last week: summer ends and school begins

Well, our summer break has officially come to an end!  Other than Makayla finishing up swimming lessons, we were pretty low key around here last week.  There was some game playing, some costume wearing, some lemonade selling, lots of laying around, and then, we sent our boy off to school.  I will have to blog all about that another day, but I will say that we are super proud of him!

We are slowly but surely getting back into our routines and schedules and such.  And now that summer break is over, this mama is itching for some fall weather!

last week: cooking and swimming

We have been pretty low-key around here, which is totally fine by me!  We all know that school days are just around the corner and that our schedules are about to pick up again, so we have been savoring our last few lazy days of summer.

Makayla has been asking to watch cooking shows with us, and she really does sit still and pay attention to every detail.  The girl is a definite foodie, and it is so fun to watch this interest of hers grow!  

She also started swimming lessons last week, and she has been doing great!  Up until now, she has still been very nervous about going under water, but she has been very brave about it and is already gaining so much confidence.  We are so proud of our girl!  Caleb has been such a good big brother - he's encouraged her and given all kinds of tips and pointers, since he thinks he's quite the expert!

And y'all - what could be better in the middle of a hot summer day than playing Candyland in our pajamas?!!  I wonder how many more pajama days we can squeeze in before our summer break is over?

last week: camping and vbs

We kicked off this last week with a little camping trip.  We had attempted this the week before, but after getting all set up, we realized that Bobby had to be at work at 5:00 in the morning, and it started to rain.  So we threw in the towel and decided we would try again later!  This time around was much more successful, and we had so much fun!  We camped in the backyard, we were inside a tent with a fan, we slept on air mattresses, and we went inside for dinner and bathroom breaks.  Yep, we like to rough it hardcore around here!  We played games and read some books, and then it was lights out!  

The kiddos also went to VBS last week, and man do they love going there!  They have talked about it ever since they went last summer, so they were more than ready to go back!  They had such a great time, and we are so thankful for this incredible program. 

Only two weeks left of summer break!

#tbt stories - swimming

Today I'm sharing a picture of my sweet little water babies.  This was taken three years ago at a really fun pool party.  And side note - I really miss that chunky baby stage!  And those pigtails!  I miss pigtails!  They both still love being in the water, although there's no way you could get Caleb to wear floaties these days!

Nothing makes you realize how quickly time is going by than to look at old pictures!  

last week: museums and movies

Last week was a busy one for us!  We realized that we have less than a month left of summer vacation, and we have lots of things on our summer bucket list that we haven't gotten around to yet!  So we knocked out a few things last week and have plans to knock out a couple more this week as well!

First up was a visit to the science museum.  The kids and I met some friends there and it was such a fun day.  It was a little tough to keep up with them, but we managed!  After we left, my friend sent me a text saying her daughter's favorite part of the day was playing with the hand dryer in the bathroom with Makayla.  Ha!  Those girls keep us laughing, that is for sure!

We also got to meet our cousins for movies in the park.  They were showing the live version of 101 Dalmatians, which we had never seen before.  We got dinner from the food trucks, ate a whole lot of popcorn, and relaxed for the evening.  Such a fun night!

We also went to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, shopped for new shoes for a boy who keeps on getting bigger, took our girl to the dentist, made a failed attempt at camping, went swimming, and went to gymnastics.

I wonder what we can get ourselves into this week?!!

summer days

How in the world is it already the end of June?!!  This just might be our most low-key summer yet, and we are absolutely loving it!  We've kept plenty busy, but most of what we've done has been by choice, and not by obligation - if that makes any sense.  We are choosing our fun and our pace, and I am eating up all of this extra time with my little loves.

Even though we've been a bit more laid-back, we have managed to knock quite a few things off of the old summer bucket list.

We've been swimming, drawn with chalk, played outside a ton, made all kinds of art, done lots of reading, had puppet shows, stayed up a bit later, watched cartoons in bed, and caught fireflies.  

Does anything scream summer more than catching fireflies?

We've made trips to the zoo, the farmer's market, the library, the movies, and the park.

We've had time for extra snuggles, extra tickles, just one more book before bedtime, lazy mornings in our pajamas, and special homemade breakfasts.

And yes, we've had more time for complaining, arguing, whining, and fighting.  But we've been together, and we've made so many sweet memories.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

summer happenings

and according to Instagram.....

watching fireworks  |  they don't like the smell at Starbucks  |  family night mini-golf game

library story time  |  just dance in our pajamas  |  dinner on the water

washing grandpapi's truck  |  family selfie at the pool  |  picking flowers {aka weeds}

daddy buys them silly things  |  a beautiful morning calls for breakfast outside  |  lazy day fun

she loves her shades  |  morning play-doh session |  haircut

playing at the library  |  family selfie at movies in the park  |  good morning

Our summer has been flying by, but we have been having a blast!  It's been a little laid-back, a little busy, and a lot of fun!  We have been doing so many things that we don't normally get to do during the school year.  We love having our little man home with us during the day, and I know it's going to be especially hard on Makayla when school starts back up.  And it will be hard on this mama as well!  Even though the days can be very long and very tiring, I really do cherish this sweet season with my kiddos!

Here's to the last few weeks of summer!