Ares, CABIN, Cecelia, Family, Mom Life, Motherhood, Rosemary, siblings, sisterhood, Summer, Weekends

July + August 2018

Posted by Rachel Gaetz on August 30, 2018August 30, 2018

Oh hey! I just wanted to quick pop in and do a July and August recap now that it’s nearly September and the 2/3 of the kids in this house will be in school in less than two weeks.

So, let’s go back to the 4th of July! We lived that good cabin life with cousins and Grandma and Grandpa. The kids spent time in the lake, the hammock, and could also be found frequenting the snack cabinet (because Grandma has the best snacks and everyone knows it.)

We made it back to Hudson in time for our neighborhood party on the 4th and were joined by my bro and Kenzie! We enjoyed tasty food and the company of our friends at the party. Afterwards we did sparklers and more such at our house. The girls absolutely can’t wait until next July when they can have sparklers again!

Also in July, one of my dearest friends, Azure, visited for 4 days! Sure she was here for a training, but we still got her all to ourselves once her work was done. It felt awesome to reunite, catch up, and have a few drinks and snacks. Gah, love you lady!

Right after Azure left and I was going through friend withdrawals, my sister visited for a few days and we picked up right where we left off! We had several days to spend together, but I think my favorite was the evening that she, my brother, and I went to Stillwater to several different breweries and restaurants including Pearl and the Thief where we sipped and shucked. The weather was truly perfect and we had a spectacular time together.

The garden that we planted at the beginning of June took off rapidly and we’ve been reaping tons of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. Even after freezing some and pickling others, we’ve still had a copious amount of leftovers, so the girls have been going on veggie deliveries in the neighborhood to share our surplus. I’m so glad that we got this garden growing and producing this year. It’s been so satisfying to quick run out to the backyard when in need of fresh basil, rosemary, parsley, etc. There’s definitely a lot I would adjust and do differently next year, but I still think this was a fabulous project for us this summer.

Also in July/August news, Joe played flag football on the weekends and the kids and I made it out a few times to cheer him on. Rosie was the loudest, most dedicated cheerleader of all. The majority of my time/energy was spent trying to corral and pull Ares off the field as he wanted to be part of the action, even though he’s less than two feet tall. Fortunately, Cece proved to be helpful in entertaining and containing her little bro.

The girls also completed two weeks of swim class. Thank GOODNESS! Cece made some definite process in being able to finally subemerge herself in water, floating, and doing bobs. Rosie… somehow swindled the instructors into carrying her around in the water like royalty nearly every class. But at least it was some extra exposure to water? Stay tuned for next year’s lessons.

ALSO! Big shout out to Cece who had the idea of completing a 7-day-no-screens challenge for herself (no tablets or TV) and she did it EASILY! Every now and then when she was looking to maybe watch a show or do some apps, I reminded her about her idea and she quickly agreed to do something else. I am tremendously proud of her for taking that initiative and for accomplishing her goal with such a good attitude. Sometimes when I think I’m coming up short at parenting, something like this happens and I truly feel like a million bucks. Cece, you are a rock star and you inspire me!

August was BEST LIFE in so many ways! We started off the month with a family SUSHI dinner and also a family movie date (haha, back to screens!) to see the Incredibles 2! The photo op the girls found at the theater was for Teen Titans Go and not the Incredibles, but that’s ok We loved the movie and had a blast together!

Not long after that, I declared it “birthday week” and I did all my favorite things. For one, I took a flying trapeze class via Twin Cities Trapeze. I’ve taken two classes before, my last one being two years ago. My family came to watch and my girl Kenzie came to fly with me! This was such a fun night. Sure I was sore the next day, but I leaned a new trick and it gave me my circus fix!

Making birthday week even better, my mom came to visit! She and I took the kids to her hotel pool, Mom took the girls shopping, and we spent my birthday eating some crazy delicious food at Bellecour. Thank you to my mom (and Kenzie) for making my birthday so wonderful. Joe had to work all day on my birthday, but still gifted me a gorgeous succulent planter and some sweet wireless earbuds so I can look cool while listening to my tunes.

Thank you again to my mom for visiting, for giving me and the kids so much TLC, and making me feel like the luckiest lady ever.

Mid-August, Joe, the kids, and I embarked on a road trip to Colorado for Joe to run a Spartan Beast. This was an adventure of the very best kind (it’ll get its very own blog post soon). I’m still missing the mountains and the togetherness time, but I’m truly thankful to have had such a fun experience with my family.

I hope your summer is winding down nicely and that you are gearing up for all of the fabulous fall things to come. If you need me (or want to join me), I’ll be the splash of color on our front porch either sipping some coffee or wine depending on the time of day ; )

Thanks again for stopping by and reading! I go back and forth regarding whether or not I want to continue blogging (cause let’s be real. This is a true hobby that takes up a few hours here and there and sometimes I just don’t feel like it). BUT after going through past posts (some from seven years ago!) I realize the documentation of life with my kids when they are little is hilarious, precious, and golden, and I think it’s something our whole family will be grateful for some day (even if no one likes me taking photos of them now!)

Cheers!

xoxo,

rachel