Summer Break 2023: Week One

We finished celebrating the big 4-0 with friends and family with a backyard party at our house.  We had appetizers, pizza, fruit, veggies, drinks and a delicious cake that Grammy had made for the occasion! I am so thankful for each person that helped me celebrate!  It was truly a memorable day!

We had some cousin time on Monday and Tuesday with a pool day and a movie day.  I love how these four kiddos love each other! :)  

Maddox pulled a muscle near his groin at some point this past weekend so we tried to keep him rested in between all our summer fun.  It is hard to slow him down but he would take breaks when needed as he was in a lot of pain.  It seems he is almost back to normal as I'm typing this.

Maddox had one of his best friends, Austin, spend the night after bible school on Monday evening.  The three boys (Z included) enjoyed sleeping in the living room on the pull out couch, watching the Super Mario Bros movie as they were winding down for the evening.  Austin joined us for the cousin movie on Tuesday to see "Megamind" and then we went to the pool for the afternoon before returning to church that evening.

On Wednesday, we decided to have a lemonade stand.  It was rather spontaneous and we don't get much traffic on our street but with a few texts to some friends, we had quite a turnout for the boys' first lemonade stand.  They decided to hand out free lemonade to anyone that walked by (or drove by ... i.e. the Amazon truck) and took any donations from friends or neighbors as they handed out the lemonade.  Money collected went to their summer fun, the Ronald McDonald House and a portion went to our church.  I'm so proud of our boys for their generosity on a hot day and their enthusiasm toward collecting money for a good cause (and to have a little spending money this summer).

  

On Wednesday night, we camped in a tent in our backyard.  This is a yearly tradition that I'm excited to say we continued.  We enjoyed taking silly selfies as we drifted off to sleep and were back in the house by about 6:00 a.m. the following morning.  Burke missed us as we decided to let him sleep inside this year with daddy as he is getting a little older and gets up frequently through the night to use the bathroom.  I was afraid he would wake up the boys and it would be hard for them to get back to sleep. 

On Thursday, we wen to the lake with the Williams family.  We love spending the day with some of our very best friends!  Josh asked if any of the kids wanted to try skiing this time and Zander enthusiastically accepted the offer.  (I was glad that Maddox didn't ask as he was still healing from his pulled muscle).  Zander tried water skiing for the very first time and got up on his third attempt (with adult skis)!  It was the perfect combination with Josh helping him in the water, Sarah navigating the boat and Mommy jumping in when needed to wait with him after he fell down after skiing for a bit while Josh was picked up further down the lake to rejoin the fun.  I am so thankful for our friends giving Zander this opportunity to try a new activity.  He talked about it the whole way home!

Last night we finished out bible school at a local church near our house.  The boys loved going each night with some of their friends from school.  I would get pictures from the volunteers who are also some of my closest friends.  They especially enjoyed the foam party at the end of the night, and I somehow let them ride home with me! haha

Today we are finishing out our first week of summer break by meeting one of Zander's friends from school to go out to lunch and catch a matinee movie! I think these boys are loving our summer adventures so far! ;)

Grandparents' Camp!

Mommy had to finish a couple weeks of work before I was officially on summer break with my boys! I am blessed to have approximately six weeks off with the boys each summer, and I don't take a single day for granted as I know it is a blessing to make all these memories with them.   The boys enjoyed time with their grandparents while I was busy finishing out the school year.  They spent the first three days with Grannie.  Then, they spent two days with Grammy and finished it out with time with Grandpa.  With swimming at the lake and pool, going to the movies, going to an adventure gym and completing projects here and there, I think they enjoyed their time with their grandparents! :)

I was at a leadership retreat with my colleagues for two days.  I enjoyed attending sessions with them and eating the delicious food that was provided.  Burke enjoyed being an "only child" for a few days as well.  He got more walks and cuddles while the boys were out of town.

We got to attend a minor league baseball game with our friends last weekend!  The kids each got a baseball, Zander caught a shirt, Maddox got a Bolt stuffed animal and allllll the snacks were consumed!

We celebrated Father's Day after church with some of our favorite dads! We are so thankful for their leadership in our family and for all the fun we have when they are around! ;)

I got to grab dinner out with friends last week as well! ;)

It has been so wet here all week which hasn't been an ideal way to start our summer break together! However, we made the most of it with a trip to the trampoline park with the Kennedys and a visit to the science center with Aunt Kelly and her nieces.  We finished out our Friday afternoon with a park date with the Williams family.  We are looking forward to some sunnier weather next week in the hopes of some pool days in our future!

