Summer 2024

Phew.  What a whirlwind of a summer we have had!  I fully intended to post about each trip/activity in real time, but obviously, it never happened - we just went from one thing to the next!  There were several weeks in a row that the suitcases (and car backpacks full of activities) were just left out, going from unpacking to repacking.  But goodness - it was all so fun!  

We are very proud of our little travelers - all these trips were road trips!  I don't yet have words for how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to do all we did and see all we saw, so I'll just leave it at that: I'm grateful.  What follows is photo documentation of all but the very last trip we took (it has a post of its own).  I know there are a lot of pictures here, but I did what I could to narrow down the highlights, and as usual, am documenting mostly for posterity's sake.  

At the end of May, we made our annual trip to my mom's family's farm in Nebraska.  I grew up spending a week each summer on the farm with grandparents (and often cousins), so spending time there with my own kids (and cousins, still!) is so nostalgic and sweet.

This year, we also got to celebrate my grandpa's 90th birthday!

Lydia entered her "pony era" this summer.

And Jacob entered his "gun era." 

Can't tell you how many pictures we have from over the years of various little girls petting various little kittens.  Never gets old. ♥

Lincoln is halfway home and the perfect pit stop.  I always figure we might as well make a stop where we can also get a visit in!  This time was with this dear friend (who you may remember babysat me and whose girls I also babysat - gotta love a full-circle (or two?!) moment).

We also had an impromptu park playdate with friends we didn't even get a picture with, as it turns out.  But we didn't miss a shot of these two sharing the ice cream treats our kind friends treated them to.

We spend a lot of time at the library, and we were all so excited when they announced a stuffie sleepover!  They each chose a stuffed animal to drop off at the library one evening, and we picked them up at story time the next morning.  Both kiddos were so thrilled and delighted by the pictures of the stuffies participating in various library activities, and Jacob enjoyed figuring out exactly how the librarians pulled it off.  😉

The theme for the summer reading program was camping, so this was a perfect precursor for it.

In June, we took a trip to Colorado with my parents and brother and sister-in-law and kids.  Growing up, we often took trips to Estes Park and had done so together recently for a family wedding.  The kids loved the "fancy" Airbnb in the mountains so much that we decided to make it happen again this summer.  This time, we tried a different part of Colorado, and our time hiking, eating, playing, and hanging out was just as enjoyable.   

Perks of traveling with grandparents: built-in child care while we took a mountain sunset stroll!

The little girls collected these on our first hike.

The property where we stayed had so much to offer, including lots of really cool rocks!  The kids collected, washed (those tiny squirt bottles from the food fight came in handy!), and "sold" their collections.

They even made price tags and fake money for everyone to use. 
Lydia was the most *diligent* about setting up her shop.

Bryant ordered gold-panning equipment with our gold-obsessed son in mind, and it ended up being great entertainment for young and old!

They found lots of sparkly dust, at the very least!

Very proud to be doing this by herself.

When your cabin is 20 mins. up the mountain from the nearest town, you just bring your own sundae and enjoy them with the view after the kids go down. 
(What is it about Magic Shell?!  I love it so much.)

The Adam's Falls hike was our favorite!  We lucked out with a beautiful morning for it, and all our little hikers did so well.  It truly had something for everyone!

♥

when you get to go off the trail...

...and when you're too little to go with the big kiddos, but you and Mom find the first water access of the hike(!)

We spent a long time here...and could've spent all day. ♥

Ice cream in Grand Lake was a hit.

♥

After finding the trek to the destination lake of the trip's last hike to be less accessible than we anticipated, we pivoted and found easy access to Lake Granby.  Lydia put her swimsuit on, too, after this picture, and the kids enjoyed some chilly CO water play.

Since we didn't go all the way into RMNP, our access to the ever-memorable "summer snow" was limited.  Thankfully, our trip home took us through Winter Park where we found this!

