More Summer Fun

The summer days continue to fly by! On Monday, I went to school for a meeting which lasted most of the morning. Grammy watched Emmy and Eli, and I arrived home during naptime in the afternoon. I didn't mind going in to work for just a few hours, knowing that I would then resume my summer activities. I was glad to be back with the kiddos in my t-shirts and gym shorts for the rest of the week. On Tuesday, we got our third use out of the library pass to the Kaleideum. This time we went to the other location that used to be called SciWorks, which has an outdoor portion, as well as other indoor exhibits. Our friends Ashley, Harrison, and Griffin joined us. Eli loved fishing, and I showed tremendous growth by letting the kids play in the sand pit :) On Wednesday, we went to the park, and then on Thursday, the YMCA pool. I had trouble convincing Eli to come into the water, but Aunt Megan had the magic touch - not only did she get Eli in the water, but he even jumped off the side over and over again. Also, both kiddos tried the lily pads for the first time, again with Aunt Megan's special coaxing. Both of her boys are such strong swimmers, and it is so nice of her to help out with my little ones. It takes a village!

With Boomer off work today, we kept it low-key with a workout and some basketball at the YMCA, and then pizza and a sweet treat for lunch. We don't have too many of these Fridays left in the summer, and we sure have loved the extra day with Daddy. 

Girls Getaway

This past week, I was only cruise director for half the week. Then I passed the baton to Boomer and Grammy so that Mommy could have a girls getaway to the beach! Prior to my trip, Emmy, Eli, and I checked out a (new-to-us) dinosaur playground in Winston-Salem with our friends Stephanie and Lyla. Emmy requested to pose with the ferocious T-Rex. The next day, we went to the downtown Kaleideum location with Megan and the boys. These cousins sure have a special bond. 

Emmy made a homemade race track for her brother

On Thursday, I rode along with Emily and Carrie to meet up with the rest of the girls at the beach. We had the best weekend filled with good food, beach time, and lots of laughs. After arriving, we made a grocery store run and then picked up pizza from Mellow Mushroom. We went out to eat on Friday and Saturday nights: Oyster Rock where I ordered the coconut shrimp, and then Taco Mundo, a new restaurant at Barefoot on the Beach, where I got a shrimp and a beef taco with a margarita flight - yum! If our count is correct, this year was our 15th year of beach trips! Wow! We've even made it on the collage of family pictures that hangs on the wall at the house. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year with some of my favorite people!

While Mommy was away, Emmy and Eli had a fun day with Grammy on Thursday while Daddy was still working. They made zucchini muffins and built a fort under the bar stools. With Daddy off work on Friday, he took over for three full days of solo parenting. Using the free pass I checked out from the library, they were able to go back to Kaleideum again. Emmy made me a special beaded bracelet to match her. Then on Saturday, they went to the Science Center. I have to admit, even at the beach, I was a little sad to be missing out on their adventures. The weekend ended with Grammy taking Emmy to her dance open house. The event included demonstrations and mock classes, along with raffles, a scavenger hunt, and other goodies. I arrived home just as Eli was waking up from his nap and Emmy was returning from dance. I've officially clocked back in as the cruise director, and while I loved my weekend away, I am happy to be back home for another week of summer fun with my two babies!