Conquering the Board

State Farm Pool is one of our favorite places to go during the summer and we've found our way there a handful of times this month.  Each summer the kids grow in their confidence and skills...and they grow in the things they can (or will) do at State Farm Pool.  This summer is no exception. 

State Farm Pool time with friends and cousins

My new favorite thing is that all 3 kids can touch in the yellow slide pool, the lazy river, and the 4 foot pool.  The girls are both good swimmers now, and Briggs is continually improving.  No more puddle jumpers for us!  Now the girls can go off together to do the diving board or the lazy river if Briggs would rather do something else.  Or Briggs can do the lazy river with one of the girls without my constant supervision.  (Although I never say no to a few laps around the lazy river.  It's my favorite!)  However, it's very freeing to feel more comfortable with my kids' ability (and height) at the pool these days.

Cousin time is the best time.

For Briggs, this summer has marked a big step for him at State Farm Pool.  After much encouragement, Briggs jumped off the diving board for the first time.  This may not seem like a big deal to some, but for my cautious little guy, it was a big leap.  Of course, once he did it once, then he couldn't get enough.  He was flinging himself off the board in all sorts of ways after that first jump.  Just trying something new for the first time is always hard for Briggs.

After the diving board, he also conquered the red water slide (again with some extra encouragement) and did that over and over again too.

The girls, on the other hand, have upped their diving board skills this summer and are both working on doing front flips off the board.  They've both had their fair share of back flops, but they get back up there and try again.

Staley has also really perfected her diving skills this summer as well.

Getting a front flip picture isn't as easy as you think.  But here is Adelie preparing for her forward somersault into the water.

We have really enjoyed our outings to State Farm Pool this summer.  Each summer it gets a little easier.  Each summer the kids develop new skills.  Each summer the kids conquer new challenges.  And this summer has been no exception.  All the kids have made strides, but the big winner this summer...

...Briggs-conqueror of the board!

Questions of the Day

Is it a good idea or a bad idea to give the kids a summer day project of scraping and repainting the porch swing?  (For the record, they were way more excited about doing this project than the other daily projects/chores I generally give them to do over the summer.)

Is it a good idea or a bad idea to give them free reign to choose the colors, make a plan, and figure out how to work together to get it painted?

Is it a good idea or a bad idea to not veto the idea of 3 different colors with everyone painting their own color at the same time?

Sure, there was complaining about who dripped how much of their color on whose area.  Sure, the driveway ended up with its fair share of purple paint footprints.  Sure, mom needed to follow up with a little touch up assistance.  But in the end, we have a cute and creative newly painted porch swing and 3 proud kids who made it happen.

Back to Michigan

Last summer Adelie and her friend Stella spent one night away at Little Galilee Camp close to home.  This year they decided that they wanted to head to Miracle Camp for a 3 night grade school camp together.  Their camp was scheduled from July 6-9, so we had decided to drop the girls off and spend those few nights up in Michigan with Stella's family.  Unfortunately, sometimes plans go awry.  On Tuesday night, as we were packing up to leave the next morning, we got an e-mail from Miracle Camp saying that the girls' camp had to be cancelled due to a Covid situation with the staff.  Adelie was so sad.  

Stella's family was already in Michigan on a family vacation with their time with us planned to be the end of their vacation week.  So they decided to keep the rental house reservation and finish off their week of vacation as planned.  Although Zach and Briggs determined that they would rather stay home than head back to Michigan, the girls and I made the decision to head up to Michigan just for one night to spend time with friends and enjoy the beach.  (This helped ease some of Adelie's disappointment, as did the fact that we were able to register her and Stella for another 3 night stay at Miracle Camp in a few weeks.)

Staley, Olivia, Stella, and Adelie had the best time together on the beach!

The girls and I repacked for our overnight and then traveled the 3.5 hours up to Benton Harbor to meet up with the Hostetler's.  We listened to "Mysteries According to Humphrey" and "Secrets According to Humphrey" during our drives.  We got to Michigan mid-afternoon on Wednesday, unloaded our overnight bags, changed, and then headed to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.

There was a nice public beach just 2 miles from the rental house.  It was not very crowded and the Lake Michigan water was very pleasant for swimming.  The kids spent most of their time swimming, floating, and playing in the water, although they also spent some time playing in the sand, climbing up the dune, playing at the playground near the beach, relaxing and talking, and eating snacks.

The girls always have so much fun with the Hostetler girls.  They are very creative when they are all together and spent a long time playing games in the water where Adelie and Stella were celebrities and Staley and Olivia were their servants.

After a few hours on the beach, we returned to the house, made taco salad for dinner, played some yard games, and then headed back to the beach for the sunset.

The kids had the best time on the beach during and after the sunset splashing in the water, trying different tricks and lifts on the beach, and looking for beach rocks.  Adelie came back soaked.

