August 2018-Birthday, Babies and Bungee

Before I begin the monthly recap, I have important news. After 4 years, my family has ridiculed me enough and shamed me into getting a new phone. I do NOT like change and resisted this with great stubbornness, but the fact that my fully charged battery lasted about the time it takes to send a text and make a call, meant it was time. I tell you all this in hopes that you’ll notice the change in my photography skills. I was duped into buying the “best camera on the market” and hope the upgrade will pay off….

Let’s jump right in….

There’s nothing like a boy and his dog.

There’s also nothing like the boy’s dog, who has the worst breath ever, sticking his tongue into your mouth.

We’d been dreading it for weeks, and denying its approach, but the first day of school was upon us. (You can backtrack to May to read my thoughts on the school year and its respective start and end dates, but really my opinion means nothing to the Cherry Creek School District).

So, we decided it to be the best idea to have one last pool day before D-day. This is what pure relaxation looks like when you’re 5….

And if you’re Reese, the cruelest part is that you are the ONLY ONE who has to start school on Monday, August 6th. But, on the other hand maybe this middle child finally gets the spotlight to herself. She was all smiles on this morning, and for being quite possibly the worst morning person EVER, that’s saying a lot. I said on Instagram that Reese cries most mornings from the sheer cruelty of it all, but jumped up with gusto on this day. I’m excited for her almost-king-of-the-hill journey into 4th grade.

Oh, but the next day my baby started kindergarten. Look at her, grinning ear to ear in her cute dress and ready to take on the world. She was excited and not even the least bit nervous. Like with everything else, her attitude was “Let’s do this s&%t.” So much like her father it’s frightening.

And speaking of her father, he wasn’t going to miss taking his Mal Pal to her first day. Peas in a pod these two. And if I didn’t artificially make my hair blonde, they’d also be the cause of the grays.

Look at that backpack fully loaded with Beanie Boos. It’s a wonder she could stand upright with all of that extra weight, but she had them perfectly balanced.

After school, Jackson and I took her for a celebratory lunch and let her choose the restaurant. In a surprise move, she did not pick her usual McDonald’s, but instead chose Famous Dave’s BBQ. She must have known that if I had to eat one more Happy Meal, I might lose my mind.

Next up, in what can only be described as a true miracle given my youthful appearance, my first born started middle school. I have a multitude of feelings about this, ranging from excitement to nostalgia to fear. But, he was super pumped and ready with just a wee twinge of nervousness…mostly from the unknown of it all. On the Thursday before the big day, we went to the school to “decorate” his locker and conquer every 6th grader’s biggest fear….the locker padlock. I am happy to report that it only took 2 tries for him to Master it (get it?), but in the lamest mom move ever, I also wrote the combination inside his backpack…just in case. What’s truly miraculous is how he fit all of that stuff into one locker. You should see how many supplies he has….what happened to the days of the Trapper Keeper? Anyway, this middle school is HUGE. We’re talking 1300+ students, which explains my troubled mind….that’s a LOT of kids.

I only just now realized how tired he looks in this first day picture, and hope that the poor thing wasn’t up all night worrying about his first day. He didn’t seem to have the least bit of apprehension as we were getting ready, so I’d bet it’s just my mama imagination.

Everyone….this was hard. Dropping him at the bus stop and NOT going with him to his first day was an exercise in strength. Especially because I was nursing a GIGANTIC hangover. You know what I do not recommend? Sending your baby off into the world with said hangover…it’s a recipe for big emotion and many tears. I held it together until he got on the bus and then had a moment.

And then, I literally counted the minutes until he got home. When he jumped off the bus in the afternoon with a HUGE smile and exclaimed it to be a great day, I breathed a sigh of relief. He’s going to have a great year as a little fish in a big pond.

Not to be left out, our sweet brown dog had his 4th birthday the very next day. He spent the day being pampered like the princess he is, followed by a nap or two and a homemade dinner. Malory thought it was appropriate to get dressed up for Charlie’s big day.

If you needed further proof that our dogs are VERY spoiled, Charles was also showered with gifts. His favorite was his new “baby.” He wouldn’t let it out of his sight for the first few days, which caused quite a commotion anytime Cooper or Walter came near.

Also worth noting: those are NOT my yellow toenails in the second picture. I would never choose that color. Cute for kid, gross for mom.

These next two pictures make my uterus hurt. Look at these sweet twin girls, daughters of our friends Eric and Allison. Scarlett (with Jackson) and Sloane (with Reese) are at the most precious stage, where they’re awake but want to be cuddled all of the time. We were happy to oblige. It reminds me of when all three of my babies were this age and John would spend Sundays from sun up to sun down in a heap on the couch with them, as all three were born during the height of the football season.

I know it’s only the middle of August, but there is definitely a chill in the air early in the mornings when I get up. I open the sliding doors all the way and let the cool air in for a good hour and a half before anyone else gets up. I personally love it….Malory, not so much.

If you go back to this post or this post, you’ll see how much we love going to Estes Park. We hadn’t been there in several years and since our realtor was hosting an open house on a Saturday and Sunday, we decided to take a mini vacation up there (yes, our house is STILL for sale😒).

We rode the ariel tramway to the top of the mountain for a hike. Now, although it was John’s idea, he was terrified. He is afraid of heights and I’ve never seen him so nervous….he held onto the leather strap for the entire 3 minutes with a fierce intensity. I’m pretty sure he would have sacrificed both me and the children had something gone wrong.

But, I’m happy to report that we made it to the top and commenced our planned hike. Reese made friends with this very handsy chipmunk. No wonder he’s smiling.

John and I were sad to discover how much our kids love hiking. Sad because we live in one of the largest outdoor playgrounds there is and we don’t take advantage of it enough. We didn’t hike far or hard, but enjoyed every minute of it and vowed to do more.

After that, we fueled up with some pizza and beer, in preparation for the main event. Although they loved it, the kids had only agreed to hike if we took them to the adventure park afterward. Jackson and Reese had been telling Malory how much she would love bungee jumping and it did not disappoint. She was in trampoline heaven. Look how high she was.

Also, after much good-natured ribbing from his dad, Jackson was able to complete a full double back flip. John’s memory of his athletic prowess as a young boy is always much more robust than the reality I’m sure. But, I also think it’s this way with most father/son relationships. It’s similar to “When I was a kid, I walked 20 miles to school….blah, blah, blah.” Or, John’s personal favorite…”When I was a kid I carried my golf bag. I was NEVER allowed to ride in the cart.” Yeah, right.

But, that awesome father/son relationship also brings moments like this. We laughed so hard because Jackson couldn’t drive the boat and squirt his dad at the same time, so there was no escaping.

And, the girls were not immune to dad’s wrath….

So, these next few pictures are a glimpse forward about 8 years, and perfectly capture the personalities of these two future drivers. Jackson, ever the cautious one, is telling me that he’ll hold his hands at 10 and 2, always use his turn signals, and will keep it within 5 mph of the speed limit. Reese on the other hand, throws caution to the wind and can’t wait to feel the wind in her hair.

And, this is what it looks like when your sister is beating you in the road race. Jackson will have the last laugh though when her license is suspended for speeding tickets before she turns 17…and then has to ride the bus.

We ended the day with a little night swimming and s’mores by the fire. Perfect end to our little vacation😊