I consider the beginning of summer to be the day after school lets out for the year. This year, that day was Friday, May 26th, and we started our summer off with a play date!
We always have a great time with our LeFlore friends!
And this time we had the extra bonus of seeing Angie and Amy, too! Whoo-hoo for the kick-off to summer!
The first full week after school let out was the week we found out that we had lost our baby Seven. Learning of that loss definitely brought our summer outings and fun to a halt for a period of time. Not only was I physically unable to go anywhere for a while, but I was also heartbroken and just struggling to want to do anything. However - whether I wanted it to or not - life continued to move forward and I definitely didn't want to waste the precious time I had been given with my babies.
The first event that got us out of the house again was our annual VBS. I had already committed to teaching a class months prior, and I was so grateful that G-Jo came to help me with the children while I was preparing for my class.
Brenson, Brecklyn, G-Jo, Brooke, and Brianna
Our theme was God's Team, and I decorated my classroom in basketball decor.
I taught 4 and 5 year olds this year.
Chris was our director again, and he always does a great job!
I loved watching my little girls during the big assembly. They were just soaking it all in!
Brooke
Brecklyn
Brianna was thrilled to bring her friend, Charley, every night.
Brooke and Brecklyn loved VBS!
Brenson is a great student and learned so much!
Each year, one of the kids' favorite songs is "When I Grow Up". They love getting up in front of everyone.
Brecklyn
Brooke
Brenson
Brianna
After the completion of VBS, we celebrated Father's Day. The kids really enjoyed helping me make this day special for their Daddy.
Chris with Brianna, Brecklyn, Brooke, and Brenson
Chris with Brianna
Chris with Brenson
Chris with Brooke
Chris with Brecklyn
My Dad was also able to join us for Father's Day. The kids adore their Grampy!
My kids are blessed to have loving, attentive grandparents!
Brianna, Brecklyn, G-Jo, Brenson, Grampy, and Brooke
The day after Father's Day, we left for a two week vacation to Colorado. It came at the perfect time and was just the get-away we all needed!
Not too long after getting home from our Colorado vacation, the kids and I drove to Conway, Arkansas to pick up my niece Kaylee for the week. It's about a nine hour round trip and always an adventure! I was thankful to have Kaylee as back-up for the second half of the trip!
While Kaylee was with us for a week, we did lots of fun activities.
We tie-dyed t-shirts
(they turned out so cute!),
baked and decorated cookies
(watch out for the toddler with the rolling pin . . . eeeeep!),
did a bit of Oklahoma sight-seeing,
visited our other cousin, Chloe Jo, who had just had a tonsillectomy,
played at the library,
challenged each other in a game of LIFE,
and just enjoyed being together! We were thankful for such a good week with our cousin!
In addition to VBS, vacation, and overnight guests, we still had plenty of time for all of our other usual summer activities.
We participated in the summer reading program at our local library. The weekly presentations were great, as usual!
My kids loved learning to spin plates.
This year, our library had a musician they've never had before. He was very entertaining, and we even purchased one of his albums!
All four kids completed all the requirements for the summer reading program and earned prizes.
Brecklyn and Brooke (so proud!)
Bren and Brianna
Along with weekly visits to the library, we also made weekly visits to Fridays with Miss Shelly. Miss Shelly no longer does classes year round, but I was thrilled to learn that she still does classes during the summer. It's hard to believe that Brooke and Brecklyn are old enough to go to class, but they did great!
I loved watching them participate!
We love Miss Shelly, and all four of my kids have now been enrolled in her classes as two year olds!
We also made several visits to the zoo. I think the best thing about the zoo is that we never know what we're going to see during each visit, so it never gets old.
Brecklyn, Brooke, Brenson, and Brianna
Brenson, Brooke, Brecklyn, and Brianna
Brenson, Brecklyn, Brianna, and Brooke
(Yes, I dress them all in the same color on purpose!)
We rarely ride the carousel simply because it's difficult to get everyone on with only one adult. On this day, Chris was able to meet us at the zoo for a few hours, so we rode the carousel!
