Amundsons

Last summer (2011) Jake and I got away at the end of the summer.  Jake's family watched the girls and we went to a hotel in St. Louis to spend some time together for two days.  It was pretty phenomenal.  Turns out I love hanging out with "Vacation Jake" (If you have never met Vacation Jake you really should!  "Everyday Jake" is also pretty great, but "Vacation Jake" is extra special).  We were excited to do it again this year, and found a coupon for a hotel in St. Louis that we had really wanted to try.  Then our conversation wandered over to how much we love hanging out with our kids.   As in we like spending time with our kids.      If you haven't met them they are funny, they are silly, they are no longer in diapers/pack-n-plays and bottles.  Turns out we like our kids.  We certainly never saw that coming!  So I know... I know those who are older and wiser I am sure are thinking, 'you need to make time for j...

Due to my lack of consistent posting, I have decided I am going to a seasonal mish-mash approach.  I took (and taught) a lot of classes this summer so we spent most of the summer close to home.  Which would have been great except it was outrageously hot this summer.  Record high temps, record high electric bills and record brown lawns.  ( side note.  I love that I live in a community of people who do not water their grass... either for environmental or financial reasons: it doesn't matter- I'm kind of proud of my brown grass community )   We spent most of our time inside trying to stay cool.  I found a blow up pool on clearance this summer, which I thought was a fabulous idea, until I realized it was likely on clearance because it was huge and took over a 1,000,000 gallons of water to fill. So much for the saving water on the grass... Charlotte went to her first day camp at Durley.  This felt like a huge mileston...

This summer Charlotte informed me that she was an independent woman.  And then she rubbed it in my face by taking off for a week with Papi and Nana to Utah.  Leaving us behind, wondering how this happened so quickly.  She flew with them out to Vegas and then they drove up through Utah checking out the National parks as they went.   Doesn't she just look like a rec major!  Rock climbing... no big deal.    What an adventure.  She came back dirty, tired and an official Junior Ranger.  Ready to "protect nature".