Sky High

During our last week of summer, we crammed in a few more fun things.  I think we went to Space Kidets, the movies, and roller skating, but the only place I have photographic evidence of is the trampoline park.  We met a few of Amelia's friends who have brothers Seth's age.  After two hours of this, they were pooped!

museum #3

Marie invited us over for one last hurrah before school started.  We went to the Catawba Science Center.  Here are pics from our day of fun.  It was cool, so the butterflies weren't nearly as forthcoming as they were the last time we saw them.

 

museum #1

I forgot to say that my parents took us to a science museum in Raleigh to see the dinosaurs.  They didn't allow photography, but it was a robotic exhibit that was really neat.  We took a picture in front of a green screen and they put this image behind us.  Crane your neck to the side, I promise it's worth it!  (And I apologize, but the computer isn't cooperating in letting me edit, and I'm tired of messing with it...)

museum #2

That Monday we checked out the children's museum in Huntersville.  Seth is just about to age out of enjoying it.  It kind of makes me sad, but at the same time, I kind of hate children's museums.  Why the heck do I have to pay admission?  It's not like I'm going for my enjoyment.  It's much easier for me to just have a playdate at the house.

Seriously, I paid money to watch him do this?  He has a Dagadar set at home that does the same thing...

taking friends to Carowinds

Our Carowinds' passes allow us to get friends in for cheap on certain days, evidently we weren't the only ones who had that idea that day.  It was the busiest Sunday we'd ever spent at the park.  I think Mase and Hannah had a good time.  I know my kids did!

ice cream social

Our school had an inaugural ice cream social for the kindergarteners.  The kindergarteners got free ice cream; big brothers had to hit mom up for some cash.  It was a great idea and something I hope they continue to do in the years ahead!

Bulls game

Summer is long when you don't have a swim team to wear the kiddos out!  I was about to pull my hair out, so the kids and I went to Cary for a couple nights just to break up the monotony.  Dad got us tickets to the Bulls game.  I got this pic of him taking a pic of the lineup:

 Mom and the kids were in the elevator.  We were going to take the stairs, when Wool E Bull opened the doors for us!  Then he tried to push Dad out!  I thought he was flirting with me,

 but then we realized it was because Dad was wearing a Twins shirt.  My parents defected for the night!  We sat on the "away" side! 

It was a beautiful night at the ballpark...afterwards I said, "Mom and Dad cheered for the Twins, Seth and I cheered for the Bulls, and Amelia cheered for foul balls."

our new bikes!

Charlotte Parent hosted a fitness challenge in the spring.  I didn't join right away, but when I found out we were competing with Nashville for a grant to build playgrounds, I decided to participate.  All I had to do was log what we were already doing.  One week, we won free bicycles from Coca-Cola!  They came in boxes, and Nathan had to assemble them.  Then the magazine sent a photographer to take our pictures.  Seth had the hardest time getting rid of his "old" bike because Santa brought it just last Christmas, but in the end, his new bike is lighter and easier to ride.  I've taken the kids for several rides around the neighborhood.  

Now we need to upgrade our two-bike hitch for a four-bike hitch, and we'll be ready to go!

water party

Seth decided to have a water party.  He made out invites, and six little friends were able to come on short notice.  We had water balloons, water squirters, the sprinkler, Super Soakers, and frozen ice blocks that had plastic animals inside.  And of course, cookies, juice boxes, and freeze pops.  The kids had a blast!

new fan

I think every fan in our house is also from 1988.  The one in our bedroom was a no-good, noisy thing, and Nathan had had it and decided to replace it...on our anniversary.  We've gotten so much better at projects over the years.  By the end of the afternoon, we still liked each other, see?

painting...

I spent a good part of one Saturday painting.  Our half bath was a '80s neutral with white knobs and gold accessories.  I'd had the paint for a while, but hadn't gotten around to starting it.  Next thing I know, I find myself in the middle of four projects...spray painting the towel rack and toilet paper holder (I bought white outlet covers to replace the ugly gold ones), priming and painting my old doll cradle white, priming and painting the entry table, and painting the bathroom.  By the end of the weekend, I didn't want to put my paint clothes on again for a long time!

