All the Rest

We have had quite the eventful summer. So here it is condensed down into a series of collages. I know, I'm so on top of things. We had a blast, though. Can't wait for next summer!

Ben and I had the chance to go to Europe thanks to my dad. It was amazing! My incredible mom (little Grandma) and Ben's wonderful parents were kind enough to watch our kids so Ben and I could go. Thanks everyone!

We began our trip in Wales. Beautiful country! We did the whole narrow boat thing, met some amazing British families at a ward in the Forest of Dean (yes, that's a real place), and went to Raglan Castle. We also toured a huge coal mine in Wales and got to experience Welsh humor and language.

Next, we headed off to Ireland, and it didn't disappoint. It was rainy off and on, but it was so green and beautiful. We stayed in a beach town called Skerries. It was an awesome city and the Irish people were incredibly nice. We also went to a place called Newgrange, prehistoric monolithic passage tombs that date back to about 3000 BC. It was incredible actually going inside the tombs that were built so long ago and learning about the people who built them.

Our next stop was France where we had a whirlwind day of driving around the French countryside. We saw random chateaus and quintessential French villages and we ended the drive at the famous Chartres cathedral. Amazing.

On our way back to Paris, we stopped by the Palace of Versailles. That place is crazy! And we didn't even go inside.

While in Paris, we took an overnight detour to Brussels, Belgium. It was, um, an interesting place when we first got there. Not as clean and welcoming as Paris had been. But the bed and breakfast we stayed in was pretty awesome and once we found the main square we were all pretty impressed. That night, Ben and I went out wandering and happened to stumble upon an awesome music/lights show in the main square. Brussels was a much more welcoming, friendly place at night.

Our last day in Europe was spent in Paris. Ben and I had the chance to walk the streets of Paris, starting at the Arc de Triomphe, all the way to the Louvre, and finally to the Eiffel Tower. It was A LOT of walking, but it was amazing to see all the sights of Paris up close and personal and to spend that time together. We even ate at a sidewalk cafe on the Champs de Mars looking out at the Eiffel Tower.

I could go on and on about our trip. We were there for 14 days, so this barely scratches the surface of all we saw and everything that happened. It was an amazing experience and we feel so lucky that we got to experience all that we did. Once again, thank you everyone who made it possible!

A few weeks after we got home from Europe, Ben and his friends were off on their annual summer trip. This year was another back-packing excursion. They went to the Wind Rivers range in Wyoming. And as you can see from the pictures, it was beautiful.

The kids have had a blast this summer, too. They have played like crazy and gotten into all sorts of mischief. Both Coop and Cambelle started soccer (I only had pictures of Cambelle) and Cooper started kindergarten! Well, kind of. It doesn't officially start until next Monday, but he sure enjoyed going in and meeting his teacher. Cambelle will start preschool in a few weeks and she can barely wait.

We'll miss you, summertime. Come again soon!