Our trip home also took us through Byers, CO!  We didn't plan on stopping this time, but someone happened to need a pit stop, so we pulled off and went all the way into town.  We decided to go ahead and pick up a couple things for lunch, and when Bryant asked if we got a discount for having the last name Byers, we got 10% off our purchase!

I'm not usually one to make goals or bucket lists, but at the beginning of this summer, we did write down several things we wanted to do, eat, see, etc. (mostly because the requests kept coming in, and I didn't want to drop the ball on any of them).  Here are some of them:

We went to the new Paw Patrol movie as a family several months ago, and "Summer 2024" had been on Jacob's radar ever since seeing the trailer for this one.  It was the perfect activity the day Daddy left for a work trip.

One of the things things I had added to the "to do" section of our summer list was cataloging our books.  I often find myself at a sale or store thinking, "I think we have this one, already, but I'm not 100% sure..."  We've also often speculated as to just how many books we own.  So, I found an app that made it super easy to scan in each one, and we did it in just a few sittings.  The count, as of now (not including books we have stored away for later or the grown-up's books) is 784.

We had gone on a family date to the Iron District a few months prior and were all surprised by a new ice cream shop.  We weren't ready for everyone to have ice cream at that time, so we put it on the summer list...

...and thoroughly enjoyed getting to partake when we did.

Gardening was obviously on our summer list.
We harvested carrots in several instalments, and they all turned out great!

One of our standing summer rhythms is to have a "movie time rest time" after a morning of water play (pool, splash pad, etc.).  This one was especially sweet after a morning of not wanting to be near each other, at all.

I made a small post about Jacob's birthday in real time, but thought it should be documented with our summer activities, as well.  We celebrated him on his actual birthday, again with his birthday buddy (and others) while in Lincoln for the Fourth of July, and again at his (first ever) friend party the following weekend. 

Lydia was very excited to give Jacob his gift from her.

So thankful for thoughtful neighbors who leave gifts before they leave for vacation. ♥

Thank you, Dollar Tree, for having giant gold balloons. 
This gold-obsessed kiddo has this in his room to this day.

He and I designed and made his shirt together this year. ♥

We were close to one of my favorite coffee shops that day, so of course, we drove through.  He greeted the barista from the back and said, "It's my birthday!" which earned him a free cookie.

He asked to go to library story time on his birthday, because he knew they'd sing to him. 

Then, he asked if he could (finally) get his own library card.

His dream came true to use his own card and his own code at the space machine!

His favorite place with his favorite people...

...for his favorite meal...

...and best dessert!
(He chose the chocolate cake, but after reading the description, requested caramel sauce instead of chocolate...all on his own.)

These guys put several miles on this and various other vehicles during our July 4th festivities!
Made for easy conversing for the mamas, in the meantime, for sure!  😉

He asked to help make his party treats.

I think I already posted about his police Lego birthday party at the local Lego store, but if this is news to you, please ask us about it!  It was just so wonderful, and while it was initially difficult for my frugal self to pay for someone else to host his party, it was totally worth it. 

I don't often catch shots of this girl's hand-me-downs anymore...

...but I'm glad for the times I do.

The kids attended a quintessential VBS at our friends' country church, and it was just the best.  So fun to attend with friends, so well done, and so refreshing for me to have a couple hours to myself each morning that week.  We're still singing the songs (for real)!

We passed these signs on our way out of Crown Center and realized they had just attended both advertised events!

Not pictured: Jacob's day at church day camp, 1.5 hours from home
Pictured: my brunch at an Amish bakery in the nearest town while I spent several hours doing homeschool planning before picking him up

♥

free birthday custard (and one for sister, too!)

My college (and beyond) roommates are both teachers in Omaha, so we make a point to see each other at some point each summer.  This year, the kids and I went up to Omaha to spend a couple days with them.  The kids were so excited to go see these friends, which of course, made my heart swell.

They were gifted their very own (mini!) Owalas!

We checked out this really cool playground on the riverfront, visited a favorite splash pad, and spent lots of quality time reading, playing fetch, and enjoying treats.