 

new kitchen table

Turns out it doesn't take a whole lot to fancy up the table...

new birthday tradition

I've always had a pool party with my bestest littlest friends the past few years, but this year we may have started a new tradition.  The kids and I hit the waterslides at Carowinds for the day:

 They got Dippin' Dots to celebrate (I really don't get the fascination with those things...)

move it out

The next day started early, with Elise and I sending our husbands up to Boone in (unbeknownst to us) the world deluge of the summer.  The weather wasn't bad here.  We were able to squeeze in a trip to the splash pad and TCBY from a food truck at the Y before the rain set in.

We replaced our guest bedroom set with Nathan's old bedroom set, and our kitchen table with the table Nathan's parents used to have in Kings Mountain.  Pictures later when the rooms are "finished".

Electric Run

The next night was another late one for me...I met two former coworkers back at the speedway for the Electric Run.  Angela's husband had been in the hospital the week before, and since they weren't running, we decided to walk, along with 20,000 of our closest friends.  It was kind of insane.  A lot of fun, but not something I need to make an annual tradition.

 The coolest part about this race was that we got to be on the actual track:

uptown ampitheater

As an early birthday present, Nathan and I went to a concert at the uptown amphitheater.  That place is awesome.  It's like a regular concert venue, shrunk.  Not a bad seat in the place.  It is surrounded by restaurants and bars, parking was free, and you could bring in chairs.  What?  I got a sitter and picked Nathan up after work.  We ate dinner at a beer garden.  Or Nathan ate dinner.  I ate a huge pretzel with beer cheese.  Then we moseyed to the venue.  We forgot how much we like concerts:

The opening band was Guster, who we have seen years ago, and we liked them so much, we bought their album on iTunes while we were sitting there.  Then came Ben Folds.  Never seen him in concert before.  He puts on a good show.

 But we were really there for the last act.  Barenaked Ladies.  Loved, loved, loved them in college.  The have a kids' album that is in regular rotation in my car.  They sing "The Big Bang Theory" theme song.  They played new stuff'; we bought it on iTunes.  They played old stuff; we sang our hearts out.  (I'll spare you the videos.) 

It was a great night, and I look forward to going to more shows there next summer!

 

 

two mornings later...

As we were getting ready to leave for tennis camp, we heard the very distinct eagle cry overhead.  This guy kept circling around and around and around overhead.  I tried to lay down in the driveway and get a really good picture, but this is the best I could get.  It was a really good follow-up after the program for the kids.  We have since seen/heard the eagles a handful of times in the past two months.

 

raptor center

We were kind of slow to start attending the summer library programs, but the ones we did go to were fantastic.  This was at the children's library uptown.  The Carolina Raptor Center came and brought five birds.  My kids were riveted.  Between the two of them, they pretty much gave Nathan a word-for-word account of the program.  

This gal had a lot to say, so much so that the handler pretty much couldn't talk while she was out.  More on that in the next post...

tennis camp

Seth did one week of morning tennis camp in July, and loved it!  He had a very jealous sister who will probably do the camp with him next year!

speedpark

There is a "new" speedpark outside the outlet mall.  One weekend we checked it out.  My kids' lifelong dreams have been to jump on one of these trampoline thing.  Check if off your bucket lists, kids.

And this is their first time driving racecars.  Hilarious!

thumbprint art

Uncle B gave Amelia a thumbprint art book at the beach.  The kids were entertained for hours on a rainy Sunday afternoon making fingerprint art.  Here are some of the best ones:

blueberry picking

Did I mention that Nathan started to work at home on Fridays the first Friday of summer vacation?  Great timing.  One Friday, the kids and I drove about 45 minutes northeast over a bunch of country roads to go pick blueberries.  Or I picked blueberries:

The kids quickly got hot/lazy.  Seth started taking pictures with my phone,

 while Amelia chased butterflies:

 When we finished, the owner told the kids to each get a handful of blueberries they found on the ground and to feed them to the chickens:

 From scratch blueberry muffins are delicious!