2015 Summer Highlights, Bucket List Finale

With the completion of our bucket list and Labor Day weekend coming to an end we have decided that summer is "officially" over!

Attempting to make fall feel welcome and trying to forget about the current heat wave, we started out our day with pumpkin cinnamon rolls, homemade PSL's & fall decorations. Hopefully by embracing all things fall the weather will soon follow suit #wishfulthinking.

Today I wanted to look back on our favorite memories from the summer of 2016 and celebrate a completed bucket list.

It was "The summer we went to the pool all the time"!

2016 is the year the girls REALLY learned to swim. Marissa went from a little girl who didn't love getting her face wet to being able to swim across the deep end and Emily isn't too terribly far behind her. 
The year we took a vacation, finally.

 It wasn't fancy, far away or very long but it was ours and it was together.
Part 1/ Part 2

It was the year Marissa learned to love roller coasters.

I'll never forget the excitement she had when she rode her first BIG roller coaster. 

A summer spent with friends and cousins.

The summer she turned 7.

The best summer ever. 

So many amazing, happy memories were made this summer. 

We played, lived and laughed TOGETHER.

A little part of me wanted this summer to never end, but the memories made will live on in my heart (and my blog) forever.

Make sure you come back tomorrow to check out what we have planned for our 2016 fall bucket list! Plus there just might be a little something special *cough* a give away *cough* that I know you won't want to miss!   Happy Labor Day friends!

Summer Bucket List Update: Almost Done

With school well underway summer seems to be coming to an end fast.

I am not sure how things go in your house, but here we embrace all things summer until Labor day then the very next day we wake up ready for fall and pumpkin spice everything. 

Who's with us?

There are only about 3 more weeks until fall "officially" arrives so we need to get this bucket list wrapped ups soon. If you missed our last bucket list update you can check it out here. 

This is what our bucket list looked like after our last check in.

This is where we are now.

Library Story Time

So we never actually made it to a technical story time. Our library has a very short program and we had to many schedule conflicts. But, we did make it to the library MANY times to play, explore and we completed both levels of the summer reading program so I am calling this one a win.

We read nonstop this summer usually checking out 30-40 books at a time. Here the girls are having  a post library trip "story time" in the car while waiting on the pool to open. 

Go on a Picnic

We actually managed to go on quite a few picnics recently. There were several days that we packed up our lunch and ate at the park while waiting on the pool to open (of course).

Host a Summer Playdate

I honestly thought this one just wasn't going to happen. Between vacations, VBS and swim lessons we just weren't home very often. We were so excited to have our friends come visit us on their last day of summer break. It was great to catch up after a summer of barely seeing each other.

Go to the Drive-Inn

As soon as I put this on my list I knew exactly how I wanted this to work out. We oh so patiently waited for the Minion Movie to go to the drive-inn and it finally did.

We picnicked before the gates opened.

Waited out a random rain shower in the car.

And watched the movie with friends.

I love that we have a drive in close by.

It is always a summer highlight for us.

Swim Lessons

Swim lessons this year were and epic success.

In case you missed it, here is the post where I shared all about my little fish.  

Water Gun Fight

This past weekend we got out the slip n' slide and the water guns and had a blast. I was pretty brave with the "big girl" camera and had a few close calls but the shots I got were worth it. 

We are <this> close to knocking out the rest of our list!

With my favorite car show of the year coming up this weekend and 3 weeks to finally make some popsicles I am pretty sure we can complete our list with plenty of time to spare.

How is your Summer going?

Pool Time: Becoming Fish

If I had to count up how many times we have been at the pool over the past 2 months I am pretty sure it would be close to 50. We have spent countless hours in or around the water by ourselves (rarely), with cousins and with our good friends. 
Anna and I were recently talking wondering if someday the kids would say "Hey remember that one summer that we went swimming all the time" Hopefully next year won't be any different and they can recall multiple summers spent that way as they get older.  Creating memories for my kids brings so much joy to my heart.
Last year we mad a few pool trips and took swim lessons towards the end of the summer. We grew a bit in confidence but finished summer just a little better than where we started. 
Last day of swim lesson August 2014

Last day of swim lessons July 2015

Oh how quickly things change.

Just two months ago Marissa would only go down one of the "baby" slides, wouldn't put her face in water, disliked floating on her back, wouldn't jump off the edge of the pool and could not swim.

Emily, well let's just say she was exactly like her sister only more extreme.

The proof is in the photos (and a video) friends.
Take a look at a few things that happened during our summer at the pool.
You learn how to swim... all the way across the pool.


Nail your cannon ball form.


Emily has a pretty silly face with goggles on. 

Tread water? No problem.

Lifeguards get to know you by name.

And make water balloons out of gloves for you. 

You make improvements on diving and finally quit belly flopping (most of the time).

With only a couple weeks left of summer you learn to swim

 Then conquer things you never would've done just a few days earlier. 

Pool time and swim lessons are better with friends.

As well as jumping in the pool.

No slide is to big.

And if you have enough confidence the guards might let you go down a slide that you are actually to short to go on. Which will be repeated by you going on it 50 more times that day.


Words can not express how proud I am of these amazing girls.

This is the summer they learned to swim.  The summer they became fish.
The best summer we've yet to have .... so far.