Summer Wrap-Up

Before I move on to our end of summer trip, here are the rest of our pre-Michigan happenings:

We got summer dollar passes to our new local movie theater. They showed a different kids' movie each week for 12 weeks. It was a highlight to sit in that brand new air-conditioned theater for a couple of hours each week. We went with friends and had our system down; 1 large popcorn, 1 refill, and 9 paper bags to divvy it up. We were a little movie and popcorn-ed out by the end of the summer.

We also spent a lot of time at the waterpark. There is this awesome pass you can buy here that not only allows unlimited access to a few different waterparks, but also includes admission to fun centers (rides, skating, bowling and mini golf), minor league sports games, theater tickets (we took advantage of an outdoor musical back here) and countless other local events. And it's basically a steal with different deals that pop up all the time.

We went to the waterpark almost every week to cool off from the crazy heat. Originally, I thought it would be impossible with three kids, but I always went with friends and we just switched off who went on rides. It ended up being surprisingly manageable, minus Nash running off once and giving me a heart attack.

We also left all the kids at home with sitters one Friday night and went on a triple date to the waterpark. It was delightful to go on all of the "scary" rides and not have to worry about little ones running off.

Blake took another two weeks of swimming lessons right after he finished his first round. We ended up liking the quality of the program at the indoor pool better, but he loved to be in the water regardless. And a highlight of the outdoor pool was the gigantic twist slide all of the students got to go down on the last day of class.

Blake also made great strides with reading this summer. He attended a brief reading class at his school each week. We didn't care about transforming him into an ultra advanced reader, it was more about keeping him motivated to read each day since he was being held accountable. He loved marking off reading sessions on his chart and earning prizes at school. We completed our library's summer reading program as well.

Troy jumped in full throttle to church responsibilities. He got to experience his first bishopric night at Girls' Camp. His report after the event was that it was more organized and also way more emotional than Scout Camp. The bishopric all wore matching hats to go along with the camp theme.

It isn't all serious business though. The men that he serves with are very adventurous and they went Flyboarding together. They balanced on top of water-powered jet packs and were thrust into the sky. Next time, I'll definitely be joining.

Summer wouldn't be summer without the annual neighborhood carnival at church. A morning filled with breakfast, bounce houses, rocket launching, a fish pond, sno cones and larger-than-life cotton candy.

Of course, none of our summer activities would be possible if our baby wasn't such an angel. Crew was born at the perfect time of year to be carted around day after day, perfectly content to squeeze in naps in his carseat and quick feedings in the car as we hopped from one event to another.

I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't slow us down at all. Next summer will be a completely different story once he is less portable, but I'm so grateful for all that we were able to accomplish this year. And that I got to smother him with kisses throughout each adventure.