Random summer days

I can't believe it's going to be the start of August this week.  Of course that makes my anxiety kick in thinking about all the things left on our summer bucket list that need to get done before we're all back to school and work.  But, enough thinking about that for now.  I'd rather reflect on some of our fun in July when we weren't up at the lake house.

Considering we spent a total of 11 days this month at the lake, that left us with 20 days to fill with other summer fun.  So, without much explanation, here goes...

Sno-cones with our Snoopy machine were a hit, while my arm felt like it was going to fall off from cranking the wheel.

A play date with their cousin, Adelaide, included a trip to McDonald's for lunch and then off to Splash Park where they ran back and forth between the play structure and the splash pad calling them the "Hot tamale" and "Cold tamale". 

We joined a free group called Run DTP Kids where we meet in downtown at the PARC track for the kids to run laps and record their laps.  They earned a free t-shirt and book too! 

Frisbee in the yard with Dad, bike riding on our small part of the street, running through sprinklers, and riding scooters have been popular activities late afternoon when we need the kids out of the house.

We let the boys wash our cars one hot afternoon and they had a blast!  Surprisingly enough, the cars were pretty clean when all was said and done.

Scott's garden has really taken off!  We have 6 pumpkins growing right now and he's pulled snap peas and some green beans off the vines in the backyard.

We've had practically no rain this summer it seems.  So, when it rained for a few minutes while the sun was out during our movie, we stopped and went outside to see the rainbow.

Sean went to a 3 hour golf clinic with his friend, Corey, last Monday and really enjoyed it! 

We had play dates with several friends.  First, we went to my friend Laura's house out in Wyandotte to swim in their pool.  Her daughter is 2 and she's pregnant with a boy.

Then, we met up with my friend Andrea and her boys Ethan and Logan from school and went to lunch at Leo's and over to our favorite pool in Livonia.  It was a fun afternoon!

Speaking of swim, Evan moved up to the next level already at Goldfish and is now in Glider 3!

Our new carpet was installed up the stairs, in the hallway, and in all three bedrooms and closets from Home Depot.  We love how it looks and feels!  Such a huge difference!

We took the boys on a rainy morning to Zap Zone to do laser tag and play arcade games for a bit before we did school supply shopping at Target with my teacher coupon. 

We also decided to go over to the Henry Ford Museum late Saturday afternoon after a trip to the farmer's market.  Andrea's family owns Miller Bar in Dearborn and we finally went over there for burgers.  Pretty tasty, but definitely a unique experience.

Scott's cousins, Courtney and Jeni, met up with us at Atwater Brewery in Detroit for lunch and we went over to the DNR Adventure Center.  It was a fun play date and they had never been to either spot.  The food was so good!

The boys had a birthday party yesterday at Pump It Up and ended up going over to a friend's house after the party to play some more.  I think they're having a great summer so far...

I actually rode my bike over to their house later in the evening for some drinks and adult conversation!  I'm loving our friends out here in Plymouth.  It took a long time to make those connections with people in the community, but now I finally feel like we've got a network of friends.

Not to mention my network of friends across the country who send me thoughtful gifts as a reminder of our bond over books!

We're ending July this week with three t-ball games for Evan, dentist appointments for the boys, a play date in downtown Detroit with my co-workers and their kids, and tutoring for Sean.  I'm keeping those boys busy.  So much so, that they sometimes crash late afternoon with books on tape...