Summer Break 2018: Week 3

For the first time this summer, we stayed home in Kernersville for the week and had lots of local adventures! Before I get to our week, I wanted to share a few of the milestones I've observed with Emmy. With the extra time I've been spending with her, I've been able to see just how much she is growing and changing. She is giving kisses on request, generally leaning in and offering her cheek. She will also blow kisses or hold out her hand for you to kiss it. She has really started to master the 'b' sound and can say "bye-bye", "Bobby", "boo-boo", "bump", and "bird." She loves pointing out birds when she sees them and also says 'bird' when she hears one chirping outside. She continues to show some awareness of bodily functions, with gesturing toward her diaper and saying 'poo-poo.' It is usually after I have said it or when we are in the process of changing her; she has not yet initiated it or let us know without being prompted. She can point at people when asked who someone is, which is a fun game to play when we are together with family. She is also showing some improvement with using utensils during meals. It's easiest to let her practice when we are at home, in the familiar environment of our kitchen and her high chair; on-the-go is a little more difficult. My hope is by the end of the summer, she will have mastered using a fork and spoon so that in the morning before daycare, she can feed herself her own breakfast. I think this is a realistic goal given where she is right now. 

During the school year, there is maybe one thing to write about each week, perhaps one event on the weekend. The summer has been quite different; we are making fun memories every day, and I feel like each day is deserving of its own post. We are still fitting in naptime, and I am trying to hold to a reasonable bedtime (around 8:30PM, which is a little later than during the school year). Between snacks, meals, and diaper changes, we are filling every minute that we can. Last blog post was a little long, so in an attempt to shorten the remainder of my summer posts, I am going to follow what my sister does on her blog: a quick overview and then lots of photos. As the little sister, I've copied her a lot in the past (Thanks, sis!) She is the reason I started my blog in the first place, and I'm so glad that I did! Already I feel memories fading, and I am so thankful to be able to look back at my writing. Here is a re-cap of Summer Break 2018 Week 3:

1. We kicked off the week with a play date with a new friend, Michelle. She is one of Boomer's coworkers at Forbush, and she has a son, Levi, who was born within a few days of Emmy.
2. Megan turned 35 in June, and we had a belated celebration at Fire & Sticks Japanese Steakhouse. Maddox made quite a mess feeding himself shrimp sauce, which has led to me being the butt of a joke about wipes. When my family is together, it usually means inside jokes and picking on each other! 
3. We had a fun pool day at the YMCA with the cousins, Grammy, and the Williamses.
4. Emmy and I did some evening swimming with Caro and Carrie while Caro was house sitting. After swimming for a bit, we had a picnic dinner on the porch.
5. On Wednesday, we celebrated July 4th with a spontaneous trip back to Lake Tillery. Grammy, Emmy, and I made a day trip of it, and the cousins posed together in their patriotic attire.
6. Emmy and I had another lake day on Thursday with the Williamses. Sarah and Josh have a boat, and we went out on Belews Lake. We sure are spoiled to have so many connections to keep cool on these hot summer days!
7. While Boomer had a writing day on Friday, Emmy and I went to the Greensboro Science Center with Aunt M, Grammy, and the cousins. Emmy loved the new color maze and the slide in the kids' play zone; she wasn't so crazy about the peacock.
8. That evening, Boomer and I had a double date with our friends Jared and Ashley. Jared was just recently named the principal of my school! I am very excited to work with him, and of course that means he and Boomer have a lot to talk about as high school principals. We went to the Dash game and had unlimited food, drinks, and desserts in the Flow Founder's Club - what a treat! While we were on our date, Emmy had a sleepover at Grammy and Grandpa's. On Saturday morning, when we met up for breakfast at Cagney's, Emmy had the cutest pigtails. Grammy had some fun getting her all dolled up.
9. Saturday was overcast in the low 70s and was unusually cool. We had a park play date with Daddy!
10. We got burgers at Miller's Restaurant - one of the items on the Summer To-Do List. Miller's was featured in Our State magazine and is in Mocksville, about 45 minutes away. Boomer offhandedly mentioned going, and so we did! We got the recommended pimento cheeseburger, and it was delicious.

11. Thanks to free tickets from a golf tournament that my Dad played in, we went to Wet & Wild Emerald Pointe. With the ages of our crew, we enjoyed the smaller attractions, like the wave pool, splash pad, and lazy river. Thank you, Grandpa, for a fun day!

 

Well, this post is still a pretty long one. Hopefully next week I can be more brief! We are having so much fun that there's so much to write about! I have to include one more picture -- with the sticky, hot temperatures, the sunscreen, and chlorine, every night has been a bath night this week. Emmy has gone back-and-forth on her feelings about bath time, but right now, she likes it so much that she doesn't want to get out! She often tries to hoard her toys in protest :)