I have officially hit the 4-0 milestone! I've been counting down to this birthday all year!  Excited about the future and equally proud of the 40 years that have gotten me to this point!  In the weeks leading up to this birthday, I found out I have an astigmatism which is making it hard to see at night when driving and also has slightly impacted my far-sighted vision.  No "readers" yet as my near-sighted vision is still 20-15 (better than perfect;)) but you might see this new accessory when I am cheering on the boys at the ball field or driving in the evening hours.... I guess this is 40!?;)  Linds and I went for an 8 mile run on my birthday morning and took a picture mid-run (around the seven mile mark) at the exact time I was born 40 years ago! Ignore the frizzy hair as it was quite humid but having a June birthday means I'm used to the heat! ;)  I also made it to the goal of running 1000 miles during the year leading up to my 40th birthday (to prove I could still do it).  I hit 1,050 miles on my birthday!  My legs are definitely feeling it and I think this is now the time to scale back my running and move to other forms of working out for my physical and mental well-being!  Stay tuned for what the next decade holds!

School's Out for Summer!

We finished our last week of school!  The boys had their award's day where they received awards for honor roll and Zander got an award for perfect attendance.  Emerson also finished kindergarten, and I was able to tag along for her end of year activities.  It's definitely a "work perk" to be at the same school as these three cousins!  We documented the last day of school with our annual pictures and then headed back home for the weekend to spend time with the Baden family for a lake day.  We got to see all of our family while we were back in town as well which worked perfectly after a busy spring with sports obligations every weekend!

First Day vs. Last Day for the three musketeers!

Last Day shenanigans... Mr. Neagle brought his bird for the kids to play with!  The soon-to-be 5th graders stopped for a quick picture and we went for ice cream after school to celebrate a great year!

Lake Day with the Baden Family!  We love this annual tradition, and I don't know who is more excited each year... the kids or the adults! ;)  Scott and I are turning 40 within a month of each other so we had to document the milestone while we were together!

The boys also got their green bands after successfully completing the swimming test so they are ready for many pool days in their future!

Counting Down to Summer Break!

The boys have one final week of school before summer break officially begins for them!  Mommy has a couple more weeks of work before I can join my boys for our summer adventures!  I absolutely love the weeks I get to spend with my boys... making plans with friends, spontaneously creating plans the day of and sometimes not having a plan at all!  Until then... here is what we have been up to the last couple weeks....

We had an unseasonable cool and wet Memorial Day weekend.  We enjoyed rest time, indoor activities including board games such as Sequence and Clue and spent some time outdoors playing in the cool, rainy conditions.  It was fun heading to the nearby field to play soccer... the Zs versus the Ms.... As you will notice, Mommy got cold and had to borrow Daddy's rock festival shirt to offer an extra layer of warmth for the outdoor conditions.  We also fit in a birthday party for Josh and a movie with the Kennedys (the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3).  It was a relaxing and fun three day weekend!

Zander finished his artwork that he has been working on at school.  He is proud of his mug that went through the kiln!

In the world of sports, Zander tried out for a travel soccer team and made it!  He will be starting this new adventure in August!  We are excited to support his passion for this sport and that he will continue to develop and strengthen his skills on the soccer field!  Maddox finished his baseball season this past Friday night.  They had a tournament that lasted all week.  Maddox's team came into the tournament undefeated and encountered a tough loss in the championship game!  Personally, Maddox had a great final game with hits each time up to bat, a couple doubles and RBIs to account for half the runs scored in the championship game.  He showed progress with his fielding abilities as well.  He says he will be back on the baseball field next spring after a fall season of soccer and winter season of basketball.  Until then, we will enjoy a couple months of minimal evening commitments.  ;)

On Saturday, I went with my mom and sister for our annual mother-daughter spa day.  It is one of my favorite days of the year!  Fortunately, the weather cooperated perfectly!  We started out with a workout at the fitness center, massages at 10:00 a.m. and then pool time for the afternoon.  We enjoyed "Mermaid Water" drinks and lunch poolside before getting our showers and heading to J Peppers for dinner!  With the hectic schedules of work and parenting, it is nice to have a day free of interruptions where we can chat and catch up.  I always love hearing their perspective on the current topics we are discussing and love that we share such a close relationship.  I wish everyone were as blessed and lucky as me to have such an awesome support system! :) 

After church today, we went to see Mia at her dance recital.  Zander and Mia have been best friends since kindergarten.  It was so much fun to support her in something she loves!  I am including a comparison picture from when Zander went to her kindergarten dance recital in 2019.... where did our babies go?!  I cannot believe they will be fifth graders by the end of the week!