Getting Summer Started!!

On the last day of school when the kids got home, I had a little surprise for them!

I put together a little summer fun bin for them.  It had bubbles, stickers, glow sticks/glasses, pool toys, a wooden frame and cars to paint, a horseshoe set, a new puddle jumper for Layton, Farkle game, and more. I forgot to take a picture of the 3 noodles for the pool and a 2 liter of Diet Coke and Mentos for a science experiment.  I wanted them to be excited about summer and look forward to doing lots of fun things together!  We kicked it off by taking some of the stuff on our camping trip.

I also saw this idea on Pinterest and knew I wanted to do it.  I made a list of some of the things that I wanted  us to do this summer and we are checking them off! 

The first full week of June was a busy one.  Hannah wanted to go to this basketball camp that the high school girls were putting on.  It was Monday through Wednesday mornings.  I was super proud of her for sticking it out.  I think she enjoyed it, but hurt something every day.  One day she jammed a finger.  It swelled up and got really purple.  Another day she hurt a foot.  But she stuck it out and did her best and I was really proud of her.

Getting her certificate for completing the camp.

The kids wanted to play with their bubbles one afternoon while outside.

On Thursday of that week, we invited a big group of friends to go pick blueberries with us at Bo Brook Farms in Roland.  I was really excited about this but slightly disappointed when we got there.  There weren't a whole lot of berries on the bushes yet.  So, I got about a fourth of what I wanted and got my mom some to take to her that weekend.  Layton ate everything that he put in his bucket which wasn't much and then stopped putting them in his bucket and just started eating them.  Ha!

Abby.

Kenzie.

Amy, Connor, and Abby.

Braden and Lincoln.

The kids and I with the sun in our eyes.  It was starting to get hot!

After eating his fill, Layton decided to play in the dirt.

After picking our berries, we all headed to Pinnacle Park to eat lunch and play.  The kids had a blast with their friends.  Christopher, Lincoln and Braden.

I had a watermelon that we needed to eat and so I brought it to the park to share with our friends.  It was a fun treat after playing!

I made a blueberry cobbler that night.  It was good!  I froze the rest of the berries for muffins and things later.

The kids wanted to paint one day so we broke out the wooden frame and cars that I got them.

Hannah's frame turned out really cute.  I wish I would have taken a finished picture of it.  She painted it purple and did polka dots all over and then put dot stickers inside the polka dots.  Hopefully it will match a new purple room sometime in the future!

Tv time is a life saver after a long day of swimming or playing outside. We got these new leather movie theater chairs from Mr. Jimmy's sister for free!  They are awesome and the kids love them.  Perfect for reclining and watching a show!

The kids have really enjoyed playing with their neighbor friends this year.  There are about 5 that they consistently play with that range in age from about to start kindergarten to about to start 4th grade.  Honestly, sometimes they wear me out because we constantly have someone knocking on our door for the kids to play or to come in and play.  It can be a bit much sometimes, but I need to look at it as a blessing I guess.  Hannah has made good friends with a little girl one year older that her from a few houses down.  She and Madison had played together all afternoon one day and then decided they wanted to have a sleepover.  So, Madison came over that night to stay here.

She and Hannah played SO well together.  They played Legos till about 10:30 that night!  They were building away!  Love that!

Then, I played Farkle with them, and they played Uno by themselves.  I am very glad she has made this friendship!

One day while swimming, Lincoln bit his noodle and his tooth came out!  This was just #2.  If only they could all be that easy!!  He lost the tooth in the water, but the tooth fairy still came!

We have been to one free summer movie so far.  We went with the Stephens.  The movie was Racing Stripes and it was really cute!

The next day we met the Stephens at the downtown Splash Park.  We were hoping to go to the War Memorial one, but the water wasn't working there.  I really don't care for the downtown one.  It is kind of dangerous in my opinion.  Hannah and Layton loved it, but Lincoln was upset because I wouldn't let him go play on the playground.  It is a bit too dangerous for me and it is also too hard to keep up with three kids on it.  There are a lot of places where you can't see the kids.  Layton kept saying that he LOVED the Splash Park, though, so it was worth it!!

We packed a picnic lunch and ate with our friends and then played some more.

One day we invited Lincoln's buddy Jack over, along with his little sister Jae, to play on the Slip-n-Slide!  The neighborhood kids ended up joining us too and they all had a blast!  

Jack was a bit cautious!

Ross Anthony!

Lincoln, of course!

This little dude was hilarious!!!  He absolutely LOVED it!  I guess it was really his first time to do a Slip-n-Slide and he was in heaven!  The little toot kept breaking in front of the other kids to go again and again.  He was so much fun to watch.  I love to see the joy he gets from doing these fun things!  Can't help but make you smile!

The kids played in the house for a bit after being outside.  Jack and Lincoln came in like this.

We have already done quite a bit off of our Summer To Do list!  The summer is really flying by!  So far, it has been a blast and I know there are a lot more fun things ahead!!