Summer

It's nearly time to close up June. I can't believe I have been on summer vacation for almost a month. We have been busy trying to keep busy. Braydon and Elise are enjoying each other SO MUCH. It's good thing they have each other- it allows me a FEW free minutes. (I use the word few, lightly). Braydon has been participating in t-ball and basketball this summer. When that is all done, he will start swimming lessons- his second set. He loves both activities. And not to be biased, but he's a good little athlete. He is doing the Kernels Reading Program this summer. His goal is to read 1,000 minutes by the end of the summer. He is 50 minutes away from 500! He reads at least 25 minutes per day- we are trying to keep him 'ahead of the game' in school. Hopefully this helps his transition to 1st grade go smoothly. So far this summer we have visited the splash pad in town, gone to the Cedar Rapids Pool, gone to parks, Palo Beach, the library, Hansen's Dairy Farm in Hudson, had Cash over for a week, and of course played outside for countless hours. Anything to avoid being 'bored.' I think our favorite activity so far was going to the pool and to the dairy farm. Elise loved seeing the cows. Elise is growing like a weed. I can't believe she will be 2 at the end of the summer. She loves to read books, eat, sit at the table like a big girl, run, push her stroller for a walk, and whatever Braydon is doing- she wants to do it too! We attempted to get rid of the 'binky' this last weekend. (Key word- ATTEMTPED). We were unsuccessful. When I picked her up for her last day of daycare on May 30th, her teachers told me they stopped giving her the binky when she started in that room (in January). Ha! Boy had she fooled us. She is like a bink-aholic around here. Not only does she need 1 bink, but 2!! One for her mouth and one for her hand. Anyway, after letting her scream for 20+ minutes last Sunday night, my heart broke, and I was forced to give it back to her. I realized as long as she only has it when she's sleeping, what is it hurting? Right? After witnessing a 2+ year old at the pool today (in the water) with a bink in her mouth, I figured Elise is doing great! The rest of the summer we plan to visit the Omaha Zoo as well as the Ward's, celebrate Cash's birthday in DesMoines and B's at Planet X in Cedar Rapids, attend a wedding in Okoboji, and enjoy some relaxation! Oh, and if you're reading this and wondering why it is all one paragraph (as the preview shows me)- I did actually use correct structure; however, it must be because I am using my IPAD and it won't allow it to format correctly. Annoying! Happy Summer!