Summer Wrap-Up

 School started this past week, so it's time for one last summer post!

I take each of the kids on a special little one-on-one trip on their birthdays for a treat and to pick out a new book at Barnes & Noble. Brady couldn't fathom his sisters not joining us, so we all went! ;)  

I hope they never outgrow their habit of making themselves at home in a bookstore & reading on the floor in the middle of a book aisle! 

{Mirror Lake}

{Shelby's last Friday night "treat bowl" before braces. The kids watch a movie every Friday with popcorn, fruit snacks, and M&M's.  Popcorn & fruit snacks are on the no-no list for braces, so we wanted her last "treat bowl" for at least a year documented!}

The kids each earned a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut from the library for completing their Summer Reading...it gave me all the feels thinking about Book It! from my elementary school days. 

We went to the Alaska Museum of Science & Nature in Anchorage on a rainy Saturday. We totally judged a book by its cover and had low expectations of the museum {very small and unassuming from the exterior}, but it was so wonderful! They even had a scavenger hunt for the kids, which made our experience so much richer! We were big fans. I left wishing every museum would have a scavenger hunt!

We had hiked Barbara Falls in Eagle River in the winter to see the frozen waterfall, so it was fun to do this hike again in the summer! We all enjoyed the opportunity to see it again in a completely new light.

{birthday thank you notes}

It never gets old that we can just ride our bikes or go for a short walk and end up on the bank of the Eagle River with this majestic view.

{new haircut requested by Brady}

{Hadley started guitar lessons this month!}

{Shelby ran with me a couple of times this month, and I was so proud of her!}

{Playing a couple rounds of Exploding Kittens with our neighbor on the deck}

August brought lots of new things for Shelby! She got her ears pierced, started wearing contacts, and got a much-needed hair cut!

Summer 2023, you were good to us! We have enjoyed vacations, hikes, library runs, slow mornings, playing cards & board games, bike rides, and soaked up as much time as possible with our friends & fam. Now, it's time to ring in a new school year! We are ready for 2nd, 5th, and 7th grades!