This Summer We:

School starts next week.  Information day was yesterday and we'll be meeting teachers on Monday.  We have one last long weekend to play before schedules start to kick back in.  The kids and I worked on a list of things we have done this summer and, in addition to all the normal things like our jobs and normal chores, here is what we have so far:

• Made & Eaten Popsicles
• Went to the Movies: Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University
• Played in Sprinklers
• Swam in big & kiddie pools (Great-Granddaddy’s is our favorite)
• Took swimming lessons (2 months)
• Went to the 4th of July Parade
• Zoo Camp (Mx2 and Bx3)
• Brent went to a leadership conference
• Science Museum (x3)
• Museum of Osteology (x2)
• Snuggled with Mommy
• Went to Colorado & saw the mountains
• Went to a miniature horse show
• Went hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park
• Played at the playground
• Thunder splash pad (x2)
• Myriad Gardens --- many times both alone and with friends
• Abbey went to book club
• Watched gymnastics & ballet
• Everyone visited the Tompound
• Played with friends from out of town and friends from nearby
• Went to Tulsa for an all-day play date with the Wainrights
• Visited the Tulsa children’s discovery lab
• Learned to sew with plastic needles
• Had ice cream from an ice cream truck
• Celebrated 2 family birthdays and many others
• Had snow cones
• Got drinks at Sonic
• Ran on the hay bales
• Ate lots of pizza
• Played and watched videos on the iPad
• Went to Unpluggits
• Looked at the stars
• Had farm camp
• M went to art camp and summer fun camp @ MDO
• Abbey went to Philly for a conference
• Brent went to Iowa as a chaperone for his students
• Had dance parties
• Did gymnastics in the living room & front lawn
• Made a fort
• Completed the summer reading program (M&B)
• E learned to walk
• E learned new words
• Helped friends recover from the tornadoes
• Painted Gnomes @ Myriad Gardens
• Rode our scooter and bikes/trikes
• Ran
• Played games with Grandma
• Done puzzles
• Had fun with Grammie & Granddaddy exploring and swimming
• Kicked balls in the back yard
• Enjoyed morning porch time
• Played corn hole
• Played ring toss
• Played badminton
• Had a sack race
• Played croquet
• Played board & card games
• Abbey ran Healing Scraps for OK
• Played video games
• Grew a massive sunflower plant
• Played the kazoo
• Laid in the grass
• Watched the clouds and looked for shapes
• Splashed in puddles
• Went on bug hunts and watched them in bug jars
• Found frogs and observed them in nature
• Picked roses and made bouquets
• Grilled
• Ate outside
• Made ricotta for the first time
• Played with neighborhood kids
• Said good-bye to Ford & Phoebe (our best neighborhood friends)
• Brent & Abbey had date nights
• Bought school supplies
• Did workbooks
• Practiced reading, writing, telling stories, and basic math
• Made watercolor pencil paintings
• Did experiments
• Scrapbooked
• Read books
• Went to a magic show at the library
• Abbey & E went to STL
• Abbey became a Godmother to Rowan
• Abbey got a raise
• Brent ran IRSP
• Kids rode in the wagon
• Brent rescued a baby turtle at our pond
• Jumped
• Sang
• Swung
• Dove
• Climbed
• Fed chipmunks
• Made new stuffie friends
• Made up pretend games and worlds
• Played “house”
• Done SO MUCH laundry
• E took his first plane flight
• Made cookies
• Baked and decorated cakes
• Took 100s of photos
• Took family walks
• Tickled and laughed
• Gave and got first haircuts
• Braided hair
• Tried out gel and faux hawks
• Gardened
• Kissed and hugged
• Smiled
• Slept in and went to sleep late (sometimes)
• Did chores
• Went to the Farmer’s Market
• Got a new picnic table umbrella and made up games for it
• Loved skirts or plaid shorts
• Played on the ipad, wii, and computer
• Had playdates
• Ate lots of pizza
• Shared meals with friends and family
• Walked to Sonic
• Ate strawberries and tomatoes right out of the garden
• Pulled weeds (ummm not as often as we “should” have)
• Picked out paint colors
• Donated old clothes, toys, and books
• Recycled & Reused many things
• Tried new exercises
• Had ‘several’ babysitters
• Played LEGO blocks and board games
• Abbey helped found the GW Oklahoma Alumni Network
• Saw fireworks
• Went to Libertyfest and bounced
• Got new Skylanders and games
• Helped at the OKC Savory Spice Shop
• Made new recipes
• Tried to savor and love every minute as best we could and be together as much as possible.