Summer break has absolutely been flying by! We have had a great summer so far with a perfect mix of fun activities balanced with lazy days at home where we barely get out of our pajamas by the time Tim gets home from work at night. The boys have been total book worms this summer and we spend at least one day a week at the library and then come home where they spend the rest of the day outside reading their new books or in James' room listening to new audiobooks. James has always been a great reader, but this summer his reading has gone through the roof. I wouldn't be surprised if he has made a year's worth of growth in his independent reading just since school got out.
James had 2 weeks of great summer camps at the beginning of June. First a week of Star Wars Lego camp, which he loved every second of and then a week of extension camps through St Vrain's GT Department.
James and Finn in front of the 17 1/2 foot Lego tower they built the last day of camp.
We took a little road trip to Grand Junction one weekend in June to visit Thomas who works for HCB on the Western Slope and just bought a house there. The boys had a blast staying in a hotel and we had a lot of fun exploring Grand Junction. Who knew they had such a cute downtown?!
We have also been enjoying all of Longmont's concerts in the parks with the Hines and Haleys and have fun going all out with our picnics each week.
I try to do one field trip day per week with the boys. So far we have explored the zoo:
Longmont Museum's new Planes, Trains and Automobiles exhibit:
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science:
and gone to a Rockies game:
The boys had 2 weeks of swim lessons. James is getting to be a more confident swimmer and can easily get all around the pool, including the deep end, kicking and using his arms when he remembers. Mac has no interest in getting his head wet, but likes playing in shallow water. He got in for half his lessons and sat in the sand for the other half. Oh well, he will get there eventually!
We have been enjoying having my parents back in CO for the first time since I was 18! They live 15 minutes away and we all enjoy being able to see them on a regular basis. My mom helped James complete his first sewing project a few weeks ago, a patriotic stuffed bunny.
Speaking of patriotic, the 4th of July did not disappoint this year. Kelly and I and our friends entered the picnic contest at Thompson Park for the 3rd year in a row and finally had our big win! Our tent, table and spread looked great and we all had fun at the concert to kick off our 4th of July festivities.
We reconvened at the Andrews after the picnic for more food, fireworks and fun. We ended the night walking up to Sunset Golf Course for the big firework display. It was a perfect day!
I think it is starting to sink in that we are going to be having a new addition joining us in a matter of weeks, and I know two big brothers who could not be any more excited. After being a little hesitant about the news at first, James can now not contain his excitement. He has named the baby, Benny, after the astronaut from the Lego Movie, and loves to feel him kick. He asks daily, "How long until Benny is going to pop out?"
Mac is pretty excited too and gives this baby more attention than anyone else in the family. The first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is run to me and ask to hug, "his baby." He gives my belly about 10 million hugs and kisses a day and has asked several times if I can pop out the baby really quick so he can give him a kiss and then he will shove him back in again to finish cooking. He has a song that he sings the baby every night before he goes to bed that involves a lot of clapping while repeating, "I love my baby brother, I love my baby brother." If he loves the baby even half as much when he gets here as he does now, I think we are in pretty good shape.
One last field trip-today we went to the Botanic Gardens with my parents to check out the Chihuly glass exhibit and the new children's garden. It was a beautiful overcast morning and the glass installations are amazing! We had a great time walking around and exploring.
It is so hard to believe it is already July! James starts a 2 week camp on Monday and then we head to Minnesota for a few days and when we get back, it will be August! We still have a lot of fun to pack in before summer is over!
