Summer Here We Come

We finished the school year off with a bang and started happily in to our summer break.

In the last week of May, Elliot had to say goodbye to his favorite babysitter (who will return on occasions), Ms. Janet, as both kids started a summer camp at a local church on June 1st. We are so thankful for having her watch Elliot and he will really miss having fun at home with Ms. Janet.

For the summer, both kids are attending the camp while I'm at work and each day they do different activities (planting, crafting, bike car wash day, hikes, pool visits, movie theater, etc). So far, they are really liking it and it is a great for Elliot to get used to the environment as he will be attending preschool there in the fall. 

The first afternoon of summer break we spent exploring a creek in the park with some friends. The kids loved this activity and wanted to go right back the next day.

I really enjoy going to the park with these two as I can either sit on the bench and read some or watch them play by themselves or with other kids without the need of consistently supervising them. This age is great and since they are only two years apart, they are instant play buddies. Of course, once in a while, they like me to come and play along with them or at least push them on the swings. 

And because May flew by as we all were so busy with traveling and end of the school year events, on the last day of the month, my girlfriends and I were lucky to squeeze in our monthly girls' night out. Mexican food and strawberry Margaritas for the win:

So far, the weather has been really great. Rain here and there but overall not too humid or hot, which is a nice change from the extremely hot temperatures we had last year. Hopefully, these temperatures stick around for a while longer so that we can spend most of our time outdoors. Dinner a la fresco aka on the back deck is always a hit:

Over the past week, we have spent lots of time in the water, so I will do a separate post on this, but yesterday the kids and I went to the library as the Nashville Zoo was there for Show-and-Tell. We learned about 4 different animals and their habitats: an owl, a toad, a turtle and a rabbit. 

Amelia explaining something to her friend, Kellen. She was delighted because afterwards he and his sister were coming over to our house for a play date. 

So far this first week of summer break has been a great one and we kept quite busy. Especially, since Daddy is traveling this week and Mommy is trying to juggle it all by herself. At least everyone sleeps really well at night 😀

Because there is so much to do during the summer, I like to create a family bucket list and check off the things we have done. It doesn't mean we have to accomplish any of these activities nor is it all inclusive but it is a good reminder of what we could do during this time of year. Especially since most activities are fun for all and often free or cheap. 

What are your plans for the summer?