Momma and Brecklyn
Brianna
Daddy and Brooke
This photo was taken during a visit where we were able to see a new exhibit for the first time. We were impressed!
Brenson, Brianna, Brecklyn, and Brooke
I love my littles! They bring more joy to my day than they will ever know!
Brenson, Brecklyn, Brooke, and Brianna watching the snow leopard be lazy on a hot summer day.
My sweet oldest girl and I watching the giraffes!
One of my kids' favorite animals to watch are the meercats. And really, they are quite entertaining! The exhibit has this little statue of a meercat that my girls can't resist kissing!
Brooke
Brecklyn
How did Brianna get *almost* too big to fit in this?!?
Bren still fits . . . for now :-)
We were surprised during this visit at how active the bear was. She's usually pretty lazy when it's hot outside, but not this day!
Brecklyn, Brooke, and Brenson
Brooke, Brianna, Brecklyn, and Brenson
Along with frequenting the zoo during the summer, we also frequent our local splash pad. AND, I can now say splash PADS because our town built a new one this summer! It's quite a bit farther from our house, but we still had to try it out a few times.
I think these two appreciated the variety more than the little girls.
Brooke really doesn't care where we go as long as she can play in the water!
Brecklyn tends to be a little reserved at first when it comes to water activities, but it doesn't take her long to warm up!
I adore this photo of my big girl . . . it sums her up pretty well, I think!
Always running . . .
My sweet boy <3 p="">
Of course, our inaugural visit to the new splash pad had to include an injury. Brecklyn fell and scraped up her leg. She was super upset about it, and we ended up just going home not too long after it happened. Thankfully, we had already been at the splash pad for over an hour. Brecklyn tends to be a bit dramatic when it comes to injuries, and this time was certainly no exception :-(.
Thankfully, the injury didn't dampen our spirits too much :-).
Last summer - with selling our house, building a new house, moving, sickness, and deaths - I'm not sure we even set up our inflatable pool at home. This summer, however, we used it quite a bit! My kids just love water! Of course, it always adds to the fun when a friend joins us.
The kids played and played and played in our pool. Thankfully, the weather was warm this summer, but rarely so hot it was miserable.
We also enjoyed quite a few yummy treats. Isn't that one of the most fun things about summer? I'm not a huge ice cream fan, but even I enjoyed my fair share of it this summer!
Brooke and Momma sharing a shake
Brecklyn and Daddy sharing a shake
Brenson and Brianna sharing a shake
We always make it a point to get snocones in the summer. Isn't that just a summertime "thing"? The kids were SO excited this year about getting snocones, but I'm pretty sure the anticipation of it was better than the actual treat.
Brianna and Brenson
Brecklyn and Brooke
Brooke :-)
Brecklyn :-)
Momma and Brianna
Brenson, Brecklyn, and Daddy
Everyone show your snocone tongue!
💓💓💓
We pretty much never go out in the evenings and get treats with the kids because it's just too crazy and too late and everything turns to chaos too fast. However, this summer we did go for a treat several times and it worked out great! We even went after Wednesday evening Bible study a few times.
Brooke, Kaylee, Grampy, and Brecklyn at Dairy Queen
Brenson and Brianna
Chris and Chelley
We also went for an ice cream treat one evening after a photo session. Brenson was actually very excited for the ice cream, but he said he was all out of smiles from the session, haha.
We typically do several picnics in the park during the summer, but this year we only did that once or twice. We did, however, eat on our back patio at home many times!
Brenson, Brooke, Brianna, and Brecklyn eating in the park.
Other fun summer activities we did this year include:
Going out for lunch,
(and even breakfast once),
a playdate at the Will Rogers Museum with our friend, Sadie,
posing for pictures in our summery outfits before church,
baking cookies,
crafting with Momma
(Brooke)
(Brecklyn)
(Brianna)
(Brenson),
and enjoying family walks and incredible sunsets!
We're incredibly thankful that after a devastating beginning to our summer, we were still able to find beauty and joy in our simple life. God's blessings are bountiful!
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