Summer Fun: Week 2

Week two of summer vacation is upon us, which means it was Addie’s turn at camp while Dalton and I enjoyed some time together.

Dalton and I dropped a very excited little girl off at Dance Camp.  I, on the other hand, was surprised at how nervous I felt leaving Addie behind.  She’s attended preschool for the last two years, but I’ve always taught in a class just down the hall.  This was the first time I actually dropped her off and left her somewhere all on her own.  This picture was taken on Day 1.  You can see she reluctantly let me walk her all the way over to her camp meeting spot and take a quick picture.  On days 2-5, she would promptly inform me she wanted to walk over to her friends by herself after I signed her in.  Little Miss Independent!

After dropping Addie off on Monday, Dalton and I headed out to go bowling.  We had a good time, but I think he was disappointed he wasn’t able to run the score up on me like he does in Wii bowling.  Good thing that lane is so long and the balls are pretty heavy….it’s the only chance I stood at beating him.

On Tuesday, Dalton and I headed off to the Summer Movies at a nearby theater to watch Dolphin Tale.  It was a cute movie, although Dalton had seen it before and kept trying to tell me what was going to happen next.  After we picked up Addie from camp that afternoon, all three of us headed over to the library for some “Crafternoon” activities.  This week’s theme was Beach Crafts.

It was PACKED this week, but the kids still had a great time.  Dalton even ran into several kids he knew from church and school.

Later that evening, we had some friends over for dinner.  I think having friends come over to the house was the highlight of the day!

On Wednesday, Dalton wanted to go back to the movies to catch the showing of Happy Feet 2.  The only thing I can say about that movie is that I’m glad it was only $1.

On Thursday morning we headed up to the gym early.  Dalton took the orientation class so that he could start using some of the equipment with me.  He seems really excited since one of his goals he wrote down for this month was to exercise more.  (His summer activity workbook I bought has him set three goals each month so we went with it.)  Once we finished up there and dropped Addie off at camp, we headed across town to pick up Clayton.  Dalton loves spending time with his cousin and doesn’t often get the opportunity to do so without Addie tagging along.  The boys and I headed over to use up a Groupon and play putt-putt.

The weather was perfect….cool and overcast.  We even felt a sprinkle or two while we were there.

After putt-putt, we grabbed a quick lunch with Blake since we were on his side of town anyway.  After that it was time to head back across town to pick up Addie from camp then home to relax a bit before karate.  Clayton wanted to go watch Dalton and Blake in action at karate, so we just made it a family affair and all headed up to church that evening together.

Friday morning was Addie’s last day at camp, so the boys and I took advantage of the time and went swimming with some friends. 

Clayton went home on Friday evening, so we decided to just stay close to home and recover from the busy week.  The kids and I gave Blake his Father’s Day gift early.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture on the camera but I think he did with his phone.  Maybe he’ll post one for me?  (hint, hint)  It was a basket with a “Dozen Drinks and Desserts for a Deserving Dad.”  Dalton and I had gone to HEB earlier that week and made two of the mix and match beer six packs.  Blake LOVES dark beer and I have no clue what any of it tastes like, so Dalton and I just held it up to the light.  If we could see through it, it went back on the shelf….if we couldn’t, it went in the cart.  We figured he would enjoy sampling some of the goodies over the weekend rather than waiting until Sunday to get his basket.

Saturday morning I had a training for work, so Blake and the kids got to enjoy a quiet morning at home.  That evening we took him out to eat at his favorite little pizza place in downtown Cibolo.  If you haven’t been there with us, remind us to take you there next time you visit.  It’s wonderful!

Sunday we just enjoyed a morning at church, an afternoon nap and a quick walk around the neighborhood with the family that evening.

It has been an amazing summer break so far.  The kids, Blake and I are looking forward to making many more memories in the weeks to come!

