The summer break is almost over. I can hardly believe it. Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday that me and the kids were counting down the last few days of school and getting so excited for long summer days.
I kind of feel like we didn’t do that much. It didn’t feel like a “traditional” summer to me. Although, in my mind what makes up a traditional summer? I usually think of early morning swimming lessons, family vacations, national parks, hiking, picnics, staying up late watching movies and playing games, reading lots of books, amusement parks, and lots of popsicles and ice cream. That’s what I think of when I see the word “summer.”
And it doesn’t seem like we did hardly any of those things. And that’s why I can hardly believe it is over. I feel like the summer bucket list barely got touched. So what did we do this summer and why did it go so crazy fast?
Springfield, MO
School got out May 23. We wanted to do something fun to celebrate that weekend. The national headquarters of Bass Pro Shops is in Springfield, Missouri. It’s about three hours away from us. We drove down early in the morning, stopping at several antique shops along the way. Missouri has tons of antique shops and the kids have so much fun wandering around and looking for cool weapons and old Barbie dolls. After several fun stops, we arrived in Springfield and checked out the store. Wow. Bass Pro Shops in Springfield is amazing. It is full of displays, real animals, a gun and archery museum, and tons of outdoorsy clothes and gear.
Directly connected to the store is the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. We spent a couple of hours there. So many different animals and exhibits. We loved it!
Girl’s Camp
The next big event was the third week of June. We hosted our church’s girl’s camp and I was the Camp Leader. Ha ha! I’ve done this several times before when we lived in Utah. There were about twenty five girls and other leaders camping on our property for four days. We swam in the pond, went hiking, painted a group puzzle painting (see pic below), played games, watched a movie, and ate lots of yummy meals. It all turned out so well. But I was also so relieved when it was over 🙂
Camp ended on Friday and it was a mad dash to get everything cleaned up, laundry done, and bags packed. We left for Utah the next morning. We were hoping to do the fifteen hour drive in one day, but we got out a little too late and ended up having to stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the night. And we still had a six hour drive the next day. It was a long trip. But we made it safely!
Utah
We did a bit of an experiment with our trip to Utah this time. Charlie wasn’t able to take off work for two weeks straight, so we planned on him working during our time in Utah. We stayed in an air bnb around the corner from my parent’s house so that he could have a quiet place to work. I took the kids on outings, hung out with family, and got them together with friends during the days. We planned other family dinners and meet ups, boating, out to eat, and a grandma sleepover in the evenings.
We have mixed feelings with how this work/play arrangement turned out. Not sure if we will do it again.
After a week in Utah, we drove up to visit Charlie’s grandma in Council, Idaho. Charlie’s parents and several of his siblings also came up and we had a great time with them and their families. Happily, we were there for the 4th of July, which is always a fun time to be in the small town. Per tradition, we went to the annual parade, explored the farmer’s market, and watched the fireworks. We had a fun few days helping Grandma around the yard, doing puzzles, going to the waterfalls at the mountain stream, and playing games.
The hardest part about the whole trip was the drive home. 21 hours. We split it into two days, which still felt very long. But we made it home safely. The truck worked great. The kids were awesome travelers as usual. And we were very grateful to be home.
A jungle
There was a ton of yard work to do when we got home. The grass was so long and the garden was a complete jungle. I wanted to cry. There was not much we could do, but trim the grass back as best we could. Much of our thriving produce had died while we were gone. Peas were dead. Zucchini was overrun with squash bugs. Beans were wilted and overgrown. The watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkins were suffocating in the long grass. But, the tomatoes and cucumbers were thriving! So yay, at least we got something! We have never seen tomato plants grow so big. The conditions must just be ideal for them hear with the heat and humidity. The plants completely overran the wimpy supports I had put up. But we have gotten lots of tomatoes from them and they are still going strong.
So while much of the garden was a flop, we have gotten at least a few things. And fresh tomatoes and cucumbers are delicious. I shredded several zucchinis and have tons stored away in the freezer. Homemade zucchini bread is one of our favorites! You can get my recipe here 🙂
And somehow summer is about gone
We have just been home for most of July and August. We’ve had our daily routine. Every day, the kids have certain things they need to get done: Bed made, exercise, reading, piano, help mom, and an extra activity like outside time, art, crafts, or some kind of project.
At first the kids have hated it, but now they get it done quickly and without too much complaint 🙂
Watching the Olympics every day for two weeks was a fun change up from the normal. The kids really enjoyed it and had fun making lego people to match all of their favorite events. Themed food every night was my favorite :).
We also loved having Charlie’s parents and a couple of his siblings come visit us for a few days. We visited lots of church history sites around here including Independence, Liberty Jail, and Adam ondi-ahman. We feel blessed to live in such close proximity to these amazing places!
All in all, it has felt like a very chill summer. And it has been so nice.
We are sad to say goodbye to the freedom of summer, but excited for the big changes that are awaiting our family this fall.
We are starting homeschool!! Wish us luck!
~Rachel
