Checking-in:
Good morning! Can you believe it is July?! The next month is filled with lots of family events, including a wedding and our older son’s 9th birthday. We have a lot of family members coming into town for the wedding that we are so excited to see. With work, swim team and regular life stuff going on at the same time, it is going to feel a little hectic but it will be so fun too.
June in a Nutshell:
We finished baseball season and school and moved right into summer mode. There isn’t a big adjustment period with summer here because everyone knows it is short so everything is jam-packed. Swim team started the very first day of school break and we have (mostly) adjusted to our new work schedules during the last two weeks as well. I always find July a little easier because we are in our groove and then August is a transition time as well with summer activities wrapping up, and school starting again.
Currently Eating…All The Summer Fruit!
There is nothing better than berries you just picked. The first weekend of summer we headed to Full Belly Farm which is a nearby “pick your own” farm. We went on opening day and the strawberries were everywhere. We went with Kristy and her girls so we had some super awesome berry pickers with us and filled our flats in no time.
I always have the best plans to freeze some of what we pick but we never have any left to do so! Between eating them plain and a couple nights of strawberry shortcake for dessert, we didn’t have any left…oops!
Currently Spending Our Days…at the Pool!
Our older son started swim team when he was 5 and this is the 2nd year that both of our boys are participating. Having them in an activity on the same team is AMAZING! Because of their age difference in school (3 years), they are always on different practice and game schedules with other sports so this feels like such a luxury.
Anyway, swim team is the best summer activity. It gives us somewhere to be each weekday morning (structure!! routines!!) keeps the kids active outside and it is just the best community of kids and instructors.
We aren’t particularly competitive about it but the boys really get into the team spirit and it has been an awesome way for them to learn how to swim and meet new friends. I hope they want to continue until they are too old for it because I don’t know what we would do all summer long without it.
Currently Enjoying…Our Happy Neighbors
During the winter months, our animals are kept in the pastures closer to the barns so it is easier for hay and water to be delivered to them. This time of the year they are out and about and enjoying all the grass our town has to offer. In addition to being in the pastures next to our house, they graze in a few different neighboring fields. They are the perfect lawn mowers and are quite nice company too. We love to go talk to them after dinner and they are especially fascinated with Buzz…which maybe they think belongs with them because of his black and white coloring.
Speaking of Buzz…
Buzz loves summer! He is ecstatic that the boys are around more and especially enjoys the hundreds of squirrels and chipmunks that roam around our home and eat all our bird seed. he likes to perch himself on the chair in my office while I am working and keep an eye on things…we clearly have no boundaries with him and furniture!!
Currently Participating in…The Kids Summer Reading Challenge!
The kids are signed up for the summer reading challenge through our local library and it is great motivation to keep up with their daily reading.
During the school year, we visit our town library once a week and we are trying to keep up with this schedule during the next couple of months. The summer reading challenge is a great motivation for us to get there because it allows them to add to their charts when we visit.
They have the option to either do a sticker chart or an actual list, which is great for kids of different ages and reading and writing abilities. Our younger son chose the sticker chart and our older son is keeping an actual list of the books he reads.
I talked more about this HERE if you are interested in learning more.
Currently Loving…ALL The Turtles!
It is time for many turtles to lay their eggs so we have spotted many nearby lately. We saw this painted turtle trying to cross the road last weekend so we got out and helped her cross…our turtle lover was in heaven!!!
We also saw this snapping turtle at Luke’s office, but we gave her a little more space. 😉
Currently…Loving Evenings on The Lake!
After a chilly spring, Lucas and the kids got the boat in the water last week and we were excited to get out on the lake! Going on the boat is our very favorite summer activity and there is something so special about an evening boat ride. We lucked out with the calmest waters and a gorgeous sunset on our first night out.
We weren’t certain about the weather forecast at first but were able to get out for a second time on Saturday. We took the boat down to the Basin Harbor Club for dinner and an evening swim and then did some kayaking in the bay when we returned. Although there are many challenging parts of the parenting stage we are at, we are finally about to embrace later evenings as a family and we are loving it!
Currently Watching…Toy Story 4!
I think we have gone to the movie as a family maybe one other time. For a long time, the kids didn’t have the patience to sit through all the trailers and then a entire movie. Then there was the period of time when they were nervous about a lot of movies (we had to leave Moana for example!) so we just didn’t go.
They have always loved Toy Story though so when it rained on Sunday we thought it was the perfect opportunity to try it out again. We all loved it and the scariness factor is low (besides the creepy ventriloquist dolls in the antique store which I thought were less scary than the old neighbor Sid).
Movie Snacks…
Do you have a favorite movie snack? Lucas gets popcorn, the kids usually want Sour Patch Kids and I am a Goober’s fan all the way. Goobers have been my go-to movie snack since I was a little kid and I don’t think I have ever seen a movie without them. I will be devastated if they stop having at the movies so I really hope there are other Goobers fans out there too. 😉
I hope you all have a great Tuesday morning!
