Hello world! I have missed you. I have so much to say, which is a wonderful feeling of freedom. Anyone who has ever suffered from seasonal depression (immediately following postpartum depression) can understand exactly what I mean by saying that I feel free.
Summer is here, and after the worst winter Omaha has experienced in over 30 years, I could not be any happier. I realized this past weekend that I was finally back to my pre-baby #5 happy self again. I have been up every morning running or doing yoga, cooking all the whole foods, and conquering days (even bad ones) with a good outlook. John and I both know now just how important it is for me to escape this winter. No worries, that trip is in the works, and I will be starting to walk you through the in’s and out’s of an 8+ week long road trip with 5 young kids soon!
But, back to the point of today’s ramblings. I have three August babies. The 5th, 12th, and 20th. We end up spending astronomical amounts of money on big gifts and at least one LARGE backyard birthday party. We scrub the house, invite over 30+ kids, smoke pork, beef, chicken, sausage, and all the other meat-groups. I prep sides, bake desserts, create sangrias and adult beverages. We have the greatest time – we really do. We watch the sun go down with great friends and play under the stars.
This year though.. this year needs to be different. The kids need a laptop for homeschool work, but that’s not really a fun gift for an 8 and 10 year old! What could we do that they would love AND appreciate? They have nothing on wishlists (other than more legos, of course – shoot me) and are in need of nothing. So it’s time to HIT THE ROAD!
Did you hear me in the back?
WE ARE HITTING THE ROAD!
I just booked a week in Denver, Colorado for the entire family. We will be celebrating birthdays at Water World and then hiking some spectacular trails together. Other than our Greenwood Village area hotel and the water park, I’m still planning the days out. Send me some great family-friendly ideas if you have them.
We’ll be driving the 8-10 hours all together, yes – John will be with us on the way there. The way back, though – I’ll be back to my single mom driving days! We plan to break the drive up with an overnight somewhere, too. There is a huge first happening on this trip. We had to book two hotel rooms because of our family size. Gone are the days that we can squeeze into one. This trip will be a great confidence booster (because it is going to go well, right?) before my two month long, cross-country drive with the kids AND THE DOG next winter.
As far as birthday gifts go this year, other than the laptop, we are gifting them each theme park tickets to be used while on our next big adventure! Do you think they will be as excited as I am? I sure hope so!
I’ll keep you updated on everything to do in between Omaha and Denver – and the fun you should book for your own family adventure!