I had planned an Omaha/Lincoln trip for spring break of 2020 that was, of course, cancelled due to Covid.  I had made plans to see several people over the course of just a couple days, and I was very excited it had all come together...and super bummed it when didn't end up happening.  I was so glad to get to sort-of recreate that trip this summer.  After visiting Omaha, we went over to Lincoln for about ten hours, and by the grace of God, it worked really perfectly to see so many friends!

We loved our morning at the zoo!

From one zoo to the next...😉
The kids talk so often about the cool animals they see at Arts Inc.

I nannied for this sweet friend's youngest two when they were about my kids' ages. 
So thankful to maintain this friendship and mentorship.

Speaking of mentorship, what fun to get to spend time in person with this friend (and her engaging and entertaining hubby)!

A surprise, but very necessary, addition to my part of the summer list was spending time with this new baby nephew kitty.  This particular trip to Manhattan was very short, but filled with so many snuggles.  It's a little difficult to tell in these pictures, but Lydia and I both shamelessly wore our kitty shirts.  😸

His name is Sunny.

This was at like 11 p.m.  Soaking up those snuggles...

Jacob loved playing with him very much and wore him out!

♥

We specifically went to this zoo to see the cheetah (after this mom missed a requested photo opp at the Lincoln zoo).  The cheetah was (understandably) napping in the shade, so was difficult to see, but a zoo volunteer happened to have this pelt out for petting, which was just as (if not more) thrilling.  Phew.  Thanks, God!

The Olathe Lake Spray Pad has been on our list for a couple summers, now, and we finally made it this year (with our favorite pool friend)!  The adjoining beach we had planning to build sandcastles at was closed, but thankfully, the spray pad area had it all - sand included!  It is honestly such a cool play place.

These kiddos do a lot of reading and love to be cozy, so I certainly didn't pass up these pillows (the last two of their kind...and in their colors!) at Aldi.  They were beyond excited and put them to use right away.  Getting those minutes in for the reading program!

Jacob lost three teeth this summer!  Bryant mentioned having filled his teeth gaps with tic-tac's once upon a time, so of course, we had to try it out.

Jacob won the Awana pinewood derby, which earned him tickets to a Monarch's game!

We had a couple days to ourselves while the kids camped with my parents (and cousins - good job, Mom and Dad!).  The power was out for most of it (hence the glistening skin), so we didn't feel at all guilty going out for a nice meal...in air-conditioning.

♥

Our penultimate trip of the summer was to Tennessee.  A podcaster I follow (Annie F. Downs) was hosting an in-person ten-year celebration at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and with some encouragement from my husband, I bought a ticket for myself when it was announced last winter.  We decided to all make a trip of it so we could also visit Bryant's grandmother (she also turned 90 this year!), who lives in the area.  We really enjoyed our quality time with her, as well as swimming in the hotel pool and taking in some of Annie's recommended Nashville eats and treats.

Our garden-fresh flowers made the 9-hour trip in tact!

♥

The hotel was so gracious to let us utilize their conference room. 
It was perfect for puzzles, meals, and more!

I've listened to Annie's podcast for all ten years, and it was really wonderful to be there for this celebration!

She sent everyone out the door with a popsicle!

downtown Nashville from our hotel room

If you ever find yourself in Nashville, we have some delicious recommendations!

I was influenced into making this "easy summer salad for busy moms," and was pleased to have all the ingredients on hand and half from our garden!

I grew up playing "mad scientists" outside (colored water, baking soda and vinegar, etc.) and haven't done it with my own kids nearly as often as I thought I might.  So, we "did it up big" and invited our homeschool group over to play with us!  It was the best.  ♥

The sign of summer's end: Awana beginning! 
Lydia is so thrilled to finally be in Cubbies.

