life in the "nutt" house: love you, Beulah.

After a busy July, I was ready to spend our last few weeks of summer playing with Lily in the shade while the boys pulled out the bikes, chalk, bubbles, balls, hose, and everything else outside-related that had been neglected so far. I was excited for a little bit of a low-key, no-schedule schedule, where I wear the kids out all day, we have fun with daddy at night, and then stay up late and pray the kids sleep in late.
Then Bran suggested we do one more road trip. Actually, he planned the road trip, booked the cottage, and requested vacation days, so pretty much it was happening for him regardless of how long I dragged my feet on giving him my thoughts about it. It wasn't that I didn't want to go, we'd just been on the road so much, I think the thought of pulling out 5 suitcases one more time and convincing myself that this time Lily wouldn't scream the entire time made me want to throw up a little. But I am so glad he made it happen because I didn't realize how much we not only needed time as just the five of us, but time AWAY as just the five of us. And once I packed up a week's worth of diapers, jammies, clothes, shoes, swimsuits, beach towels, pool toys, beach toys (because they are different!), goggles, swimmies, sunscreen, sheets, pillows, blankies, stuffed animals, bath towels, pack & play, baby toys, boy toys, camera, DVDs, toiletries, car snacks, food/drinks for once there, strollers, and about 35 chargers, Brandon promised me I wouldn't have to do it again this summer. And because I was exhausted, I didn't even worry about that only guaranteeing me the 2 leftover weeks of summer.

(sardines, even in the tot rod)

Because Brandon was preaching at our friend's church back in Dayton on Sunday, we decided to do 4 days at Beulah Beach and then just head from there to Dayton for 3 days (so the last part wasn't really just us but it was fun and worth it too!). Beulah Beach is actually a church camp I went to growing up. I went a few times with friends as a camper and then several times with my youth group as the ministry team for the campers, and I haven't been back since the last time we did that when I was in high school. I loved the place and have ridiculous amounts of memories from there, but I never really thought about going back. Brandon had heard they have cottages you can rent and they're half off for pastors. Everything's really nice there, but I'd never heard of cottages on their property (because they weren't built way back then!) and I was a little bit nervous for what we were getting into. The place ended up being so great- perfect for us! It was actually really cute, there was a/c, and no t.v., which meant it actually felt like a getaway!

(the boys' favorite part was hiding in the bench.)

There has always been fun stuff to do at BB- the lake, canoes, paddleboats, jet skis, boats, "the blob" (bouncy water thing?) and of course the camp-run activities - but they've added a huge playground and really nice pool, among other things. We basically spent the days rotating from pool to playground to lake to naps. Nothing bad to say about that!

We had such a great time together - the kids loved being new places and trying new things. It felt sweet, and simple, and quiet. Even when we were loud and playing or laughing, it still felt quiet- free of distractions. The town's made some upgrades too- we went downtown one night to a cute little ice cream shop and another night for Quaker Steak. Felt like home, except it was on the water. So... home. but much better.

I love going back to places from my past- I love how even the smell brings back memories you'd forgotten all about. I love the nostalgia it brings and how it can somehow make you feel 14 again (until you hear your 6-yr old son saying, "Come oooonnnn, mommy!"). I sat at the fountain, which was the official meet-up spot for almost every activity at camp. I heard music coming from the tabernacle. So many decisions made in that building determined the course of my life. I walked the sea wall, like we used to do while we waited for our youth pastor to check us in. And the best part was sharing my pics with all those old friends and see it bring back their memories too.

I'm ok with being old on days like these because I've got a lot of things to look back on and smile.

Ok, reigning in the sappiness, ;) We spent the last night before heading to Dayton over in Cleveland at the family night of the Browns training camp. This was yet another venture that I had to be talked into by Bran that ended up being so fun! We've only been to one Browns football game in Cleveland and it was pre-kids. I wasn't seeing the connection between a ton of drunk and foul-mouthed fans and our kids. Thankfully, family night meant those were not the same fans that showed up, or at least they were on their best behavior. There were a bunch of activities for the kids before we even went into the stadium, and then of course, most importantly, the concessions were open while we watched them practice, and they ended with fireworks after the players signed tons of autographs. The boys had a great time and Lily behaved, which meant Bran and I had a great time too. They even had Lilypie on the Jumbotron for a long time! Good job Brownies on making this a fun experience and hooking in a stadium full of kids while they're too young to understand what they're getting into. :)