I tried to make the summer somewhat productive for the kids. We had an awful lot of rain, so our outdoor activities were very limited. The boys didn't swim this summer nearly as much as I'd have liked for them to. They still got to play in water often enough, though, as they loved to run up and down our street, playing in the rain and puddles.
I like to use the summers to try to keep the kids ahead educationally. Nathanael, thus far, has not been terribly interested in learning. But we buckled down in July and while Sam worked on some 3rd grade worksheets or read, I worked with Nathanael on recognizing the alphabet and numbers. It took some bribery to get him to sit down to work with me each day (skittles worked just fine), but we got it done. We rewarded him with a go-karts and bumper boats at Frankie's Fun Park for learning the alphabet and a trip to a frozen yogurt shop for learning numbers.
We spent an awful lot of time at the library this summer. All three kiddos participated in the summer reading program and we attended many of the shows hosted by the library, including one with animals they got to pet.
One afternoon, we even took a trip to Clemson University with friends to attend a program about butterflies. After learning how to identify several species of local butterflies, we took a walk through the butterfly garden to see what we could find. Then the kids got to make a couple crafts and take home a plant to attract butterflies to our yard.
Nathanael also had a couple other accomplishments this summer. First he learned how to pump himself on the swings and has spent a lot of time outside quietly swinging. I love when he does that. Then, in late July, he hopped on Sam's bicycle and took off with no training wheels! The next day, Paul took the training wheels off Nathanael's bike and had him give it another shot so I could take pictures. He was less excited about doing it on day two and, in fact, requested that his training wheels be put back on his bike. Funny kid.
I let the boys watch more TV this summer than I would like to admit. We tried out Netflix for a few weeks and they got hooked on old episodes of Garfield and Friends. They watched every episode that was available and now recite quotes as well as comparing themselves to Garfield (usually that they are SO hungry they could eat as much as Garfield). At the store today, Sam even spotted and pointed out lasagna in the freezer section, Garfield's favorite food. But most of their time this summer was spent just playing with each other, using their imaginations. Though I am pretty uptight about not making huge messes, I let go a little and let them tear apart my couches multiple times to build forts. They also used pillows, blankets, and such to build a "car", complete with flashlights for headlights. We have had the sister missionaries from church over for dinner a couple of times this summer and the boys even used their examples in their imaginative play. While I was using the computer, they came knocking on the doors of the room I was in to teach me the gospel. Sam read me the Articles of Faith and then Nathanael shared with me his favorite scripture verses which, oddly enough, were about Lewis and Clark.
Nathanael is so creative that one evening he even made a neat design around his neck! Actually, it wasn't very neat at all. After having put the boys to bed, a big thunderstorm blew in. They love to watch the storms from their window. I knew they were doing so and didn't really mind, so long as they were quiet and didn't come out of their room. What I didn't know was that somehow Nathanael got himself tangled in the cords on the blinds and then apparently fell from the windowsill. I don't know exactly what happened or how he got free, but he and Sam came running from their room to show me the mark that had been left on Nathanael's skin. Luckily, Nathanael was a cat in a former life and he still has a few lives left. Miraculously, none of his hijinks ever seem to leave him any worse for the wear.
We spent a good amount of time this summer with family and friends. There were play dates, birthday parties, and cousins who once lived far away who moved back to town. Claire got to see all three of her baby girls several times and has really grown to love them.
For a final hurrah before school starts, last week we took a day trip to Dollywood with Mimi and Pop Pop. Leaving at 7 AM sharp, we got to the park right around opening time. We enjoyed a fun-filled day riding rides and the most beautiful weather. Even Claire got to ride a few rides. She was so proud of herself for getting to be like a big girl and she was such a jewel the whole day. It was a complete whirlwind trip, but definitely the best day of the summer!
Though I'm looking forward to some quiet one-on-one time with Claire and hearing less fighting during the day, I'm really going to miss these summer days.
And just for fun....
No comments:
Post a Comment