life in September

This is a photo dump from September, but I love each little memory.  Brooke was invited to her friend Jerzey's birthday party and she loved reconnecting with her two Kindergarten best friends. 

Colby built lot of stuff and I have MANY pictures on my phone of his creations.  Nothing can be forgotten, haha, and I blame that on myself since I am constantly taking pictures of what they are doing. 

Getting creative at the park...

Colby was digging through my nightstand drawer and found this eye mask.  He was already listening to an old iPod (which he thinks is THE coolest thing on the planet), but he placed the eye mask and asked if I could take his picture so that he could see how cool he looked, haha. This kid is something else...

We finally made it to the dentist for Brooke's second check-up and Colby's first!  We don't have dental insurance, so don't go as often as we should, but I made a goal to be more consistent. The hygienist and dentist were both complimenting the kids on their oral care, so I guess we're doing something right.

We stopped by Certifit for some reason and the kids were excited to take a tour through the warehouse.  I love that they were so excited to see where Kevin works.

We played some basketball together at Daulton...

Can you tell that he's a little excited about basketball?  One thing I love about Colby is his commitment to things.  He is determined to exceed at what he does, which means he isn't afraid to work on a skill over and over until he's satisfied with his progress. 

As we played, a storm rolled in and the skies turned so dark! The temperatures dropped and before we knew it, a torrential downpour started. We barely made it to the car in time, haha. 

We spent more time at the lake.  Shocking, I know! Brooke's confidence has totally blossomed this summer on the kneeboard and I love that she is so proud of herself and what she's learned to do. 

And just look at those skies!!  Evening boat rides are my favorite.  The water is calm, and it just feels peaceful and serene, even when we are jamming to DJ Marshmallow :)

Some more Sunday afternoon basketball...

Colby found Kevin's sweatband and I was obsessed with his cuteness.  Especially when he stopped mid game to do a few stretches, haha. 

Spent some time at Clayton Chandler's skate park while Brooke was at school...

Reading the new Princess in Black book from Nay Nay...

Bike rides on a hot day...

More basketball, but this time at the Hawkins house.  Joanna invited him over to play and he practiced for a solid 45 minutes straight.  Like I said, he commits himself!  I've never seen his little face so blotchy and sweaty. 

A very wet walk after school...

Park play date with the Hawkins at Clayton Chandler...

We finally returned to in-person church, which was really nice.  I have actually really liked doing church at home, but I felt like it was time to go back and worship with our Ward again.  As the sacrament was prepared, I had an overwhelming feeling that we were in the right place and I felt grateful for the confirmation from the Spirit. 

Hawaiian Day at school...

Joanna took me out to lunch at Corner Bakery for my birthday, and Colby got to be my +1.  

We headed to Olive Garden for dinner on my birthday, and even though the food was yummy, I was disappointed that they didn't have my favorite berry dipping sauce for the Zappolis. 

Since Colby has been totally into basketball and he wants to practice ALL the time for his upcoming season, we gifted him an early birthday present...

Fed the ducks and geese together, and Colby even "caught a turtle" that wouldn't let go of the string on his line, haha. 

I am so grateful for these little moments because I know that before I know it, they will both be in school all day and I will miss these days!  I saw something on social media today that really resonated with me...

"What did you do today??"

"Oh, nothing really. Just the usual."

But then her mind drifted to warm meals and clean laundry and full tummies and living room pillow forts and children's laughter and nap time books and basketball practices and freckled faces around the dinner table and homework and bedtime prayers and so many 'I love you's she lost count...

And she decided to change her answer.

"Oh, everything really.  All that matters."

minnesota-day six

I definitely wasn't prepared for how incredible Minnesota's Largest Candy Store was going to be!  Kimberly had mentioned this place to my kids when we first were thinking about taking this trip, and they didn't forget!  The 27,000 square foot converted barn is full of candy, popcorn, pies, soda, puzzles, and the most amazing displays.  I tried taking a picture of the kids on the way in and poor Claire cried when we tried to make her sit on the bench.  She just wanted to be hugging that giant jelly bean, haha!

Just check out these displays...

Every few minutes, this "band" would play a song and the kids would dance around. 

Each section of the barn had a different theme and every detail was over the top!

We left with about $40 worth of candy, so the kids were quite happy about the pit stop.  

We then headed to the Sever's Fall Festival.  As we headed towards the entrance, poor Grace was having a hard time.  She was crying unconsolably and nobody could figure out what she wanted or needed.  Kimberly thought maybe their family needed to head home, but we were in a bind because we already had reservations that were nonrefundable.  And this was our last outing together before we headed to the airport.  As we stood there trying to figure out what to do, the nice lady at the entrance told us to go inside and see if she calmed down.  If not, and they ended up leaving, she would get a refund on her tickets.   Well, thankfully, it all worked out and as soon as they took off her shoes and let her bounce on the giant pillow thing (pictured below), she was totally fine.   

We all loved this old tractor and it made for the perfect picture spot.

Wrestle Mania on the pillow thing, haha. I have no idea what these are technically called, but everyone sure had fun running and bouncing.  I, on the other hand, started feeling so sick and had to just sit and watch.  The nausea lasted for a good hour, but luckily it passed and I was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Colby leading Kevin through the corn maze with his bird's eye view...

The kids went down the Super Slide on potato sacks, which seemed like the perfect country activity :)

We kept coming back to this vintage fire truck, which was amazingly long and was so fun to explore. 

They especially loved that you could climb up to the top and steer from up there!

                                         

Another highlight was the exotic petting zoo, which was home to baby kangaroos, camels, and a Ze-donks (Zebra and Donkey mix). 

Sever's is also home to the largest corn maze in the state, with stalks taller than anyone in our whole group :)  Brooke owned the whole "guide" role as she tried to lead us through the whole maze.  We definitely made it to the center monkey (Amazon themed), but I don't think we walked the whole thing.  BUT, we made it out, so I'd say she was a pretty good guide. 

We also watched pig races, rode the zip line, watched a magic show where I was chosen to be the assistant, and checked out the obstacle course before heading to the airport. 

We packed the day full of fun, and the kids yelled "I love you" to Kimmie, Josh, Claire, and Grace as we drove away and headed to the airport.  This trip was everything I could have hoped for and I am so incredibly grateful for the memories we made and the relationships we strengthened. 

It was a late flight, but Colby held on until we landed in Dallas and hopped on the shuttle back to our car. 

Thanks for hosting us, Griffiths, we love you!