This is my Mt. Everest... trying to recap the whole summer seems impossible to do, but I HAVE to before I can move on to anything else. So, having just put the baby, er, big boy, down for a nap, with the two bigs upstairs playing and Steve making a quick trip to PDQ, I will start the climb...
We had an awesome summer - filled with lazy days, late nights, awesome adventures and just hanging around. It would be impossible to recount every single thing we did, but a good way to hit some of the high points is to run through our Summer To Do List, as, once again, we managed to check off every single thing. I debated going in order of completion, but that seemed too complicated, so instead, we will run through each item as it appears on the list:
1) See Captain Underpants the movie: Completed on June 11th
I will admit - I went into this one wary. Captain Underpants always seemed somehow Spongebob adjacent, and whether it is true or just urban legend, I found it easy to believe that the mere act of watching that brand of cartoon had the potential for lowering my IQ. Nonetheless, we persevered, and in an effort to follow my general rule of reading the book before seeing the movie, we ordered the first few books on Amazon, and Steve read it to the kids during the day. I, too, managed to make my way through it after work one night and found myself surprisingly entertained. The movie did the books justice and I must admit, I was WRONG and I am now a converted FAN of Captain Underpants. The writing is easy to consume and highly entertaining (I legit found myself LOLing), and the movie was fun for kids and adults... or at least me.
2) Go Racing: Completed on August 12th
This one came in under the wire as we struggled to find a race to compete in... which makes PERFECT SENSE when you think about Texas (more specifically, Houston) in the summer. Only crazy people would sign up to run in these conditions. But we marked our calendar for this last Saturday of the Summer, and going against every fiber in my being that wanted to sleep in on the weekend, I rolled the kids out of bed, and we headed downtown in time to watch the 5K runner take off. We cheered as each runner finished, and then the kids lined up at the starting line for the kids 1/2 K run. I expected to have to jog along the side lines, but the kids were good to go, and I could see them on the course the whole way, so I found a place along the finish line and CHEERED my head off. They both did SO GREAT. Cooper was one of the first couple finishers, and Daphne was only a couple kids behind him. They ran the whole way, and deserved the medal awarded to them for their efforts. I was so proud of them, and excited that this might be something we can share as they get older.
3) See Cars 3: Completed on June 24th
This was a MUCH anticipated movie release, and I didn't expect anything could make it more exciting, but I was wrong, because this movie was extra special for us because not only did Grandma and Grandpa Kowalski go with us, but so did Michael - Cooper's godfather, and Steve's mom's cousin (which makes him Steve's... something). The movie was great, the equivalent of snuggling under a cozy blanket, with characters that were beloved in our house for many years. It is so hard to believe that the kid about to go into the 3rd grade is the same little toddler that couldn't walk past a car in Chicago without announcing its color, and stayed up into the wee hours of the night rolling red the fire truck back and forth in his crib. I don't think any Cars movie can top the original for me, but I will always be a fan of the franchise, because everything about Cars reminds me of Cooper's childhood.
4) Have a Lemonade Stand: Completed on July 4th
This was the perfect day for a lemonade stand if you wanted to appeal to a group of people DYING of the heat and needing something refreshing. This was NOT the perfect day for a lemonade stand if you were going to have to sit out in said heat to appeal to the people in need of lemonade. In short, it led to a lot of drinking of the lemonade by the sales force, which is basically how lemonade stands should go.
5) Make Tie Dye Clothes: Completed on July 14th
I don't remember this being quite so messy the last time we did it, but I think all of the stains have come out of our bathroom now... Anyway, we decided to make shirts for all the kids that would be going on the beach trip (other than Cal - he got some socks). I think they came out really cute, and now every time the kids wear them, I also think of how much fun we had at the beach!
6) Make homemade brownies: Completed on June 17th
We brilliantly paired this activity with number 9 on the list. Even Cooper, who "doesn't like chocolate" (yeah right), had to admit these were AMAZING.
7) Go to IFly: Completed on June 29th
I could tell you about the getting their early (as "required" per the website) and the waiting for a long time for no apparent reason, the rudeness of the "flight instructor" and condescending way he attempted to speak to me, the way they tell you one thing and then something else happens, the way they didn't send out photos or videos until we called 3 different times, or the last minute upcharge after already paying an insane price... I could linger on each of those things for a LONG time.. but instead I will just say it was awesome and super fun, and but for the aforementioned list of complaints, I would go back in a heartbeat. Fortunately, the kids didn't pay attention to any of the things on the list (other than the waiting), so they REALLY had fun. I both could and couldn't believe it when Daph jumped at the chance to go first, and totally rocked her flights, including when she went a good 20 feet from the ground, circling in the air with the instructor. I am raising some fearless kids.
