I think of summer being between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Here's what we've shared so far.
The second and third weeks of June meant vacation for all of us! After years of discussions and planning, we were finally going to Disney World with our friends, the Riggins and Jill!
Wednesday, June 14: We flew MSP to KC to ORL and stayed at a hotel by the Orlando airport.
Thursday, June 15: We met Riggins at our rental house and started right out in the pool in our backyard (the kids were too excited to even put on swimsuits and jumped in fully clothed:))
Friday, June 16: Our first park day! We lasted a full 12 hours! Universal was a great mix of stuff for the big and little kids and we only had a short rain delay in the afternoon that closed some rides. We agreed this was our second favorite park of the trip.
Universal Studios: Transformers, Gringotts, Kang and Kodos Twirl and Hurl (Octopus), ET, Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure
Island of Adventure: Dragon Challenge (4 times), flight of Hippogriff, Harry Potter Forbidden Journey, Jurassic Park River Adventure (twice), Pteranadon Flyers, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Spiderman, Hulk Coaster, Caro-Suess-el, Cat in the Hat
Saturday, June 17: Our first Disney park day! This park had more for the big kids to do/ride, but the girls had a good time meeting characters. It was a hot day without a rain reprieve until the evening, so we headed back to the house/pool by late afternoon.
Disney Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Rockin Rollercoaster, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours Adventure Continues, Jedi Training, Met Mickey, Minnie, and Olaf
Sunday, June 18: We made an hour trip to New Smryna Beach for a seafood lunch at
Norwood Eatery and Bar Treehouse and a fun afternoon in the waves. We really liked this beach and would definitely visit again.
Monday, June 19: We made our way to the iconic castle and biggest Disney park. This park had more for the little girls to enjoy, including our Princess Lunch in Cinderella's Castle. Unfortunately, the rain started at lunch and continued all afternoon. By late afternoon the kids were tired of the rain and wearing ponchos so we called it a day. We had hoped to hang for the evening parade and fireworks :(
Disney Magic Kingdom: Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Dumbo, Stitch's Great Escape, Tomorrowland Speedway, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer Island, Princess Lunch
Tuesday, June 20: Our final park day was voted the favorite for everyone! It was also the only day that it didn't rain at all. We got to experience Pandora, the World of Avatar, two weeks after it opened and it was awesome. Animal Kingdom was a great mix for big and little kids and we kept cool with lots of cool treats :)
Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest (twice), Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safari, Triceratop Spin, Primeval Whirl, Kali River Rapids, It's Tough to Be a Bug (twice), Avatar Flight of Passage, Navi River Journey
Wednesday, June 21: We spent our last day relaxing by the pool at our house and the community pools in the housing development. A perfect end to vacation:) We also rented Avatar since the boys hadn't seen it and were intrigued after exploring Pandora the day before.
Thursday, June 22: We flew ORL to KC to MSP and returned to cool, beautiful weather in Minnesota. Just what I wanted after a hot and humid week plus in Florida:)
It was an amazing trip and we loved sharing it with our great friends! Special thanks to Erika who did lots of research before the trip, my friend Laura who has been to Disney many times and shared helpful tips, my sister for loaning us her double stroller that was wonderful for giving the kids breaks when they needed and hauling our cooler every day, and my parents for sharing their cooler that fit perfectly on the stroller.
The end of June brought us back to work and routine before more fun in July. Brent had his final post surgery appointment (surgery info
here) with the surgeon who said he's recovering well, but should wait until his calves are more equal in size and strength before playing basketball again. Brent's been very active running (since May) and lifting, but recovery simply takes time and he's done great without any setbacks.
The first weekend of July through July 4th was
Summerfest in Stewartville. On the fourth, we spent the day with Riggins, Wagers, and Looneys taking in lots of Summerfest. We did some games and rides at the park, enjoyed the parade, and watched the fireworks from our driveway.
The next week brought lots of fun to our house with college friends! July 7th Stroms arrived and July 8th Ericksons arrived! We also got to celebrate our niece and nephew's birthdays in between. Piper (3) and Paker (1) both have summer birthdays and had a shared party.
The week with Stroms and Ericksons was wonderful! The guys (big and little) golfed, the mommas had lunch out to celebrate Callie's birthday, the kids played like crazy, we visited with other friends and family, visited Oxbow, and simply enjoyed each other's company. It was perfect.
July 15th we spent the day with family and friends. Luke, Mekhi, Annalise, and Ethan ran the
Kids Obstacle Race in Eyota, then in the afternoon we celebrated Nora's 5th birthday with an
Art on the Go party in our garage. It was a great day!
July 16-21 was Luke's first full week of camp at
Pine Haven Christian Assembly (our church back ground's church camp) in Park Rapids, MN. He had a great time with his cousin Mekhi and friend Eli and peripherally knew many other kids through Brent and I. Our friend Ethan, Eli's dad, was also a volunteer for the week. They had great weather and Luke soaked up all of the water time with tubing, kayaking, and swimming:) He also came back with lots of question and discussion about what he learned during the week.
This week also brought some sickness for us at home. Nora had a ruptured eardrum and ear infection and was under the weather for about a week. Brent's mom also started a very difficult journey (that is still in progress) with her health that has included three hospitalizations and countless tests and infusions. She is still awaiting a specific diagnosis, but thankfully making some progress with her symptoms.
The last week of July was fun and busy for Luke with football camp, archery, and wrapping up his golf camp with a tournament. Brent and I also celebrated 14 years of marriage and got a date overnight thanks to Papa and Gma Beckmann.
Then August came. Looking ahead at the calendar, it looked to be a quiet month before the busyness of fall and school started. But, we woke August 1 to news that our good friend from high school had died (more
here). We spent the week mourning and reminiscing with Matt's family and our friends from high school. It was a horrible and beautiful week all at once.
This summer has been filled with all the feels...and I mean filled: excitement, fear, joy, tears, and so much love. It was filled with people we love and many memories were made. It was life, good and bad, and it has taught us a lot.
Pictures available on
Shutterfly.
