abitofwitt: Save it for Sunday

Summer Throwback

Michigan Trip (June 30-July 11, 2018)

We decided to spend Brad's summer block leave in the mitten state. You truly cannot beat summertime in Michigan. We had not been back since Harvey was baptized and may not be back again for a good while. Much to Brad's dismay, we drove, splitting the trip into two days. We have friends literally all over the country, making a road trip in any direction more of an event to look forward to than a drag. Plus our kids are road trip experts. The Bray family has earned above and beyond a gold star from us already in the short time we've lived here. Their current duty station has been the perfect pit stop for us multiple times, and they have kindly opened their home to us weary travelers. This particular trip was well timed to meet their newest little one at just a few weeks old. If you ask Eloise who she is going to marry without fail she says their son Levi, so you know she was overjoyed to be reunited with her future husband. Full hearts and full bellies after a visit with friends was just what we needed to recharge for the hours ahead.

The first bit of our trip was spent with my side of the family. I am so fortunate that both of my grandmas are healthy and well. We hopped around the west side (the best side) of the state prioritizing visits with the two of them and squeezing friends in where we could too. Thank goodness we still have family in my hometown, because it always ends up a major highlight of our visit. St. Joseph is in southwest Michigan right on Lake Michigan. It is the cutest little beach town, one I completely took for granted as I grew up there. We have taken the kids down to the lakefront before, but never in swim suits slathered in sunscreen with sandcastle building tools in hand. Brad and I decided this time we wanted to do it up right and give them the full experience. Both kids absolutely adored the sand, the water, the waves, the sunshine. Everything. It was more than we could have hoped for! It is not often you catch Brad daydreaming about what life might be like outside of the Army, but whenever we are in a family moment like this one on a Michigan beach, it happens. I am not sure who I had a harder time peeling out of the water, Eloise or Dadford. I sat in my beach chair, toes in the warm sand, watching my husband be the best dad and listening to my kids giggling between crashing waves. My happy place for sure.

My parents definitely deserve a shout out here. Not only did they help make every change of location work logistically, they made it fun for us and especially for Eloise and Harvey. My mom traveled ahead of us and baby proofed our lodging at one spot. My dad chased our kids around the grassy area of a brewery so we could sit, drink, and catch up with friends from high school. We even got to visit the plot of land where Papa and Grandma Sue's new house will be by the end of the year. It was fun to see my dad carry Eloise into a pile of dirt and tell her she was standing in her new room. We are certainly looking forward to making new memories with them in their beautiful new home.

We ended our west coast tour in Grand Rapids to celebrate the Fourth of July. My sister and her fiance hosted a fabulous backyard BBQ for their two families to meet for the first time. Justin's family was lovely as expected, and his sister Grace has an open job offering as our nanny should she ever inquire. She and Eloise quickly became best buds. That afternoon Whitney asked me to be her matron of honor! I am really looking forward to supporting and celebrating her the same way she did for me five years ago. The kids stayed awake like champs to see the local fireworks, but as luck would have it the fireworks went off completely behind the one solitary tree in the entire park. Right in our line of sight. Go figure, right? I was internally pouting until I stopped to listen to Harvey oooh-ing and aww-ing in my lap and looked over to see Eloise sitting wide eyed in Brad's lap. It hit me that next year we will be watching fireworks as a trio without Dadford. Sometimes it takes a new perspective to make perfection out of an imperfect situation. Those were the best darn tree fireworks we have ever seen.

The second half of the trip was spent at Brad's parents' house. Here is what we did: golf, pool, ice cream, nap, repeat. And it was glorious. I feel like after my novel above I need to write more, but there is not much to say. My lack of stories to tell should in no way diminish the pure relaxation and happiness of being at their house. After so much traveling and visiting it felt great to just sit still and enjoy Nana and Mickey's company. Eloise is an absolute fish in their pool. She went down the water slide roughly 462 times and squealed with joy as if it had been her first time every time.

I think it was the wildly different halves of the visit that made this trip one of my favorites yet. It was the perfect balance of the hustle and bustle of visiting with loved ones we had not seen in a long time and the relaxation we really craved and needed on summer break. I really believe one of the best parts of becoming a parent is sharing the joy of your kids with family. This visit confirmed that sentiment once more. There is nothing better than seeing our kids making memories in our beloved home state in the arms of the people we love the most.

