Summer is coming to an end when the kiddos start KINDERGARTEN on Monday.  I keep wondering how on earth we are approaching kindergarten.  It’s certainly a bittersweet time, but we are all excited about this year of learning and new beginnings.  We had a fabulous summer jam packed with items on my mental “bucket list”, many of which were firsts for us.

SWIMMING

The kids started taking swim lessons in April and wrapped up in June.  They had a great first experience with swim lessons and were able to practice their new skills the rest of the summer on vacation, in the neighborhood, and at Grandaddy’s pool.  They still liked having puddle jumpers, but proved themselves capable of swimming with close supervision.  In fact, Mason taught himself to do back somersaults!

DANCE RECITAL

This year the girls were more confident at their dance recital and were so excited to receive flowers afterwards.  Both of them soak up the accolades from performing.

GYMNASTICS

After dance lessons wrapped up, all four kids started gymnastics at ASI.  I’ve been amazed at their progress in such a short amount of time.  No one is ready for the Olympics, but I’ve noticed increased muscle tone, better coordination and motor planning, and improved attention.

SIX FLAGS

We received Six Flags season passes for Christmas from Grandaddy (hooray for an experience gift!!) and made good use of them this summer    We learned a few things at Six Flags 1. Our kids are really short.  This means that most rides require them to sit with an adult.  Because of this we take turns riding with one kid while one parent waits with the others.  2.  Harper is not a thrill seeker.  He likes watching the rides but would rather not go up high, fast, in the dark, or in circles.  He’s a good sport about it though.  3. Six Flags is a place where the kids should dress alike.  I’m not one for making them match, but in busy places it’s a sanity saver!

 

HURRICANE HARBOR

Since our Six Flags passes included Hurricane Harbor admission, we took our first ever trip to a water park.  Thankfully, my sister and brother in law came along for the fun because it was HARD work keeping track of four learning to swim kids in a water park.

BEACH VACATION

We made our annual pilgrimage to North Padre Island with my family.  It was a fabulous trip, except for the part when I was hit with the stomach bug the kids had weeks prior. Seriously, stomach bugs are the worst.  My family picked up the slack while I binged on HGTV and kept the kids busy in the water.

COYOTE DRIVE IN

We all had a blast at the Coyote Drive In.  It was a good thing we went before the kids turned five because ages 4 and under are free.  I hadn’t been to a drive in since my own childhood, and the it was the kids first time.  They were troopers staying up well past bedtime to see Cars 3.

BOWLING

My college roommates joined us for a field trip to Main Event.  Just like with Six Flags we realized how tiny the kids are.  The smallest kid’s bowling shoes are at least two sizes too big for Syd.  The kids proved to possess special bowling talents including: 1. getting a gutter ball WITH bumpers 2. rolling a ball so slowly that you can send the second one down the lane before the pins are reset 3. rolling a ball so slowly it stops mid lane.  Nonetheless, it was a fun adventure.

ALTITUDE TRAMPOLINE PARK

We met up with our quad buddies, the Bells for a playdate at Altitude.  We had a great time bouncing around and swimming through the foam pit.  The picture below includes all eight quads.

KINDNESS ROCKS

Kindness Rocks are all the rage in our neighborhood.  We painted our own river rocks and added inspirational words then scattered them around the neighborhood.  Then, we set out to find a few of our own.  The girls that live two doors down make sure to leave plenty of pretties in our yard and on the porch so it’s like an ongoing Easter egg hunt.

FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY

Last year the kids received a membership to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, (another fabulous gift idea!) and we’ve gotten plenty of use out of it.  We especially enjoyed taking friends with us to see the Dora & Diego and Clifford the Big Red Dog exhibits.

GRAPEVINE VINTAGE RAILROAD

Harper has been a train aficionado since he was about two.  He loves learning about trains, being the train engineer, and designing his tracks.  I was pleased to find a reasonably priced kid friendly train ride for “Back to School” on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad.  All four kids enjoyed learning about the train, looking at the scenery, and of course noshing on snacks (all $1-2, yay!).

FIFTH BIRTHDAY

I blinked and somehow my babies turned five this summer.  To make it special, George picked up Hurts Donuts and I made sugar rimmed milk glasses with fancy straws and decorated the table.

END OF SUMMER PLAYDATE

With summer coming to a screeching halt, we had one last hurrah with our twinnie friends.  To make it special, Rylin and I decorated with old birthday party decorations and baked chocolate chip cookies.

Stay tuned for the low down on the kid’s fifth birthday party and kindergarten happenings.

hugs!

 

Amber

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