End of Summer Fun

On on our favorite things to do in the summer is Wildwater Kingdom.  We think it's great for the kids and they love it.  Sydney loves going down the blue slide.  Austin is big enough this year to go down the bigger water slides on the play area.  He usually goes down first and waits at the bottom for Brian or I.  Sydney tried the bigger orange slide in the back.  She was scared at first but now she loves it.  Sydney likes to say she doesn't like something but in reality so doesn't know because she hasn't tried it.

I took the kids 2.5 times by myself for the first time this year.  They did great.  Austin fully understands we have to stay together and he always lets me know what they want to do next.  Brian met me one day there so I only had them less than an hour by myself.  It's a great family activity that we all like to do.

Brian photographed his first wedding this month.  He put a lot of work into it.  The pictures turned out great.  It's so nice what he can do with the camera.  We have great kids pictures because of him.
The day of the wedding, Austin had a friends birthday party so I took him to that.  Then we came home and the kids took a nap.  After nap, I decided to let the kids have a picnic in the park.  We got McDonald's and went to the park and had dinner together.  Then they played on the playground.  We went swimming at Katilyn's.  We ended the night at fireworks.  The kids love fireworks.  I really didn't want to go alone with the kids but they wanted to go.  I let Austin pick where we sat and he was so happy with that.  I really enjoyed my time with them that night.

We are getting ready for the start of the school year.  This is the last year they are not officially in school.  Austin will start the Pre-K room and Sydney will start the preschool room.  I do enjoy all the deals on art supplies during this time of year.  My parents took them shopping and got them backpacks, lunch boxes, and lots of art supplies.  They had fun with that.

I am loving the preschool years.  I really don't want Austin to start Kindergarden next year.  I can't imagine him not home with Sydney and I.  It will be an adjustment.  We are going to enjoy this year while we can.

The Cavs had an ice cream social for season ticket holders.  We took the kids and they loved it.  We went at 5pm so they didn't have dinner before we went.  Basically that night their dinner was ice cream and chips.  We get parent of the year award for that.  Usually I make them eat a well balanced diet but it was a special night and they enjoyed it.

We've had outdoor movie nights several times this summer.  We even invited the kids friends from school one night.  We didn't have a lot of people but it was still fun.  The kids love it.  The neighbors come to a lot of our movie nights.  That works too but Austin and Sydney would rather play with them than watch a movie.  They still have never watched an entire movie in one sitting before.  Some nights we let them watch their TV shows outside on the movie screen.  They like to watch Umizoomi, Fireman Sam, and Dora.

Sydney likes to call herself Sydney Broccoli.  She really loves broccoli and at times I think she thinks that is her real name.  It makes Austin mad when she says that but she does all the time.

We went to the Botanical Gardens so the kids could see and play in the tree houses.  The weather was great the day we went.  They kids had fun running all over and playing in the tree houses.  Brian got some cute pictures of the kids there too.

During dinner every night, we try and talk about our day.  What we liked, etc  Dinners are getting better.  The other night even Sydney started our by asking what we liked best at the Botanical Gardens.  They do fairly well if we keep talking but once they get off track, it goes crazy.  I really want to enjoy family dinners but I find it the most difficult time of the day.  They like getting out of their seats, stand on chairs, and yell.  I have found eating more around 6pm helps because they are hungrier and actually eat dinner instead of playing.  I usually don't give them an after nap snack either.

Austin has outgrown one of his favorite shirts.  It's a yellow cookie shirt with a small pocket on it.  He loves that shirt.  He likes the little pocket and will sometimes put snacks in it like goldfish crackers.  I'm sad for him that he doesn't fit into it.

Sydney loves wearing her high socks (that go up to her thighs!).  Ever since she got lime green bowling socks at home days in Solon, she loves wearing high socks.  They are so cute on her.  They are so Sydney!  It's great that she has her own sense of style.