We are OH SO excited that it is FINALLY summer break! This school year seemed to go on and on...we are all so ready for some FUN time together! I'm excited to have all the kids home every day. For the last several weeks of the school year the kids have been adding more and more things to their long list fun things they are requesting to do this summer! It is going to be a busy and fun summer vacation! Get ready!
The last day of school was a Thursday and the following week (Wednesday through Friday mornings) the boys started golf camp! It was Carter first year to get to do a camp and he was beyond thrilled. Since we just had a couple hours between drop off and pick up for golf camp, we didn't have time to drive back to Maryville, so we took advantage of the time in Knoxville to visit parks and splashpads we don't frequent too often.
Per Nora Kate's request we also went shopping during this time one day. We went to the mall and got "fancies at Claire's." We also went shopping at the "Target with balls" (the Northshore target has the big red balls outside, and so that's what NK calls this target which is, for some unknown reason, more exciting to her that the regular Target we go to).
I love this picture because Clayton has had ENOUGH shopping while you can see NK shopping on in the background.
hThe kids and I have had so much fun with our garden. I had some leftover stain from the playset, so Dawson stained the outside wood of the garden one day. This boy loves a project especially when he is entrusted with the whole thing on his own!
While I only have a few pool pictures, it feels like we swam the entire month of June! Since Nana and Grandad's new neighborhood has a pool, we have taken advantage of the opportunity to swim A LOT!
June 4th we went to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg.
It is always a lot of fun! We hadn't been in about 18 months, and Clayton had never been. He loved looking at all the fish!
hWe did something new while we were there-we saw a mermaid show! There were two mermaids who swam with the fish. The picture I got isn't great, but Nora Kate LOVED this! In fact, ever since this day she has been saying that when she grows up she wants to be a mermaid and a mama!
The kids always laugh at the "faces" on the fish.
They said this one looked grumpy! HAHA
Touching the horseshoe crabs.
Another first for this visit-they now have an exhibit where you can touch jellyfish!
Pretty neat!
They also had a new exhibit on Pearl Harbor. The kids and John are in a part of this exhibit above.
And of course you can't go to the Ripley's Aquarium without seeing the penguins! Always a fav!
Clayton seems to be getting bigger and playing in bigger kid ways every day.
hSomething about the way babys squat down to pick things up, is always so cute to me! Look at those round legs...and feet!
Carter's buddy Charlie came to spend a day playing with us, and Carter loved every single minute of it!
(Carter's also been really into putting his own outfits together lately-so bear that in mind as you look at any future pictures. He prefers to match clothing based on how it feels rather than color. We are working on it HAHA)
The boys always love helping me bake!
Dawson and Carter's school did their great summer reading program this year again. So of course we went every week for story time and to check out books.
We made Jello and it got a thumbs up
Dawson's ready for week 2 of Golf Camp.
Our routine was to have a picnic lunch at Carl Cowan park by the lake every day after golf camp. Of course, that involves having to go down to the water to throw at least one stick or rock into the lake each time.
Our garden has continued to grow well. Dawson took this picture of our first squash starting to grow!
Our chapter book for the month of June was James and the Giant Peach.
We have had so much fun reading this book together. I remember reading this book originally in 3rd grade and liking it.
Nora Kate got invited to her friend Harper's pretty polish birthday party. They got manicures! This was NK's first mani!
The girls at the party after getting their nails done!
Then these sweet girls chatted and had cupcakes!
Bible School was in June also! I didn't volunteer this year since Clayton is still so little and hasn't been doing too great in nursery, but John did and he enjoyed helping out with games!
Here's Dawson and his buddy Carson waiting on VBS to start
The daisys we planted have been beautiful this year! I've been trying to remember to cut some to bring inside regularly.
Nora Kate did a two week swim lesson class.
It's the same swim lessons the boys took at her age.
This picture was her with her instructor on the first day.
She swam with the instructor for the first 1/2 of the lesson then the last 30 minutes I got to swim with her and practice.