Look at her looking up to him. ♥

This post is to be continued with our last trip, but will leave it at this, for now.  Again - I'm so thankful for the opportunities and experiences and quality time we have had with so many people over the course of just a few months.  Of course, these pictures are just glimpses of it all and often only tell part of the story, but over all, it was all so good.  If we weren't traveling or doing any of the other pictured activities, we were likely gardening, swimming, building Lego, and/or doing laundry so we all had enough undies to leave again. 😉

Somewhat-weary-travelerly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

snackle boxes

getting just a couple of lots of offerings from Sprouts bulk bins

sharing garden produce

Food Fight: Type A Style

Sometime in the dead of this past winter, a seed of an idea was planted and began to grow into something beyond what any of us (except Jacob, maybe/probably) imagined.  Here is a general outline of the progression: 

• (after reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs): Can you imagine it raining (insert food here)?
• Are food fights a real thing?
• Have you ever been in one?
• A food fight would be funny. 
• This (any random food) would be fun to have at a food fight.
• Can we have a food fight?
• When could we have a food fight?
• When will we have a food fight?
  (I think when I answered it would need to be warm for one, he assumed I meant we were for sure having one once it was warm.)
• This (any random food) would be fun to have at the food fight.
  Me: The food fight…?
• Can we invite (random friend) to the food fight? 
• We should have that at the food fight. 
• We could serve that at the food reception after the food fight.
  Me: (?!)
• Have you invited (one of many friends) to the food fight, yet? 
• (to anyone on or off the “official” 90-person-deep guest list): Are you able to come to the food fight? It’s June 8th. You’re welcome to stay for the food reception afterward. 

I will liken this progression to the growth of our volunteer cilantro that started coming up on a warm day in mid-January and is just now going to seed. 

Hard to tell in this picture, but it was as tall as her.

So, at some point, we started planning in earnest.  We made a list of food fight items, "food reception" fare, and guests.  We scouted, we budgeted, and we acquired.  We invited family and old friends and new friends.  We talked about the food fight nearly every day…for real.  

As the event drew nearer, the guest list grew, as did my to-do list.  Never did I ever expect to set aside time to prepare over a pound of Jello powder (it fills a dish pan, for the record) or fill thirty squirt bottles with watered-down caramel (in case you ever find yourself doing so, just know it’s much easier to water it down first than to shake them together in the tiny bottle).  I also did not see myself preparing several packages of pudding (with nearly-expired milk) to be flung at a target or asking my husband to help fry pancake "frisbees."  And yet, we did it all; all in preparation.  

Grandma scouted this for us as a small-town store in Auburn, NE. 
So, I guess we could say we had imported Jello…?

This was a treasure of an Aldi find.  When we first scouted Aldi for cool whip, they were out.  We were there for other things the next week, this was no longer on my radar, but Jacob changed the air pressure in the room with his "Mom!! LOOK!!!!" gasp, and I changed it again with my subsequent gasp of excitement.  Not only did they have what we were looking for in stock, but they had a larger size for a better price!  (This was later used for plate-full-of-whipped-cream "pies" to be put in faces.)

expired pasta + expired food coloring

Remember that time I worked at HyVee?  I put my one remaining contact to good use and checked in to see if they might be able to contribute any discarded items.  It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

They definitely delivered!  None of us could believe it. 

Many old, crusty marshmallows were thrown.

preparing powdered sugar "bombs"

As she was leaving the event, a friend of mine said, "This was the most Type A food fight ever, and it was awesome!"  As a fellow Type A herself, she noticed and appreciated the many details we had thought through, including, but not limited to: a packing list with a suggestion to wear goggles, food-related games to play upon arrival, shower caps, clearly-marked boundaries, a hosing-off station, a paper trail to the bathroom, washcloths/soap/shampoo ready in the shower, and extra grocery bags to transport wet clothes.  Another attendee noted that while other Type A onlookers may have cringed at the mess, they whole-heartily enjoyed (and commented on out loud) the organization of it all.  Of course, this made my heart swell to hear, because what more does a Type A love than to be acknowledged for his/her forethought and efforts?  Ha.  In all seriousness, though, it was nice to be noticed, but nicer to have had everything go so well.  And truthfully, Jacob was really in on a lot of the planning and organization.  He even utilized his police megaphone to gather all the participants for the kick-off.

