The Six-Letter Word July 31, 2014

Yes, that’s right… we’re already talking about the dreaded six-letter word around here.  SCHOOL!  It doesn’t start here for another 4 weeks, but it seems like the end of summer for me as the kids prepare to travel and visit Meema and Cousin Camp and then Camp NanaPapa.  We did our school supply shopping over the weekend, and I’m finally starting to focus on the summer reading requirements. (Mason has been reading all summer, but before she is out of my daily care for a bit, I need to make sure it’s officially done.)

The kids have been at camp all summer here in our town.  They’ve been enjoying “Playground Camp” in the afternoons with their friends.  And during the mornings, they’ve been learning about everything from tennis to magic to baking to woodworking to Lego engineering to yoga to science.  And then our evenings and weekends have been filled with pool time with friends or beach time or yard work or visitors.  It’s been a full summer!

I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite summer moments so far through pictures.

We’ve been trying out new beaches this summer. Water was chilly, but the kids had fun at Second Beach.

My favorite part of Second Beach was the scenery, though. I just love the Rhode Island coastline! (and my beach babe!)

We got out for our first (and so far only) canoe ride. Looking forward to more…

Nana and Papa came to visit for Fourth of July. A very rainy holiday, but we still partied it up in Hingham. Kids swam in the rain, Cooper played some whiffle ball with the big guys, and Jeremy and I enjoyed a couple of Jello shots.

We’ve spent a lot of time in our front yard. Playing badminton, resting in our new Adirondack chairs, and rousing games of Uno on the blanket.

Like I said, lots of activity in the front yard… or lack thereof…

There has been a lot of car time this summer (and more to come). At least it gives the kids a chance to nap after all the excitement.

My little butterflies! Kids and I got to the zoo one afternoon and did an alphabet scavenger hunt – looking for something that started with each letter. This was our “B.”

We took a day-trip up to Portsmouth, NH. I loved it! We walked all over, and the kids did great. The promise of ice cream can really help with their stamina.

During Meema’s visit, us girls went to a kids’ theater production of High School Musical that a friend was in. It was so fun! A girls night wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Sweet Indulgence.

Another new beach – East Matunuck. The boys got settled in the shade pretty quickly.

Mason, on the other hand, was ready to hit the waves. Papa had gotten the kids new boogie boards when he was here. This beach had nice waves to try them out. Cooper asked if we could go back every day. I’d say it was a hit!

We took Meema to her very first WaterFire! It was a beautiful night, and Meema loved it. (Can’t say the same for the kids who have grown bored with the event. Oh well!)

I know tomorrow is just the start of August, and there is another month left of summer before SCHOOL starts, but it’s been a pretty good summer so far.  More adventure is to come, including some Robin and Jeremy time which will definitely include removing wallpaper and painting the living room.  Maybe we’ll take some time for fun as well.  If me, as the task master, allows it!

 

Summer’s First Visitors July 9, 2014

I love Rhode Island summers.  And I love showing them off to visitors.  Summer is a great time to visit the biggest little state, so I was more than excited to have Jen, Scott and the boys visit us in June.  With so much to do, we had to narrow the itinerary down to just a few things that would still allow naps, down time and family hang out time.  

It was a crazy weekend, but fun to create new memories together.  Some of my favorites:

• Rhys walking all over the house and loving the old school light switches.
• Hayes being a big guy with Cooper playing Legos and picking him up from the bus stop.
• Mason teaching Jen how to make a rainbow loom bracelet.
• Walking around Cambridge with everyone.
• Hearing the kids “quietly” play together each morning before the grownups fully woke.

Since our times together are few and far between with my sister’s family, I struggle with enjoying the time but also documenting the memories.  Here are some of my fave pics…

A super fun visit!  And as soon as they left, we started counting the weeks/days until we get to visit them in Charlottesville.  Just under a month away at this point.  We can’t wait for more cool memories!

Moving On and Moving Up July 8, 2014

The end of the school year always brings special shows, ceremonies, parties and emotions.  For the kids, they are happy to start summer vacation and end nights of homework.  For the parents, we are sad to accept that yet another year has gone by and that our kids are actually getting older.  We talk to other parents while sitting in the muggy auditorium asking, “Where does the time go?”

For Cooper, it was his time to “move on.”  His year of kindergarten ended with an Alien Parade and an Ocean Show.  The Alien Parade was his chance to show off his hand-made alien named Gooey and cap off the Solar System curriculum.

 

And then finally during the last week of school, Cooper officially graduated kindergarten at his Ocean Show.  They sang some very cute songs about ocean life and got the blessing from their teachers to move on to 1st grade.  And I said, “Where does the time go?”

For Mason, it was her time to “move up.”  While it may seem weird to have a 2nd grade graduation, it is the norm here in our town because they split the elementary schools up into a K-2 school and a 3-5 school.  So at the end of 2nd grade, the students move up to the next school, and the PTO and teachers helped to make a big deal out of it.  Hence the Moving Up Ceremony – complete with slideshow, yearbook distribution, walking the stage for a certificate and even a special t-shirt.

All smiles and laughter for these two amazing kids and their accomplishments.  Like “they” always say…  Time flies!  I now have a 1st grade and a 3rd grader.  They’ll be at two different schools this year and next, and I know that time will fly by as well.  Before you know it, Cooper will be having his Moving Up Ceremony and Mason will be heading off to middle school.  Ok, I can’t get ahead of myself.  That’s just way too crazy to even think about right now.  Instead I’ll just enjoy the here and now and some summer fun!