Summer Fun List

At the beginning of summer, I decided to make a list of all the fun things I wanted to do with the kids.  

I decided to display our list, basically for a reminder for myself. (This board once showed our meals for the week.) I like having all our fun things to do in sight. The girls can read and will go check out the list and will decide what they want to do. Some of the activities need a little prep work. If I don't have all the materials needed we will plan for that activity next week and pick a new one. Simple enough.



As you can see, we have already crossed alot off, and as of today we have crossed out 6 more! The joy of this list is that most of the activities can be repeated. I tried to find things to do outside and at night. My girls LOVE playing in the dark! It's probably because they know they should be sleeping that late. :)

I was able to take some pics of the kiddos playing with ice. This was super easy and free!

All you need is an empty cardboard juice container, water, and random objects.

Cut the top off this guy, add water, and have the kids find things to put in.

Freeze overnight and in the morning peel the cardboard off. The kids definitely enjoyed this!

And honestly, the kids favorite object to get out was the coins. The girls loved getting the money out as soon as it melted.

It was funny watching the kids trying to figure out how to get the objects out. This was a great activity for all of them to do. Although, the next time we do this I am going to make some changes. The first being, everyone will have their own! Secondly, I would like to try to layer the ice so that the heavier objects won't all be on the bottom. And maybe, have the kids pick a favorite food coloring to add to their own, will add even more excitement! 

Go have some fun with your kids! 

Cedar Point & Castaway Bay!!

We had a great time on our mini vacation! This was the first time Dustin has ever taken off more than one day of work. The kids and I really enjoyed having him to ourselves for a few days!

Anyway, we went to Cedar Point first, not really having a plan. Dustin and I have not been to Cedar Point since high school, and this was the first time for the kids.

Emma was able to ride some of the 'big' rides. She is right at 48 inches tall so Dustin and I took turns riding with her.

Allison, however, was just shy of 46 inches, which means no 'big' rides. There is a huge difference between 46 and 48 inches when it comes to rides. We know better next time we go, and hopefully Allison will grow a couple more inches! :)

Asher enjoyed himself in the Camp Snoopy area. There were quite a few rides he could go on with the girls. Cedar Point also has a  Kiddy Kingdom. It is similar to rides you would find at a county fair. He was able to ride all the attractions there.

Cedar Point also has a new attraction this year. It is Dinosaurs Alive and the kids loved it! The dinosaurs moved and made sounds. Some were much more frightening than others, but it was still a good time.

I was only able to take pictures of the kids from the Camp Snoopy and Dinosaurs Alive attractions.

(Dustin and the girls are in the front seat)

(Dinosaurs Alive!)

After Cedar Point, we stayed at the Castaway Bay. This was much more enjoyable for all the kids, because really, what kid doesn't want to stay in an 80 degree environment with unlimited swim time?!

These kiddos swam and swam for hours!! I was really surprised at the bravery of these little girls! They went on the water ride and slides all by themselves!

I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

Unfortunately, I didn't capture any of these moments. I was too busy chasing a two year old in the toddler tide pool....for hours! These are the few pics I was able to get.

(Those two heads bobbing in the water are the girls)

(This is the view from the toddler pool)

(Emma trying to cross the pool using the rope)

This is where you go to get on all the slides and rides. By the bucket, on top of the red roof, is where the biggest raft ride was. The girls went down that ride ALONE!    Still in shock over here!!

We really had a great time. It was nice to get away as a family and have fun together.

It was SO much fun, the girls are now asking when we can go back and stay longer.

Maybe we should have planned this trip for the end of summer.

I have a feeling I will be hearing this alot.

:)  

  

   

Summer Break Is Here!

This was the girls' last week of school and I am probably more excited than they are. Just to have them home with me is so comforting. And Asher is definitely making up for lost time with his sisters. He will follow them around the house and stay with them for hours. Which means this momma gets a little bit more free time.     :) :) :)

On their first day of summer vacation, what do you think they played?   School!  I am taking that as a good sign that they enjoyed the past year.  That makes me happy!

It was a short lived school day when Asher wanted to join in, though. He tried his best to write on the calender and help but, it didn't work out. He wanted to take full control of the classroom!

When this sort of thing happens, the girls will usually find something else to do. And then Asher joins them in that activity.  :)  He loves his big sisters!

Another reason I love the girls' being home is...... they help me cook!

Well, Emma is usually my big helper. She loves the prep work. I can't wait until she is a little older and I can give her more responsibility in the kitchen. Hopefully she can teach me a thing or two in the kitchen. I am not the greatest cook by any means, but I can make a pizza that everyone enjoys!

I really want this summer to be different with the kids. Usually we have lazy summer days. But I need a change. I have a lot of activities already lined up and a bunch of places to go. I know we will have some down days, but I want to try to keep them busy. I want them to have something they look forward to every week or twice a week. And they are all at an age where it is possible to do this. So I am taking advantage of it and we are going to have a great summer! One of the first places on our list  is coming up next week. It is called CEDAR POINT! Now this is one of the bigger places we will visit. But we are in need of a small vacation. We are celebrating Dustin's graduation and need some fun family time! I will post some pics from the trip when we get back.  

Enjoy the weekend and Lord bless!