Summer Fun: Week 1

Summer is upon us, which means the Lacy Clan tries to pack as much fun into every moment as possible.  Week 1 of the summer fun did not disappoint.

Dalton spent the week in Soccer Camp, which is loved.

That left Addie and I to pal around together during the day and enjoy some “Just Us Girls” time.

Monday, we got all the boring stuff out of the way….laundry, household chores and errands since we had been out of town over the previous weekend.  Dalton’s camp ends at 2 each day, but the last hour is spent playing at the splash pad.  Addie and I meet him up there most every day after camp to join in the fun

Tuesday, we had some friends over to play while their mom went to an appointment.  Addie LOVES having friends over to play.  She would invite someone over every day of the week if I let her.  She is still quite the social butterfly.  After our friends left, we headed up to the Y to pick up Dalton, grabbed some drinks and snacks from Sonic and then headed over to the library for “Crafternoon” activities.  Dalton and Addie still both love making crafts and going to the library to do them means I don’t have to clean up the mess afterwards.  Score!

Wednesday, we took advantage of the Summer $1 Movies and went to see the Kit Kittridge American Girl movie.  Up until recently, I’ve been able to shield Addie from the excitement of the American Girl craze.  To be honest, I didn’t know much about them but had heard the stories of the extravagant weekends in Dallas that friends had taken their daughters on to go tour the famous American Girl store and café.  But then, her lovely and wonderful preschool teacher (who Addie and I really do adore) sent her home with a catalog one day.  OH NO!  Ever since, she has talked about “the dolls” that you can get to look like you with matching clothes and all.  Since it was just Addie and I headed to the movies, we decided to try out the American Girl movie option.  Another friend had said the books that go along with some of the dolls are fabulous and I figured that was what the movie was based on.  The movie was great, it kept Addie’s attention mostly and I think in a few years she just might enjoy reading some of the books.  Now, if she wants one of the dolls, I think she is going to have to hit up Grandma or Macca on that front.

On Thursday, Addie and I headed over to the local library for storytime.  The summertime theme is Spies and Detectives, so I’m hoping even Dalton enjoys going in the coming weeks.  Plus it counts as reading time towards the summer reading program.  We’ve participated every year we’ve lived here and the kids have won some really cool prizes.

On Friday, Addie and I headed up to one of her favorite places to play in New Braunfels.  They host a “Playnastics” time for preschoolers a few different times each week.  Unfortunately, Dalton doesn’t qualify in the preschool age anymore, so we have to go when he is busy doing something else.

Just so you don’t think it’s all fun and games this summer, I am having the kids do some “school time” activities each afternoon/evening while they have a snack or I cook dinner.  You can take the teacher out of the school for summer, but the kids know I have a knack for turning our house into a learning zone too.  Blake and I are blessed with children who really do love to learn, so the school time activities are something they both seem to enjoy doing.  It is fun to see how Dalton pitches in to help Addie when she doesn’t understand how to do something all on her own.  It also helps we left them earn bonus chore money for a job well done. 

Friday afternoon was the end of the work week, but our fun did not stop there.  We had a few unused Groupons that were in danger of expiring soon, so we headed out to use one for dinner on the Riverwalk….(Pizzaritas is a great little pizza place and a family favorite)

….and another Groupon to go exlpore the Tower of America.

While we were there, the kids got their faces painted….

enjoyed a 3-d movie experience about our great state of Texas…

and enjoyed the amazing views of the city.

Saturday morning, we ventured out to one of our favorite breakfast spots, Grumpys and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast.  We then killed some time looking at our dream homes in the surrounding areas.  This is not necessarily one of our dream homes, but check out this front entrance we came across while touring some neighborhoods.

How would you like to climb those stairs to your front door every day?

After driving around and stopping to look at open houses as long as the kids would let us, we then headed down to the NB Children’s Museum to check out their new outdoor exhibits.

Addie making a joyful noise in the new outdoor instrument area.

Showing off their big, blue muscles in the new building area.

