2016 Summer Bucket List

science museum

We don’t host camps at the Kitchen on Wednesdays because it’s our busy, busy meal service day. This means I get my baking done very early over the summer, we unfortunately don’t get to see much of B because he’s cooking up a storm, and I spend the rest of the day entertaining my ladies. I like to squeeze in something fun. A little adventure. In July they are attending camps and summer school programs, so I really do try and make the most of our time together. 
Today I surprised them with a trip to the Science Museum. We were worried about crowds, but it wasn’t bad at all. We got to visit Outer Space, the sun, and a few planets in the Planetarium: 
And then we were off to explore the museum. Annabelle’s favorite part is the Exploration Health Exhibit. She could stay there all day. Gwyneth likes the Discovery Zone. 
How cute are these sisters?
We had lunch at the museum and then took a trip to The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls, and Toys. This was on our Summer Bucket List and I was eager to introduce the girls to a new Denver attraction. 
It is a little bit creepy. The first floor was full of miniature houses and the museum employees had a great scavenger hunt for the girls to find tiny little items in the displays. Then we went upstairs…
Lots of dolls. Old school dolls with those blank glassy eyes that give me the shivers. I hurried the girls through those rooms. I hurried them right into a room full of clown dolls! You have never seen Gwyneth move so fast….right to the exit. She was having none of that and I don’t blame her one bit. 
After our day of museums we spoiled our dinner with ice creams at Abbots because it’s summer and sometimes you just need waffle cups, and chocolate almond ice cream and gummy bears. Sometimes you just need to enjoy these little faces, and sit at the window, and talk about your day, and hatch a plan for what to do tomorrow, and the next day, and for birthdays, and 3rd and 4th grade (gasp!) and wait for daddy to get home to eat dinner very late, because it’s summer! 

happy birthday: kate

We hurried down the mountain just in time for Kate’s birthday party. Both girls have such a great time with her and were so excited to celebrate with her. There were lots of kiddos zip lining and rock wall climbing. 
Happy birthday to Kate!
After the show, the girls quickly changed and then off to Beauty and the Beast. We have seen this show before in Chicago and let me tell ya, it was a lot better. This one was a bit boring. We had great seats and B even joined us so it still made for a fun family day!

whimsy

I fulfilled two big summer requests today for my ladies. Art and basketball. Although I enjoy both, teaching them these skills does not come naturally to me (I can play a mean game of HORSE or PIG, but true basketball chops are not in my repertoire). 
The girls went to Whimsy with their allowance carefully placed in their purses to buy themselves snacks. I love that they get up every morning and get themselves ready, clean their rooms and complete their chores. They earn a dollar a day for completing their entire chore chart. They don’t always earn their allowance (I’m pretty strict about those chores), but when they do, they are so excited to save that cash and spend it on special occasions likes treats at a painting class. Annabelle informed me that Skittles taste so much better when you buys them yourself and she is generous with her money and bought her sister extra treats too. I am proud of the character that we are developing and growing and nurturing this summer. 
Each of the girls painted their very own giraffes and had a fabulous time!
After a busy morning of painting, Annabelle went to basketball camp. This was a four day camp at the high school near our house. It was run by the high school girls and their coach. Annabelle LOVED it. She thought the girls were so very, very cool and learned so much. It’s been fun watching her become so passionate about basketball and she’s working hard to master these new skills. 
While Annabelle was at camp Gwyneth worked on her sharpie tie dye shirts. She has been quite obsessed with these too. She really does love all things artsy and crafty. 
Annabelle was so tired after a busy day she barely had enough energy to finish up her shirt. That’s a lot of dots though…kinda makes me dizzy! 

memorial day weekend

We had a weekend full of dance classes and birthday parties, but squeezed in a little time in Boulder and had some friends over for a cookout. 
I picked the girls up from dance and surprised them with a trip to 7-11 for slurpees. I even let them get coke slurpees. I may be setting the bar too high these days. 
Movie night. Malificent, popcorn and cream sodas…and stuffies. Lots of stuffies and snuggles. 

Mountain pie at Beau Jo’s. Yum, yum, yum!
Water balloon fight with friends:

last day of school

The school year ended with a talent show. I was so proud of the girls for signing up and trying out for the show. They did their tap dance and were absolutely fantastic. It took a lot of courage to get up there and perform in front of their peers. I had a blast watching them and everyone else who participated. The show was about 2 hours and then it was time to say goodbye to school friends and say hello to summer! 
Rocking the stage: 
Goodbye 2nd and 3rd grade!
We jumped right into summer.  I don’t think it’s bad to be bored — in fact, I think its quite good. Some of our best moments come from boredom and imagination. 
I like to be busy though and I like to set goals. The girls and I love to create our summer bucket list (although I’m certain it gives the husband a great deal of anxiety). We created our list of places to go and things to do this summer and we got right to it. 
The girls enjoyed the freedom of summer and road bikes and hung out while waiting for their dad to get home from work. 
We took off for the aquarium where we had a snack and explored the exhibits. It was super crowded so I’m glad we snuck this one in early this summer. I’m sure we’ll back though – we have our season passes and these girls are suckers for a mermaid.