Easy August

Since returning from the lake, we have eased a lot on summer.  And I mean a lot.  Kids have slept in for the first times in their lives.  We wake without much of a plan for the day.  Just a "let's see what happens."  It is lovely.  Well for about 2 weeks.  And then my middle one starts to lose it a bit with so little routine and then I get out the morning routine sheets and we are back at chores, making beds, math sheets and such.  But for about 2 to 3 weeks in the beginning of August we are all sloth-like and loving it around here.  I honestly lost count of days but still taking plenty of pictures so these are beginning of August pics from around here:

Trip to our favorite park.  Usually crowded unless you come early.  It has a petting zoo and all the playground stuff is farm based.  Super fun.  

And more parks.  Another favorite.  This one we go to for the creek and trails more than anything........

We have been exploring some of the surrounding community pools this summer.  I like our pool ok for an afternoon swim but it just is not an aquatic center.  So some really hot days we like to find a pool close by (within 30 minutes) that has a few more options for the kids than just getting wet (slides, climbing walls, etc).  This is our favorite.  It was a 90+ degree day and the kids swam for 4 and a half hours straight with a 20 minute refueling break that my friend and I MADE our kids take in the middle of it.  Also it was a big day for my kiddos as they both decided to do the high dive.  How are they both old enough to jump off the high dive????

Mid-August brings a mud run to town.  This is one of my favorite family activities.  Andie and I did it last year.  She wanted to try the 5k but it said "challenging" on it (we have a pretty hilly town) so I said why don't we do that next year and run the 3k as a family (minus Caleb....which felt really weird to not have him with us).  Craig hasn't ran for years and  was all like "don't run too fast" and "remember this is for the kids" and then was all "let's get that group ahead of us" on the run.  I also really liked the MJ headband he rocked during the whole thing.

And just to show my parents that we DO have days around the house.  This is what it looks like when we wake up late and have a day around the house.  Andie is working diligently here on a story about a girl who wants to get a kitten (she left it for Craig....yes, she has been working on him for a kitten lately).  Caleb we are just excited he is holding his marker correctly in the picture.

Sign made by Isaac:  Will play for tips.  He and Caleb sent up a little singing set and were playing for the neighbors.  Need a busier street I think boys!

A little pulley we tried to make for the playset.  I just started to take stuff out of the recycling bin this morning and they were playing with it.  Some people may look at it like we were playing with garbage but they were entertained for a few hours so it was mom for the win that day.  

Andie's invention out of recycled treasures:

Taking a walk in our local state park:

And heading over to my Grandmas town for her towns Buttered Corn Days.  Free buttered corn, a little zoo, games put on by the FFA, accordians playing polka.  Pretty much as American as you can get.....

So these pictures ended August 22nd.  School is starting in  almost Mid-Sept this year...I kid you not....so we still have a few weeks of summer to go and the week ahead looks hot and a good one to end summer with a bang.  The kids are oh so ready to go back and that makes me happy.  We have had a good summer but we are really getting ready for some routine around here!