Summer Fun Part 1

We had such a wonderful summer! I didn't capture as much on camera as I hoped, but here are some of the highlights:

One of our favorite summer days was "kids' choice day" - we woke up one Saturday with no plans and decided that it would be fun to let the kids call the shots for the day. We started with breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, continued to Founders Plaza to see some airplanes, visited the crocodile at Rainforest Cafe, got drinks at Sonic, had pizza for lunch, and grilled hot dogs for dinner before playing in the water in the backyard... such simple requests for such a great family day :)

One of Tink's milestones this summer was saving her own money to buy a Squinkies set! She earns money by cleaning sinks and occasionally gets money from her grandparents, and was very proud to make the purchase on her own.

 We beat the Texas heat by making several Slurpee runs - I'll admit that this was mostly my idea :)

One of Bug's major milestones this summer was sleeping in a toddler bed! We had a few hiccups, but overall, he has done great.

We also beat the Texas heat with lots of trips to the library - both of my kids could sit forever with a pile of books, and who am I to deprive them?

We had a very special and unexpected visit from the fire department one afternoon! The firemen came by to check on a fire hydrant, and Bug and I decided to go outside to watch. After they were finished, they came into our driveway to invite us to see the inside of the truck. Bug and Tink happily explored the inside of the truck, and the firemen sent them away with hats, coloring books, and stickers - such a fun surprise!

We took advantage of the member appreciation morings at the zoo, arriving an hour before they opened to the public. Mommy didn't last long, but the kids were great and enjoyed the time we were able to be there. As long as we saw the crocodile and the snakes, they were happy :)

We watched quite a bit of the Olympics! We had fun pointing out the flags and clothing of the athletes from different countries, learned about different sports, and even did some fun "Olympic O" (Fruit Loop) activities. When R asked Tink what olympic sport she might like to try, she responded, "Remember at the beginning when those kids were jumping on the beds? I want to do that one."

While getting things together for the local consignment sale, I asked R to get our baby gear out of the attic. Bug was really interested in everything and had fun pulling things out and asking what they were for. A few hours later, I heard him calling for help and found him in the bassinet! He looked WAY too big squeezed in the bed that I remember him sleeping in not so long ago...

Another of Bug's summer milestones - potty training! I resisted the idea at first, but R convinced me that having only one kid in diapers was worth a try. He did AMAZINGLY well, and was having a celebratory "clean and dry all day" ice cream cone on the fourth day!

One of Tink's favorite things this summer was spending time with her Daddy outside. She often came in with flowers for me, and was excited to learn that a hibiscus fit perfectly behind her ear :)