Lots of Summer Fun

My official duties as "activities concierge" and "cruise director" are in full force. Both Emmy and Eli start each summer day by asking "What are we doing today?" So far, I have delivered with some fun adventures, if I do say so myself! On Monday of this week, we set off to the Science Center. It was a very warm day with temps in the 90s, so we did the outside portion first before cooling off inside with the dinosaur exhibit and the playplace. There is also a new butterfly exhibit, and we were got to be up close and personal with the butterflies. On Tuesday, we went to storytime at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Gardens with my friend Sarah and her little girl Emmaline. Then we walked through the gardens on a scavenger hunt for flowers, butterflies, bees, and birds. The kids were especially excited to spot a white butterfly. 

"Grammy and Grandpa I love you!"

On Wednesday, I watched the Houston boys while their mommy had to work. Admittedly, I have babysat very few times over the last 9 years. Since we have Grammy and Grandpa close by, they are usually the go-to babysitters. However, they are away on vacation, so I stepped in to help (and also as a return 'thank you' for our date night last week to the Dash game). The temperatures were again close to triple digits, so we spent some time outside in the morning, but then we stayed cool inside during the afternoon. We watched a movie and played Wii once Aunt Megan got home. 

On Thursday, we had a full day with both morning and evening activities! In the morning, Emmy was up early taking care of her own Mommy duties (haha!) We went to the YMCA and met up with Sarah, Luke, and Laurel. Sarah and I fit in a workout first, and I captured a really sweet photo of the kids playing together in the Kid Zone. Then it was off to the pool for about 2 hours. We returned home for rest time, and then in the late afternoon, we went over to the LeBarons' house for dinner and playtime outside. Everyone slept really good that night!

On Friday, Daddy had the day off - yay! We accomplished one of our summer to-do list items with a picnic at Wake. We parked at Reynolda Gardens and walked to the Quad. We opted for an indoor picnic, and the AC felt so good after our sweaty walk. With full bellies and an extra burst of energy, we tossed the ball around before making the walk back to the car. Eli and Boomer were wearing their Wake shirts, and the kiddos loved saying "Go Deacs!" to the other people we passed along the way. 

On Saturday, we went to the Science Center for a second time! Since we have the membership, it feels like "free fun" that we don't have to pay for. I didn't think I would take any pictures this trip, but Emmy kept saying "Take a picture, Mommy!" so of course, I had to oblige. The pygmy hippo was playing around in the water which was neat to see for the first time. We also loved showing Daddy the new butterfly exhibit. One even landed in my hair! 

Outtake!

When we arrived home, Emmy asked to take a nap in my bed with me. Little did I know that all of her sleepy friends would be joining us, too! Much to my surprise, she did fall asleep, and we both napped for about 2 hours. 

We went to church this morning and celebrated Father's Day with lunch at Don Juan's. We have the best Daddy around! With all the adventures with Mommy during the week, nothing gets Emmy and Eli more excited than when Daddy joins us. They sure love their Daddy! Happy Father's Day to the "fun parent!" :)

Trip to Woodstock

We love that Boomer has Fridays off in the summer, and our first Friday field trip with Daddy was a big one! We went to Woodstock to see all of Boomer's Virginia family. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip that we planned over Memorial Day Weekend. Boomer's parents had encouraged us to make the trip to see Boomer's grandfather. Our visit with him over Thanksgiving was very brief, and so we wanted to see him again while we had the time to do so. The trip on Friday took about 5 hours total, about 4 hours of driving and a 1 hour stop for lunch. We arrived in Woodstock around 3PM, and before we checked in at the hotel, we went straight to the park. We have gone to this park in the past, and it was great for getting out some energy. Emmy especially loved the big "spider web." Eli found a small football that he enjoyed tossing around. He doesn't stay still very long for photos, so unfortunately I didn't capture any of him. After about an hour of play time, we checked into our hotel. The Kennedy kids LOVE hotels! They open all the cabinets and doors, and they love running down the long hallways. After we got our things settled, we ventured out again for dinner at the Woodstock Brewhouse. Boomer got wings, and I got the chicken souvlaki. We then headed back to the same park to meet up with Boomer's cousin Greg and his wife Katie, and their three boys Evan, Isaac, and Tristan. There was a live band set up on a stage with lots of people sitting on blankets and chairs. We got a sweet treat from the ice cream truck while we listened to the music. We sat with Boomer's Aunt KK and Uncle Doug and his cousin Kayten and her husband Shawn. We felt a little bit like Woodstock locals.  

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the hotel, and then we went over to the farm to see Boomer's grandfather. Tall Man is moving a little slower these days, but he had all his wits about him, especially when I mistakenly asked if his favorite football team was Washington. (Answer: It is NOT! Oops!) He loved seeing the kids and commented on just how much Eli looks like his Daddy. We visited with him for about an hour, and it was a very good visit. We saw the Mercers again, and then we went to Route 11 Diner for lunch. I'm kicking myself that I did not take any photos from our morning...but I did take photos of our food! Boomer and I know each other pretty well now, because the conversation at lunch went like this: 

L: "I don't know what to get..."
B: "They have a shrimp po' boy."
L: "I saw that! And you're going to get the special, aren't you?" 

...and of course, that is what we both ordered!

During the afternoon, Eli and I napped in the room, while Boomer and Emmy checked out the hotel pool. Boomer got lots of brownie points from both Kennedy girls for this! Apparently the water was a little cold, but Emmy jumped in a few times and also tried out the hot tub. She also did some coloring. For dinner, we met up with family at Las Trancas. There were 17 of us altogether: the four of us, Kolter, Ashlee, and their two kiddos Annabelle and Knox, Caleb and his little one Levi, Aunt KK, Uncle Doug, Kayten, Shawn, Bethany, and her two boys Cade and Aiden. It was a fun dinner catching up with everyone and especially seeing the little ones play together. Afterwards, we went back to Kolter and Ashlee's house. The four kids enjoyed playing in the play room and seeing the baby chicks on the porch. Around 9PM, it was time to call it a night and head back to the hotel. 

We fit in as much as we could during our 48-hour trip to Woodstock. Both kids were wiped out during the car ride home today. 

We arrived home around 4PM, and the evening included unpacking, laundry, and a trip to the grocery store. Boomer will go back to work tomorrow, and I know that there will be two little kids that will be missing him a lot. We are already looking forward to our next Friday Daddy Field Trip!