Summer Happenings

Fall activities are about to start up for us, and I started thinking about our summer, how fast its flown by(!), and all the fun we’ve packed in!  I’ve managed to take a few pictures here and there, and the following give an idea of what we were up to these past few months.

Lots of pool time! We couldn’t wait until it opened up, and we’ve used it a lot this summer! It was a great escape from the heat (and the small apartment when bored).

The girls started out with big floats:

But quickly wanted to get out and MOVE. We decided to wait on swim lessons this year (we’ll probably do lessons for both girls next year) and just worked with them ourselves. Jumping, floating, and some dog-paddling. They both love the water, but Lisa really had a blast! (It might just be the age – she seemed more comfortable with the larger body of water.)

(These pool photos are actually all from June – after a while, we quit bringing our camera. Oops.)

We also played with our water table a LOT! It was so convenient to have on our little back porch where they could hang out and get wet to their hearts’ continent!

(The first picture was taken earlier this summer – the second was taken this morning while I was writing this post! They just decided to hop on up there! A few things worth noting: Now you know why I have a hard time finding time to blog! Also, Sam’s diaper was very soggy.) 

A friend gave us her jogging stroller that her kiddos had outgrown, and we’ve put it to good use. Surprisingly! I almost declined the gift because I thought we might not use it very much. However, it’s SO nice to push that the girls and I fit in a walk several times a week, and often Matt will take them for a run in the evenings with it.

We visited the Norfolk Aquarium and had a blast with Nate and Coley:

We also took appropriate action on ‘National S’Mores Day’! Thanks to the Carneys for the invite and delicious dessert! The big kids gave it a thumbs up:

The girls and I visited lots of different playgrounds. We definitely have a few favorites – the one inside the mall being one of them. (This pregnant lady is a big fan of AC on hot days!)

Recently, the girls just discovered ‘sand’ outside our front door. So for a few days, all they wanted to do was play here:

(A little red-neck? Maybe. But do happy kids make a happy mama? You bet!)
 

And when they weren’t discovering things outside, they were discovering things inside. Like how fun Desitin is:

(We’re still finding white spots and cleaning it out of the carpet! Anyone have any suggestions?)
 

Also, one big change we made this summer was re-arranging their room to get ready for their baby sister. We decided to go with toddler beds for the big girls, since they would fit in the space the best and I didn’t think they were big enough for bunk beds or sharing a queen (in my opinion).

Getting booted from the crib was a big adjustment for Sam, (the first few nights we would go in to find her sleeping on the floor!) but she’s loving her little bed now! Figuring out nap time was a big adjustment for me, and after many different configurations, as it stands now, Sam gets to sleep in her bed and Lisa gets to sleep in our bed for nap time. (They both go down together at bedtime with few problems. I think there’s just too many distractions in the middle of the day to wind down together. And we all need naptime to work to survive around here!)

(Toddler beds work great for small adult humans too!)
 

Nesting in kicking in full swing around here, and the girls’ room is top of the list! I have crib, curtain, artwork, and even wall color plans – so when if I start getting things checked off my list, I’ll try to update with pictures here.

That’s about the gist of our summer fun! I can’t wait to see how this fall shapes up, and share new adventures!