We had an exciting month of July as we took a family vacation to Colorado (I'll hopefully be posting all about that soon), so a good bit of our month was spent preparing for our trip and then on vacation. This post contains the fun stuff we were up to during to other parts of the month!
I mentioned last month that the Summer Reading Program at our local library began on June 1st. After signing up, the kids each received an age appropriate list of activities they must complete in addition to reading books and making a certain number of library visits. My kiddos were on top of their game this year and completed all the requirements for the program by July 3rd! They each received a prize and a certificate for their accomplishment.
Of course, that didn't mean that we stopped visiting the library and participating in the weekly programs. One of the most popular programs is the Native American Storyteller, and Bren was an "on-stage" participant this year!
The little girls have loved attending Miss Shelly's class this summer, but unfortunately we were only able to go to one class in July. We missed the first class of the month, and after the second class Miss Shelly had to cancel the remainder of her classes for the summer due to losing her space where she held the class :-(.
Brooke and Brecklyn at Miss Shelly's
We celebrated Independence Day on July 3rd with our church family. On July 4th, I took the girls to the splash pad in Oologah for a change of scenery. We picked up Chloe on our way there so she could join us!
While the girls were having some water fun, Brenson and Daddy were hiking the trails at Oologah Lake. They were training for their week of hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and Chris was pushing them pretty hard. It was HOT and Bren had to have a break!
As is to be expected for July in Oklahoma, we had several days that were too hot to be outside in the middle of the day. We visited the park after dinner in the evening when it was a little cooler several times this month!
The twins had both been showing a lot of interest in riding bikes. I pulled Brianna's toddler bike out of the attic, and happened to find a matching one being sold online for $10! To say they are excited to each have a bike of their own is an understatement! They are still learning to steer and pedal efficiently, but they are catching on quickly.
Brooke, Brecklyn
One weekend - in between training for his hike in the morning and evening - Chris did some more work on the play set. I love to see progress!
As our vacation was approaching, I had quite a to-do list. It's a lot of work to prepare a family of six for a vacation! However, when the kids kept asking me to have a picnic for lunch, I put the to-do list aside and took them to the lake for a picnic.
Trying to find the best angle . . .
The heat was intense that day, so after eating and playing for about 30 minutes, we headed back home to the air conditioning!
I'm thankful that my children are easily entertained indoors as well as out!
Brecklyn, Brooke
We (Brianna, especially) enjoy our neighbor's granddaughter, Charley, when she comes to play.
Brenson's favorite thing to do is build and construct. The creation in the photo below was impressive to me as he made it where the switch made each gear on the rectangle turn.
We did a lot of playing "school" this month. I remember doing this all the time as a child, too!
Baking cookies is always a popular activity. Charley and Brianna were such good helpers (they pretty much made the dough themselves!)
But everyone had to help sample the dough, of course!
My cute babies before church one Sunday . . . love them!
Brenson has been experimenting with making different faces during pictures. Let's just say I've not been too thrilled with this (although it makes me laugh)!
We typically eat out on Wednesday evenings before Bible study, and we almost always go to our favorite Mexican restaurant. I guess we were feeling extra adventurous this month because we changed things up one evening and went to Subway. I had the best dinner dates!
The guys (including my dad, brother, and nephew) headed to Colorado a full week before the ladies so they could spend five days and five nights hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. The morning they left (Friday, July 13th), Brianna had a really hard time. She just hates anytime Daddy is away from us overnight. I attempted to cheer her up by taking the girls to the splash pad to play, but it didn't really work :-(.
Thankfully, she perked up and wasn't down the whole time we were separated. It helped when friends came over to enjoy popsicles!
I wrote in last month's round-up that my friend Kendall and her family are moving. Her husband, Wes, got a new job as a preacher for a church in a smallish Kansas town. We wanted to have a little gathering with them before they moved away, and I offered to host. I didn't realize at the time that the gathering fell during the time when Chris and Bren were gone, but there was no other time that everyone was available before the move. Despite my guys not being there, we had a nice time saying farewell to our friends.
Brianna and Annie
Chelley holding sweet Annie
BFFs - Amy, Chelley, Kendall, and Angie
Kendall's whole family was there, as well as Amy's husband Matt and Angie's husband Jesse. Obviously, I didn't do a great job taking photos that evening! Wes and Kendall and their family were the first ones to leave my house that evening, and it was so hard watching them drive away. There were lots of tears from all of us! I know we'll still see each other, but it just won't be the same as having them close.
They officially moved out of their house while we were on vacation. Love this family so much!
We returned from our vacation on Friday, July 27th. After a weekend of unpacking, settling back in at home, and sick kids (because the stomach bug decided to come home with us from Colorado), we decided to cap the month with a visit to the zoo.
Brianna, Brenson, Brooke, and Brecklyn watching the chimps
Brecklyn, Brenson, Brooke, and Brianna
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I so cherish these zoo days with my crew!
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This zoo visit was especially enjoyable as our zoo had just had a new baby giraffe.
It was amazing to watch the baby and his momma interact!
My kids are growing so much, and I notice that I spend much of my time hanging back and watching them these days. It's crazy how different (dare I say easier?!?) it is from just one year ago. It's a good reminder for me to soak up every stage because they are fleeting.
I always feel like the end of July signals the end of the summer because August means it's time to start focusing on getting the kiddos ready to go back to school. I'm not feeling quite ready for that, but ready or not . . .
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