Staycation Stop #4: Worlds of Fun

We had been measuring the boys all summer to see if they would be tall enough for roller coasters. We thought for sure they boys would both clear the requirements, but alas, we checked at guest services and Wyatt was 1/2" too short for ALL the roller coasters!! Wah-Wah! But I think he was a tiny bit relieved to not have to go on the Mamba- he is a little scared of heights! Grant, on the other hand was cleared to ride every single ride at WOF! So we were bummed to not be able to do all the rides together, but we still had a GREAT time!

That look of disappointment....

 The crowds were minimal, so we were able to able to hop on and off all the rides without any waiting! Made it super easy to tag team roller coasters with Grant- he could ride with Levi and then hop off and then he could hop back on with me and Wyatt didn't have to sit waiting for us too long. It was perfect to be able to ride everything without waiting too long! On the times Levi and Grant went and rode the rides that Wyatt wasn't tall enough for, we went to Camp Snoopy and had a good old time!

We even met the real Snoopy!

 Grant was SO excited to be tall enough to ride the Patriot! It was really fun- although he and Levi went quite a few times and the last time they went, they sat in the front row and Grant said that was the BEST view!

 He was a roller coaster junkie!!!

 It was SO much fun spending this day as family! We know 100% that Wyatt will be tall enough for roller coasters next year! Pretty sure Grant is already planning our trip for next summer!

Staycation Stop #3: Scheels

I had a hair appointment to jet off to, so Levi and the boys headed to Scheels for some afternoon fun! I was so proud of Levi for taking pictures to send to me! 

It had been quite a while since played at Schools, so they had a great time exploring and playing! Boys being boys!

Staycation Stop #2: Skate City

After a quick bite to eat, it was time to lace up our skates and hit the rink! The boys have never been skating before and once I walked in to Skate City, I realized I hadn't been skating since 1994! Although the skating rink hasn't changed ONE BIT!!! We all got our skates on and gingerly slid out to the rink. It took me a few minutes to catch my bearings but it was almost as easy as riding a bike! Grant fell probably 300 times but he just got up and tried again. He LOVED every second of it! Levi was practically a professional! After finally making one pass around- where I basically supported Wyatt's body weight the entire time, he had had enough! He couldn't stay standing for a complete second, it was SO hard for him! Normally he's the one who's determined to get good at something, where Grant gives up the second it gets hard. But roles reversed this time! After the another pass with Wyatt, we traded Wyatt's skates in for the little fisher price ones you strap on your shoes. He was able to go around a few more times with us, but still hated it! Levi and Grant just kept on skating and skating while Wyatt and I just watched! 

It was definitely an activity loved by some but not by all!

(As I'm writing this post in October, Grant has since been to the skating rink 3 more time and has fallen more in love with skating. Wyatt has yet to return...)

 Wyatt's face when I asked if he wanted to come back another time....

Staycation Stop #1: Top Golf

With Levi's work schedule and being on a tight budget, there was no plan for a vacation (other than the boys' week at the lake with Mimi and PawPaw). But we knew we still wanted to have some special family time before school started and before Levi started training for the airlines. So in between Levi finishing his last day of work and before leaving for his Reserve trip, we squeezed in a little family Staycation!! We were bold with our plans, but were hopeful we could accomplish as many things on the list that we were hoping to!

The first stop of our Staycation was Top Golf! It had been on my to-do list for quite some time and the boys love hitting golf balls, so i knew it would be something everyone would enjoy! We planned to go right when it opened so we could get the "early-bird special." It was a gorgeous day and we were ready to play! 

From the website, they said it was like golf and bowling, which it kind of was. It was also a little bit like darts too. You hit the ball into different targets and score points depending on what target you hit and where you hit it. We squeezed in almost two full games in our one hour time slot. I could've stayed and played all afternoon though! SO MUCH FUN!!! Maybe it was so much fun because I smoked all three of my fellas!  It was a great activity to kick off our Staycation!

New and Improved Playground

Our school playground got some major improvements over the summer and we were SO excited when it was finally finished. It had been under construction for most of the summer, so we couldn't play up there like we usually do. So as soon as that caution tape was gone, we were up at the playground!! The new climbing structure is a BIG hit, but the BEST upgrade as the turf!! Bye bye tire mulch (and the black knees, dirty fingernails, and ruined shoes that came along with it!). Seriously, SO excited for turf!!!! Wyatt loves that its kinda bouncy, like the floor at his gym. Its perfect for cartwheeling and backhand-springing. Grant likes running barefoot at fast as possible! The only downfall to turf is that it absorbs heat like crazy! And since they had to cut down all the pine trees that provided some shade on the playground, there is not one ounce of shade to be found...unless you go under the equipment! 

 Playground with friends is always fun!

 See the stumps there in this picture...so sad to lose 8 pine trees. They were going to interfere with the turf, so in order to maintain the turf, they chopped down the trees. While we are happy for turf, we are sad to lose such amazing trees. 

 Spotted at the playground: a Grant ;-)

Summertime Play

Most of our day is spent just playing!! The boys just seem to play and play and play ALL DAY!! It's the best! Lots of stuffed animal play, board games, Legos, Imaginext, Squinkies/Hatchimals/Littlest Pet Shop, Little People, cars. If it was in the playroom, they played with it this summer! My boys are SO good at playing. Thats their #1 favorite thing to do and I am SO thankful!! They have built the best relationship with each other because they truly just enjoy being around each other!!

We even had a little Christmas in July playtime for a few days!

One thing is for sure- I never heard "I'm bored!" this summer!!!!!!!

July Photos

 Brother time ~ Squinkies ~ More Squinkies

Bible Study time ~ Matching Bros ~ Levi brought me Moes

Hot air balloon love the backyard ~ Scrapbooking ~ Biography project

Backyard golfing ~ Nerf wall ~ Grant's animals

New landscape ~ Date Night ~ Our House

Millie the model ~ Spiky hair Wyatt ~ Sonic date w Grant

Cousin Camp 2017

All the cousins anxiously await Cousin Camp each and every year!! This year for Cousin Camp, Barb planned a day full of "Christmas in July" activities!!!! Oh were they excited when they got their ticket to Cousin Camp a few weeks prior, knowing what festive fun was waiting for them!! I have waaaaay to many pictures of this day for the blog, so thank goodness Barb makes a photo book of our fun time together!!! So here is a quick snapshot of our day! Christmas science, Christmas crafts, Santa shaving cream hair, slip n slide, and SO much more!!!

We are so thankful Grandma goes out of her way each year to make this time so special for all the cousins! Being kind of spread out, we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, so having this time set aside each year for the kiddos is so special!! They're already excited about the endless possibilities for next Cousin Camp!