At the North Pole and more summer things

Josie is off to a sleepover and the boys requested icecream and video games. So! that is the plan for today!

I have been so excited to share these pictures with everyone! This month has been so full and fun. 

This kid is obsessed with finding bugs and frogs. All day - every day.... it's all he wants to do.

Tinfoil river

Molly Foof. The Foofiest Foof in all the world of Foofiness. 

Cupcakes for the kiddos

Italian lemon cookies!  Perfect for summer. 

We have so many beautiful birds visiting our yard lately.

1st time ever watching The Wizard of Oz. ...and Josh and I hadn't seen it since we were very young. We actually thought it wasn't as bad as we remembered! haha.

Sparklers at Moo and Matts

VACATION TIME!!! Off to Wilmington, NY.

We are off! In our dirty van! 

It was honestly THE BEST room I've ever seen. 

We went to the tiniest Tops store we have ever seen to get some picnic food.

We had microwave pizza rolls for dinner our first night - hehe. Really, look at this room! We could've happily lived in this motel room forever. 

They had the coolest playground and the kids had so much fun meeting new kids and staying up past bedtime each night while Josh and I swung on the swing; chatting away. 

Do you ever feel so lucky that the moment almost doesn't seem real? Like it's too awesome to comprehend? That's how I felt, anyway. This little trip meant so much to all of us. Isn't it cool we live in a world where mountains and creeks and rivers exist? ...and Christmas-themed motel rooms?!

Aren't mornings the best on vacation? Coffee with bagels and cream cheese and an eager sun waiting behind the curtains. A whole day ahead with so many fun possibilities! 

To get into the North Pole theme park for 50 percent off on the 4th of July - you had to come wearing your red, white and blue.... so we were decked out as much as we could possibly be for that crazy awesome discount! ;)

While waiting for the park to open, they had Christmas music playing over the loud speakers. Did you know the North Pole amusement park is known as the forerunner of present day theme parks in the United States? 

Feeling the icy North Pole! The kids were amazed!

A lady offered to take a family picture of us... can you guess who protested the picture? If you look carefully, you can find him. ;)

Lake Placid Olympic center!

They had putt putt golf right outside the motel

Kid Cuisine another night

"Mom? This is the best restaurant I ever saw."

A beach on the river was walking distance away from our motel!

Best. Vacation. Ever!

Back home!

Josh bought me this ornament before we left. Ironically, it was made in Missoula, Montana! (Where I dream to live some day!)

Playing summer music on the speaker. 

Josh and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary!

It was a rainy morning that day

We celebrated by dancing along to our wedding video with the kids and eating late-night dessert!

More summer things -

He gathered every pinecone in the yard and spent several minutes trying to throw each one as far as he possibly could

The kids spent last week at theatre camp! We practiced lines each morning and night. 

Dinner at Salty Dogs the night before their big show!

Ashton played Sly Snoop - a reporter! and Josie was Wilma Left - a sister in the Great Balloon Race. They each had a little over 30 lines to memorize in 3 days! And they did SO good! Not missing a single one of them. We were so insanely proud. 

A new pool to replace our millionth popped one. 

So sorry for the length of this one! I love the memories! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. Summer is such a fleeting season, isn't it? Have some pink lemonade, listen to the Beach Boys, go for a walk at dusk and pretend you have no bedtime! Life is short, afterall. So short indeed.

xoxo, Jessie