Labor Day

 It was so nice to have a long weekend together! All Kade and Tenley really wanted to do today though was sleep in. Luckily they go to so that. Last week was long and their bodies are still trying to get used to the school schedule. Hopefully they’ll get there soon!

Tenley wants to update her room. I think she’s transitioning from my little girl to a young lady. It’s crazy! She had AI help her design it and we spent some time shopping today to get it updated. I think she’ll love it!

We all got to go out to dinner tonight. It was nice to have a night out. I remembered to snap a picture in the car wash!

The Lake

 We made it to the lake today. I love boating on Friday when hardly anyone is there. We had such a great time as a family! Luke became a big kid when he decided to jump off the cliffs with Kade, Tenley, and Ryder. He loved it! I’m glad he went for it and didn’t back down. We enjoyed smooth water, lots of swimming, and yummy food.

250th Anniversary of America

 I’ve always loved the 4th of July! It was such a great day celebrating our Independence and freedom! Kade and I ran the 5k with some of the family and then we met up with everyone at the parade. It was sunny and hot at the parade but it was a fun parade and the kids enjoyed all the freebies and candy. 

We had a great BBQ after that with lots of friends and family. It was delicious and fun to hang out with everyone.

Then we headed to the firework show. The show was incredible! It was a great day celebrating. We’re so grateful for family and freedom.

White Water Rafting

 We made it to Idaho Falls last night and we’re excited to celebrate Independence Day with family! We started off the weekend with white water rafting down the Hoback on the Snake River. It was beautiful! Ryder and Luke were nervous at first but they ended up loving it. We had some great rapids, found some cliffs to jump, and had a nice picnic. It was so much fun.

We spent the night on their patio watching fireworks light up the sky. It finally feels like summer!

St. Louis City Museum

 We got an early start this morning so we could see the Gateway arch before heading to the City Museum. The kids tried to recreate a picture Brad had done when he was here with his family over 20 years ago. 

We got to the city museum just as it opened and spent two hours together exploring everything. The slides were so fun! The huge organ in the cave room sounded so cool. And the outside park was a lot of fun to explore as well. Most of us got tired after a few hours but Luke never stopped exploring until we made him. He had a blast following every maze and trail he could find. 

After the city museum we made our way back to Chicago. We fly home tomorrow! It’s been a great trip! We had Chicago deep dish pizza tonight and the kids all said that Cedar Point was their favorite part of the trip. I think it was mine too even though I’m not the biggest fan of roller coaster rides. I’m grateful for all the good memories we made together!