TAMAKM, part 2

This is it.  Summer as I know it will be over in less than 24 hours.  The other day I told someone it'd be a whole lot easier to go back to work if my kids weren't so great.  And I was serious.  If they were fit throwing, whiney criers, I might even look forward to school starting again.  Lucky for me, they're happy go lucky kiddos who love to explore the city with me.  We had an absolute blast this summer and although I'm sure my tears will stop flowing by the time I get to school, I'm going to be one sad mama at preschool drop-off tomorrow.  

Our July looked a lot like our June - trips to the park, running around the neighborhood, lunches at our favorite restaurants, and quality family time.  

This month, the boys chose to participate in a tennis camp at Waukee High School.  It was run by the PE teacher at my school and the boys loved it!  Kade went to the camp a few years ago, but it was a totally new experience for Alec.  Both boys learned a lot and are on their way to being able to take on Uncle Dave in a fierce game of tennis!

The fieriest competitor we know - Uncle Dave!

We took a day trip to the cute little town of Prairie City, Iowa.  The main reason for this adventure - Goldie's Ice Cream Shop & Diner.  They have the best tenderloin in the state of Iowa and ice cream that is to die for.  I had the Cookie Monster Twister and I'm pretty sure I've driven Jon crazy with my constant reminiscing of it's fabulousness.  Seriously - I consider myself an ice cream connoisseur and this twister was the best thing I've ever had...ever!  Needless to say, we'll be making the trip to Goldies again sometime soon.

The boys first time sitting at a diner's counter!

After lunch at the diner, we headed to Neal Smith Prairie Wildlife Refuge.  Although there were a lot of different prairie grasses/flowers and some neat things inside the center, it wasn't as exciting as we'd hoped.  Next time, we'll head to the lookout tower instead.  

Now that the boys are tennis experts (thanks, tennis camp!), they love to play racquetball at the Y.  It's a great way to practice those skills and get in a good workout.  

Mazzie made the transition to a big girl bed and was a total rockstar!  Although she's not really been napping and she'll sometimes get out of her bed to play during quiet time, nights have gone super smoothly.  We put a baby gate up at her door while she's taking a quiet time and at night - mainly to keep her safe - but it also keeps her (and all her toys) contained.  Next step - No More Paci!!!

Someone might have just a touch of her mother's OCD...

Bubble baths are always fun!

A few other adventures this month included a morning at Pump it Up, pool time with the cousins, and Raccoon River Park.  Mazzie loved the bounce houses at Pump it Up.  She's finally old enough to do the obstacle courses and she thought the slides were super fun too.  Our little pool has turned out to be well worth the extra money and work.  The kids get in a couple times/week (when it's hot enough!) and we've had the cousins over to swim a few times too.  Although it's not big enough for the boys to get as crazy as they'd really like to, it's perfect to splash around and cool off.  Raccoon River is another one of our favorite parks.  It has a great playground, a fun splash pad, and the beach. Blue Heron Lake isn't the cleanest water in town, but we try to ignore that and just enjoy the sand.  There's also Tropical Sno - life doesn't get much better!

No summer would be complete without a trip downtown to visit Jon.  We made a quick trip to his office and saw some coworkers, then took him to lunch at Capitol Hot Dogs & Pub.  Alec's corn dog was the highlight of our meal.  It was just as good as the dogs we get at the fair!

After leaving Jon at the office, the kids and I headed to the Principal Pedestrian Bridge.  We took a walk across the river, checked out the dam, and explored the Asian Gardens.  Des Moines ROCKS, you know?

Sidewalk Chalk Silhouettes, anyone?

This picture shows just how much fun Easton, Mazzie, and Sophia had at SkyZone's Toddler Time.  Lots of jumping, foam block fun, and running around.  We'll definitely be checking this out again sometime soon.

Mazzie decided to help paint the boys' room.

Our last week of summer included trips to Walker Johnston Park, Gray's Lake, Providence Pointe Park, and some creek stomping.  Walker Johnston is an awesome little gem - there's multiple playgrounds, a wooden fort area, a watch tower, and these huge slides.  It was a perfect park for all of the kids, which is sometimes hard to find with the large age differences.  We took a pedal boat out at Gray's Lake and got in a workout.  Whew!  One hour of pedaling in the heat was enough for me!  We saw some cool wildlife and decided we're definitely up for some more water activities - maybe aqua bikes or long boarding???  One of my friend's referred to Providence Pointe Park as Ninja Warrior Park and that's exactly what we made it.  The boys had a Ninja Warrior competition all morning.  It was awesome!  There's a great little park and creek behind my parent's house and although we've been to the park a hundred times, we'd never played in the water.  Jon took the kids on Monday night and they begged to go back on Tuesday.  We put on our water shoes and hunted minnows, searched for frogs, and got dirty!  It was a great summer adventure!

  

Ninja Warrior Champion I

Ninja Warrior Champion II

The Course...

Are we creek stomping or swimming???

I sure am going to miss spending my days with these three sweet faces.  Good thing there's only 193 more work days till we get to do it all over again!