The Summer of Sunshine

In May, Tyler started a new job as a night warehouse manager.  The switch was a long & difficult transition.  Some days the kids & I would hang out until Tyler woke up and then go out and enjoy the sunshine as a family before he would go to work.  Other days the kids & I would go have play dates or cool off at the splash park alone.  But it seemed no matter how we spent the day it was fun.  Summer 2014 was filled with hot days.  Our family cooled off by going to the many local splash parks & lakes.

On Wednesdays the kids & I could be found at Mar Vista Park where the preschool holds a standing play date for the summer.  It is fun each week to see which of our preschool friends show up.  The kids enjoyed riding their bikes & scooters along the bath, playing on the playground & making a make believe soup they call “Chop-chop-chewy”.  The soup was originally an idea of Issac’s friend Jacob but every week that imaginary soup was re created.  The kids also LOVE playing in a line of trees along the park fence.  It was a weekly stick fest for Issac. 

We also enjoyed some fun in the sun with our favorite little cousin Jackson.  Backyard play dates, pool play dates, park play dates and of course splash park play dates.  It is just as much fun to watch Issac & Jackson go on a bear hunt or dig for worms as it is to watch them shreak as they splash each other with water at the pool. 

The kids & I spent a lot of evenings at our apartment’s pool.  This summer Issac began to swim like a fish.  He dives in to the deep end without any floaties and spends his time racing to the bottom for his diving toys.  Josie still enjoys the security of a pool ring but can swim with assistance.  We spent time at the pool alone, had friends over and enjoyed pool time with the neighbors. 

As the kids get older our options for family fun activities increase. Something new this Summer was Karate Mondays.  We enrolled the kids in a 12 week karate program through Young Champions Northwest.  Maybe it was the 6pm class time.  Maybe it was the hot summer evenings; maybe it was attending karate with friends. Maybe it was that the class versus instructor ratio was not student friendly.  Who knows but the last few weeks it was all I could do to rally the kids together to attend & pay attention at class.  They didn’t want to wear their uniforms or even focus in class.  We encouraged the kids to continue and complete the program they were registered in to but choose not to pay to have them tested for their yellow belts at the end of the session.  We also did not register in the fall program.  Maybe in a few years, the kids will regain interest & we will give it another shot but for now we have retired our lil ninja uniforms to the closet. 

Another new activity this summer was family bike rides.  I used to enjoy my bike & even commuted by bike for a couple of years.  In June, Tyler got me a used bike for my birthday and I put it to use all summer long.  Our family enjoyed multiple family bike rides along the green river to Van Doren’s Landing Park and to Russell Road Park.  I would pack up a lunch or a snack and we would make a full afternoon of it.  Josie is still too young to ride along but Issac does a great job of keeping up and following the safety rules. 

The Summer flew bye.  Now both the kids are in school.  It was such a fun filled summer of sunshine filled days & warm nights.  I enjoy taking notice of activities that the kids continue to enjoy from one summer to the next and those activities that they have outgrown.  Josie still enjoys parallel playing where she plays alone but near other children.  Issac, on the other-hand has a preference for interactive play with other kids where they create a story line such as hunting the shredder through the sewers & act it out together.  At home the kids still play together but this summer I realized that when other kids are around they don’t always incorporate each other in their activities. But when it is just us they enjoy each other.  I hope they never get tired of our summer adventures because some of my fondest childhood memories are of trips to "hide-away" lake or cherry point with my Mommy.