I Love Summer!

Sadly, this first month of summer has just flown by.  We have been having a blast keeping ourselves busy with playdates and different play places.  It's funny because last year I did an activity jar where the kids would pull out different pieces of paper that had a fun activity written on it and we'd do it.  This year we are just running around, enjoying our new-found freedom and exploring different things in San Antonio.  (Before the summer arrived I stocked up on great Groupons for places we could visit during the summer.)  I guess last year I was stuck at home a little more since Evie was just a teeny, tiny baby.  This year is different since Evie is now over a year old!  Freedom!

We have been going bowling a lot (courtesy of a great Groupon), to the Kiddie Park (courtesy of another Groupon), to open art time (thank you, Groupon, again), to Chuck E. Cheese, and to Sea World.  We've been lucky enough to do a lot of these fun things with LW and her kids.  It's been great fun so far!  The kids have been playing at each other's houses quite often.  Sometimes when they come over to my house I teach some "summer school," which the kids have absolutely loved.  

This is the usual scene in our car after a fun-filled outing--

(The younger two are passed out...and Elina is wide-awake and ready to go!)

If we're not out and about, then we're doing random crafts, doing some school work, and/or enjoying our new silent reading time.  I LOVE our silent reading time together.  We get lots of pillows, hop into my bed, and everyone (including me) has to read silently for 20-30 minutes.  It's been an awesome experience.  You wouldn't think that it could be that quiet, but it is.  Elina reads to herself, Eli flips through a bunch of books, and I get to catch up on some reading as well.  We love it.  Then I quiz Elina on her reading and then I read a few books to the kids.

Besides all the fun stuff, boring stuff still needs to get done...grocery shopping, random errands, etc.  Now that summer is here and I'm not constantly shuttling Elina back and forth from school, I've discovered how much time I have on my hands!  This was how it usually went down when school was in session--after breakfast, we all hop in the car at 8:20am and head to school.  After drop-off, I rush home to put Evie down for her nap at 9:30am.  On half days (Tuesdays and Thursdays, when school let out at noon), I'd get Evie up by 11am, feed her lunch, and head out the door by 11:30am to get Elina.  On full days (rest of the week, when school let out at 2pm), I had more time and could go out for lunch, meet up with a friend, or run a quick errand before pick-up.  But then after pick-up, we'd come home and Evie was ready for her afternoon nap at 3pm.  Essentially, Evie spent most of her awake time in a car, rushing around. Sad, but true.

Now things have changed!  I feel like I have time to run a million errands (not that that's the definition of "fun" for kids, but nonetheless, I can get a lot of things done).  Generally, I designate one day out of the week to run my errands so that the kids don't get too bored.  I didn't think I'd enjoy running errands with all 3 of my kids, but it's actually not so bad. Elina keeps Eli in line and entertained and Evie's usually content as long as I have snacks on hand.  We've gone grocery shopping a lot, to the post office, and I even managed to try on a million swimsuits at a store.  I'm seriously loving this time...time to get things done, but also time to just relax and enjoy a slower pace with my kids!  Woo-hoo for summer!  I know the next 2 months will fly by as well, but I know I will enjoy the time playing with the kids!