First camping trip 2024

We "bought" a camper for sabbatical 2024 summer and took it for it's first outing to the Palmer Gulch KOA over Memorial Day weekend for a B family reunion. 

Finally all set up.

Playing The Game of Life with the cousins as soon as they were let inside.

Enjoying the sun with Terry's family. 

The weather was not great. It rained all week and the first night there. It was chilly but the kids insisted on swimming...sort of. Evie is growing out of it but the boys and cousins wanted to swim.

That first evening we had to use the propane heater b/c it rained and was so cold. The next morning the reunion was over and we were on our own. Here we're headed out for adventure.

That afternoon we went on a drive around the campground in the back of an old firetruck. 

Then Evie tie-dyed a shirt. I thought it was funny that every employee was "helping" her. The campground was pretty empty that weekend. 

Meanwhile the boys drove these peddle go-carts for a half hour. We had to pay for them and it was expensive but they had a fun time.

I had pre-made a tater-tot casserole and baked it in the little oven. It took forever but it was worth it. It was delicious and so fun to eat a good meal while camping. 

We played a ton of mini-golf. I always lost and Ezra usually won. 

We also played a lot of basketball. The kids learned a lot. We had so much fun that weekend! Terry even mentioned the next weekend in his sermon before sabbatical how nice it was to leave everything behind and just focus on each other with no distractions. Exactly. Sabbatical posts next!

 

Life resumes post-vaca, first day of school

After we returned from vacation life began again. We tried to soak up the last of summer by having s'mores and enjoying the flowers out back.

Our first day of school was August 19th that years. Wow I was on the ball. 

But really I think I had to start that early because Evie's co-op class with Faith began early. 

Evie wasn't the happiest. 

Off we go bright and early to C4 and Noah's biology lab at First Assembly church taught by Faith and Mr. Harris. 

Noah began his cross country season. Here he is just finishing his first meet at Douglas. 

The boys begged to play on the new play area at Canyon Lake. 

I believe this meet was in Spearfish. 

Youth group began the day after Terry's birthday, September 4th. 

All the students.

Sick day maybe? 

Two and a half years later that glue is still there and the window is still foggy. 

Sometimes Terry goes crazy on Luna. 

I hate Battlebots but all the boys think it's awesome. 

We bought our neighbor Joe's hailed out car as a daily driver for Terry and an upcoming car for Noah when he soon passes his driver's test. 

dahlias 2019

I still have hundreds of 2019's dahlias on my phone...in large part because I had almost none in 2020 thanks to overcrowding them. Derp. Here are just some of them. 

Trying hard to capture the natural sparkle in the sun. 

I'm gonna try to plant 2021's dahlias early inside and try to get earlier blooms. 

Dinnerplates are my favorite!!

Stupid grasshoppers. If you know how to kill them, please share. Last year I started cutting them in half with scissors. 🙊😆

Luna was SO BIG!

I love this one.

This moth hummingbird-like creature visited from petunias several times. It was so cool! 

On September 11th it rained and the dahlias were stunning. I remember because it was the day Luna went into labor!

This photo is my phone wallpaper!