It was a lovely way to end our day.  We then returned to the house and played some games before bed.

The girls all slept together in the bunk bed room.  They stayed up late and woke up early, but enjoyed the "sleepover vibe".

We went back to the beach the following day and enjoyed a full day of beach fun, getting there mid-morning and not leaving until late afternoon.

Although Adelie especially was begging to stay another night, we headed out in the later afternoon and were home by bedtime.  Although it was a quick trip, the girls and I had a lot of fun spending time with friends and enjoying a little more summer beach fun.

Thanks, Michigan, for another few summer days of relax and refresh.

4th of July

We enjoyed another fun 4th filled with family, food, and festive fun.  

Like every other 4th of July, we dressed in our red, white, and blue and headed to Zach's parent's house to watch the parade and enjoy a scrumptious lunch with family.

The parade was a hit!  The kids saw friends on the floats and came away with mounds of parade candy.

After the parade, we enjoyed lunch at Uma and Papa's while visiting with family and friends, and then the kids and I went swimming with Uma and Papa at their neighbor's house (in between rain showers).

After a little quiet time at home in the afternoon, Uncle Rob came over with the cousins for play time, tacos, and fireworks.

Spending time with cousins is always a 4th of July highlight, so the kids were so glad that ending the day with cousin time was able to happen.

It was another great 4th of July!!

Reading Time

All 3 of my kids love to read and spend most of their free time with their noses buried in books.  Staley and Briggs often read on the couch or in their beds or in a soft chair.  But Adelie...well, you never quite know where Adelie is going to settle in with her book.

You might think that a couch or a chair or a bed would be the most comfortable place for settling in with a good book.  But Adelie isn't going to let setting interfere with her reading enjoyment.  All she needs is a good book and a...surface?  Hard.  Soft.  Big.  Small.  Adelie's not picky.  She just wants to read.

Goodbye, June!

June is always a full and busy month to kick off our summer.  Briggs had baseball a few evenings each week.  Staley had her week of camp.  We were gone on vacation for a week.  Summer activities like NTA classes (Stage Kids, Broadway Dance, Rising Stars, and Shakespeare), running camp, and the library summer reading program kicked off.  The girls attended a few days of volleyball camp at the high school and Adelie completed a week of swim lessons.  We fit in dentist appointments and orthodontist appointments and doctor appointments.  Although we still had plenty of time for playing at home, our June filled up fast and flew by.  Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to in June...

The kids and I have only made it to State Farm pool once so far this summer.  The girls could have spent all day at the pool, but Briggs lost interest and enjoyed some quiet reading time while waiting for the girls to finish swimming.

After swimming, we enjoyed a quick round of mini-golf at State Farm park.

The girls and I celebrated Ms. Taylor (their singing lesson teacher and NTA director) at her baby shower.  

Most of the attendees were older girls from NTA so my girls had a great time being included with them.

Adelie completed a week of swimming lessons with Ms. Lisa and Ms. Gretchen.  She passed the intermediate level and will be in the highest level of classes next summer.  She made great progress and has become a much more efficient and proficient swimming.

The girls performed with Rising Stars at the Tremont Turkey festival.

The girls performed group numbers with the whole group, where Staley got to perform her lift during "I've Had the Time of my Life."

Adelie got to perform her solo, "Good Ship Lollipop."  She was so nervous before the performance as this was her first time ever doing a solo.  When she tried to practice earlier in the day, she kept bursting into tears.  I was so proud of her for overcoming her nerves and doing a fantastic job.  If you want to see her performance, click the following private youtube link:

https://youtu.be/KJ7-E7t24R8

After watching the girls perform, Briggs rode a few carnival rides.

We celebrated Cade at his HS graduation party.

The kids always enjoy having an opportunity to spend time with cousins.

Zach went with my dad, Evan, and Liam to see the White Sox play one evening.  They had a great time!

We finished off June with a week of VBS at our church.  Adelie attended VBS at a different church with a few friends the same week, but Briggs and Staley spent the week with friends each evening at our church.

I was the teacher for Briggs' class and enjoyed the time with the soon-to-be 2nd graders, although I was pretty worn out by the end of the week.

VBS week is always busy and exhausting, but the kids enjoyed it.

We also have had plenty of play time and fun with friends and neighbors.

There have been plays and shows...

"swimming" time in our little blow up pool...

summer fun with neighbor friends...

arts and crafts...

and swim play dates with friends.

When the kids were younger, play dates were a lot of work and required advanced planning.  Now having friends over is just fun...the kids play well and entertain each other.  And I am so thankful that all my kids have such sweet friends.

It's been a full and busy June.  It's hard to believe that our first month of summer break is already over, but we are excited for a slightly less busy July so we can fit in the rest of our favorite summer activities.