When I last left you it was Memorial Day weekend. The end of May. And now we're approaching the end of July! Seriously! Time. Flying. By!
As I downloaded/edited the past couple months worth of pic's, I noticed I'd missed a couple of events from May so we'll start there.
Keira had her last day of Kindergarten (the school is called Sonshine). This was a transition year for her and the school offers this hybrid program which is great. She went to school 2 days a week and was sent home with a big packet of worksheets to work on at home the other days of the week. With her July birthday (post coming soon!) we've opted for her to start kindergarten this fall at our local school. She is doing great academically - she started reading last October and tries to read everything she can whether it's too hard or not and she loves to write and do her worksheets. We know she has a great foundation for her grade school years ahead!
In my last post I mentioned Keenan had purchased a sail board. Starting Memorial Day weekend, we spent either Saturday or Sunday afternoons at the lake up until July 4th weekend! The sail board has proved to be a great purchase. Keenan's gotten the hang of getting on and sailing back and forth across the lake and is always thinking of ways to tweak his gear for better performance. In between his rides he'll take the sail off and take the kids paddling around the water. Ari and Keira have both had the chance to ride with the sail on as well. The kids also alternate between playing in the sand and playing in the water. Our lake levels are very low this year and the water stays pretty shallow for a ways out. The board is easy to strap to the top of our XTerra (no trailer required) and we take advantage of the free public parks along the lake. All we have to do is pack some food and drinks and head out for some fun!
Not a major event, but still worth mentioning - Asher has taken to helping me cook these days. Ari was the same age when he was my little sous chef. Keira still likes to help as well, but I can usually only handle one extra set of hands in the kitchen!
Date night! Keenan and I arranged for a babysitter and celebrated our 13th anniversary a few days early. Shopping, dinner and beer on the patio and gelato and live music on another patio. A perfect evening with my love.
As a part of their studies, the first graders have a Fairy Tale Day celebration each year. The the parents decorate the hallway and classrooms the night before, the kids are supposed to dress as a fairy tale character then there's a party and a parade. I didn't want to buy anything new nor did I have the time to make anything, so Ari opted to be a king (just a generic king. Stubborn boy.) out of our dress up supply. He made his royal scepter all on his own. At the last minute I decided to bring Keira and Asher with me. As room Mom I felt like I should be at the party and I couldn't find someone to watch them. Luckily we were able to pull together costumes for them as well. Hello Peter Pan and Captain Hook!
Somewhere in the same time frame was field day. Keira, Asher and I spent most of the day following the first graders around and hitting up the snack bar for popcorn and snocones. It was a beautiful day to be outside!
The only down-side to field day came that evening when Ari broke out in hives. We're still not sure of the cause, but it took a trip to urgent care and some oral steroids to get them under control. Poor boy!
Then came the last day of school for Ari. The schedule was extended by one day thanks to the ice storm we had back in December. The school had the In-N-Out burger truck come for lunch so we all had a delicious last day lunch!
After church that weekend we made a trip to Bass Pro Shop to do some shopping. Little did we know it was their kick off to summer camp activities they were offering the next couple of months. Carousel rides, crafts, archery, fishing and bb gun range! All free! Bass Pro never fails to disappoint!
Summer break kicked off with a bang for us this year! Ari went off to Cub Scout day camp the first four days. Keira, Asher and I were at a local VBS during the same time frame. I volunteered to teach in the pre-k class and both kids ended up with me most days (long story). It was a fun, but exhausting week! The next two weeks were swim lessons for Keira and Asher. Ari poured through 3 chapter books during that time! Keira loved her lessons and is right on the verge of swimming on her own. After a great first day, Asher cried the next 3 days. Even after an ice cream bribe, he kept fighting it and ended up only doing the first week. The pic of him below is his satisfied look of getting his way. Hopefully next year he'll be ready.
Our first trip of the summer came Fourth of July weekend. We drove up to Wichita on the third and spent the Fourth out in the country at Brent and Kelsey's. The cousins had a blast all day long! There were daytime fireworks, water play and of course, the night time fireworks with even more friends. Ari was all about lighting the fuses. Our little pyro!
On the fifth we made a special visit to some long time friends. They have a new home complete with an indoor trampoline and a fabulous city park nearby. All the kids played and played while Keenan and I were able to hang out and chat. Another great day!
Back at home it was time for more summer fun. We've been sleeping in, swimming a lot this year, hanging out with friends and just enjoying being home some days. It's almost time for our Colorado trip and then summer will be coming to a close. I think I'm ready!
