Last Dog Days of Summer

We crammed as much fun as we could into the final week of summer. I went with the "yes" mentality and just found as many ways to have fun as we could. Had to squeeze every last ounce out of our summer. I could hardly believe how much we found time to fit in....even some learning too! Had to prepare Eli to start off first grade strong.

We made it out to Lake Ella for some tree climbing and rock throwing. It was a hot, but gorgeous day. Eli got braver and kept going higher and higher into the tree. Jude was content not too high off the ground...and would rather throw rocks.

Both boys were in their element and happy as could be.

The morning after our anniversary, I decided to put that white craft paper I used to cover the table with to good use. I wrote sight words all over it with white crayon. Eli had to find the words by painting over them and then read each one. He really enjoyed the activity...so much so that I had to go back and add more words for a second round of fun. Jude couldn't be left out and painted right along with his brother.

 

Turned out to be a great way to get Eli practicing more difficult sight words without it being boring. 

That afternoon, I set up a math game that was perfect for a hot afternoon. 

The green balloons had math problems on them for Eli to solve and the other colors had numbers for Jude to recognize. Once the boys figured it out, they threw them at number targets I had set up in the yard. 

Again, the boys had so much fun, that I ended up filling up more balloons for a second round....but the second one was just for fun. Mommy got a little wet too. So fun!

During that week, the boys were over the moon excited to have another little cousin born into the family. Brandon and Christine welcomed their beautiful daughter Reid into the world. Eli and Jude were both incredibly excited, but Jude was truly smitten and couldn't stop looking at her picture. 

Congratulations Brandon and Christine!

My boys know how to make a mess is .06 seconds. It is as if Eli and Jude tag team and see who can make the biggest mess the fastest. Our great room can go from clean....

....to this in just a moment or two. And trying to get them to help clean it up is no fun. Sigh. I think this will be my favorite part of back-to-school....less messes. 

Eli's school held its annual Back to School Bash mid-week. We were excited to learn who Eli's first grade teacher would be (though we wouldn't meet her until the following day...) and get sno-cones. 

Can you guess what Jude's favorite part was?

To wrap up our last week of summer, we decided to host an end-of-summer Ice Cream Party/Playdate at the park. It threatened to rain, but it didn't keep many away, and we managed to have an amazing time with our friends.

These 3 Musketeers have been friends since birth! I love that they are still close despite going to different schools.

The kids gorged themselves on ice cream and toppings and then played and played and played. It was the perfect way to end the summer.  Eli and I decided that we should do it every summer. Tradition started. Yes!

That afternoon, we were invited to see Planes with friends. I managed to take the three boys to the movies....by myself. A proud Mama moment....silly, but true.

The movie was super cute. I am excited to watch it again when it comes out on video. 

And yes, this kid tagged along every step of the way. He is so go with the flow. Love him....

And that's it. The dog days of summer have sadly and officially ended. Bittersweet. But happy that we went out with a bang! Summer 2013 was a summer of fun and full of adventure, learning, and excitement.