Summer Fun 2025!

 My Dearest Evan,

Oh my goodness how fast this year is flying by! Along with your first grade school year, you finished your hockey club team and your rock climbing club. You're still also doing basically everything on wheels, including biking, roller blading, skate boarding, skootering - am I missing anything?! And you have a boogie board and one of your summer camps gave you a newfound love of basketball....and you're good at it!

After the school year ended, we immediately took off for ODP camp in Flagstaff for your sister. Meanwhile you got to go ice skating and do other fun things while she was in camp. Then you had two weeks of the UofA camp in Tucson, were you got to play basketball, go to Top Golf and go to Wildkats (an indoor playground). Next we went to Kansas City to visit my side of the family and you came straight back to a week of hockey camp where you got to train with a couple of star Tucson Roadrunner players. And you got really good at your backhand! They loved having you so much that they invited you back the following week so you got a bonus week of hockey too! Then we went for a week in Carlsbad for the San Diego Wave soccer camp for Avery, came back and the next day you and Dad went to the airport to hit up Albuquerque for his alumni board meeting (and some fun with Grandma Gail and Aunt Cat) and then flew to Denver for your last hockey camp of the season at DU. This camp was really cool because you got to learn from DU players and at the end of the week they hosted a real game for you, with an official, an announcer, the big screen playing and nicknames for all of you! Avery and I caught up with you two mid-week so she could do her soccer camp on the field next to your arena. We just got back from Denver so our summer shenanigans are winding down as we prep for school to start.

Personality-wise, you are figuring out what you like and what you don't like. When you're with just one parent, you're an angel but combine us as a family, you have been arguing a lot with your sister. You like cliches and make them your own easily ("uh, thank you, work in progress here, work in progress! slay girlie" is one you say all the time). All of the camp adults speak of how good of a kid you are, how you listen well and are coachable. You struggle sometimes because others want to cheat or cut corners and that's hard for you to deal with. We're working through those things but I know it wears on you. Dad taught you to fart with your armpit so you like doing that now too. Your favorite movie series is Zombies on Disney. You're mostly into playing sports or Store with Avery or Scatergories with me. You recently told me your favorite subject in school is music (other than computer enrichment). And in your sleep you recently yelled at Pascal, "Pascal Meyer Stein!" - haha you gave him Avery's middle name!

Here's your life in pictures right now....

Cross training at rock climbing camp

Go Tucson Roadrunners!

Forced Family Fun!

Birthday party at Golf N Stuff

You too can have fun while in Flagstaff for your sister's soccer tourney!

You and Gabi's brother, Damon, are great buds

Chilling at Starr Pass for Memorial Day weekend

We are always trying to hunt down a skate park for you

In KC, you and Pop played pickleball

Hunkering down for Uncle Will's concert

Royals Game fun!

Annual jersey grab, including Pop this year!

Pop puts together a great spread

Stairs! We had stairs in KC - you loved them....for a while!

Starting to scare me with how good you are getting

Mom/Son date to Freddy's

You went off the low dive and high dive at Blackbob pool (water park)

Learned to tie your shoes this spring

In Grandma and Pop's driveway

KC Science City

Goodbyes are always hard

You are so good at taking care of Pascal - this is at Naranja park while Avery practices soccer

Asking more and more to come with me!

So good at monkey bars

Getting ready for a hockey game!

Hockey and soccer in Colorado!

Boy's weekend

DU camp - making friends

Practicing tying your skates

A hotel bed all to yourself!

Albuquerque Aquarium with Grandma Gail, Aunt Cat and Cousin Emily!

Between periods at a Roadrunner's game, you got to you out there and scrimmage!

Kino shenanigans

Easter fun

Hockey friends, getting ready to take the ice at the Roadrunners game

Backyard camping!

4th of July fireworks

In KC, we met up with one of my college friends and her kids - you and Max had fun bowling and drinking Shirley Temples

Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house

Celebrating Avery's birthday!

This is your "thank you" pose as of late

Summer movie in the park!

Cheering Avery on!

Cooling off after soccer in Scottsdale

Making breakfast for the guests at the Ronald McDonald house

DU camp - this is you about to be announced for the final game!

Denver Nature and Science Museum - that's a model of your vascular system

Denver Children's Museum puppet show

Legoland! You weren't feeling your best that day - a little dehydrated

Beach day while at the Wave camp

Avery gets her soccer camp, you get some extra time playing basketball! Win/win!

Climbing to the top of the tower at Denver Children's Museum

You learned to stop while at the DU hockey camp!

Flying to KC!

You enjoyed the low dive and high dive at Blackbob water park in KC

Legoland face painting!

Beach day boogie boarding!

Evan, my love, I am amazed at all the growing and learning you've done so far this year! It's truly amazing to watch your brain in action. You are funny and thoughtful and I think you've had a blast this summer. Time to get ready for second grade!

All My Love,

Mom