Jacob was so excited to mark the path to the bathroom.  He started with his version of a star, included many smiley faces along the way,

and ended with an X (to mark the spot, of course).

He also enlisted his very artistic cousin (and two little helpers) to create a banner.

filling a bucket with cookies

While everyone was still arriving, participants could try out the Jello stomp, pudding fling, and pancake frisbee toss.  Yes, the Jello stained feet.  Yes, there was pudding everywhere.  No, the pancakes did not fall apart...much.

After some deliberation, we decided to put vessels of food fight items in small, random groupings around the yard.  The "ammunition station" provided anything squirtable, as well as spoons and straws to utilize however desired.  This is also where the whipped cream "pies" were distributed and refilled after being smashed in faces.  

Buckets of water were provided to help clear eyes/goggles/hands in the heat of the battle.
The tarps were up to ensure the baby plants in the garden didn't get doused in caramel sauce, or something.

Once most everyone had arrived, we convened to go over some ground rules, counted down from three, and yelled, "Food fight!"  My brother is credited with the suggestion to include the iconic "food fight" battle cry.  He is also credited with offering to build a playlist and bringing a professional-grade speaker on which to play it.  And he kicked off the fight by spraying everyone with root beer.  Pretty sure this was a dream that lived in his head in a similar way to how it lived in Jacob's.

The green pool was full of noodles, and the Jello all got dumped in the pink.

So much whipped cream in so many faces...haha!

Just a kid living his dream.
I treasure this picture so much. ♥

The fight itself lasted close to forty minutes before ammunition ran out and people were done being sticky.  It is worth noting there were no tears and no injuries, that I know of (unless you count some rock-hard-cookie-induced welts on a couple of the older participants, which were just laughed away).  After helping "sweep" the yard, the thirty-ish participants filed through the hosing-off station and were welcomed to enjoy the "food reception" with the thirty-ish onlookers.  While the small host initially thought this meal should include all the fare guests had used in the fight itself, we got him talked down to hot dogs, chips, and whatever anyone wanted to bring to share.  Grandma came through and at least provided Jello to be eaten, which seemed to appease him.  ;)

We fully realize this was all a little "extra" and somewhat wasteful, but it really was worth it.  It was not a "yes" we had to say, but it was also a "yes" there wasn't much reason not to say.  Not only were we able to turn it into several math lessons, but also lessons in hospitality, generosity, and logistics.  (The kid very well may have a future in event planning after honing his skills with this one.)  While it was not necessarily an easy "yes," it turned into one after seeing how much joy even just the anticipation was bringing the small host, as well as many potential guests.  We were so glad to provide the space and opportunity for kids (and a few adults) to be kids and make a core memory together.  

Jacob was genuinely grateful (without any coaching) and has continued to thank us in the days following.  He has even said the next one could be "medium," then the next "small," then we could just have people over to play.  (Ha!)  I took that to mean he realized how much work and resources went into making it happen, so he does not expect "bigger and better" if/when we do it again.  I also took it to mean that he highly valued having some of his favorite people from so many of our circles in the same place and really just loved having his friends meet his friends.  ☺  We'll see about a "next time."  It did encourage several pantry clean-outs...so...

Thank you so much to all who helped make this dream a reality for our sweet boy.  From contributing ammunition (some even without attending), to showing interest, to participating - he truly loved it all.  Special thanks to the dear friend who volunteered to serve as the event photographer - complete with real camera!  Several others took and shared pictures, which is always appreciated, but never did I ever think we would have such quality shots of all the memories made.  I (perhaps obviously) did not share them all here for the sake of privacy, but we are so glad to have such thorough documentation to enjoy for years to come.

Still finding sticky spots and now-crunchy noodles in the yard,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

meeting new people

bargains

stuffed animal camp-out at the library
(They each left one to spend the night at the library and got to see what "mischief" they'd been up to at story time the next morning.)