The rest of the summer break

The last 2 weeks of July were less eventful than the first 3, though there were a few highlights. Josh ran his first 5K. He participated in the Run to Read 5K that started at the stadium by our house. The kids and I waited until the 5K started and then we went to the 12th street pool, which was free for the family members of the participants. It was so cold by the time it started that I didn't even try to get in, but the kids enjoyed it.
We also visited a newly remodeled pool in our area. It is now more of a mini water park than a pool, complete with a lazy river, slides, diving board, and several splash pad areas. It was a little chilly the day we went, so there were not many people there, so we were able to use all of the park with little to no wait time.

We finished up the library summer reading program, which was a bit anti-climatic. The didn't have any ending celebration or anything, so the kids were a bit disappointed. I realized a little too late that I was pretty diligent to make sure the kids read over the summer, but I really didn't make them do any math or work on any other subject. I tried to throw in some card games that would give them exposure to numbers, but I really need to pay attention to this next summer. 

This is one of the few pictures I got of the reading program. The man in the back is a paleontologist and the kids were looking for shark's teeth with excavating tools. The library program was themed "Dig into reading" and all the programs were digging related.

August really is when I feel we begin gearing up for the new school year. We began the month with the soccer draft, which Josh coordinated. Then came registration for Bella's dance class. And the inevitable school shopping. The kids really didn't need that many clothes, since they received a bunch of nice hand-me-downs over the summer, but they needed new shoes, backpacks and pencil boxes, and one outfit. We were at the mall for about 5 hours for just those few things! And even though we had intended only to get them one new outfit for the first day, the sales were so good, we ended up with about 3 each! Also, in early August, I tried to fit in a bunch of appointments - dental and allergy check-ups and haircuts - so we wouldn't have to do them after school started.
My birthday was also in early August. Most of my birthday was like any other day, since Josh had decided we would celebrate on the weekend. But he made me dinner, shrimp scampi with pasta (so good!) and we had chocolate cupcakes with an ice cream filling for dessert.  The kids had picked out gifts for me. Elias had picked a pair of sunglasses because I had lost mine (but had actually found them) and Bella got me bobby pins. They are so sweet to always try to think of things I use or really like. Josh is always a very thoughtful gift giver. He is very sentimental and I am so lucky to have a man who thinks outside of the box. He had roses sent to me that day with a very sweet message attached and then he got me a jar that had "37 wishes" on the outside. Inside the jar, there were 37 cards of people's personal sentiments and birthday wishes. I cried many times while reading them. But Josh's were the ones that made me cry the most. He had not only included his personal thoughts, but also quotes from people that he knew would mean something to me.  He included a ring and hole-punched each card, so that I could keep them on the ring when I was done reading them. Since my birthday, I have went back and read through them many times.
Then on the Saturday after my birthday, we went to see "Noah" at the Sight and Sound theater in Pennsylvania, which is something I have wanted to do for a while. Since we went up and back in one day, which equated to just over 8 hours driving, we opted not to take the kids. When we were on our way home, we decided to stop at a place we had never been before to eat called "The Hen House". The food was delicious and the atmosphere was not what I had expected. We sat out on the deck and ate while the sun was setting. It was a beautiful end to a wonderful birthday.

Then just before school started, we took a trip to see friends of ours that we had planned months before. Justin and Elizabeth were our closest friends in college - metaphorically and physically, since they lived right across the street from us and we spent the majority of our free time with them. They no longer live in the states, so we get to see them very little, but they are still some of our dearest friends. We met up with them and we all stayed together in a hotel, since they have many people to visit and so little time. I was amazed at how fast our kids took to each other, since they have only spent time together a handful of times in their lives - and a few of those times they were babies! It was so great to see them again, but the time was too short, as it always is. We ended up eating at a place called "Fat Patty's" which had great food, reasonable prices, and wonderful service. If you ever are in the Huntington, West Virginia area, you should try to eat there.

Thankfully, we had a pretty low-key weekend before school started. Bella and I went to a baby shower that other little girls were invited to also. It was so cute to see all the little girls in their dresses practicing being little ladies for the afternoon, until they were freed to go watch a movie and color in an adjoining room. Josh and Elias worked on replacing our front porch railings while we were gone. He has done a great job and they are almost finished. They look so much better than the old ones did! Then on Sunday, I picked up some school supplies, while the kids stayed home and played with the neighborhood kids.
It seems like every summer, we tend to have a soundtrack - songs that we listen to over and over - in the house and the car. This summer, the songs that were on the top of our list were Boomin' and Steal My Show by Toby Mac and Waving Flag by K'Naan. If it were up to Elias, there would be other songs added to this list, like The Tweezy Dance by KJ-52, but only the songs that I can stand to listen to more than one time make the list!
It was definitely a rainy summer, but I look around at how green and lush everything is now and I am glad that God takes care of the earth and knows what it needs. Even though we didn't have as many pool days as last summer, we still got to go a few times each month. This summer we also got to visit my hometown and my family more than we did last year and Josh's mom came and watched the kids several times, so they were able to spend time with her as well. My parents are getting older and they have been thinking of selling the house I grew up in, so I want the kids to have as many memories there as possible.

Being silly with Pappy and Mamal

My parents have all kinds of random stuff sitting around. Elias found this wig and proceeded to model it for all of us.

He realized that it can be worn different ways to vary the effect. This is his rock star smolder.

The kids were at a great age this year. They were independent enough that I didn't feel I had to wait on them at every turn, yet they still love to hang out with us and think that home is one of the best places ever. They are both good swimmers and bike riders too, which made trips to the trails and pool much more relaxing and enjoyable for everyone. They did their share of bickering, but they also had times where I saw that they have a real friendship that is separate from Josh and I. I also see them understanding things at a deeper level and understanding the why behind the things we have been teaching them all their lives.

Biking on the rails and trails. This is the first year that we were all able to bike together as a family, since Bella no longer needs training wheels. It is a lot of fun and great time as a family.

One day when we were at the pool, this baby monarch visited us. It was still learning to fly and kept landing on and around us. Elias was upset that it never actually would go onto his finger like it did Bella's.

One day the kids had the idea to have a circus in our house, so they made all these signs and set up all these different stations and then invited our neighbors Chase and Lilly to join them. The boys were the magicians and the girls were the face painters. I was really impressed by their creativity!