Summer Bucket List!

We are checking things off our summer bucket list left and right! It is a good thing too - this summer seems to be flying by - it is almost July! Since Noah is now in school, this summer has had a whole new feel to it. It feels more like we have a deadline to do things, where before the summer was no different than any other time since daycare was year-round. We have lots on our summer bucket list - swim lessons, paint classes, traveling, camping, sports and ballet to name a few things!

One thing we marked off the list was for the kids to get to take painting classes again. We did this last summer and they loved it and mention it almost every time we pass by the painting place. I am so grateful to have The Painted Canvas here in town, making it easy to participate in classes. For our first class Noah chose to do Iron Man and Ryan chose a flower and a caterpillar. Once Noah saw all the Avenger pictures there he asked if he could do them all to hang on his wall. So, we made plans with the Mrs. Conley to squeeze in extra paint time over a few weeks and get them all done. Ryan also went one more time to pain a horse - she loves horses right now. Noah did all of his himself! Ryan needed a little help from momma but she will be able to pain all on her own next summer I am sure!

Another summer must for us is swim lessons! Unfortunately we were not able to get Ryan in a class this summer due to scheduling conflicts - but hers was a Mommy and Me class, so I can help her in the pool some and we will be sure to get her back in lessons next summer. Noah did so good at his lessons this year. He can go under for a long time without holding his nose, swim about 15 feet to the instructor and do cannonballs like a champ :) I am hoping he will show interest in the swim team, but we will have to see how he feels later. 

Ryan is taking summer ballet classes also. I had a proud momma moment when the teacher asked me if I was comfortable with moving her up to the next level of classes early :) She was doing great and she felt she was ready to move up. She really loved dancing and Miss Kimmie too! They are having themed classes each week and Ryan is loving it!

All those kids tapping can get a little loud :)

Noah's t-ball season is officially over! I saw a lot of improvement in him this year. SO much less complaining  - even when it was really hot, he never said a word. He hit it a lot better, finally understood how he is supposed to stand and hold his hand and he ran great! He beat the ball to the base several times to not get out! His biggest downfall is staying focused on defense, bless his heart. He played in the outfield a lot, where there is lots of grass and dirt and he just couldn't help himself. Plus, not a lot of balls go in the outfield in t-ball so it is easy to get bored, especially when you are 6. The last game he played second base for a little bit and watched the batter a lot better! After the last game Noah said "you don't have to sign me up again next year, I know how to play now" :) We let Noah pick where to eat to celebrate his season and his reply was "Pizza Hut of course, they have pizza and TV - what more could you want?!" So, Pizza Hut it was!

T-ball season is also over for Ryan. She has been so much better this year at allowing me to watch the games. Asking a 3 year old to sit quietly at a hot ballgame can be a lot. She loved getting suckers and gatorades and was finally old enough to go to the concession stand all by herself (while I watched the entire time from a safe distance of course). She could get covered in dirt quicker than anyone I know - resulting in lots of diaper wipe baths in the car before we could go eat lunch :) Next year, she will be playing t-ball too - I can't wait to see how she does. 

Saturday we went to a friends house for a waterslide party! Ryan talked a big game before we got there, but went down once (on accident) and she was done with that! She just swam in the bottom part the rest of the time :) Noah was so brave and loved every minute of it!

After that we headed up the mountain to my dad's college reunion. When my dad was in college, there was a group of (wild ;) ) friends that called themselves the Hole in the Wall Gang (the movie had just come out at this time). So, every 2 years they all come back together to visit here in Clarksville, since that is where the college is (University of the Ozarks - which was College of the Ozarks when they attended). They always go on a tour of the campus and have a big cookout at a cabin. I grew up around many of these people and it is always nice to catch up with them. Also, this year so many of them were thanking me for  keeping them updated on my dad's health through Facebook - social media for the win! 

Rex, one of my Dad's closest friends brought smoke bombs and my kids were big fans :)

After church and lunch, Daddy had to work so the kids and I decided to go back and watch Finding Dory again, this time in 3D! Then we went home and played outside. The perfect ending to this summer weekend. Now, it is about time to go on a little summer vacation...