Saturday, August 16, 2014

More Summer Fun

We only have a few days left before school starts again, so we are trying to cram in as much stuff as possible. On Wednesday we headed to the zoo. Jalen didn't get to come (I hate following through with consequences) and I think it was as much a punishment for Baylie as for J. She was bored to death without him.

First we went to the botanical garden. It was so beautiful! 
Baylie is such a poser!
Did I mention she likes to pose?
She also really likes to have her picture taken.
Natural frames.
We met up with some friends, so Baylie wasn't quite as bored.
I love this beautiful girl.
Today we joined our friends the Carters at the State Museum. It's a great museum and they have added on a planetarium, observatory and IMAX 4-D theater.

The planetarium was great but the movie was a little old for the kids. It was about the 7 Wonders of the World and the Solar System. My kids didn't understand most of it, plus they had a hard time not talking - and talking under a dome tends to echo.  
The dinosaur section of the museum was so fun.
They have these robotic dinosaurs that move. It was really cool.
My little paleontologist.
The telescope let us peek at the sun.
The kids hopped a ride on a train.
Our favorite part was the IMAX theater. I was afraid it would e a little scary (it was ICE AGE), but the kids loved it. When the dinosaur sneezed and water was shot at us, Jalen called it "bless you." He asked, "Why did they spray us with that bless you?"

School starts on Tuesday and I am going to miss my little girl!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Happy Shark Week

Jalen's best friend, Ian, had a shark party today. Ian's mommy is VERY creative. 
Sharks & boats on a jello sea
Starfish sandwiches
Shark fins and salsa
Shark teeth
Gummy sharks
Seashell pasta
Coral reef cupcakes
Ian's sister, Sydney as shark bait
Walking the plank in shark infested waters
It was a blast!

Sunday, August 10, 2014

We Flip for Gymnastics

Baylie is getting ready to start her second year of gymnastics. She loves it and I really like her gym - Lake Murray Gymnastics.

Today they had a celebration to recognize their 9th birthday. The kids had a blast running around and trying out all the equipment and some bounce houses that were rented for the occasion. Plus there were free hot dogs and chips.
Baylie seems pretty comfortable on the balance beam.
Jalen - not so much.
The most exciting part for me was that I won a door prize - a free birthday party at the gym - a $175 value! I never win anything! So exciting. I know what we'll be doing for Baylie's birthday next year!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Do We Have to go Back to School?

I love summer vacation. I love sleeping in, love lazy days without a schedule, love playing with my kids, etc. etc. I dread having to start back up with schedules, timelines and commitments. We're trying to make the most of the few summer days we have left.

On Thursday, our good friends the Carters invited us to the children's museum. We love to go there, but don't go often because we don't have a membership. The Carters were able to get us in on their membership.

Baylie was even brave enough to go inside Big Eddie this time, although the brain section still freaked her out.
As always, the kids loved the grocery store section. The cashier station has been updated so it even beeps and shows the item on the screen. Pretty cool. Baylie could have stayed at that spot all day.
Jalen was really enthusiastic about the deli.
Baylie was significantly more so.
Entering the Exit.
Jalen loves to drive the fire truck.
And Baylie cruised in the little VW.
Today we went to the zoo for the first time in a really long time. It was a perfect day with cloud cover and not too hot. We have the BEST zoo. I love going there. We took Jalen's best buddy Ian with us. 
Unfortunately, I think the kids go more for the carousel and pony rides than for the animals. Either way, it always makes for a fun day.
Baylie is getting more and more brave on the rock wall. She goes about half way up now.
She has also overcome her fear of the gorilla, so we can go see him now. I think we interrupted his yoga today.
The Galapagos tortoises are always some of my favorite animals to see.
And the aquarium is a great place to cool off.
Baylie wanted to take a picture of this huge snake.
We had to make one final stop at the carousel on the way out. I love how these little boys play together.
On days like this, I want to home school my kids.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Love All

Baylie has wanted to take tennis lessons for awhile. I watch tennis whenever there's a grand slam and Baylie loves to watch Serena Williams play. She wants to be like Serena.
Consequently, I was really excited to learn that our neighborhood rec center is offering free tennis lessons every week. Excellent! 
Tonight was Baylie's first lesson and she had a lot of fun. Coach Stan was great with the kids and really paid a lot of individual attention to Baylie. 
We have a long way to go, but I'm happy that she has found something that she really looks forward to. We may let Jalen have a go at it next week.