On to the good stuff...

Living in Idaho means getting the chance to live by my cute little nephew Russell!!  We got the chance to have our first family dinner at our new home and give him his first haircut!  Isn't he a doll?  I could eat him up!  The sweetest little guy.  My kids are infatuated with him. 

One bucket list item...go to the zoo. Check. 

Despite not being with Dan on Father's Day, we still managed to have a good day.  I spent the day with my dad who is simply amazing.  Ate good food, did some long boarding (we even got Nana to try), and my parents had just gotten home from their trip to Spain where they brought the boys back matching soccer jerseys so we had a photo shoot with them.  (bottom left picture on this collage, 4 generations)

The girls got matching flamenco dresses from Spain.  :)  So cute.  

What's a summer vacation without splash parks and snow cones?!

My sister and Lucy came to visit and we spent one afternoon at the river.  

Water + Sand + Sunshine + kids = a successful day

KJ was there, he was just too busy to stop for a picture.

My Birthday is always fun as it's close to July 4th, right in the middle of summer, my favorite season.  We had a fantastic day despite the fact that I turned another year OLDER but hopefully wiser!  31 to be exact.  I shared my birthday dinner with my Nana who turned 70 this year!!!  Wouldn't want to share my day with anyone else.  So enjoyable spending the day with so much family.  Love them to pieces.  

Nana wanted to go slalom skiing for her 70th birthday celebration.  She's amazing!

*Just my luck, all of a sudden picasa isn't loading so, no more collages on this post.  I'll have to get a bit more selective on what pictures I choose to add*

The kids and I made a last minute trip to CdA and let me just say, it did not go as planned.  I think it should have been a clue to how my trip was going to end up when on the drive up there was a flash flood type storm.  Hydroplaning with just me and three kids in the middle of the night does not make for a relaxing drive.  We made it safe!  Jack had a cough but I didn't think much of it.  It turned in to a temp. and the cough just wasn't going away so after a few sleepless nights and extremely crabby days (me having VERY little patience), I ended up taking him to Urgent care where they x-rayed his chest and told me he had pneumonia.  Poor kid had been miserable and I was frustrated that he was so crabby.  Not my proudest mommy moment.  I've never had a child get pneumonia so I had no idea what to look for.  He got his meds, then he and I drove home late that night and KJ and Liv stayed at Nana's house with my parents who brought them home a couple of days later.  Let's just say that the Rumble Strips on the side of the highway were my friends for that drive home.  I was exhausted after close to a week of no solid sleep.  We also stopped at Taco Bell on the way home cause Jack loves their cinnamon twists and CheeseRoll-Ups.  While standing in line ordering, Jack got 'sick' all over the floor.  It was a mess.  So embarrassing.  So glad that little road trip is behind us.  We now make sure to have him eat plenty of food before he takes his meds.  Lesson learned. 

  One of our bucket list items was a day at Silverwood.  That's half checked off.  KJ and Liv were able to go and they had a blast!  Wish I had pictures, but KJ rode the big roller coaster for the first time.  Last year he was too scared.  He's changed a lot over the past year.  So proud of him.

Even though the trip wasn't as stress free as I would have liked, I actually had some really great times.  As usual, it's always so nice to go back home.  It's so familiar and comfortable there.  I always love the drive up to Nana's house.  The views are spectacular.  

I was able to make it to Kelli's baby shower!  A good friend from high school.  It was fun to see some ladies I hadn't seen in years and years.  

No trip to CdA is complete without a hike up Tubbs hill.  Poor Jack didn't make it far, but while the rest of the group finished the hike, I took him to the beach and he had a grand time climbing the rocks and watching the boats.  

It was Ironman weekend.  A favorite event of mine to watch.  It is inspiring what the human body can do!  I remember watching my dad participate and finish 3 years ago.  We went to our favorite cheering spot and had fun cheering on the athletes for the run portion of the race.  

 

Can you spot the guy on the bottom of the picture?  He did the race with one leg.  Amazing.

Nana is the world's greatest story teller.  Looking at this picture brings back so many childhood memories.  

Sunday Dinner.  The best.  I love my cousins.  We always revert back to acting like children when we are together.  Yes, we planked.  Yes, we took duck face pictures. We played games.  We are so weird and that's why I love us. 

This cute cousin of mine just graduated from High School and we had the chance to go to her graduation party!  So fun! 

 Bradley took Olivia out on a real big girl date.  She is in love with him.  She got to go to lunch, out to frozen yogurt, they went to the pet store and to his work to meet the people he works with.  She felt so special and even got a cute necklace out of him.  That's my girl!  

We spent one day downtown, it's fun to be a tourist!  We went to the farmer's market and to the best toy store around!  Figpickles!  Love that place.  

 Bradley and KJ spent a lot of time together.  Bradley kind of took over my brother's roll while he's gone on his mission.  Everywhere Bradley went, KJ was one step behind.  :)  They stayed up late at night jamming to music.  

This was the bummer part of the trip.  Poor poor little Jack.  BUT....thanks to modern medicine, he's almost back to his normal self!!!  Back to fighting with his sister.  Back to eating his food.  Back to the happy Jack we all love!!  

 Our drive home.  He was asleep within 2 minutes and slept almost the entire trip home.  Poor little guy was completely worn out.  

Dan comes home to visit tomorrow night, it's been a VERY long month away from him.  We've never ever been apart for so long and we are anxious and excited to have him come for the week!  I am also excited that I'll be able to take a break and get my hair done!  Kid free!  Is that sad?  I think so, but I can't help it.  It's the little things in life that make me happy!  I might even get a few exercise sessions in!  How great would that be?!