Soak Up Summer Day

Somehow the school year was approaching and I felt like we hadn't done enough summery things. I managed a day off at the end of August to fit in as much summer as we could.

We started the day with donuts. Because, well donuts.

Next we headed to the zoo. We did all the *extra stuff at the zoo, because go big or go home, right? We fed the goats, we did a pony ride, we rode the train, we rode the carousel, we played at the playground and we even bought our lunch there. And, oh yes, we looked at the animals. The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast.

Our last stop was the outdoor pool. It was a little chilly for swimming, but I didn't care. This was summer fun day and by golly we were going to swim. We also got ice cream and spoiled our dinners. 

Spen's 21st! 🍷

Two years ago Lucian and I traveled to San Francisco. We debated spending some time in wine country, but decided that should be a separate trip. At one point I said "What if we took Spencer to Napa for his 21st?" And that's exactly what we did!

Spencer had the opportunity to spend some time with friends in both LA and San Francisco prior to our arrival. We picked him up in the city and headed north to Sonoma.

We had very little time to see the redwoods on our previous trip, so we took a short drive to hike amongst them our first day. They are amazing for sure.

After a long-ish hike, we drove to the top of a look out and enjoyed a picnic lunch.
Don't you love our rental car?

Afterwards, we headed to a hot springs spa and each had a mud bath, then soaked in the spring fed pools.

Day two consisted of wine tours. I really struggled with the perfect itinerary for this. There are so many options! We ended up touring two wineries and had amazing and very different experiences.

The first tour was a 3 hour long estate tour of a fabulous (and fancy) vineyard. There were food pairings and a tour of their gardens. Everything was beautiful! They put on a good show.

The final tasting room was set at the highest elevation on their property. The view was amazing as we sat down to an excellent meal and wine.

Our second stop was a much smaller vineyard that only sells their product on-site. As fate would have it, the third generation owner offered to give us a tour, covered in dust after working in the fields. He told us amazing stories about his grandmother coming from Italy at 19 and how she and her husband made it to California and eventually started the vineyard. It was an experience you can't beat.

He even signed some bottles for us!

Lucian flew on to LA for work after that, but Claire met Spen and I at the airport. She was very happy to have her Mommy home and visit briefly with her favorite big brother.

County Fair

We got the idea to head to a small county fair the other weekend after seeing a few relatives post pictures. We've taken the kids to the Wisconsin State Fair a few times, but it is quite crowded and we've never shown the kids the ride area there.

We traveled to this fair specifically for the rides. They were relatively inexpensive, not crowded and just their size. We topped it off with fried oreos, a snow cone and a corn dog. Every kids dream right?

Lucian brought a camera he is trying to master, so we ended up with some really great shots of the evening. He and Claire rode this swinging boat (shot with my phone). She was all for it until it reached a pretty tall height. Luckily Dad was there to hang onto.

Kyle LOVED the monster truck ride. He only chose the blue or red car the eight times he rode it.

And Claire went on the ferris wheel with me. We had a fun time looking at all the sights.

Claire spent her last tickets trying out the swings while Kyle and I went on a rocking boat together.

Tee Ball 2016

Kyle participated in rec department tee ball this summer. He was on the Red Sox.

4-year old tee ball is quite a trip. Each player hits the ball off the tee each inning and runs one base per hit. All the players field in what resembles a mosh pit. Kids are often falling when fielding a ball to push out their teammates. It's amusing to say the least.

Lucian got recruited into coaching at the very first game. He got an official t-shirt and hat. The games were just at the end of our block, so we could walk there every week, which was nice.

Kyle's base running was rather entertaining. Here's quite possibly the slowest run to first ever.

And he is capable of fielding his own team's ball while running to home plate. MVP, I think.

Kyle had quite the cheering squad each week. Grandparents, aunts and cousins all came to enjoy.

The Pool

We joined a pool this summer. We also had to get a new air conditioner, and I can say both have been good investments. Hot weekend afternoons are often spent relaxing and frolicking at the pool.

Claire very often sees school friends while we are there and we get a chance to talk with other parents.

We almost always spring for an ice cream treat. I believe the kids have tried them all.

The deep end and several activities require passing a swim test to participate. Claire has been practicing and gave it a try on our last visit. She rocked the test and is now free to try nearly everything! She was super stoked, and we were very proud.

Camping

Somehow I found myself camping yet again this year. This time we re-visited a park we had been to years ago (where you can reserve a spot!). On the way up north, we stopped in Madison and perused the farmer's market with Spencer. We arrived to camp around 3pm and hauled our things to our site on the water.

We swam the first night, made dinner and roasted s'mores. The surprise benefit was watching firework displays at different locations around the lake 2 nights in a row. Bonus for us.

The kids made great use of our little beach. They ran and played in the shallow water for hours.

Frida frollicked a bit too and kept watch when she was back on land.

We visited a stocked fishing pond where Claire caught her first fish! A bluegill. I ceremoniously unhooked my first fish (hers), as my dad always did that part for me growing up.

I broke in my new hat, a gift from Nana Kathleen and Lucian took this excellent photo of me:)

I did not pack enough food for two nights, since I didn't want to commit to staying that long. At the end of the second day, I couldn't muster the energy to pack everything up once again. So we stayed. We discovered the general store had a pizzeria, so I picked it up while the kids cleaned up from swimming. It's still camping if you eat outside, right?

We were all tired from the trip, but perhaps Frida the most. She followed me around at home and would plop down to nap in all kinds of unusual places. She was one tired dog. As was I! Camping is hard work.

End of the School Years

We are now into July, but here's what happened last month!

There was a family picnic at Kyle's school. It was great to lunch with him outside and let him show off the playground. Lucian was out of town for a photo shoot that day, so Nana Kathleen happily took his spot.

Claire had field day again this year. Lucian and I took the morning off to volunteer. We led the chicken toss this time. Claire really enjoyed our appearance.

And the Spirit Squad performed for parents and on the last day of school in front of all the students. Claire plans to sign up again in the fall. (She is second from the end on the right in the video)

Claire finished a great year of kindergarten. She is now a reader and is thrilled to be starting first grade in the fall.