Nature Calls
I don't know about you, but when life starts piling on, my go to happy pill is a walk in nature. I think of our Botanic Gardens membership as a therapeutic expense.
Ivy had an SCFD Teen Council meeting at the Botanic Gardens (where she was announced as Communications Chair and I did a proud mama dance) and we packed up the family to soak up some nature.
If you need a little nature therapy, here are a few photos to tide you over until you can get outside.
The More Things Stay the Same
The more they change.
Yup, I know I wrote that in reverse of the quote you know. I've been thinking about change a lot recently, partly because both of the kiddos are going to be in high school this fall and it occurs to me that our time as a foursome is dwindling.
Take these trips to Elitch Gardens, for example. I went to Elitch's as a kid (in a different location) and was the daredevil on every ride that held the potential to make me sick. Then I had babies and Elitch's was off the menu for a while. When they got old enough, we'd go on the little kiddie rides. In a flash, they were tall enough for the big rides, but they still wanted me to ride with them. Now, my stomach isn't as resilient as it was once and they just run off to the next thrill ride on their own.
Same Elitch's, same four people...but the experience keeps changing every time we go. It's always a moment when I remember to slow down and notice these two humans that mean the world to me. If I don't, things will change on me again and I'll have missed it.
Well That Was Wild
Summer is roller coaster season, right? Well, while some of you may have visited an amusement park to celebrate the long weekend (go you!), our little family got a different kind of ride. One that, if I'm honest, I'm not looking to get in line for again.
Miss Ivy had been excited for a month to volunteer at the Four Mile Historic Park Independence Celebration. She'd missed 2019 when my sister passed away and we all know what happened in 2020. Rhonda the Honda...it's a long story, don't ask...had other plans. Right after we dropped her off, the alternator died on the way to Midas to get checked out. The weekend went to Defcon 2 just like that. Thank goodness for awesome mechanic nephews who save the day and loan you a car until they fix yours.
But just like that roller coaster I was referencing, after the sickening drop you start having fun. The car got fixed and we enjoyed a beautiful night in Castle Rock and I got to play around with long exposures during the professional show the town put on. Whew, we made it!
While the Boys Play Baseball...The Girls Eat Cookies!
My head says that Baseball is a Spring/Summer sport and that Zander should be enjoying his off season. I am, apparently, the only person who thinks that way. So Z and Mr. Christine's Camera are "off season training" with his team.
That's good news for Ivy, because that means I can make skillet cookies with ice cream and caramel sauce. When the boys are away, the girls will load up on sugar!
I used this recipe, which has become a staple in our house over the last couple of years.
Ice Skating on the Farm With a Goat
Yup, that's a thing. And if you've never gone ice skating at a historic farm with a goat who thinks they're a human accompanying you...then you totally should.
We've been huge fans of Four Mile Historic Park forever. In fact, miss Ivy volunteered there for a year. So when we got the email saying that they were extending December ice skating into January, my big girl demanded we buy our tickets immediately. Turns out, we had the place to ourselves. The light snow, big laughs and Pearl the Goat made it a perfect winter day.
