Summer is here

Summer has arrived and it is here to stay. The past 14 days have been very hot here in NC and we even had some record temperatures (100F/ 39C). Luckily, at night the temperature drops some so that the early mornings are comfortable enough to go for a run. So to kick our summer off, I created a Summer Bucket List. Hopefully, we will check most of the items on that list off during the next 2 months. It will be fun. 

Actually, while running thru our neighborhood I discovered a lot of blackberry bushes and so Amelia and I went picking one morning. The berries are quiet small and even though they looked delicious, they were still a bit bitter.

To beat the heat, every day the kids (and adults) are having fun in our pool in the backyard. 

And no afternoon is complete without enjoying a Popsicle. The mess it makes is washed off afterwards with a jump in to the pool. 

I also made some Berliner Weisse (typical summer drink from Berlin, Germany: wit beer and woodruff syrup). It was delicious. 

And when it is too hot outside, we play inside. Amelia loves playing her princess memory game with Daddy. While she hardly pays any attention though, he is focusing and still only wins about half the time.

Riding Daddy like a horse is also lots of fun:

To keep them entertained, I put out a white Poster board, some crayons and stickers and they are entertained for at least 20 minutes.

On Friday, Amelia and I went to a pool play-date organized by my MOPS group and even though the turnout was pretty slim due to summer vacation, we had a great time and spend most of the 3 hours in the pool. In the beginning Amelia was scared to be in the pool (the pool was only 4 ft deep) but she quickly adapted and actually enjoyed sitting on the pool animals.

Since it was Father's Day on Sunday, the library hosted a "Daddy Donuts Day" and Amelia was really excited to go with Derrick. They enjoyed spending time together by listening to a story, coloring a card for daddy, and eating donuts, of course.

Father's Day was pretty relaxed around here. Except for going to church, we stayed home and enjoyed being together. Derrick had some wings, beer and golf on Saturday afternoon when he went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a few hours. On Sunday morning, the kids surprised their Daddy with their homemade gifts in bed.

This week, Amelia is attending VBS (vacation bible school) for the first time. It runs from 9am till noon for the entire week and she loves it so far. I will do a separate post about her camp week. While Amelia is at Camp, Elliot enjoys some one-on-one time with me or Daddy. On Monday we went to the library for story time and he enjoyed playing on the computer beforehand. Who is that 3-year old? My little boy is looking much older here and is growing up too fast.

Today, we were "shaking it off'" (by Taylor Swift) during our little dance session while Daddy picked Amelia up from camp.

In other news, I updated our entry way and now it looks much cleaner and prettier. After 3 months, I can say we are completely settled in to our new home.

Hope you all have a great start to your summer as well.