Quarantine dispatch #1
I’m in quarantine with COVID and it hasn’t been bad overall, just like a cold. My parents both have had it too but they are on the mend. Jeff has been amazing…hard to have to put so much on him but appreciate him so much. Kids and I are Facetiming a lot and Zo got me roses and is bringing me a new little stuffie each day of quarantine. I did get outside for the first time yesterday and went for a little stroll around the neighborhood…was fun to take some late-summer pictures, things are going to change pretty dramatically in the next few weeks.
I’ve go almost a week more to go. On the plus side I’m getting lots of rest and wrangling my TO DO…feel a lot more on top of things than normal. Gotta look on the bright side, right??
XO
First day of 4th grade, exploring Vail + snow on the peaks!!
4th grade started last week at Red Sandstone Elementary, first time kids are in separate classes and that happened with minimal drama (wasn’t sure how kids were going to react but it was no big deal). Also last week kids were only in school 3 days so we had more playground time, more hikes, a walk with Zo’s unicorn puppet and we saw some crazy mushrooms near our house on the way back, a picnic in the park and a visit to a brewery after hiking…lovely late summer week…oh and it SNOWED on the peaks August 20th…so crazy!
XO
Hikes, playgrounds, and settling into our home for the next year
Vail Valley is soooooo beautiful!! Our first week here kids weren’t in school yet and we explored playgrounds, settled into our rental, went on some hikes, generally recovered from the crazy moving never-ending tasks…fun to settle in…
XO
An epic Windmills cookout, Bill & Felix move in + goodbyes
Haircuts, packing, Bill and Felix moving in, lots of time with friends, visits to school and Jui Jitsu and the birds the kids love, an epic cookout at Windmills, porch warming at Jerika’s, a few fun surf sessions, pasta night at our house, a lemonade “stand” (aka kids selling lemonade over the back fence to passerbys) hugs goodbye, and over to Kahalui for a late-night flight.
Goodbye for now Maui! We’ll be back!
XO
Surf, snorkel, friends + packing up
I only took one picture this week, of the rainbow we see almost daily in the afternoon. It’s been a busy week with kids doing friend sleepovers, helping Vanessa pack, a dinner out with friends, packing myself, a couple great surf sessions, snorkeling twice (once to the beach where I swim up and usually see turtles and there was a whole pile of them yesterday, maybe 15 it was amazing). And work is so busy right now. And all the logistics. Feeling very excited about Colorado and very very sad about leaving Maui at the same time…it’s a strange mix of feelings. But what can I do other than enjoy my last week (for now) here and love on my kids and my dog and my husband, spend some time with friends and at the beach and in the mountains, keep things together with work and packing…
We fly next Saturday. Deep breath…
XOXO
Forts, sprinklers, sleepovers, ice cream cones, etc.
In a black-and-white mood today…we’re back in Maui and kids have been really enjoying their friends and having lots of classic kid summer fun with fort building and playing in the sprinkler, running around the backyard, watermelon and ice cream cones and etc etc…love having these neighborhood kiddos in our lives…we’ll miss them…
XO
Last of Colorado (for now)
The last two weeks have had a lot of movement with Zo in Junction with my parents (and they went to the county fair and saw goats and sheep and pigs, she was so happy); Jeff in Vail, Luke and I in Steamboat and Vail (and Zo also there with us for a couple days), all of us in Junction for my birthday. It was such a great birthday! Back in Hawaii for a few weeks and then back to the mainland. It’s feeling so strange. This whole summer has been such a time of transition…it’s been going so fast and we’ve also had so much fun. I will be happy though when all of my clothes are in one closet there is food in my fridge, I can make my family dinner and we can eat it at our house. Also will be nice to stop thinking so much about logistics…but that will come…for now: Maui. :)
XO
Hiking in Vail, friend time + Luke's first fish!
We had Luke to ourselves this week. He says he’s “had”—happy and sad—about our move. We spent most of the week in Vail with Daddy house hunting, going for a hike every day and Luke and Daddy had boys night in the evenings while I got some work done. Papa taught Luke how to be polite in an elevator ,and he’s taking his lesson very seriously every elevator trip.
Once we were back in Steamboat, we had a great pond playdate with old friends and Luke caught his first fish with Me-Ma! He was so excited!!
Jeff and I had some couple time over the weekend and got so see great friends of ours. And also, I think we found a place to live!!
Happy Monday!!
XO
Fourth of July in Junction + Independence Pass
We all had a great weekend at Grammy and Papa’s over 4th of July, going to drop Zoey off for her time with her grandparents. (By the way, the night before we got Luke back from Grammy and Papa Zo said, “It’s like Christmas Eve!” she was so excited to see him.)
We hiked Dino Hill on the 3rd and then a sweet little parade on the 4th. Glenwood Canyon was closed due to mudslides so we went over Independence Pass on Independence day—so fun!
Hot springs, time with Me-Ma and Daddy + a photo scavenger hunt in North Routt
We had Zo to ourselves for a second week and what a gift that it to focus on just one child and really make them the center of everything. We got a pass to the hot springs and went every single day, Zo got lots of Daddy time before he started work and she also had lots of fun with Me-Ma. On the weekend we took a trip to North Routt and I made a little photo scavenger hunt sheet for Zo and gave her my phone and she had fun taking pictures. So beautiful up there!