Weekend Ventures Out . . . and In

I love watching the kids play together.  This summer we are beyond thankful for Disney Plus and Just Dance on the Wii.  Friday, when I was working out in the garage I heard them jumping and dancing to the music. :)

Saturday was our first day at the pool for the summer.  The YMCA was super careful with requiring us to wear masks, get our temperatures checked, and stay distanced on the pool deck.  They also have a capacity limit and after the first daily session they close and clean.  Then, they reopen for the second session.  While we were there they were constantly wiping the high touched areas, especially the slides. It was so much to be out and about . . especially with Dave there to play in the water with the kids.

We also ventured out to church on Sunday for the first time in months.  There was a sign up for that too and thankfully it didn't reach capacity.  It was a trial run with deacons, staff, and their families before opening to all of Carmel next week.  Such a blessing to be back at church!!!!

 

Preston had been saving for a long time and when we finally determined he had enough money to buy a Nintendo Switch, they were all sold out! :(  After MANY phone calls around town and lots of research, I decided to post something on Facebook.  What do you know . . .  a friend was willing to sell hers!  So I arranged to pick it up while Savannah was at youth group tonight.  When we got home Preston had made this sign for the door.  LOL

This literally made his entire summer!!!!  Yeah for finally being a switch owning family!

The Bullhole Waterhole

Since we are still quarantined and I'm afraid of staying in someone's house at the beach we decided to use the summer for a few small day trips that are fairly local.  After some research online we decided to go to The Bullhole Waterhole.  It's only about 75 minutes from home and is FREE!!  We stopped at Michael's on the way to let the kids pick up some floats and packed lunches to eat there.  It turned out to be quite a hit.  Dave and the kids rode the small current a few times and I enjoyed watching from the shade of a big tree (I don't do water I can see through).  It was a fun way to spend a day in the middle of the week!

Happy Father's Day Daddy-O

Today we get to celebrate this amazing man!  Although our anniversary sort of got lost in the other celebrations and quarantine chaos, we took advantage to celebrate Dave today.  It was Sunday so our dinner routine is pizza, but we did get take out instead of homemade or frozen :)  We are SO thankful for Dave, who patiently loves and provides for our family day after day.  We enjoyed church at home again and of course, the boys had fun on their weekly bike ride to the trail.  These kids don't even know how lucky they are to have a dad like Dave!

Happy Happy 11th Birthday Preston!

We started this kid's birthday bright and early with a morning run and bike ride.  It's always fun to have a partner on my morning workout!

Since his birthday was on the weekend he was able to start opening gifts early in the day.  He loved his remote-controlled car and marshmallow shooter!

All he kept asking for was balloons to celebrate so Savannah and I drove all over town to find him some! We managed to get the "one he's always wanted" from Dollar Tree. :)

After dinner of his choice from Red Robin, he opened the rest of his gifts. Lots of fun ahead with the water balloons!!

 And of course, we had an ice-cream cake!  YUMMY!

This kid is truly a gift.  He continues to keep us on our toes with his curiosity.  He loves soccer, being outside, candy, playing with friends, and reading too.  Oh, did I mention that he loves YouTube?!?  It's hard to believe he's already 11;  I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for him in the years ahead.

Finding Ways to Keep Busy

Thursday we were so excited to have a play date with the Marions!  The girls quickly went to baking in the kitchen.

This week was supposed to be Preston and Savannah's camp invention week . .  but obviously, that didn't happen in person.  However, they mailed the box of goodies to us and the camp happened virtually!  Preston LOVED it and I think Savannah even enjoyed helping him with the robots.

The kids asked if they could make a slip n slide in the backyard.  Absolutely!  I love watching them play together.  Although summer looks WAY different than it ever has and the kids are always bored and spending lots of time on screens, I'm celebrating the times that they do have to make memories and enjoy playing together.

Happy 14th Savannah!!