She went from swimming with two noodles on the first day, to swimming with no flotation device and jumping off the high diving board on the last day---that's a swim lesson success story if there ever was one!
I honestly couldn't have been more impressed with her! I never expected her to be so brave about lessons and going under water, etc.
hAll three of these kids have had the same lessons at the same pool (you can tell they did renovations before NK's picture and added the slides).
We have really liked these lessons, so in a few years, I guess it will be Clayton's turn!
These three love VBS!
NK requested braids for swim lessons one day.
Braiding curly hair is VERY difficult!
But of course I thought she looked adorable with her braids!
The boys were on baby sitting duty several days when I was in the pool during the 30 minutes of swim lessons where a parent had to swim. They were so patient with Clayton who was still getting over his first ear infection.
The kids doing their program on the last night of VBS.
Picking veggies from the garden.
Another item on our Summer Fun list-visit the Muse:
Nora Kate went out to check the garden-she found a zucchini we somehow had missed and said, "Look it's as big as my arm!" Haha
One evening it was particularly windy, so the kids decided it was a great time to mark "fly a kite" off the summer fun list. They had a blast, and thankfully John got home from work and helped them since I don't do kites. But they had a great time and despite the nearby trees had success flying it.
One Saturday morning the kids and I headed downtown to check out the tractors that were at the farmer's market.
The city of Alcoa always does their Freedom Fest the last weekend of June, so John took the 3 big kids (it was too late to keep Clayton up). Just like last year, they watched the fireworks with friends from the top of this parking garage and had a blast!
Visit Dollywood was another item on the summer fun list-we did this many, many times this summer. Here are pictures of one of our visit in June on a weekend so that Daddy got to go too!
They LOVE this new kid coaster!
River Battle! Immediately after this picture they squirted water on me and Clayton and I got soaked haha!
I'm glad they rode River Battle several times this particular day, because they are closing this ride soon to put in a new ride.
The first picture is one I took of Carter 4 years ago at Dollywood, this particular day at Dollywood I took the second picture of Clayton in the same spot and the same outfit.
That's what a day at Dollywood will do to you!
Another item on the kids list of Summer Fun activities was to go to Bass Pro Shop. So we did! Here's Carter in front of the big fish aquarium there.
More pool fun!
For Dawson's birthday Nana and Grandad gave him a certificate for several golf lessons at Green Meadow. This was awesome because he learned a lot, and we spaced them out over the summer so that he had fun lessons here and there with plenty of time to practice in between. The instructor, Scott, that he's with in this picture taught him a lot and was impressed with his ability. Dawson LOVED this!
Clayton got an ice cream cone for the first time this month. Brusters has "baby cones" and he LOVES them! Check out his eyelashes too!
But who doesn't love ice cream!?
The boys were excited/proud to finish our chapter book of June!
Our garden has been producing SO much squash and zucchini!
hDawson loves doing yard work. When he's bored, he gets on his farmer hat, picks weeds, and picks up sticks-such a good boy!
hWe are starting to run out of new ways to prepare our squash and zucchini. Here we are making zucchini muffins.
Clayton loves the zucchini muffins more than anyone!
Another item on the summer fun list: Safety City!
It was a hot day in this miniature version of Knoxville, so we made several laps through the car wash (aka mist)
Lolly came with us too! It was lot of fun!
Clayton was excited to try out Dawson's bike!
After a hot morning at safety city, we went swimming that afternoon with Bailey! She is such a sweet friend!
Seriously, how do we keep missing these zucchini until they are THIS BIG!?
We had a James and the Giant Peach Party since we finished the book. Here we are making peach sherbet and peach Popsicles.
Sweet Mr. Baby LOVED the peach popsicles!
June was the month of our summer break where we had all of our "scheduled" events (ie 2 golf camps, 2 weeks of swim lessons, vbs, etc.), so I promised to do lots more off of our Summer Fun list in the month of July.
We had a super fun (and super busy) June, can't wait to see all the fun we have in July!
