I feel like I should get a shirt made: I survived Summer 2015! It was a long, busy, fun, frustrating summer. Although we didn't do any big vacations, we spent lots of time at Kings Dominion. We also went to Mount Vernon (three times), George Washington's birthplace, Fort Washington, baseball games, and many outings here in St. Mary's (library, pools, parks and museums). My goal was to stay busy and I think we accomplished that.
As is our tradition (at least for the last two years), we let the kids choose their activities for the last week of break. Anna wanted to go to Kings Dominion one more time, Jack asked for St. Mary's City and Kara wanted a trip to Dairy Queen. For Anna's day, we had a babysitter come stay with Kara and Luke so we could do a "big ride day" at Kings Dominion. Kara was thrilled with this arrangement, she loves our babysitter and was happy to have her (almost) all to herself. Thomas and I joked that we have never seen a kid so happy to be left behind. While we enjoyed our day at KD, she went to Ann Marie Gardens and had a hotdog/s'more cookout. Meanwhile, at KD, the 4 of us rode all the rides that Kara and Luke can't (or won't) ride. We raced on Rebel Yell, saw the Dinosaur Movie, rode the "scary" stuff in the waterpark and enjoyed riding everything together (i.e. no one waiting by the ride exit with Luke and Kara). We had to pull the kids out at 8. As we walked to the car, Anna said, "I wish it was the start of the day, when Jack left his flip-flops in the car and we had to run back to get them." We were all sad to see the day come to a close.
On Friday, we went to Mount Vernon to try out the Spy Master app. We had a good time with the clues. They also had a 3-D picture display, which was interesting. It is a such a beautiful place to visit and we always have a good time. On the way home, Kara changed her mind from Dairy Queen to Cold Stone Creamery, so we checked off her request as well. Sunday, we will fulfill Jack's St Mary's City request.
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| By the ice house, getting our next spy master directions |
Saturday, we went to Children's Day at St. Clements. It was okay, but there was a long line for the boat (40 minutes). There was only one boat running and we were worried about getting stuck on the island for an extended period of time waiting for the return. So, we skipped it. We'll have to go back when there are no special events. The kids were disappointed, but we still had a good time and it was a really pretty drive. To help alleviate their sadness over the island,we went out for lunch. Then, it was a trip to Dick's to get all their t-ball/soccer stuff for the season. I am not looking forward to activities starting again. It has been really nice to have our evenings free all summer.
As mentioned, it has been a long summer. I have spent a lot of time feeling frustrated. I know it is common for kids to fight, but I feel like there has been way too much discord in our home. Particularly with the girls. They share a room and spend almost all their time together. I know it isn't easy, but so much is self-inflicted. I worry about what the teenage years will be like. They fight over ridiculous slights and are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Thank goodness Jack is a boy, I can't imagine having 3 girls 16-months apart!
To conclude, a few random pictures from the summer:
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| Human foosball at a local playground |
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| Calvert Marine Museum |
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| Give the boy a button to push |
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| Backyard fun |
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| On one of our weekly library trips |
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