Finally- back in school.

We finished summer strong, it seemed most of our summer was chill, laid back, no real urgency to be anywhere, until the last two weeks. We tried to cram in as much as we possibly could, until they finally went back to school. 

Piper's first day was great! She was so excited to go back to school and be with her friends. She went to school with a mask on, but when I picked her up, it was off. She had a great day and hardly looked back when I dropped her off. The most special part was that we got to go as a whole family since Sully and Greta didn't start until the following day. We were all so proud of the littlest sis on her first day of school. 

Sully and Greta started on Friday. Sully was absolutely thrilled to get back to school. When I had him help me with chores around the house before school started, she would complain and say, "ugh, mom, why can't we skip this and get back to school today!?" Greta was a little quieter, but assured me she was excited and ready to go back. The morning of the first day she was too nervous to eat her breakfast and had just a few tears but walked in brave and ready to tackle the day. The kids are walking in as they arrive to school so there isn't as much commotion on the playground and crowds are smaller which I think is actually going to be great for her once she gets in the swing of things. 

They got off the bus happy and had great days. They both really like their teachers and have a few familiar faces in their classes. We are optimistic for a great year ahead and will do our best to prepare for whatever covid has to throw our way. 

Matching haircuts for my girlies. 

Chatting with the gals, including Megan 
all the way over in Japan! 

Sparkler fun. 

Sweet trio. 

Bootcamp before bed. 

Piper before preschool, so grown up! 

Everyone is so proud of Piper. 

Surprise bday celebrations for Liz. 

The day has finally arrived! 

I love how Sully steps up to the plate for Greta
when she needs it the most. 

The best time of the year for bouquets.

Connelly Family Vacation/ Happy Birthday, Dad!

Wow, what a week! 

We had originally planned to go to Boston for my dad's 80th birthday, but because of COVID, we cancelled those plans. My mom and I started making phone calls to find a plan b option and landed on Ruttger's, which turned out to be a fabulous place. All 22 of us were there. My highlights of the week were sibling bonfires, cousins constantly playing, baseball games, golf outings, an attempt at a fishing contest, beach fun, family meals, birthday celebrations, and loads of memory making with the entire family. 

The best moment was when we surprised my dad with a bit of presidential history on his birthday (if you can't go to Boston, we can bring a bit of Boston here), but then he turned around and surprised us with a prepared speech and challenged us to continue his legacy with him by being the power of one, never passing up an opportunity to be a positive influence in someone's life. It was a tender moment shared by all of us, not a dry eye on the patio, we are so fortunate to have shared that moment together. 

It was such a great week that my mom has already booked it for the same time next year. 

Afternoon on the lake. 

Birthday celebrations. 

My mama. 

We made Grandpa a Betsy Ross flag for his birthday. 

Grandpa's speech.

The crew.

Painting with grandma. 

Sweet duo. 

The ice cream shop across the street was a mega bonus. 

Family campfires. 

Maggie and I with my dad and Aunt Patty. 

Family photo. 

Baseball games. 

Sabrina and Piper, the youngest cousins. 

Longboard fun. 

Isaac, Capri, and Greta.

Out of town visitors.

The Gehlens came to visit! It was a last minute plan thrown together and much to my surprise and excitement, it all worked out. 

It was hot and muggy, we spend one afternoon in the pool, followed by indoor a/c fun. Saturday was full of more fun, the park, sprinklers, bbq, and an outside movie. We pulled out all of the stops and the kids thought they were at camp with the nonstop actives. 

I love that our kids line up, gender wise and they all click and play so well together. They each had a buddy. Leanne has been one of my best friends for so long, and while phone conversations are great, there is nothing like being together and talking nonstop about all of the things happening in our lives. Oh, and Joe is pretty awesome, too ;).

The kids were so sad to see them go and are excited for the next time our paths cross, which is hopefully soon. 

The best kind of sleepover. 

The crew. 

Future college roommates. 

Airstream Adventure 2020

SUCCESS!

If I could wrap it all up in one word, that's what it would be.

We planned this trip sort of last minute over Memorial Day weekend when it was obvious our PLAN A (Disney World) was going to fall through. Between Dave and I and several google searches and our plans playing off of each other's ideas, we were booked and ready for an adventure.

We do spend a few evenings camping in some capacity each summer, but have usually rented a sleeper cabin for our experiences, which has been great. Our entire family loves the outdoor/park fun. Because of the current status of the world, taking this interest to the next level seemed like the best direction for our summer adventure. As I said, a quick google search landed us an Airstream rental in Nebraska.

Our initial picked spot turned into a flop as the park had undergone a renovation and the RV space was like a wide open parking lot with only saplings for trees. We scrambled and decided to call the owner of the Airstream who graciously changed the drop off location to Mahoney State Park, about 10 miles down the road. This was the best decision.

We had so many great days, I'll let the photos do the talking, but they were jam packed with bike rides, swimming, hiking, fishing, campfires, movies and overall family fun. Although it wasn't our first family vacation idea, it was so memorable and definitely has peaked our camping interest, especially Dave, who has admitted to, for the first time, following a YouTuber.

Quickly settled.

Ready for bed.

Bike ride break. 

Afternoon game- my lucky partner. 

Campfire bouquet. 

Pony ride. 

The floating playground at Louisville State Park.  

Post swimming.

Movie night success, the calm before the raccoons! 

Camp side breakfast. 

Crawdad Creek at Platte River State Park. 

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The gold at the end of the rainbow. 

Happy hour at Owen's Marina with a photo bomber ;).

More bike riding. 

Campfire nachos- easy and delicious. 

Nightly campfire. Mahoney State Park. 

Rainy morning =  breakfast in the Airstream.

Bike ride to the showers. 

Keeping an eye on her bobber. 

We caught one! 

Action shot.

Happy hour (beverages and bags of chips) at Heron Bay overlooking the Platte River.

The final family photo.