Remember when?

Dear Connor, Isabel, Lucas and Mason,

School starts in just two days. TWO DAYS! I can hardly believe it. I'm fairly convinced just a week or two ago we were sitting at Connor's end-of-second-grade picnic, and all of a sudden... WHAM! Summer is over and we just delivered all your new school to school and met your new teachers. I am so excited for Connor to start 3rd grade, Isabel to start kindergarten and Lucas to start preschool. Such fun times, for you AND for me.

This has been a busy and fun summer made up of a lot of fun memories and new experiences. It was the summer that you boys turned 8, 4 and 1. It was the summer Connor got baptized and Mason started walking. Of course there was lots of service through Club SOS. And you got some great exercise through track and field (Connor and Isabel), and we spent some hot hot hot Saturdays cheering for you in this new endeavor; and Connor you learned to swim this summer - hurrah for private lessons! You all went to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain for the first time, and spent lots of time swimming at pools with friends and splashing around at spray parks. I took you on weekly field trips called Learning Adventures of the Week, and we explored some new places that you loved learning about. You loved having grandma and grandpa visit, as well as Aunt Kristina and your cousins Nolan and Parker. You enjoyed a brief but fun visit with Aunt Kelley and Uncle Leo and cousins Cameron and Parker. And you loved when Nanna stayed with you for a couple of days and took such good care of you while dad and I went to Breckenridge for our 10th anniversary.

But it wasn't always so busy. We had a lot of quieter moments, which filled some days with hours of sun-drenched fun. And these were some of the best moments of our summer.

Remember when the hot air balloon festival filled the early morning sky one weekend with colorful hot air balloons that we could see from the backyard? You loved pointing out the different colors, shapes and patterns.

Remember when I made these lemon-slice cookies to celebrate the official first day of summer? They tasted just OK, but were really fun to look at!

Remember when we discovered the joy of grilled pizza? You especially loved it alongside some good homemade strawberry malts. And remember when I told you grilled pizza is fun because it's not a specific shape, and therefore I could cut your pieces into any shape (and by that I meant triangle, rectangle, etc) and Lucas asked for a horse-shaped piece? Remember how hard we all laughed?

Remember when we had crazy monsoon storms every afternoon for weeks on end? The wind, the heavy rain, the hail, the thunder and lightening... it was really something to behold. And it sure made for some beautiful clouds! You all love spying cumulonimbus clouds (and saying the word), and there were certainly many to spy!

Remember when you played for hours in your little pool? And Isabel, you pretended to play the steel drum to give it a more "beachy" atmosphere?

Remember when I was out jogging and found this snail, and carried it home to you because I knew you would just love it (and you did!) because you are crazy for creepy crawlies?

Remember when you would bring toys on the deck and play there for hours so nicely and quietly, and when you would involve water then it really became fun?

Remember when dad discovered a love for gardening (dad is rather nurturing and loves to take care of things, including you!), and taught you how to care for a garden?
You loved planting tomatoes, pumpkin, watermelon, peppers and more and watching them grow.

And you especially loved the huge raspberry patch in the backyard. Sometimes I couldn't find you in the backyard, and then I'd notice just the top of a head partly emerging from the thick bushes and then I'd see your red-stained smiles.

Remember when we had to cancel the camping trip we had scheduled for the week before school starts, because Connor had a fever for 5 days straight (which continues tonight, worrying me about the 1st day of school)? So instead, you camped in the backyard and we did s'mores and pancakes on the grill.

and after the campout we took you on one last little adventure of the summer: we rode the Light Rail to downtown Denver and walked around the 16th Street Mall, had a little lunch, saw the Capitol building and more. We had so much fun! And there was so very much to see.

Locals call this the "cash register" building; Isabel has always called it the printer building; either way, she always gets excited to see it when we drive by-

In front of the Capitol building-

This makes me want to sing, "feed the birds, tuppence a bag..."

So goodbye, Summer. Thanks for all the fun. You kids are going to have a great school year. I'm excited for what's ahead. But I'm grateful we can remember what has passed.

Love you! Thanks for the memories and for being such superstar children-
Your mom