We Love Summer!

Summer is just beginning and our flask of fun is already brimming!

I'm not going to lie, summer in Virginia has pro's but it definitely has its cons too. Humidity, a constant swarm of gnats, and oppressive heat is no fun... Unless you are at the lake!

Lake Anna was a blast! We went with Klysta, my friend from the ward who is moving! ...ah, everyone moves. That is the thing about Herndon, everyone is transient. But, that is beside my point. My fun friend Klysta, is always starting up something fun, never mind that she has a month old baby! She looked up this lake and invited us along. We'd never been there before but it was awesome for kids! It was a couple hour drive, but once we got there it was worth it! The parking lot is next to the bathrooms, which are right above the beach. There is also a playground, and the water is roped off in sections, so we could let the kids go swim on their own, and we knew they could always reach as long as they stayed in front of the first rope.

I told Klysta "We are almost there!" Forty minutes later she called to check up on me. My directions just ended, randomly it seemed, so I searched for directions again, and it took me around in a circle, and then back again. "JUST TURN AROUND!" The kids were yelling, and this time I should have listened to their advice, because making the loop was the long way indeed. Sawyer, was supposed to sleep the whole way there, but by the time we got there had been up from his nap for about an hour and was about ready to sleep again.

Despite that, it was a perfect beach day. Though oppressively hot at home, it was conversely wonderful on our beach blanket and chairs. The kids loved the water. Through the eye of his goggles, Bridger saw some catfish in the water, and then the game catch those fish started. Myra enjoyed snacks on the beach. Sawyer napped, for about 15 minutes. Bridger dug a deep hole in the sand and got buckets of water to fill it up. His plan was to fill it full of water so he could put the fish he caught there. Myra's favorite game in the water is Ring-around-the Rosies. Sawyer was laughing and happy floating on his back with help of the life-jacket he was wearing.

Another friend Megan came to enjoy the relaxation of the beach, while chasing after kids. Lunch on the beach, sprinkled with sand; time in the sun and the sand, intermixed with multiple kid bathroom runs up the grassy hill, and time spent in the water, ending with dark clouds in the sky. Rain was our motivator to pack up and leave. It probably was a good thing, because we might have spent the night, we enjoyed ourselves so much. 

Klysta, Megan, and I

The Pool

Year after year, the pool has been life saving in the heat. It is great to finally have a neighborhood pool. We live just across the street... it doesn't get any more convenient than that! I wish we could have got Bridger in lessons this summer. But we have more playing to do, we chose Utah instead.

The River 

is close by our house. Bridger wanted to catch some fish. So with his butterfly net, a few plastic cups, and a cracked plastic bowl, Bridger, Myra, and Devin went fishing (with Sawyer as a side kick). They caught three small, tadpole-looking fish, and managed to get completely wet from head to toe. They loved it!

Eating rocks...

The Park

Shade is necessary if we are going to be outside, and this park near the library is perfect. It has great shade cover, and many playground toys friendly to each of my children. Still, we try to hit the park in the early AM so we don't get too sweaty. 

Bridger has been writing a list of instruments he wants Santa to bring him for Christmas. He was so excited when he found this instrument book! And so, reading while playing. ;-)

Playing in the Rain
My kids really wanted to go to the pool... and then, it rained, as it does so often in Virginia. So to the backyard, in our swimsuits we went. We played volleyball and soccer with our blue, plastic, Walmart ball with the stars on it. We blasted Kidz Bop music from out the window and played for a couple of hours. Sawyer was playing in the drain spout. He was the only one not in a swimsuit, so I ended up stripping him down to his diaper. What would you think if you saw your neighbors hanging out in their backyard in a downpour? We are those crazy neighbors now. But the kids were happy. As long as we were playing we were warm. And then it got cold. So we wrapped up in warm towels and the kids each got in a hot shower or hot bath. It had been a fun, wet day... even for me.