365.5: WEEK THIRTY THREE

 AUGUST 15th - AUGUST 21st

More pool stuffs. We're new to this. We've got no idea what we are doing. But we're learning. My dad had his pool guy come give us a crash course in maintaining our pool, which was incredibly helpful. Just cross your fingers for us that we can keep it from turning entirely green...

365.5: WEEK THIRTY TWO

AUGUST 8th - AUGUST 14th

Our new pool guy. Old house going up on the market. Paddling down the river with some awesome friends. Neighborhood musical talent night in our incredibly musically talented neighborhood.

BACK TO SCHOOL

School started just days after we moved into our new home, so everything felt a bit chaotic. Add to that the oldest having to navigate an A hour high school math class and me prepping to start a job change and, well, welcome to our August. I did, however, somehow manage to plan a fun back-to-school party for kids the with some of their cousins, so win.

365.5: WEEK THIRTY ONE

AUGUST 1st - AUGUST 7th

NEGATIVE Covid test (after the mr. conveniently got Covid days before our move and was MIA for the move). Receiving the warmest welcome into our new neighborhood and being overwhelmed with love. First day of school. Back to school party with cousins. Our new norm: scorpion hunting. D-backs game with the mr., his dad, and all eight siblings and most in-laws. 

365.5: WEEK THIRTY

JULY 25th - JULY 31st

Legos. Oh, these legos. I can’t even BEGIN to describe what a mental health roller coaster my life has been in tandem with these damn legos. But they are now 100% organized and labeled and stored in the most efficient way on the freaking planet (which also included going through every. single. set to see which pieces were missing and ordering a handful of loose legos). And MOVING (which may eventually get its own post, but did not get talked much about or photographed because of the amount of stress associated with it - even though it has been a BEAUTIFUL move for our family). 

30 MAGICAL HOURS IN THE FOREST

Last year, our family skipped out on our annual camping trip; it just wasn't in the cards. And this year wasn't looking too hopeful, either, because of my mental health. Not looking too hopeful, that is, until a friend reached out and shared how much fun her kids had while camping with us a couple of years ago. The more we talked, the more turned onto the idea I became. So in mid July, we whisked our families away for a couple of nights on the Rim (not too far from where THIS happened). It was pure magic. We found two sites together at a little campground along Rim Rd and got our camp set up while listening to a mountain thunderstorm. The kids ran off to play with sticks and bugs and flowers. We swung in hammocks. Made flower crowns. Caught butterflies. It was perfect. On the second day, we decided to drive a little further north to visit family friends of mine in Happy Jack. It was a beautiful visit, but we watched as the sky darkened and decided to cut the visit short. The moment we arrived back at camp, the rain began to fall. We laughed and joked under the safety of our canopy tent, but smiles quickly gave way to concern as the storm moved closer, the rain intensified, and hail began to fall. Within a short period, the ground under the canopy had completely flooded over, so we took refuge in our cars. It was the moment when the canopy collapsed from the weight of the water and the wind that we decided to throw in the towel, pack up, and go home. Even though the trip ended upruptly, it will still have some of the sweetest memories attached to it. But I'm starting to think maybe Rim Rd isn't the place for me...