Three weeks of summer left.  Thats it.  Three more weeks to keep piling on the memories that we've made over the past seven.  This has been one of our favorite summers.  No, we didn't go on any extreme, exotic vacations.  We didn't partake in any extravagant summer camps.  So I can't pinpoint why its been so fabulous.  But, this summer is going to be a hard one to say goodbye to in just three short weeks.  I'm not ready to let Audrey head back to school.  I'll miss her tremendously.  I felt like we just picked her up on her last day of school, said goodbye and thank you to Mrs. Burke...

...and headed to Great Wolf.  This was a surprise for the kids because how can a water park surprise ever go wrong?  

Our summer has also included Nick's personally built playground.  He had an image.  He designed it himself, and would never ever agree to hiring out the help or buying the materials pre-made.  If he could have cut down a tree and made the timber himself, he would have.  The design was all built around Big Yellow, which Nick found on Craigslist and we had to haul home like this on 95.

A view from the beginning stages.  Thankful for neighbors and good friends who were willing to lend an extra muscular hand.  The finished masterpiece is almost to completion; only a few more trips to pick up wood chips and its done.  Final picture to post soon.  

We've set goals this summer, and reached them.  One of them was the Montclair Triathlon on June 18, Father's Day.  This was my first, Nick's second.  I signed us up a mere two weeks before race day because, I know how to swim, bike and run.  How hard could it be?  

Hard.  This picture was taken by a neighbor as we waited to enter the lake.  While most unflattering for me, it also fails to show my nerves.  I was shaking.  I have a little phobia of open water swimming and at this moment, I really wanted to bolt.  But, I did it. I finished the triathlon and will never do another.  The swim was terrifying and humbling.  I'll stick to running. 

Because I really can't pull off that cool bike look.  

Dolphin Beach has consumed many of our daylight summer hours, and every time we visit the beach, I'm forever grateful we decided to live in this neighborhood.  

Grandma J visited for a brief visit and the kids serenaded her with a dance party.  

But the real story of this summer has been swim team.  Wow.  Just wow.  I pray another summer never goes by without swim team.  How would we have survived?  Practice every day. Saturday meets.  Happy kids in the water.  Audrey did fantastic and proved daily how natural swimming is for her.  A true athlete.  She was so nervous in the beginning and ended up being one of the fastest swimmers in the 8 and under group.  Nick and I volunteered a few shifts and being in the middle of the excitement made this a family event.  

Just look at her reaction time!  So incredibly proud of this girl.  Every meet, when I would stand by the pool and cheer for her, I would choke up.  I could barely get a "Go Audrey" out.  To see your child compete and do well, is a touching moment for every mom, I would hope.  

 

Ethan with Coach Nate, who completed six weeks of swimming practice.  Cannot wait for swim team next summer.  

We've done many outings, adventures, and day trips.  A friend invited us to Wolf Trap and because this was on our bucket list, we quickly agreed.  

While this summer has been full of fun, there has also been a grey cloud surrounding summer of 2017.  We said goodbye to our sweet Stanley.  A wedding present, and with us for nearly 11 years, our sweet girl had declined to a level that was heartbreaking.  She had numerous health issues and with the guidance of our vet, we all decided the best humane option for her comfort was to let her be free of pain.  On June 23, we all wrapped our arms around Stanley, gave her our love and hugs, and thanked her for making our lives better.  She will forever be missed.  She will always hold a place in my heart, as my sole friend who laid beside me every night when we moved to California and I knew no one while Nicks was deployed.  She was my constant companion in those days of fear.  She was with us from the beginning, and there every time we brought home a baby.  

This last day, we gave  her all the love she deserved and explained to the kids that all dogs go to heaven, and she is now running wild with Wayne.  

(wiping away tears) Our sadness was often relieved with the smiles of our kids.  Elle has this crazy personality that you have to just shake your head and laugh.  She is unlike the other two, with a daring sense of adventure and a mind of her own.  

For the most part, all three get along fairly well.  Of course there are times when bickering get the best of them, but they really do like each other.  

And when they don't, we just spend more time with friends to break up their battles.  This was a Fourth of July party we hosted, and these three (Ruby, Elle, Jake) were mesmerized by the fireworks.  

Sometimes, we have lazy afternoons that don't involve an outing and instead cater to a craft on the deck.  This day was painting and hardly any of it ended up on the paper.  But, we used all the paint, they had fun, the clothing was saved, and we did baths on the deck.  A win all around.  

There is a little fad going around right now, where kids paint rocks and then hide them for others to find.  I've been wanting to take part in this little activity, so decided to coordinate a rock painting party with neighborhood friends.  A success for sure.  

Every since we said goodbye to Stanley, Audrey has been yearning and begging for a puppy.  While this may not happen for a while, I've acknowledged her love of pets and signed her up for reading to therapy dogs at the base library.  This was with Pierre...

...and Cody.  I teared up looking at this sweet boy's eyes.  I would have brought him home.  

Audrey also read to dogs at a local animal shelter, which was heartbreaking.  So many dogs needing home.  

Maybe the biggest milestone and event of our summer was Audrey's 7th birthday.  7.  7 years.  I told Nick today, these past 7 years have been the best of my life.  If I could go back and relive these last 7 years over and over again, I would.  I love being a mom to these kids.  I adore spending my days with them and getting to know them.  I love this life I live and I love these little people we are raising.  So when Audrey woke up on her 7th birthday, of course its bittersweet.  Its awesome watching her grow into this beautiful little lady, but shocking how fast time goes by.  Just incredibly thankful I'm here to witness each and every day.  

We gave Audrey the choice of a birthday party with her friends, or a super secret surprise.  We hinted the surprise would be amazing. Sure enough, we chose the surprise which was a one hour trail ride for Nick and herself on her birthday.  Audrey is still completely obsessed with horses and the smile on her face says so much.  Audrey is perfect is so many ways and I'm excited to see what this next year brings.  

Nick and I have an early morning wake up call to do a 15 mile training run, so I"ll sign off and leave you with a picture of what most of our days look like: snacks while on pool break.