Summer Catch-Up - July

Out summer seemed to both drag and fly by. There didn't seem to be enough time to get a lot of the things done we waned to do (on our Bucket List) but that wasn't for lack of doing. There wasn't a lot of time for blogging though. When mama gets distracted on the computer, people sometimes disappear to Naughtyland. Not a good thing. And, with as many monkeys as I have to manage, I didn't get many pics, either.

July was hotter than the dickins. You'd think that we spent a lot of time in our pool, but because of the heat, I had a hard time, ahem, maintaining chemical balance... which in layman's terms means that it turned green with algae and I couldn't get rid of it.

The 4th of July was no exception to the hot. On our Bucket List we had put to go to the big Independence Day parade in my hometown, but since it starts at 10, runs two hours into the heat of the day, offers little shade and I would be going alone (sans husband, not kids), we opted for a smaller, closer to home parade. George and Boots got to ride in the firetrucks with their uncle and cousins, throwing candy and waving their little arms off. I just beamed with pride at that, for some reason. Meanwhile, the girls and I sweated our tushies off sitting on the curb, and then treated ourselves to snow cones. Mmmm. We ended the night back in that same little town, watching the fireworks on the side of the highway. And I'm happy to say that this year, everyone watched without being overwhelmed with the noise, even Huggyface, though given that it was way past his bedtime, he was done about halfway through, wanting only his nukie, his blankie and the carseat.

July also brought the end of gymnastics. It was truly enjoyable, and while we debated having the girls continue it during the school year, dance won out (having nothing to do with the fact that it's conveniently 5 blocks away at the school, and they stay there til 5:30. ;D ). But I'm sure we'll be doing that again. It was a good time of skill building - working on balance and coordination skills, and even Huggyface could participate.

While daddy worked to make a living, the kids and I jetted off to Duluth, MN for a church conference. We almost didn't make it as George got a sudden case of the barfies, so we missed the first day, but got there just in time to set up our tent in the dark while mosquitoes knawed on our sweaty flesh. We were fortunate to have friends, and former church members who live in the area, who had a nice big yard for us to stay in. Several others from my church group camped there also. The highlights of camping were not being able to sleep due to the heat and humidity (the lake effect of cooling off at night wasn't working. This was some very stubborn summer heat.), an air mattress that leaked, and what I would swear was a herd of deer rubbing up against my tent in the middle of the night. Always an adventure. However, the next morning when we got up and drove into Duluth, finally catching a glimpse of Lake Superior was breathtaking. I only wished I hadn't been driving (and following someone) because I could have just sat there lookin'. (Bucket List items *Going camping, *Going to Duluth.)

 

  

 

While we had a great time at the conference, we did take the opportunity to sight see, and our host graciously played tour guide, too. We enjoyed seeing the ships docked, the lighthouse on the lake, a moose chair and a bit of ice cream. Also a big highlight were these fountains that shoot up from the sidewalk. There were two different spots of them, and the kids took full advantage of getting as wet as possible.

One place we went on our sightseeing tour where I didn't get any pictures of somehow, was Enger Tower, the Peace Bell and the Japanese garden - all one place. I could never remember the name, I kept calling it Angry Tower, and up until just now when I Googled it, I thought it was called Anger Tower. lol Cool video of bell being run here.) The Tower offers some ah-mazing panoramic views of the city and the lake.

While we enjoyed our trip to Duluth, the kids were not so thrilled with all the driving, and while they liked it, they decided they don't want to go back any time too soon. Next time... with daddy, for sure. And... a hotel.

FOUR!

Finally, we ended July with a certain little boy's birthday. Boy was he excited to turn four (though he really wanted to be five. All the good things happen when you're five, apparently.) Since he figured out how to ride without training wheels, all by himself, on Cheeks old bike that had a flat tire - the kid was d.e.t.e.r.m.i.n.e.d - we thought a new bike was in order for his birthday. We celebrated with family and friends, and some pinata fun, complements of Grammie.

Phew. And you haven't even seen August yet.