Summer vacation got off to a rough start this year. Paul was quite upset that school ended. I tried to convince him that summer is more fun than school, but he had a hard time believing it. To help dry the tears and get him excited for summer, Paul, Ben, & I made a Summer Bucket List. It seemed to really help get Paul (& Ben, but that's a given) excited for summer.
The only problem is that the boys have it in their heads that we need to check off as many items on our list as possible... as soon as possible. So, we're off to a fast, good start :)
Today is officially day 2 of summer vacation and here is what we've done so far today (& it's not even 3:00!):
Paul and Ben had their first day of swimming lessons. They had fun, learned a bit, and got really chilly in the cold, morning water.
After the boys warmed up in the shower and dressed, they were ready & excited to write about their swimming lessons in their (now) Summer journals. (I'm trying to re-establish our almost-daily journal writing routine)
Ben has been begging me to let him paint with something other than watercolors. Today I gave in.
Any good day, in the eyes of my boys, includes conducting science experiments. In this experiment, they made their own water fountain using a water bottle, play-dough, a straw, and the pressure that their breath created.
Amanda couldn't really join in, so we made a splash tub for her, that was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Sink and float experiments were also conducted.
After seeing this bunny all over our yard, Paul decided he wanted to catch it. He grabbed his butterfly net and a shovel (?) and carefully followed the bunny.
After his failed attempts to catch the bunny, Paul decided to try and make friends with the bunny instead. Ben joined in and they made a goal of becoming friends with this bunny by the end of the summer. They tossed carrots to the bunny and the bunny crunched them down quickly. They actually might just succeed. We have lots of bunnies in and out of our yard, but this particular bunny hangs out under our pine tree on a regular basis, and let's us get really close to it before getting scared and hopping away.
After being out in the 90* heat most of the day, it was decided that push-pops were needed. Boy was Amanda excited that her brothers shared a few tastes with her :)
I finally gave in and allowed Amanda to crawl around the yard, getting dirty and eat.... who knows what :) I realized that, with an entire summer ahead of us, it is inevitable, so why fight it? She sure enjoyed the freedom.
Apparently, there was too much fun to be had to be bothered to come inside and use the bathroom :)
After coming inside and cleaning up & changing clothes again, the boys wanted to play with Legos.... and so did Amanda. The boys built "Sector 12" using pillows, to keep Amanda away from the Legos so that she "wouldn't choke and die."
And because they're busy playing with Legos and I don't have to worry about Amanda choking and dying, I'm found time to share all of this with you :)
Here's to a fun-filled summer!
