Wrapping up our Sioux Falls portion of summer.

The Munce family is going on a European adventure to finish up the summer, so the last few weeks have been full of appointments, fun, and other last minute items.

Its hard to believe this journey is upon us. It is literally two years in the making. We are looking forward to making loads of memories. I will be keeping the blog updated while we are gone, so check in from time to time to see our adventures. 

Enjoy some end of summer photos...

Pavilion fun - 'meeting' our new series seats. 

Behind the scenes tour after a Wash Pav evening. 

3/4 of our 'trivia crew' rooftop at the Was Pav.
(the other two left a few minutes earlier)

Palisades hike. 

Grandpa Paul manning the grill/firepit.

Isaac and Sully on a hike.

Overnight crew.
The girls had a slumber party at the Munce house.  

The First Tee spectators keeping busy
while Anna and Sully take lessons 

The First Tee. Sully's first go at golf.
Fortunately Anna kept him right under her wing at all times ;).

The whole crew. 

Swimming lesson fun/disaster.

After months of anticipation, we finally got Sully and Greta signed up for swimming lessons.

The day arrived and both Sully and Greta were giddy. As soon as we walked in and met the instructor, Greta started to complain of an upset tummy (I immediately remembered her nervous stomach), she fought tooth and nail to hold back huge crocodile tears. I was shocked as she was the excited one and the one to rally Sully. Fortunately Sully had volunteered to go first, so I had some time to work on Greta's confidence. He and the instructor strolled off to find some toys and Greta looked at me and said she was going to get sick and literally threw up the next second- all over the pool deck. Ugh. Poor thing. I ran to the locker room for towels and was able to clean it all up pretty easily. She calmed down but was still insistent that swimming lessons were not on her agenda after Sully took his turn.  Brainstorming, I decided to encourage her to sit on the edge with me and put her feet in. I was hoping her love for water and swimming excitement would overshadow her nerves. It worked. Before I knew it, she was in the water (5ft) swimming between my legs and her normal silly self. She pushed back, just out of my reach and sank to the bottom, pushed off and came up for air and went back under. She was just under the water and was stuck...she opened her eyes as wide as possible and looked at me, the loudest scream for help that wasn't even a scream, just a look. I reached for her and she was too far away and the next thing I knew, I was going in. Fully clothed. I was soaked from my hair down. I grabbed her and we both got out, I was in slight disbelief as to how it all happened. No one else in the pool had any idea, it may have even been graceful, I don't know, but I've replayed it in my mind one million times since then. As you could imagine, swimming lessons were definitely not on her agenda after that.

Sully wrapped things up and did so so good, he was excited and had so much fun and it was Greta's turn. She was adamant about not taking a turn, but after diving for some toys and letting her steer the boat, she was in and off with Karen. Phew! I sat for another 30 minutes dripping in a towel before it was all over.

Much to their delight, they get to learn the 'froggy stroke' this week and both are thrilled (fingers crossed it is a much less eventful evening :)). Never a dull moment around here!

Sully- post swim. 

Greta- the master kicker, having so much fun. 

Overdue haircuts and a 5 year check up.

I pushed haircuts back as long as possible, and may have waited a month too long. Yikes. Sully got his typical military cut while Greta got wild and went for a bob. She loves to wear her hair down and also suffers from major bedhead. I can't think of a better way to make the most out of a cut that lets her rock both.

In other news, Sullivan had his 5 year check up and all looks great. He is 3 ft 7 inches (50th percentile) and 38.2 lbs (25th percentile).

Before.

Scraggly and shaggy ;).

I love this little chick.

After. 

Sooo adorable and grown up looking. 

The Creighton Crew

The idea of a Creighton family gathering was born many many months ago as we had not gathered as a group since May '15. After a painful home search, Leanne scored us this amazing house on the St. Croix River which was such a great location as my friend Maggie and her family were staying in Stillwater at Maggie's parent's house. From LA to Boston, we have the map covered, it was fun to meet in the middle.

The kids and I went on Wednesday and spent one evening at Leanne's house before moving to the river home on Thursday. Dave arrived on Friday evening. It was busy, so busy. There were 16 kids age 8 years to 8 months. As you can imagine, there was mega chaos, noise, fighting, and loads of fun. We spent Friday morning and afternoon near the water with the kids followed by a taco feed. After dinner the moms gathered around the table and spent some much needed time catching up. Saturday morning, Maggie's dad picked us up on his boat and took us to a sand beach where the kids swam and explored for several hours. The moms spent more afternoon time around the table before having a bbq night. After hours were spent around the campfire rehashing the important things in each other's live. It feels good to reconnect with these friends.

