So Long, Summer 2018

This was, without a doubt, the fastest summer of our lives! I don't know if it was the addition of swim team and all-star baseball or the traveling/trips that consumed our weeks/ends, but man! I can't believe we are more than half-way through August and the 2018-19 school year has begun (more on that later this week). Before we dive into all things Fall, though, I wanted to recap my highlights from this summer, our first as a a family of six!: 

Family Beach Trips. Always a huge highlight for me - the time we are allowed to just relax, schedule-free, and be surrounded by the ones we love. Getting to soak in time with my own kiddos, as well as my many nieces and nephews, makes the kiddo-lovin' heart of mine soar. Both beach trips have already been booked for next summer, and I cannot wait to do it all again!

Cabo. This was one of the best trips my hub and I have ever taken together. Given how crazy and chaotic the last year has been, we so needed this time to just pause and enjoy each other's company. Being at the nicest resort we've ever visited, with so many excursions and tasty food and drinks, was just an added bonus. Cabo, you were so, so good to us!

Friend Time. We love, love, love our people and love spending time with them. From the beach to the lake and everywhere in between, time with friends, of all ages, make our summer that much more special.

Camps for All. My kiddos had so much fun at the camps we let them do this summer. For Banks, that meant football camp in Clemson with the one and only, Dabo Swinney; Camp Rock, an overnight Christian camp hosted by our church for four days in the moutains of North Carolina for rising 3rd-5th graders; and Father-Son Camp at Camp Rock, which took place just this past weekend. Meanwhile, Raleigh had a ball at her Cheer and Dance camps, Harrison rocked it out at his preschool's Vacation Bible School camp, and Bella...well, Bella was just along for the ride (unless we pretend her therapies were her camps? Yes, let's do that. ;) ). It was fun for all!

4th of July. This 4th felt extra special for two reasons: It was Bella's last first holiday as the newest member of the Lu Crew :), and it was her first 4th of July as a U.S. citizen. We had a great day celebrating our independence with each other and dear friends. 

Swim Team. This was our first summer doing swim team, due to my avoidance of it in year's past - I had been overwhelmed by what I thought would be a crazy practice/meet schedule; so, I had put my foot down - no swim team. BIG mistake. Banks and Raleigh tried out for, made, and swam on our neighborhood's team this year, and it.was.awesome. Seriously. Swim Team is now one of my favorite sports! They both improved tremendously over the season, often winning heats and contributing points for the team, who went undefeated!!! They had a blast, and we can't wait to do it again next summer!

Gotcha Day Anniversary. Such a special day, celebrating the day we met our Bellaboo one year prior. We started the day by visiting the Asian Market and ended it by having a big ol' family dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, thanking our lucky stars we've had our girl with us for a year. <3

All-Stars Baseball. When Banks was asked to try out for All Stars, I agreed to it, thinking that meant he would play in an all-star game a couple weeks later and that'd be it. Wrong. It was three practices a week for a couple months followed by an out-of-town state championship tourney. So, a slightly bigger commitment than my naive self was anticipating. But you know what? It was so good for him - it challenged him and he met new friends and he improved and he learned about sportsmanship and had a great season. It was a great experience, and we had fun as a family cheering him on! 

Adventure Week. This was a last minute idea of mine when I realized we had just two weeks of summer left, one of which was virtually empty of plans and the other of which had several extra appointments and commitments. So, we took that empty week and made it OURS - my s{quad}'s and mine. I planned a different adventure for each day, and it definitely ended up being one of my favorite weeks of the summer and one we will now count as a new summer tradition. Can't wait 'til Adventure Week 2019!

The Little Moments. It was the plays the kids put on. The impromptu dance parties. The cruises to our neighborhood Farm Market for homemade ice cream. The forts using alllllll of the spare blankets in the house. The unplanned. The moments that just happened. Those, too, were some of the best. 

Summer 2018, we loved you. You were the fastest, but also my favorite, summer we've ever had. Thank you for the fun with family and friends. We'll see if Summer 2019 can top you next year. It'll be hard...but we're willing to try. :)