Summer Break 2018: Week 2

I don't think we could fit one more thing into the month of June! We finished up the school year, took a family vacation across the country, had a girls' road trip home to Morganton, and had several other fun summer activities. A few things that I haven't written about yet from Week 1: on the first Friday of the summer back in mid-June, Boomer and I went on a matinee movie date while Emmy was at her last day of daycare. It felt a little strange not having our little girl with us, but it was a fun way to spend the day with just Boomer. Boomer really wanted to see the latest Marvel Comics movie, Infinity War, and so we splurged and went to the theater in Winston with the fancy reclining seats and unlimited butter. Boomer has been watching all of the Marvel movies and was very excited about this latest one. Although he knew a lot more about what was going on than I did, it was entertaining enough that I enjoyed it, too. Plus, did I mention UNLIMITED BUTTER?!



We have also visited Great Gma Nancy a couple of times. Emmy loves playing with the stuffed animals Gma keeps there especially for her. She can entertain herself for quite awhile between the stuffed animals, her shoes, and the small calculator that Gma lets her pound on.

Emmy continues to love to read. Every night, we read several books before bedtime. Some of her favorites are: Each Peach Pear Plum, The Magic Bunny, and Sophie la Girafe: First Words. Even though I practically have these three memorized, I love that Emmy enjoys looking at and reading books. She already seems to know how to hold a book correctly and how to turn the pages. She also repeats words back to me like "Mommy", "baba" (banana) and "quack, quack." I love before bedtime when she cuddles in next to me to read our nightly stories. We have settled into a special routine at night where we will pray together as a family, then she will tell Boomer "bye bye", and we begin to read. When left unattended during the day, she loves to pull every book off the shelf. It's a relatively harmless game she plays, so I go along with it!

On Saturday, the 16th, we went to a Dash game with the Houstons and the Williamses. A few highlights: Megan scrambled for a foul ball for Zander, who was ready with his glove to catch one. Also, Luke was selected to deliver water to the umpires, and Laurel participated in the toddler race. Towards the end of the game, we managed to pose for a group picture - a rare feat for 6 adults and 5 small children! 



Summer Break Week 1 wrapped up with a pool date with Katie and Grant. Grant and Emmy are only 4 months apart and are doing a lot of the same things right now. It is so fun seeing them together. This was my first time trying out the life-jacket with Emmy. Within only a few minutes of being in the kiddie pool, Emmy lost her footing and went back into the water like a baptism. She was a little hesitant to be in the water after that, so we sat on the edge and splashed with our feet. In the last picture, you see the tired faces of two toddlers ready for nap time.

Summer Break Week 2 kicked off with the Tour de Morganton. When we returned to Kernersville, on Tuesday we had our friends Michelle, Brian, and their little girl Stella over for dinner. Emmy watched Stella carefully as she played with her toys. She surprisingly even allowed Stella to play with Bobby!

 

On Wednesday, we went to the movies with Megan, Zander, and Maddox. There are several local theaters doing 'summer kids series' with discounted ticket prices and mid-morning showtimes. For only $1, we went to the Palladium in High Point to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. Nevermind that none of us have seen the first one, or that Megan and Zander have already seen this same movie! This was Emmy's first movie, and although I would have been hesitant to pay real movie prices, it seemed worth the dollar, even if I spent the whole movie in the lobby. While Emmy looked at the screen from time to time, she also liked climbing on the seats, moving the small lap tables, and eating the snacks I packed for her. She was mostly still enough that I could follow along with the plot of the movie -- I count that as a success!

 

On Thursday, we met the Williamses and the Houstons (minus Zack) for what I hope will be the first of many pool days at the YMCA. The moms got in a workout first while the kiddos were in the child watch room. Then we spent some time at the pool and splash pad. Emmy and I stayed at the splash pad the whole time; it is the perfect amount of water for us! She didn't venture far from the edge and mostly liked playing with the fountain that sprayed water. We have already planned to meet again Tuesday for another pool date.

That evening, Sarah and I went to Raleigh for a quick visit with Jen. We went out to dinner at a place called Parkside Restaurant (I highly recommend the chicken-and-waffle sandwich!). On Friday morning, we leisurely woke up and then got in a workout. We usually do some form of exercise when we are together, whether it's a run, a cardio class, or a workout video. We then visited Amy and met her brand-new, only-a-week-old baby boy, James. It is always a special treat to see these girls! It's hard to believe that it has almost been 10 years since we were in school together at Wake Forest. We are planning another get-together in August when Christina is back in NC. Big shout-out to Boomer for watching Emmy for this week's trip and again next month so Mommy can have some girl time!  :)



After I got home from Raleigh, it was back in the car to head to the lake. We finished out Summer Break Week 2 with an early July 4th celebration with the Kennedys. It was a small crew this time: Granny, Paw Paw, Carlin, and Carlin's boyfriend, Matt. We went on several boat rides, which Emmy has definitely come to enjoy. Unlike in the past, she didn't protest when we put on her life jacket (which can be a bit restricting). She especially loved sitting with Granny while we were on the boat. She would be squirmy with Boomer or me, but she would go right to Granny and then usually fall asleep. When not on the boat, Emmy was splashing around in her baby pool or stacking blocks and figurines on the porch. She played hard both days and has a little bit of a sun tan to show for it, despite Mommy's best efforts to keep her lathered in sun screen! Our girl is becoming a little water baby! 

Week 3 will find the Kennedys staying put in Kernersville. Even so, we have a lot of fun adventures planned - stay tuned!