Caroline’s 1st Day of 2nd Grade

i’m not a fan of “back to school”,

but they seem to be ready,

even if i’m not.

all smiles,

excited,

“a bit nervous, but more excited,” said Cooper.

 

waiting for the bus,

a beautiful, sunny morning.

Caroline’s 1st day as a 2nd grader,

she gets a locker,

and is on the 2nd floor of the building..with the big kids.

Cooper and i waved goodbye as the bus went up the street,

he was so excited,

because now it was his turn to FINALLY check out his

Kindergarten classroom!!!

he gets to go ALL day,

he has his own cubby,

he is SO  READY to get on the big yellow school bus tomorrow morning……even if i’m not ready.

Boston on the cheap

last on our summer list…..Trip to Boston to visit Uncle Brian!!!

we love the city!!!

so much to see, so much to do!!!

did you know that Target sponsors $1 Friday night admission to the Children’s Museum??  We knew it was going to be a zoo but we couldn’t pass it up…..we went from 5-7pm and flew through the whole museum….when we left there was still a line out the door….

 

1st thing the next morning we headed downtown,

a quick hello to the harbor seals at the aquarium,

and we hopped on the city’s boat ferry

for a great view of the city!!!

and for $1.70 each, kids free, it took us across the harbor to the USS Constitution!!

one happy little boy!!!

did i mention there was free admission onto the ship????

just make sure you bring your picture ID…its an active navy ship and security is tight! we found this out the hard way…i forgot my ID and had to spend a nice quiet hour by myself in the visitors center…while the kids explored the ship.

so i put hubby in charge of picture taking and he got this great one of coop putting the flag up!

 

next we started walking the freedom trail…and man the city was hot!!!!

next stop…. the Bunker Hill Memorial

up 295 steps….and down 295 steps,

 

after lunch at Joe’s Bar & Grill, and a round of delicious frozen mudslides we headed to the Greenway’s water fountains to cool off!!!

last stop….Red Bull was sponsoring a cliff diving competition off of the ICA building into the harbor…..

what??!!!

  

pretty crazy!!!

our day ended back at Uncle Brian’s house, ordering take-out, and early bedtimes for two tired kiddos!!!

Bash Bish Falls

what a difference a year makes…last year this hike was so difficult for these guys…3/4 of a mile was a LONG way for them….last years hike….looking back at last years post, i can’t believe how much the kids have grown!!!

we hiked, we held hands,

cooper ran,

caroline skipped,

we took in the view,

explored the rocks,

i took a million pictures

it was a great family day…

a day i hope the kids will look back on and feel special about…that we cherished the time…family time….and years from now they will still look forward to our family adventures…and not be totally embarrassed to be with us….i can only hope.

    

the calm part of the stream was so peaceful,

 

cooper fell in…..even after we warned him a million times about the slippery rocks…..but he was having WAY too much fun.

and had to ride home “naked, naked!”

apparently naked is with underwear, naked naked is with out!

zip

i didn't always have a fear of heights....when i was 18 i went skydiving with my dad...i don't remember being scared...just super excited.

in my 20s i bungee jumped, rock climbed, and went white water rafting....again...no fear, just excitement,

fast forward to the present, and i get nervous just standing on a ladder.

and this makes me so mad...this unexplainable fear that i didn't have before....but i am determined not to let it stop me.

For Rob's birthday this year i surprised him with a zip line tour.

he had a smile on his face the whole time!!!

here he is hanging out at the top of one of the platforms, actually hanging off the edge!!

i was practically hugging the tree....i wasn't going to go anywhere near the edge.

it was a 3 hour tour...11 zip lines and 2 rope bridges.
the first 3  zips i think i held my breath the whole time,
but little by little i got more comfortable.

all smiles!

i realized that i loved the zip lining, flying through the trees, the faster the better!!!

it was being up high on these platforms that made my knees feel like jello.

i have been trying to include a video....but i am having major problems.....lets see if this works...

Splash!!

guess what cooper learned this summer????

First…he learned how to swim!!! he was showing his Aunt one day in the water…. “Look Aunt Jen, i can float!!”

she took one look at him and said, “Cooper, your swimming!! see if you can swim to the ladder???”

and he did. just like that. he was swimming.

this week

he jumped off the dock!!

you see….this little guy was very determined.

the rule on the dock…you have to wear a life jacket until you can jump off and swim to shore….but jumping into the deep water was a bit scary for him.

but he is one of the youngest cousins…and the fact that EVERYONE else didn’t have to wear a life jacket was killing him.

he is SO proud of himself!

if you met Cooper today…he would tell you, “I can jump OFF the DOCK!!!!”

and he’ll show you….over, and over, and over again!!!

 

Today…

this little guy turns 5

and its freaking me out.

i was going to have a Birthday post filled with baby pictures, but i found myself sobbing….

how did 5 years go by SO fast?

love this guy with all my heart!