Celebrated 24 years of marriage today. We squeezed in a dinner out before the craziness of school and college drop-off this week. God has been so gracious. I’m thankful for this husband of mine. He loves me well. Greg says he's getting me a churro for my anniversary. I think I might need two. Excited to go to Disneyland in a week!
Now that August is here, and Grant's birthday is over, it feels like we're just waiting around for school to start and the kids to go off to college. I'm trying to soak up the last bits of summer and relaxation.
Ryan and Michelle's family came over the mountain and spent a couple days here before Ashlynn had to fly back to Chicago for school. It was a great time to catch up and be together.
We enjoyed watching the Paris summer Olympics this year and had fun at the Pate's Olympics themed party. Each family represented a different country and competed in various games/challenges. We were South Africa, only because no one could decide, and South Africa has six colors on its flag, and there are six of us.
FB post on August 4th:
Today marks this kid’s 14th birthday. He’s headed into 8th grade and is close to making me the shortest person in our family. Grant is such a fun kid. His quick and bright smile, sensitive heart, and passionate spirit make him a joy to be around. Happy to celebrate him today!
My Instagram post:
"Aren’t the eggs beautiful? (Kari climbed the tree to quickly snap the pic.) The mama robin has been sitting in her nest in our backyard almost constantly this week. My kids say this is a sign that I’m getting old. I’m bird-watching."
I noticed the nest on July 3rd, but Joel climbed up and saw it was empty. I continued to bird watch over the next few weeks. It was July 9th when we discovered the eggs. On July 18th, we saw three of them had hatched. The kids pronounced them ugly and gross. :-) I checked on them every few days, with the robin parents chirping at me and fluttering around the tree. I only ever saw three birds, so I don't know what happened to the fourth egg. On the 26th, there were still three birds, but by the 29th, there were only two. Sadly, I saw the third one dead on the hill below the tree. It must have fallen or been pushed out of the nest. Yesterday, the 31st, I saw one of the baby birds standing on the edge of the nest, testing out its feathers and wings, and today, August 1st, the nest is empty! Bird-watch 2024 is over. That was fun.
