We got Some Extra Fruhwirth Time!

We have a fun tradition starting where we invite our Seevers cousins to come and spend some time with us in Colorado. The kids get so excited to see their cousins. While the trip is only 5 1/2 hours to see them, the school year gets so busy and it's hard to find the time. This summer included LOTS of pool time! We were able to celebrate Ellie on HER BIRTHDAY, which seemed extra special. Ethan still hangs by AJ almost the whole time. Most years AJ loves it, but I did start to see a hint of him being 13 and a bit of an introvert. He needed a little break every now and then!

We also had a Fruhwirth reunion in South Dakota. This past year has included lots of changes and learnings, which might have left us all without adequate amounts of energy to plan this reunion. This might have led to a bit of stress during the trip, and yet we were able to soak in some very good moments too. We journeyed to Mount Rushmore together. We were able to play on the rocks at Sylvan Lake. During these reunions we seem to always come up with some version of a 'death march'. This year, I definitely played a part in it all. We decided we all needed some water. Russell identified a place called Devil's Bathtub, and in my "quick" research I found that it was an easy .25 mile hike. We (minus the Seevers clan) headed off to this easy hike, quickly to encounter an AMAZING trail that required more than the sandals we all had brought. OOPS. 12 different river crossings, all progressively getting more impressive, we made it to the famous bathtub. It ended up being closer to 1.25 miles, darn decimal point got me. IT WAS beautiful, and completely our jam! So cheers to maybe not reading the fine print!

Oh and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ridiculously cool landmark that we passed along the way to our Vrbo. It was the Wharf Mine, which is an open pit gold mine, that shares the same mountain as a ski hill. So fascinating. And the trucks they used to shuttle dirt back and forth....INSANELY huge. 

I feel very grateful that the cousins are similar ages to our kids. It really allows for some very special times, and getting more time with the aunts and uncles is really special. 

YAY for family time!

Love,

Momma