This has been quite an interesting birthday with the quarantine . . . and lack of friends available to come over . . . and not sunny weather.  BUT, we have made the best of it! The kids begged to go to the dollar store to get some supplies for crafts so after lunch, I gave in and took them on their big adventure.  One main part of my mission was to get birthday balloons for the birthday girl, but unfortunately, they were out of helium. :(  I was not about to let that stop me so I found a very large pole with some tape on the end and began the process of trying to get some balloons off of the ceiling that had already been made.  Let's just say memories were made and by the end, the store clapped for me when I was able to retrieve the third balloon.  Never mind that two are pink (Savannah hates pink) but one even says Happy Birthday!

She has been waiting for weeks to get a macaroni burger from Cheesecake Factory.  Today was the day because the birthday girl gets to pick what's for dinner!  It was massive and very filling, but she agreed that it ended up not being that impressive after all.

Then we opened lots of gifts and Preston took a turn photo bombing.

She chose Local Scoop for her birthday cake.  We were surprised to discover that their cakes include no cake at all!

All in all, it was a fun day.  The kids were able to start their at-home version of Camp Invention and we had lots of Savannah chosen items.  I have to say she continues to amaze me.  It's hard to believe that she is already 14, but I truly am in awe of the woman she is becoming.  She is smart, kind, loyal, and a bit sassy too.  She may be my mini and share my love of food, but she has her dad's personality 100%.  She is laid back and easy-going, taking each day in stride.  She teaches me about grace and extends forgiveness when I mess up this parenting thing on a daily basis.  I'm so thankful to be her mom and can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for her in the years ahead.

End of School Year Festivities

Monday was the fourth-grade talent show (via zoom this year).  Preston practiced all week to try to learn to juggle but ended up going with a magic show.  He was a bit disappointed because the wifi was sketchy so I'm not sure the audience could fully appreciate his magical skills.  Never-the-less it was fun for him . . . and we are all glad the juggling practicing is over!

Tuesday was the last day of school!! Woo hoo!!  We would normally go to TCBY after school, but this year we opted for Ben & Jerry's with dad after dinner.

Wednesday Savannah's Sunday school group met with their fearless leader (Mrs. Poates) for some socially distanced ice-cream at the Local Scoop.  They hung out for a few hours before the monsoon came and I picked up the girls early.

Speaking of the monsoon . . . while the girls were catching up over ice cream two of their brothers (Preston and Ben) were happy to play in the rain at our house.  These boys have missed each other so much and loved playing outside and having popsicles.

Thursday we walked to JMR so Savannah could have her picture made with the graduate rock.  It was so humid and HOT, but we had a fun time walking there and back.

Friday was the first-ever neighborhood graduate parade. These eighth-graders were way too cool to go solo, but they were super excited about all riding together in the parade.  It was such a fun way to celebrate all of our 5th, 8th, and 12th graders.

So just like that, the school year is over and we are headed into summer. Hopefully, we can find something to do that is fun and keeps us all active and entertained through these next few long months!  Happy Summer!

Not Much New in June

So pretty much things are the same around here . . . I'm still doing a few Shipt shops daily and the kids are still staying at home. They decided this week they would attempt sugar cookies from scratch, so that was a proud moment when they came out and were delicious.  Dave was not thrilled to wash all the cookie cutters, but he didn't complain since the cookies were so yummy!

We got a sign to let our neighbors know we have a proud 8th-grade graduate!

And this kid is enjoying some new books (actually they both are) now that the library is back open.  Woo hoo! They only allow one person in at a time and you can only pick up books that are on hold, not browsing, but hey, we'll take it! 

We continue to spend our mornings on zoom calls and doing minimal school work but thankfully that all wraps up this week.  Preston turned in his last big project today and will learn about his summer reading assignment next week.  Afternoons are spent on screens a lot, but we still try to squeeze in a few walks too.  It's been quite hot lately so we haven't walked as much.  Our Disney trip has officially been canceled since they aren't opening until July so we are trying to figure out a fun summer vacation to get a break from being home!