Look, we built our dream house!

They still enjoy being silly with all the old stuff inside too.

Sawing Varsity’s horns off! 

Batboy and Batgirl picking up a few groceries for the Bat Cave.

Blake’s masterpiece at the water table.  We finally had to walk away so the other kids could have a turn.  It’s a good thing they require each adult be accompanied by an child or we might just have to give Blake a lesson in taking turns with the other kids.

Saturday evening we ran to the store to pick up a few things for the upcoming week.  We were hoping to get back in time to pitch a tent in the backyard for the kids, but the sun beat us home.  So as a consolation, we decided to make s’mores in the microwave and enjoy a traditional campsite dessert instead.

We finished up the weekend with church on Sunday morning and a spontaneous trip over to Fiesta Texas that afternoon to enjoy the waterpark.  It was HOT, HOT, HOT so we only hit up a few rides, played in the water for about an hour or so and headed home.

It was a great first week of summer and we are looking forward to many more!

Catching up with the cousins

Blake’s cousin, Karah, graduated from high school this year, which meant a small family reunion took place.  It’s always fun to get to see everyone outside of the traditional holiday visits.  One of these days, I’ll remember to bring out my camera sooner and take some better pictures.  Alas, this is what we have to document our fun weekend at home with family.

Dalton, Addie, Audi and me enjoying some time in the pool.

Dalton showing off his mad rock jumping skills.

Rudder got to meet all the cousins too!

Mr. Cool….are we starting to see a pattern here?

Hanging out with about a third of the family by the pool.

All tuckered out after a fun filled weekend with the cousins.

Congrats Karah on a job well done!  We know you’ll do great in your next adventure in life.  We enjoyed celebrating with you.  Perhaps next time I’ll get a picture of the graduation gal!

First Grade Graduate

First grade has come and gone.  Dalton had a wonderful teacher this year that really pushed him to excel in all subjects.  His understanding of math and science concepts never cease to amaze me and his reading skills have gone above and beyond my expectations.  He continues to build confidence in himself and makes friends easily, so much so that he got in trouble to talking a time or two this year!

Here he is receiving his end of the year awards from his prinicipal, Mrs. Trcka.

Dalton and Mr. Tanner….I think Dalton is really going to miss him next year.

Good-bye first grade and hello summer!  Second grade is just around the corner.

Future Cyclists

Since Dalton recently mastered riding his bike without training wheels, Addie has decided she wants to give it a try.  We pulled down Dalton’s old bike without training wheels, strapped on the helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and gloves and gave it a try.

She is pretty brave and gave it her best…

...but after about ten minutes of trying, she was ready to do some real riding back on her princess bike with the training wheels.

I think if we make enough time to work with her over the next few weeks, she could have it down by the end of summer.

Then there is Mr. Cool, ready to go terrorize the neighborhood!

Splash Pad Bash

The Splash Pad is just one of the many reasons we love our YMCA.  The kids can safely play in the water and cool off from the summer heat all while I prop my feet up and drive into a good book.  Here are my silly kids being silly at one of our favorite summer hangouts.

End of the Year Baking Fun

Dalton’s school hosted a book fair a few weeks before school was out.  I made the mistake of taking Addie one afternoon after we had eaten lunch with Dalton.  She, of course, fell in love with a princess cookbook.  After glancing through it and seeing the “Abu Monkey Cupcakes”, I figured they would make cute end of the year snacks for my Monkey Preschool Class so we bought it.  Addie loves to help me in the kitchen, so the last week of school, we baked up a ton of end of the year goodies.

Preparing the cupcake liners…

Measuring and pouring in the ingredients…

Time to stir….

Mixing up the perfect icing colors for the faces…

Time to decorate…

And the finished product!

We were able to modify the monkey to make a bear face since Addie was in the Bear Class this year.  As you can also tell from the messy face, some taste-testing went on while we were baking.