winding down our summer

We are having so much fun with our challenges this summer.  We've had lots of cold treats and even found some new fun spots.  We baked banana bread for a neighbor police officer.  We've volunteered at the nursing home playing Bingo, eaten at local restaurants and worn a little man out numerous times.
We also scored a huge tub of Legos which the boys have really flourished in their creativity.  I'm loving these kiddos and the memories we are making.

Rock 'n' River

We earned our free passes to Rockn' River through our Round the Rock challenge.  We have had so much fun this summer discovering new places around our hometown and earning free stuff is fun too.  Daddy took the day off and we spent most of the day at the park.  HR was very reluctant to try the slides, but he finally gave in.
Part of our challenge was to take a selfie under the big bucket, CHECK.  We are winding down our summer list and most things left are pretty pricey so not sure we will hit the 40 mark which was our goal.  We knew we didn't want to do all 50 because there were a few we were absolutely not going to do.  LE plans to create a fall bucket list for us.  I'm in.

weekend getaway

Our cousin, Emmie celebrated her birthday and we took that opportunity to travel home to see family.  Gigi and PopPop were out of town so we got to take over their house and the creek for the weekend.  It was a much needed R and R for Mama and Daddy and the kids had a blast on the creek for three days with cousins.
I will say working the way we do, I truly appreciate the little things in life far more.

round the rock challenge part 2

We marked off number 30 on our challenge this week.  We tried geocaching, found a trail in RR to hike, we skipped riding the train at the outlet mall and instead rode a time machine, who knew time travel was cheaper. We've done 8 of the 10 Where's Waldo challenges at Kaleidoscope Toys.  We had breakfast in our pj's at Chick-Fil-A which counted for 2 because it was a restaurant with a playground.  All four participated in Bass Pro Shop Summer Camp including earning badges for archery and gardening.  This past Saturday, we visited a farmer's market to complete our 30th of fifty activities on the list.
LE has been working on a list we can do after school starts.  It has really helped me to be get us out of the house and try new things this summer.

fourth of July

This year we braved Old Settler's Park for the fourth.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still a long day with four kiddos.  I taught a special July 4th class that morning and one of my fighters invited us over for hot dogs that afternoon. We contemplated which of the Sam Bass shoot outs to attend and decided if we went to the early one we'd leave for sure not brave the fireworks.
We arrived about 15 minutes before the show and got front row seats.  LE was chosen by Sam Bass to countdown the show.  And now they want to sign up to be in next year's production.

Boo's piano recital

Highland Lakes PreTeen Camp

This past Sunday, Ben dropped the girls and I off for Preteen camp at Highland Lakes.  Our church took 21 kids and 4 chaperones to camp.
I quickly realized I am a Mama.  The clutter, giggling and disregard for rules was almost too much for me.  Jesus and I had a moment that first evening and I realized there is a lot I have to let got of.
The girls had an awesome time.  We swam, kayaked, rode a banana boat, had outdoor fun at archery, and BB guns, BMX bikes.  The guest speaker was phenomenal.  He knew how to connect with the kids and taught on obedience through the story of Noah, loving like Jesus and the story of Elijah like I've never heard before.  I am so grateful I had these four days to connect with my girls, but I think it was a one time adventure for me, unless I can learn to relax again.

Round the Rock Challenge in June

This summer we are participating in the Round the Rock challenge.  We have a list of 50 activities to complete this summer to receive rewards from merchants in Round Rock.
In June (from top left), we watched a movie in RR, participated in the library reading program, found the wagon ruts, participated in a summer library program, played in a RR park, took a pet to the dog park, played at All Abilities Park, found Sam Bass final resting place, found the RR mural, enjoyed a cool treat, had a RR Donut, found the Round Rock, went to an Express game, and found the statues in downtown RR.
We have had so much fun and earned our first gift card to Kaleidoscope Toys.