The Highlights

Brad had Monday and Tuesday of this week off of work, so we decided to get out of town and unplug as a family for a bit. We made Eloise's year and bought bath bombs at Lush and danced to the music of the street performers on Pearl Street in Boulder. We stayed overnight at a gem of an AirBnb just outside of Boulder on the Milston Well Farm. Our home away from home was the "farmette" guest house on the property of an incredibly sweet family. The wife is an interior decorator and the husband is a custom furniture builder, and they have two preschool aged sons. Beautiful farmhouse chic digs for me and built in playmates for the kids. Their stunning barn will be featured on the front of Country Living magazine's Thanksgiving issue. Can't wait to pick up a copy! Eloise bounced on the trampoline with the boys and ran around the farm playing with chickens, donkeys, and two baby Icelandic sheep named Fern and Wilber. Harvey sat happy as a claim in their sandbox surrounded by more boy toys and trucks than he has ever seen in his life. After bedtime, Brad and I enjoyed bonfire s'mores and wine together. We had farm fresh eggs waiting for us in the fridge in the morning, and Eloise got to collect even more to take home as our souvenir. It was the perfect spot to "rest in the simple" as our hosts said. It was a slice of heaven and we will definitely be back again soon. The next morning we hiked Long Lake Trail out to Lake Isabelle. I think it might officially top my list as my favorite Colorado hike so far. There are lakes, streams, and plenty of gorgeous views to enjoy along the way, and the final destination is completely breathtaking. Next week marks the beginning of a lot of in and out until the holidays for Brad as his unit trains for deployment. Thank goodness for this sweet time together. I know I will be thinking back to it for strength during tough days ahead.

On Wednesday Eloise had her first day back in Tippy Toes! She was obviously dressed in her new Elsa leotard. Her bestie Addi was obviously dressed in hers too. It was exciting to meet the new moms and little dancers. This year will be wildly different and exhausting because I no longer have a tiny baby Harvey strapped to me in the Ergo during class. This guy was all over the studio, even insisting on a spot in the first day of dance picture. Eloise lit up with recognition when Miss Debi asked to see their boogies, shimmies, and chasses. She improved by leaps (no pun intended) and bounds last year, so I am looking forward to the growth and fun this season will bring.

Our hail storm car situation is nearly resolved. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade...I got a new car a year and a half earlier than anticipated because of it! We were planning to upgrade my car at the end of 2019, but with the money we got from the totaled car and trading in mine, it made sense to join the marvelous world of the minivan early. I swore up and down I would never be a minivan mom. Joke is on me because this Honda Odyssey is the absolute bees knees. Every single detail seems to be carefully designed and tailored by a mom who knows the daily struggle. I am in love. Brad will be driving a hand me down Chevy Volt very graciously given to us by his parents. Yesterday, my first full day in the new car, while at Target, Brad texted me there was possible incoming hail. Never have I ever left Target so fast. We are now accepting name suggestions for our two new rides. Eloise's ideas include Tank for the Odyssey as well as Penguin for the Odyssey and Tiny Shrimp for the Volt. Brad's suggestion was the Iliad and the Odyssey. Nerd alert!

The Small Moments

One of our new favorite weekly haunts is the pet store. Between all of our fur friends there is usually something we need to purchase, and it is essentially like a free aquarium! The kids love it. This week Eloise watched the cat shelter volunteers cleaning cages and bringing new cats in. These poor babies were horrified of their new surroundings. It took all I had not to scoop their scared little faces up and take them home. Eloise put her hand up to the glass and tried to comfort them. One in particular really took to her. He put his little paw right up by her hand and seemed to calm down. Eloise is showing such compassion for all creatures lately that makes my own animal loving heart rejoice. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Harvey is no longer the audience to the Eloise show. Her Friday morning performance of "Let It Go" was accompanied by Harvey on backup vocals. He stomped around in circles with a toy car in each hand shouting "GO!" almost right on cue with the lyrics Eloise was singing. Even Ruby bopped around excitedly and started chasing her tail.

We discovered Starbucks in Target now carries cake pops that resemble the Target dog Bullseye. Eloise still calls him Bowtie. You would have thought she cured cancer, met a unicorn, and struck gold all at the same time when she saw it.

The Ways We Grew

My beautiful big girl finally got her first haircut at three and a half years old. Eloise has given more ladies than I can count major hair envy with her gorgeous curls. A few of her friends lately have gotten super cute back-to-school cuts and Harvey has had a handful already, so she had started asking often when she could get her hair cut. My answer? NEVER. I was really attached to her baby curls. I am not sure what changed this week, probably me tackling her to let me tame her tangled bedhead, but I decided it was time. I knew how badly she wanted it, and I think that helped me let go. She looks adorable with her new shoulder-length bob, and her curls sprung back up more than I thought they would! Not quite the ringlets I loved, but definitely adorable and much easier for me to manage as we enter into this next phase of school days.