All tagged Summer
At the beginning of the summer, I made a bucket list for us. We did a lot of the things on the list, and I wanted to share the pictures!
One item on our bucket list the last two years was to attend the Kiddie Carnival in Athens. With the way our summer was going, I honestly thought we would miss out on it again this year. But we managed to find time the last weekend they were open in July. We decided to go on a Thursday in hopes the crowds would be smaller.
We tried to fill the summer with as much fun as possible this year. We only had roughly 10 weeks to fit it all in, and boy did it fly by fast!
July came and went, and we had a lot of fun soaking up what little summer was left. Melody finished swim lessons; we started getting out old Lego sets to put together; we celebrated the 4th of July; we finished gymnastics for the summer; we celebrated my mom’s birthday; we got shaved ice; Melody got her first planner; we saw Paw Patrol in theaters again; Melody rode the carousel; Melody had her first sleepover at my parents then with her cousins in Memphis; Brad went to his 20th high school reunion; we went to Let’s Play; we went to High Point; and we went to the Kiddie Carnival!
Like last summer, I made a bucket list for this summer. Last summer was much more special since it was Melody’s last before starting “real” school. This year we have such a short summer, and we want to accomplish so much while enjoying all the little moments as a family. Melody’s teacher emphasized just playing this summer. Read, but play. And that we are trying to do.
I felt like the summer flew by. And with that, I feel like we didn’t get as much time on the boat as I had hoped. I guess that is life these days though. We did go a few times to Smith Lake, however. Usually when we go, we either camp overnight or at least spend time at the campsite. So you’ll see some of that too. We even got caught in a not so fun storm at the end of the summer.
Summer flew by this year I feel like. I don’t know if it is because it was Melody’s last summer before starting kindergarten or because we tried to fit so much in. But we did try to take advantage of the pool as often as we could!
Back in June, we took a quick trip to the beach with Brad’s family. We stayed at Gulf Place on 30A in Miramar Beach, Florida. We have never stayed in this specific area, but Brad’s family was familiar with it and had stayed there. We didn’t book the trip until closer due to the uncertainty of Brad’s work travel, so we only were able to get a room for 3 nights. But we made the most of our time there and had a lot of fun!
June was much more busy than I expected it to be. Like exhausting level busy. So much so, we declared July no travel month, and I have cut back a lot of activities that involve leaving the house, ha!
With this being the last summer before Melody starts kindergarten, I feel like I really need to make the most of it. I mean while she has been attending school for the last three years, it has only been for 2-3 days a week, 4-6 hours a day, and exceptionally flexible. Well all of the will go out the window in August. I only have 8 or so weeks with my baby before she becomes a big girl (at least in my eyes). So I wanted to really make the most of those 8 weeks. I decided to come up with a bucket list for the summer. We are already so busy (and nearly half way through the summer), so there is a chance we won’t accomplish all the things. But it at least gives me some goals.
September has been busy! It is our first FULL month of school, dance, and occupational therapy! We have done some projects around the house, we traveled to see my niece’s baptism, and college football finally started in the SEC. Overall it has been a productive and fun month!
About a month ago, my parents bought a pontoon boat. It is a work in progress, but they wanted to buy one so that Melody could experience river/lake/boat life. We had a boat growing up, and I have so many fun memories on the river with my family. So I am really excited for Melody to experience something similar. A few Saturdays ago, we decided to head down to Smith Lake to take a ride on the boat for the first time.
This is a perfect summer craft with your kiddos. You simply cut up some construction paper in the shape of a popsicle. Then cut up more random sized pieces. The kids can then glue the pieces on the “popsicles”, and lastly you glue a craft stick onto the back. Easy peasy!
July has been full of a lot of outside time at the pool and mainly inside time beyond that! It has been a hot month compared to the milder temperatures in May and June. We have tried to make the most of the last full month before school starts!
If you are looking for a fairly easy craft to do to remind you of the outside while not suffering in the high humidity, this is it, ha! You can improvise with supplies if you don’t have what I used on hand, and it is easy for just about any age to do.
While at the beach this summer in Destin, we stayed next door to a restaurant called RedFish Tacos. We never really had the opportunity to go inside and eat there (Brad’s parents did), but one afternoon Brad did go get us lunch there and bring it back to the condo.
One of the last places we ate while at the beach this summer was Local Catch. Brad and I actually tried to eat there earlier in our trip, but they had live music and it was really, really loud. So we opted to return later. It was fairly close to our hotel too which was really nice because we were able to ride the golf cart there.
The first restaurant we visited while at the beach this summer was a new one, Shunk Gulley. Brad’s parents suggested it because they had eaten there before. It was easy to get to (it’s also on 30A), it provides a lot to do before and after (although we didn’t really explore on this trip), and it’s really kid friendly. We ate here our very first night, so we were all tired and just unpacked. There were also 9 of us, but surprisingly we were seated almost immediately which is amazing for a Saturday night!