FIRST WEEK
We had swim lessons in the mornings. This is the 3rd year we've done swim lessons and the first year all four kids have taken them! I'm thankful for our friends that we take them with or else I'd be lonely sitting in the stands watching!
Caroline - Level 3
Jonathan - Level 2
Matthew and Elizabeth - Level 1
After swim lessons were over, we'd grab a quick lunch and head to Music Camp for the big kids. We did also manage to squeeze in some library time since the summer reading program is underway. We've learned that it's better to get prizes early as they seem to run out of the best prizes.
We also had some special adventures while waiting for drop-off for Music Camp. We found some ducks hanging out at the ponds at church. We have kept bread crusts in the freezer for a while and this was the perfect opportunity to feed them! The kiddos had fun hanging out and watching the ducks.
They thought it was great how close the ducks came to get the bread! By the second day, the ducks were coming up to us as we walked to the pond as if they were expecting us to feed them!
My 4 little ducks all in a row!
Music Camp was a new experience for us as when we switched churches last summer, when we visited our current church for the first time, they were doing the Music Camp performance. We were disappointed to not hear the pastor, yet excited to see this opportunity available for our children. The kids go for several hours each afternoon and learn the musical -- about an hour long program. They also have electives they are able to do as well. Both of our kiddos chose Art. They made several crafts including paracord bracelets, origami and tie-dyed pillowcases. They put on a performance Friday night as well as both services on Sunday morning. There was also an ice cream social that followed the performance on Friday. A CD was sent home to help the children listen to the music to help in memorizing it quickly. Our kiddos loved it so much that even Elizabeth and Matthew learned all the songs while listening to the CD!
Can you pick out our kiddos??
Our superstars!
Our kiddos and their dear friends!
After Music Camp, we'd head home for dinner. We also had another first in that Jonathan is playing baseball this summer. He has practice on Wednesday nights and games on Thursday nights.
SECOND WEEK
We continued swim lessons for another week. The kiddos were doing great in getting more comfortable in the water. All of them went off the diving board -- some with extra assistance.
We also got our front porch fixed. Several years ago, it began crumbling around the edge. David did a temporary fix of installing some boards to keep it from crumbling more. Then the flower box planter was begining to bow out and the steps were beginning to crumble. We received several estimates last year, but the one that we decided to go with put us off for several months and by late November, we'd decided he didn't want the job. We got a new estimate this spring and are really pleased with how it turned out.
Not only did they tear out the porch, but also the retirement home bushes!!
Watching them work.
A little settling over the years caused a "vault" like area.
Partly framed before day 2
The kiddos were super excited for us to have a cement mixer in our driveway!! Ever since Caroline was little, I've always pointed out cement trucks when we see them.
The peanut gallery watching the cement being poured into the form.
Two of the cutest workers I know!!
All poured and beginning to cure.
A few mornings later, I was doing some work on the few remaining bushes and getting some new plants in the ground. The kiddos decided to take their rocking chairs out to the porch so they could "supervise" my work. It sorta feels like a Cracker Barrel...
We participated in a service project at church called 'Make an Impact'. Several hundred people were disbursed in teams around the southside of Indianapolis to work on a variety of projects. We wanted to do a project we could do as a family. We worked with the organization Keep Indianpolis Beautiful. Our project was to pull weeds. Sounds easy enough, but due to a lack of rain, hard clay dirt and a hot day -- it was a challenging project. We were able to meet some more new people at our church and get to give of our time to serve someone else.
The "Fly-away Tie" cake for the special men in our family!
Father's Day was celebrated with the Dad's in our family. We had a busy day as David was playing in the worship band at church and I am teaching 4th grade during the second service. After church, we came home and spent time with our favorite Daddy. The kiddos were excited as they had got David some Laser Fingers from the Summer Reading Program so he could play with them. They also had been making duct tape crafts, so we made him a wallet complete with coupons, money and a drivers license. We met up with David's family for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant - Moe's Southwest Grill. Everyone came back to our house for cake and ice cream after.
THIRD WEEK
** NOTE: no pictures taken this week**
This week consisted of two eye doctor appointments, four well check visits and four dental check-up. I'm am very thankful we have good insurance as this could have been a VERY expensive week for us!
Eyes
We did find out that Caroline has my eyes, so it's a matter of keeping on top of her check-ups, possibly even twice a year to keep her seeing clearly. She picked out some new glasses and was so excited when they finally came in! They are similar to her last pair, but I think she was most excited about being able to see clearly! Jonathan was borderline for needing glasses, so we'll have him re-checked after school gets underway. They did a test and found he is not color blind.
Health
Here's the breakdown on their percentiles:
Caroline is 75% height/69% weight
Jonathan is 61% height/62% weight
Elizabeth is 85% height/92% weight
Matthew is 93% height/87% weight
So they are all healthy and growing. I can tell they are growing as our grocery bill is growing as well!!
Teeth
Jonathan gave his dental hygenist a break by only having 18 teeth for her to clean! He had both front top teeth getting wiggly at the end of school, but wasn't really working too hard on wiggling them. As it turned out, he lost them two nights in a row -- with the help of his Daddy giving a big tug! I love his toothless grin!!
Thankfully, our dentist thinks we should wait until Caroline looses a few more teeth to see if her upper teeth move into place before going for a orthodontist consultation. I have a feeling that we will more than likely have braces in our future -- for at least one of our kiddos!! Do they give discounts for multiples?!?
FOURTH WEEK
The final week of June was a busy one. I felt like a working mom as we'd leave most mornings by 9:30am and not get home until after 4pm. The girls both took a dance camp offered by a family in our church. The price was right, I am interested in cultivating positive relationships for them and, hey, it's summer, right?! So, it was a 20 minute drive to get to the dance camp. Elizabeth's session was from 10am - noon. Caroline's session was from 1pm - 3:30pm. Instead of spending extra time in the car, we went adventuring. We explored parts of Indiana I've never been to before! We went to a new library (twice!), a new-to-me park (Jonathan went on a field trip there in Kindergarten) and spent some time playing at a few different friend's who lived close by.
The boys were troopers throughout the week! By the end of the week, we were all exhaused! Matthew ended up falling asleep everyday on the way home -- we have experimented with going without naps this summer due to our busy schedule and found he still needs a nap most days.
The girls LOVED Dance Camp!! On the last day, we were able to watch them perform all of the dances they learned -- 4 in all! I was able to take a video of them, but when we went to show them to David, our camera was not performing correctly! ICK. So, we'll have to just let you imagine our girls dancing to several different types of Christian music groups with lyrical dance and hip-hop moves. The younger group was adorable! Elizabeth was very pleased with her skills and can often be found now doing some kicks that resemble a miniature Rockette! Caroline seemed so professional and grown up while doing her performance!
So -- that's what we did in June. Just wait until you see what we've got lined up for July....
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