With all of our hiking in the Rocky Mountains, I was so glad to have these shorts for the little girls. They could wade in creeks then dry quickly as we trekked again. If the shorts had gotten very dirty, I would wash them in the sink, and they’d be dry in no time. I sized down because they are boy’s shorts – otherwise the size they regularly wear was too big.

photo credit: Alexander

A couple of the children have been receiving summer tutoring in reading and math, and we can see improvement! The slower pace of the summer schedule has allowed us the more focused attention on only these two subjects.

photo credit: Daddy

This drinking bottle was perfect! One of the things that we make sure we all have before our Colorado trips is water bottles. The mouth opening is small so the water wouldn’t spill out the sides when trying to drink in the car on a bumpy ride. I always got wet with all my previous water bottles! Another favorite thing about this bottle is that it doesn’t have any condensation with cold drinks, which means no more wet messes in my bags! I forgot to mention that it keeps drinks cold and hot for many, many hours!

I was so glad to have this wonderful organic healing balm on hand during our trip! The dry mountain air always causes more wind-chapped faces and dried lips. I also used it for baby’s rashy bottom, to soften scabs on kids’ knees, and on my cuticles! It’s smell isn’t the pleasantest, but it’s the cure-all around here.

P.S. Full blog posts on the trip coming soon!

with love. Damaris