Reconnecting at Herron
Leif and I spent the last four days together…without the kids…back at Herron. We were invited to a wedding outside of Seattle and thought it would be fun to get away just the two of us. It was so incredibly relaxing and reminded me of when we first came to Herron Island and I decided I needed to marry him just for the island! We were happy and (I know it sounds cheesy) in love. Sometimes it feels more like a business than a relationship when we get into the throws of work and raising the kids and getting away together was such a nice reprieve. Turns out we still really “like” each other! The love part is a given but it was the enjoyment of each other that was so fun!
Back to School - all three at Hemingway!
So psyched to have all three kiddos back at Hemingway this year! Though it is an early morning for all of them, they are together and our schedule is much more manageable! Presley loves her teacher, Mrs. Woodruff and Skyler and Liam were welcomed back with open arms. the fact that the middle school has mostly male teachers is so unique - not to mention they are the coolest guys! They are constantly teasing the kids and really seem to love what they do! Liam and Skyler are such middle schoolers…all the good and bad that goes with it. There are good days and bad but they both seem to be thriving with academics and friends. What more can we ask?
Back to SV
Leif and Pres headed back to SV together last Sunday. Presley is excited to get to gymnastics camp! I am so happy for them to spend this quality time together. Sounds like they are having a blast!!
Early Birthday Party for Presley!
We had SO much fun celebrating Presley with our Herron Island family last night! She was shining with happiness all day!
Skyler time and a new Minivan…yes, I said minivan!
I got to spend some QT with my Skyler today as we drove to Boise to trade in my hot red Jeep for a boring, grey minivan. But don’t be too disappointed in me until you hear me out. We tried so hard to find an SUV that didn’t cost a million $$s and that got more than 14 miles/gallon on the highway. No dice. And Leif and I have too much of a conscious to say we care about the environment and then buy a gas guzzling tank. I bet in 3-5 years there will be hybrid SUVs all over the place. But we need the space now for our soccer travel, baseball travel and ski travel. So the hybrid, AWD Toyota Sienna (that only cost $2k after trading in my Jeep for what we paid for it 3 years ago) was the winner!
Best part of the day though was not getting a new car. It was getting Skyler to myself for the day. We had the car ride to talk, we had pizza at the outdoor mall, we shopped, got terrible massages and then frozen yogurt. The Vans store was Skyler’s highlight. Mine was watching her at lunchtime. So fun and grown up. I can’t stand it!
Birthday Weekend
We had the BEST time in Sundance this weekend to celebrate my birthday. Happy kids, happy husband, happy friends…could not have asked for more. We mountain biked, hiked to a waterfall, went caving, zip lined, got a massage and drank lots of good wine. Someone pinch me.
Kim, Will, Alex and Samantha stayed in a house with us that we rented on VRBO. it had an attached apartment where the older kids stayed and the main house slept the parents and the littles. The kids enjoyed the property…surrounded by woods where they could build forts. We could bike down the hill to a park called the Hollow, which was absolutely gorgeous grounds with a zip line that occupied the kids for hours.
Saturday we took the older kids to the Timpanagos Caves for a tour. We hiked up a steep path for a mile and a half to the cave entrance, where we started our hour long tour of three different caves. The kids were super engaged, asking questions the whole time and nervously giggling in the dark.
We downhill mountain bikes in the afternoon - just adults and Liam. Everyone had a blast, got a great workout and finished in one piece.
Sunday the adults walked to the waterfall while the kids prepared for a mega zip lining tour. They cruised for 3/4 of a mile at 600 ft across the canyon. It is the second largest zip line in the US.
The ladies went to the spa Alf then Liam babysat so we could all go out to dinner. It was lovely. I feel incredibly blessed and not a day past 32 despite approaching mid-40’s!!!
Sage School Play
After exploring their ancestry all year at Sage, the 6th and 7th grade kiddos put on a play last night showcasing some of the stories they learned from parents and grandparents about their families of the past. There were stories from the Holocaust, to curing smallpox, to battles in WW2, to Liam and Skyler’s story of their great uncle who was drafted to pitch for the Yankees. Oh, and I could never forget the story of their Papa (my dad) who joined the DA’s office in LA during the Manson trial!
The Play was performed at the Humane Society out Croy canyon last night - a gorgeous, warm evening. the kids were awesome! Skyler’s highlight was playing Sacajawea. Essentially a solo role with a ton of lines and she had such stage presence. What a star! And Liam’s highlight was playing his great Uncle AlAn Grant as the star pitcher. He nailed his lines and appeared calm as a cucumber! The really cool thing about that was that Skyler had written that scene and Liam got to star in it.
The kids have weathered this year so well and I do believe Sage has been a big part of that. I am grateful we were able to keep them in school, surrounded by other kids. As with all schools, there have been ups and downs but overall, I think they will look back at this year and realize they were incredibly lucky!