I was recently trying to describe the way it feels to be with these old friends of mine, and even just thinking about them calms my heart. We all have different situations and lives, but our commitment to each other is what makes our friendship special. I left feeling full and complete. Im so grateful for the memories, the fun, and the photos, but we all agree, we should stick to girls trips for the next few years ;).

Group photo of the kids. 

8 years ~ 8 months.

Obsessed with the water. 

Sully, too! 

Reunited and the inside joke is seriously so hilarious. 

Slumber party. 

Boat fun.

The entire crew. 

Family photo before heading home. 

Black Hills getaway.

We just returned from an awesome 7 days in the Black Hills. We were packed to the gills in my car and had barely any wiggle room, but we managed. Driving 7 hours across the state is no small task for little kids, but with strategic stops, loads of snacks, good movies and iPads, anything is possible. The kids did so well.

We arrived on Saturday in time to grocery shop, settle in, eat dinner, and try out the hot tub before hitting the sack early. We had fun daily adventures, the weather was hot and the kids had fun. Each night after the daily clean up, Dave and I sat on the deck and looked through each other's photos and rehashed the day's events. Our cabin was perfect, an A-frame tucked away in the central part of the Black Hills equipped with all of the necessities. We packed picnic lunches everyday and had dinner at home every night, mega win for this family who is currently not restaurant friendly ;).  On our seventh and final night, Dave and I both agreed we were sad to see the trip come to an end. If that doesn't indicate how well the trip went, I don't know what would. Seeing things through the kids' eyes gives us a whole new (amazing) perspective on even the simple things in life (i.e. Sully and Greta thought cabins were called 'heavens,' so when we would return to ours at the end of each day, they would both say 'there's our heaven!')

Some trip highlights include: the hot tub at the cabin, hide and seek with a "chickmonk" at Roughlock Falls, a candy tree, a candy shop (we have a candy theme in this family :/), and endless movies and games at the cabin.

We are extra lucky to be traveling with an adventurous daddy/husband. Dave has all of the best ideas and the patience required to pull them off- I sometimes feel like I'm just along for the ride (and to manage the kids ;)).

We are anxious to make the Black Hills a frequent vacation spot in the years to come. We are so lucky it is in our state and we can appreciate it.

Photo overload, enjoy!

Chamberlain picnic stop on our dive to the Black Hills. 

Everyone's ready to swim!
Some are better about wearing suits than others ;).

Three to a bed.
Worked until about 2am each night, then we played musical beds. 

Sylvan Lake hike.

Sylvan Lake fam photo after a picnic and dip at the beach.

Cheese! 

Roughlock Falls picnic spot after our hike. 

Spearfish fish hatchery- Piper was a real treat here ;).

Fourth of July 'Mt. Marshmallow' style.

Is Greta looking for Crazy Horse? 

Pactola Lake kisses from my baby. 

Pactola Lake fun. 

Drying off before our picnic at the lake.

Keystone old time family photo. 

The kids found a 'top secret' treasure map! 

And there was actually a treasure! $6 dollars for each kid! 

Serious about scrabble (I won :)).

Storybook Island.

Dinosaur Park.

Roar to daddy dinosaur.

We had a great Father's Day around here. It was a weekend full of family activities, which was extra necessary since we weren't together on Dave's birthday. We spent the morning at Stella's dedication and then had a bbq with my dad and family in the evening. The weather was gorgeous and the moods were good. It was a great tribute to the best dads in my life.

I few thoughts about the dads in my life...

My dad is funny, present, and always available to me. I am grateful that he always answers his phone when Im calling for advice or input. He has a steady head and the greatest sense of humor. Im always proud when someone asks if he is my father and then proceeds to comment about what a guy he is.

Dave is the favorite around here. His silly roar is always ready when the kids call upon 'daddy dinosaur,' he is the first person all three of them (separately) ask for each morning (even though his is gone well before they wake 80% of the time), he is the one we watch for every evening with excitement of his arrival. He is the one we fight over at bedtime. We cannot get enough daddy time, and are so lucky he is ours. He is so devoted and so proud of all of us. How did I get so lucky?

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day crafting (easy peasy ;)).

Daddy and his crew on Father's Day.

Foam pit fun- Dave was the hardest one to get out
(for a couple of reasons ;)).

Sweet Stella on her dedication morning with her daddy. 

Dave and his entire crew.
Lauren, Stella (3 mos), Matthew, Miles (6 mos), Sarah, Maddie (2.5),
Helen, Kyle, Piper (20 mos), Sully (5), Dave, and Greta (3.5).
We love watching this family grow.