So, how has the summer been going so far? Well, it depends on the day. The start of this week was a little rocky, for instance, because Scott was out of town from Sunday until Wednesday. And a certain firstborn child REALLY needs to find a job. But other than that, I'd say that the good times have outweighed the bad thus far.
A brief recap is in order, however, and since it's getting pretty late, I'm going to try and make it as short and sweet as possible. To keep this nice and orderly, I'm going to break down our doings into the following categories:
Summer Fun
We kicked off our summer vacation on Memorial Day, with a fun trip to the river for some cliff jumping. I didn't end up taking any pictures while there -- mostly because if you've seen one, you've seen them all (and I took TONS of pictures there last summer) -- but the one memorable addition this year was Maxwell coming along for the ride! He did pretty good, all things considered, which is especially memorable because he's kind of a high stress/high anxiety dog who doesn't do well initially around new people or places. We all had a lot of fun, though, and I'm sure we'll be back again before the summer is over!
Other fun we've had so far would include our Tie-Dying activity from yesterday. Color me surprised (see what I did there?), but this activity occupied and entertained all 6 kids MUCH more readily than I was expecting. But then again, it's TIE-DYE. What's not to love about it??? Hahahahaha. {Other than the mess and potential stains, that is.} Hobby Lobby came through in the clutch for me yesterday and was my one-stop-shop for the white T-shirts and party bucket of Tie-Dye supplies. Everyone had a good time creating their designs yesterday afternoon, and Isaac was especially excited this morning to rinse them all out and throw them in the washer and dryer so that he could finally put his on. I'm pretty sure he was the MOST pleased with the finished product, but Alex and Jane weren't too far behind. :)
Sophie started her Dance Camp today for her junior high team experience, and I'm pretty sure it was her dream come true. She's been wanting to do dance for ages, and I'm so happy for her that she made the team for next year and will be able to dance her little heart out with her fellow teammates and friends. :)
At drop-off...
...and pick-up.
Other miscellaneous fun times include: going to the pool, playing with friends, and -- in Grace's case -- bringing home some bacon! Unlike Ethan -- who is super struggling to find a job because he's not 16 yet and there are very few places willing to hire before that magic age -- Grace has the hook-up this summer as a babysitter for some family friends. She's working three days a week (other than vacation time -- for them and for us -- and girls camp), and it's truly a win-win situation because it gives her something to do with her time (and gets her out of the house) and she honestly loves watching these kids (let's just say she's found some kindred spirits in the bunch) and as an added bonus, she's getting paid to do it, to boot!
Summer Reading (which I like to think is ALSO part of the Summer Fun)
Our Summer Reading 2019 Challenge has been our most successful venture yet! With the exception of Ethan -- who for some reason is refusing to participate on principle -- everyone has hit the ground running with reading for this year's categories. Which is especially interesting considering we've upped the ante and are offering the opportunity to read 20 books this summer rather than the previous summers' 12. Each kid picked two of the categories, and they have to read 2 books for each one in order to win the prize. Because yes, we are totally bribing them to get them to read. Don't judge. Haha. Since we're doling out cash money, I'm requiring that they not only read their books, but do a "Book Review" for it as well. (And they're not getting any of their money until we leave for our road trip, because that's all they're going to have for souvenirs along the way.) Perhaps it's because there's money on the table -- or perhaps it's because he's OBSESSED with the Goosebumps series right now -- but Alex is far and away the leader of the pack right now! Jane and Sophie are coming in at a respectable 2nd and 3rd with Grace trailing a lot further behind, while Ethan is not really on the board.
The Categories:
* Harry Potter book
* Informational Type book (50+ pages)
* Graphic Novel
* Caldecott Winner
* Memoir/Biography/Autobiography
* A Book From the Year You Were Born
* A Book With a Family Member's Name In the Title
* Geographic Non-Fiction
* Spooky/Mystery
* Your Choice
Last Saturday was an extra fun day because it was the Library's summer reading kick-off event and it was huge! The kids had a blast and it was one of those rare family outings where everyone was happy from start to finish. And that almost NEVER happens. Hahaha. The library has been seeing a lot of us over the last couple of weeks and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Alex has checked out (and read) dozens of Goosebumps books over the last few weeks. Almost everything that comes out of his mouth these days is either Goosebumps or R. L. Stine related, and it's equal parts endearing and suffocating. Haha. In all seriousness, though, I don't even care how dumb I think these books are, because I've NEVER seen Alex this excited to read ANYTHING. So thank you R. L. Stine!!! {Sidenote: does anyone else ever feel the urge to write a thank you letter to their favorite authors? Every time I read a Kevin Henkes book to Isaac -- which is basically every day -- I just want to write him a letter thanking him from the bottom of my heart for creating such an enjoyable and delightful world of characters and illustrations that my children and I have loved so much over the years. Is that weird?}
Summer Shenanigans
And finally, it wouldn't be vacation time without a little too much family togetherness and aggravation, amiright? Haha. Poor Ethan, he's been the default built-in babysitter this summer since Grace has been occupied and I'm honestly impressed with how long-suffering he has been with all of the little kids' antics. I've had appointments for myself or other kids almost every day the last couple of weeks and he's been a trooper to help with everything I've needed.
The next two weeks are pretty action packed until we leave for our road trip, though, so hopefully we'll all be able to survive those antics for a little bit longer. Coming up on the horizon, we have my mom coming to visit and my own personal retreat next week where I'll have complete peace and quiet for a couple of days all by myself in order to recharge my dangerously low battery and help me take care of my mental health. Introverts gotta have some alone time, yo. After that, we have girls camp and a young men's camp for Ethan, and then we're in the final homestretch of prepping for our 2 week road trip out to Utah and back. It's going to be epic and we cannot wait! Stay tuned for more summer excitement...
