All Good Things...

As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end..."  Right before we left for SD last week, Quinn officially lost her last tooth (not counting wisdom teeth). To make a long story short, she was scheduled to have that tooth pulled by the dentist. Quinn wasn't having that, so she wiggled and pulled, pulled and wiggled until the tooth came out. Another tooth was already waiting to take its place.

The tooth fairy visited one last time and left one last money origami surprise.  This time a star was born...

The journey started back in April 2013 with her first tooth lost.  That's when the tooth fairy started her (in hindsight) foolish, yet fun, decision to fold their money into different shapes.

The first...

The others throughout the years....

After losing her last tooth, Quinn asked, "Should I unfold it all now that I've lost all my teeth?"  At that point I gasped out loud, as if to say "How dare you?!"  That money is and forever shall be untouchable!

Another chapter in the books closed for Q.

More SD Memories...

The memories continued throughout the week as we also spent a good deal of time with the Kemper clan.  Oh, how the heart is happy when we are all together.

The kids really just loved hanging out and playing together.  These two girls couldn't get enough of the gymnastics mat.

There was a fair share of Wii playing too...

These three, I tell you what...

We also went swimming one day at the wellness center.  As a bonus, there was hardly anyone there!

We celebrated my birthday one evening...

And then celebrated Halle, Quinn and Sullivan's friend, the following night.  We went to Beresford to hang out and help her celebrate the big 1-4.

Tessa got plenty of love playing "Puppy School" and got plenty of walks...

The kids, minus Aurora and Quinn, set up an ice cream shop inside the van.  They called on customers to come visit them and buy some ice cream.  They were quite persistent in getting costumers to visit, but boy was that (fake) ice cream delicious!

We ventured downtown to a new cotton candy store where we tried a first.... Cotton Candy Tacos!  Yep, you read that right.  Cotton candy shells, ice cream and toppings on the inside.  Yum!

Quinn stuck with the straight up cotton candy!

We headed to the Falls for a hot second to see the sights.  Father's Day brought out a slew of people, but we stayed our distance from everyone around.

Finally, the last evening together was amazing.... s'mores by the campfire, jumping on the trampoline, and chasing the dog around.  Bellies were full, and hearts were happy.

 Look at these bouncing bunnies...

Chasing the dog around... not sure who is having more fun!  Tessa was in high heaven.

 The girls just hanging out and acting silly...

I love how the small moments make the biggest memories.  So thankful that amidst the pandemic we were able to slip away and make memories with our families.

Summer Vacay...

We hit the road last week, set the cruise control and steered our way to SD.  The car has been there some many times that it could practically drive itself.

It also goes without saying that the girls, fur and human alike, were great travelers.  Sullivan did some arts and crafts, Quinn plugged away at her summer school course she is taking, and Tessa begged for a little attention.

The week was good for our souls.  After being quarantined for months, it was great to get out and see the world, see our family, and revel in the small moments that leave big memories.

Here are some of the highlights from our time with the Pooley gang...

Puzzling with Nana...

We got the opportunity to see Eric and Kristen's beautiful new house and spend the day out there.

Playing Corn Hole in the backyard...

The beautiful spectators...

The ladies took their hand at Yardzee (the outdoor version of Yahtzee).  Quinn scored a whopping 4 Yahtzees, so it goes without saying that she was the champion.

Just hanging out... 

Aunt Kristen had all the things together to paint some rocks.  The girls really enjoyed doing that in the afternoon.  

The two peas in a pod had a great time with each other...

After rock painting we went to a state park to do a little hiking, and then played on the playground with Milo.  Milo was more interested in the dog than the equipment.  

Tessa was NOT interested in the equipment, despite the efforts of two very persistent girls...

We reveled in quieter moments too, like taking the dogs for a walk...

The puzzle got completed...

Yes, that is a puzzle of Nana and Murphy! It was part of Nana's Mother's Day gifts. 

More rocks got painted...

We celebrated Father's Day with this amazing man while in SD.  

Who is happier in this picture... Papa or Milo?

Boy did we enjoy our time with all the Pooley gang.  The time sure wasn't long enough, but we were grateful for whatever time we did have.