Our First Half of June

Oh the craziness in how fast this summer is flying by already. We are trying to find a good balance in staying busy with seeing friends and being active in activities (like our library challenge, swimming lessons, and dance camps) all while still kicking back and relaxing during this summer. Finding balance has been hard. The struggle is real.

We started the month with a trip to Jayden's doctors and while we were away, we took the kids to do a few fun activities, like swimming in the hotel, playing at a local park, and viewing our local Cabela's animal exhibits. My mother was so helpful to come stay at our little farm and take care of all our animals while we were gone. We love her so much and it made it so nice to not have to worry about our own zoo while away.

On this trip, we made our first donation to the hospital and housing unit that took such good care of our baby.

We let the kids pick out a bunch of toys and we donated those. This was a lot to ask of a 5 year old and 2 year old and I hesitated many times. But, in the end, they did so wonderfully and inspired me to live life more like them. They were so willing to give and didn't give it a second thought about parting with new, unused toys that they had just spent a lot of time picking out.

While we were here, we were lucky to witness a child get to pick from our donation pile and that made our whole day. It just adds to the experience of giving back.

As soon as we got home, we took a few days at home and then turned right around and took our summer's first camping trip. We decide to divide and conquer this year. I spent the first night at home with Jayden and then day camped with the kids. On the second night, I brought Riley back as he was so exhausted. It's a win-win for everyone as each parent got some quality time with each of the kids. The kids also caught their first fish and we cooked them for dinner! They were so excited!

I loved watching my boys play together and having Riley without a sister to follow around was quite the experience. He loved the little bit of independence though and he is really one of the best big brothers out there.

 When Payton and daddy returned back home, Payton and Riley teamed up like always. They are such good friends and I am so thankful for that. My  husband said that Payton talked a lot about how much she missed Riley and Jayden while she camped.

We are now spending a few days at home before the craziness starts again. I caught this sweet picture with Payton and Jayden during the quiet of the day:

The kids love to work on harvesting our property and with strawberry season upon us, we are starting to reap the rewards again:

We hope you are having a great week!