Summer 2013

With the passing of Labor Day, I feel like summer has officially come to a close. This summer (aside from our trip to Ohio) seemed fairly difficult to account for.  I know summer came and went, but what were we doing the whole time?!  After some thought, I realized a lot DID happen, they just all seemed to be smaller things...

7/11 Day - First Slurpee!: This year we were in the right place at the right time when my sister-in-law reminded us about 7/11 day. We were already out and about, so I thought Lyla would appreciate her first taste of Slurpee deliciousness. Needless to say, it was a big hit.

First Temple Trip: Lyla has been talking about the temple a lot for as long as I can remember. It finally dawned on me that she might like to go and visit to check everything out.  When I mentioned it to her, she got really excited, so we had to go! We visited the grounds and checked out the Visitor's Center.  Lyla and Hank were on their best behavior, and I was really impressed that Lyla genuinely was so into learning more information.  Afterwards we HAD to hit up Fenton's for some dinner and ice cream.  Lyla is going through a "salad" phase, so she split a salad with me then split a sundae with us that probably could have fed 10. Hank really wanted to be in on the party, so we fed him a little ice cream, too.  I guess with the second child you throw caution to the wind a little more often because I NEVER would have imagined letting Lyla eat ice cream that young.

Toddler Time at Ardenwood Farms: I have been looking for some extra no-commitment activities I could do with Lyla and take Hank along as well. It's harder than it sounds to find something that Hank AND Lyla can both do.  I've settled on Toddler Time for Lyla over at the local farm.  It fits well with Hank's nap schedule, and it's outdoors so it's no problem for Hank to tag along in the stroller.  Usually one of Lyla's friends is there, too, so it makes it extra fun for her.  There's a story, short "chore", and feeding the highlighted animal of the week.  Afterwards she usually checks out the animals and has a picnic lunch.  It's a great way to get out of the house and do something new. Plus, we developed a great new talent - they always give away corn for the kids to use for popcorn, and we learned how to pop corn right off the cob in the microwave!

Our First Garden: Now that we're permanently(!) in our new home, I decided the time had come to start a garden.  I wanted to start small; this way if the garden was a flop, I hadn't invested too much time in it.  Lyla helped me a lot, starting the seeds indoors with me, helping me when I transferred them outside, and reminding me to water them (I think she just wanted to use her watering can!).  We ended up with zucchini coming out of our ears! We were able to enjoy a little bit of everything - pumpkin, zucchini, assorted herbs, broccoli, and tomatoes.  We even enjoyed fruit off our lemon and fig trees that had previously been on our property.  Some of the lemons are a bit odd though - they're bigger than Lyla's head!

Summer Reading Program: This summer we did the library's summer reading program.  This was Lyla's second time, but it was so much better this year because she really took ownership over filling out her reading chart and diligently taking it into the library.  She was so proud of her book she got as a reward when she finished her chart - I was too!

Dance Class: This little beauty started taking dance classes in April and continued on through the summer. I was a little worried about her at first, but she caught on to taking direction from the teacher pretty quickly and has picked up quite a few new moves too!  I think she's anxious to try other things as she gets older, but she's pretty happy with her dance class for now.

Landscaping and Remodels: We were very lucky in that when we bought our house, it was pretty much move-in ready.  We did have a couple projects that we wanted to get done, though.  We replaced the carpet upstairs, painted inside, replaced our very dated wood-burning fireplace with a new gas-burning fireplace, installed lighting and a fan, and had our apple tree in the backyard removed.  Writing it down, that's a lot!  We were lucky and had very skilled people handle our jobs, and we are very happy with the results!

Berry Picking: I finally found a place that we can go to pick fruit!  Lyla and I went over to Ardenwood Farms one Saturday in August for one of their "Berry Pickin'" days.  I'm so glad I dressed Lyla in I in dark colors and long sleeves!  Those berry bushes are quite prickly and I scraped my hands up pretty good.  Lyla was really careful about not getting any blackberry juice on her clothes but we both managed to get juice stained onto our hands.  The berries were delicious and I think we enjoyed them that much more since we worked so hard to pick them!

Jelly Belly Factory Tour: I have never been to the Jelly Belly Factory before (and Lyla certainly hasn't), and I've been wanting to go for awhile now.  Maga was nice enough to keep Hank so Lyla and I could have a girls day and head up to Fairfield.  We had a blast!  Lyla was almost shaking with excitement just taking in the amount of jelly beans sitting around in the factory.  She did a great job on the tour - our tour guide kept sneaking her extra jelly beans, so that never hurts!  On the way home, Lyla and I ate our weight in jelly beans. Another great outing with my favorite little lady!

Everything Else...: The rest of the summer included:

Many trips to the playground.  Lyla played, I helped her out, and Hank watched.

We finally got around to introducing ourselves to all of our neighbors!  We went around to each house and Lyla delivered them cookies.  She's turning into a great socializer and networker.

A few trips to the Oakland Zoo. We tried to take advantage of our membership this year.  I even snuck in a mommy/daughter outing with Lyla one day!

Several swimming trips.  We discovered the Newark community pool and find that it's truly fun for the whole family - even Hank!

Nothing says summer to me like ice cream. We found a lot of enjoyment out of treating Lyla to some ice cream outings (and letting Hank get a lick or two in as well).

I've been trying to keep up with this crazy guy! This summer he went from rolling to crawling to sitting up!  He's all over the place now and we're loving every minute of it!

When we weren't out and about, we were staying indoors trying to beat the heat.  The kids are learning how to play together better (mostly because Lyla is so accommodating), and the days are passing more quickly as a result.  There aren't too many things better than seeing your kids play together and have fun together. 

As we say "adios" to this summer, I'm already getting secretly excited for all the things we will be able to do next summer with a more mobile Hank.  Until then, we've got lots and lots of busy and exciting months ahead of us!