8) Check out the Ninja Warrior Gym: Completed on July 25th
This has been on my general "to do" list for a LONG time. I mean, we have a gym run by some legit ninjas in the Houston area, and we LOVE Ninja Warrior - how could we NOT check it out!!!??? But, the thing is, the "Houston area" can mean literally hours of driving... But once we put it on the list, it HAD to be done, so we picked a class to sample during the week, and Steve and the kids swung by my work at the end of the day, and we caravaned to the gym to check it out. It was not quite as "fancy" as I might have expected (I assume they do decent business with the apparent rise of the Ninja Warrior phenomenon), and the coaches were a bit less hands on than I would have liked, but the obstacles were super cool, and the class was a great experience. If it was closer, we might go on the regular, but in light of the travel, this will be a special occasion kind of activity.
9) Make homemade ice cream: Completed on June 17th
We only did vanilla this summer, but I have big plans for future batches....
10) Go horseback riding: Completed on August 14th
I took the last 2 days of summer off from work as vacation days, and we ditched the littlest with the nanny so we could knock this activity out. I think I was the most excited for horseback riding, both because I was just straight up excited to be back on a horse, and also because I was hoping SO MUCH that one of the kids would fall in love with horseback riding, and I would have an ally in my quest to one day own a horse... It's is still early days, but I think Cooper may be that ally. Daph and I shared a horse, which somewhat annoyed her, and left a bit to be desired in the saddle comfort department, as her mama's booty was big enough that it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but she had a mostly good attitude, and we enjoyed an hour trail ride - through fields and crossing ponds and around a giant lake. It was beautiful, and the horses were very well behaved. The kids were thrilled with the couple of times the horses did a little trot, and loved feeding them carrots.
11) Go Rock Climbing: Completed on August 6th
As though it was part of our destiny, a rock climbing gym opened up in Katy over the summer, so we had a way closer destination then I expected when we originally placed this item on our list. To top it off, my paralegal brought in promotional coupons that made this event virtually free. The kids LOVED challenging themselves on the wall, and really impressed me with their muscles and toughness. This is another expensive activity to do very often, but I bet we will be back!
12) Each go on 5 runs with Mom:
Cooper completed on June 15th (2 miles); July 14th (2.25 miles) July 22nd (2.25 miles); July 25th (.75 miles); August 8 (3 miles)
Daphne completed on June 25th (.5 miles); July 22nd (.5 miles); July 28th (.5 miles); August 7th (.5 miles); August 15th (.25 miles)
13) Make 2 cakes: Completed on July 5th/6th and July 28th/29th
We made Cal's birthday cake and a ridiculously decadent 3 layer chocolate cake. Surprisingly, we didn't finish EITHER, but we gave it our best effort!
14) Go Camping outside: Completed August 4th
There is really no good time of the summer in Texas to camp outside, but the kids were determined to get a tent in the yard after feeling a bit cheated with the set up in the game room last year. I was a little dreading this one, as it entailed me camping WITH them, so not only was I committing to an evening on a mat in a tent in our backyard, but I was also foregoing the couch, good/bad TV that we save to watch after the kids go to bed, and the little bit of "me" time I manage during the week. Fortunately for the kids, I have never placed too high a value on my "me" time, so I packed my Nook and we headed outside. We made it until about 10 o'clock when, much to my surprise, Cooper announced that he didn't care if we stayed out, but he was calling it. Apparently it was a little hot outside, and even though the bugs were not able to get in the tent, it felt like they were in there with us. I expected Daph to be the first to cave, and was glad she was easily convinced to move the slumber party inside. We all agreed that our time outside was sufficient to consider this item COMPLETE!
15) Go to the pool at least 5 times: Completed June 16th, July 4th, July 5th, July 6th and July 9th (...)
Swim lessons knocked this one out early, and then we just lost count.
16) Have a water balloon fight: Completed July 4th
The PERFECT follow up to the lemonade stand. We stepped up our game a bit this year by adding baseball in to the competition.
17) See Despicable Me 3: Completed July 3rd
SO FUNNY! What can I say, I am a sucker for anything Steve Carrell.
18) Go to the beach: Completed July 16th-20th
I try to remind my kids that annual beach trips are not a thing to take for granted, as most kids don't live right by the Gulf. I worry it falls on deaf ears though, as they were practically itching for some beach time having gone slightly longer than 12 months since our last visit. This year was the first year we went with another family, and it was a blast.
Even with Cooper's jellyfish (or man-o-war?) sting:
19) Go hiking: Completed July 15th
I think I thought there would be a little one toddling along with us for this one, but as Cal's motto remains "Why walk when you can crawl!" this hike involved a stroller. And it was HOT. But we explored a new hike and bike trail and have already been back on our bikes.
20) Have a spa day: Completed July 12th
Believe it or not, having your children paint your face with a combination of oatmeal and egg whites is really quire relaxing. We took turns being the spa workers and patrons (complete with Eastern European accents), and it was a silly, giggly good time. And my face felt surprisingly good afterward!
Other things that MUST be noted:
Calvin became an MD:
DAPHNE LOST A TOOTH!!!!!!!
***aaaand it is like half a week later and this post has been partially deleted multiple times and several photos have failed to load and I am DONE with this. No proof reading. Hitting publish and MOVING ON.
