Date Night

The kids earned one-on-one dates again! On July 23rd, Natalya took me to the movie theater to see Ramona and Beezus. We got dressed up "fancy", bought candy, and enjoyed the movie together. She loves time spent with just the two of us.

The next day, Brian took Branson the go-kart race track. They had a wonderful time, but forgot to take the camera. (grumble)

Beat the Heat

Just 35 minutes away from our house is Mount Charleston. My parents invited us to their friend's cabin for the 24th of July. Unsure what to expect, we only planned on staying for a few hours. Yet within minutes of our arrival we wished we could have stayed all weekend!

In a relatively short distance, we climbed over 6,000 feet. The temperature dropped almost 30 degrees! It was beautiful weather. And we even experienced a little thunder storm. The kids were ecstatic.

The cabin had three stories. The first floor was the main living space. The upstairs was one large bedroom, and the basement was fully finished with two bedrooms and another smaller living space. The kids loved exploring and pretending like the rooms were really theirs.

We took the kids on a nature walk. They collected anything they thought was especially cool in their plastic cups, then brought them back to the cabin to show Grandma and Grandaddy.

Branson thinks all sticks are cool.

The best part? The hammock. Each of us took turns swinging in the hammock under big pine trees. Brian even took a little nap with Branson in it.

Leaving Mt. Charleston was not easy. It was fun, relaxing, and exciting all at the same time. We hope we have another opportunity to return to the cabin - part of us wished it was ours. Regardless, it was the perfect way to spend the weekend.