Summer is Finally Here!


 

The weather is HOT, the water is warm and the grass is growing.  Summer is here!  We have been busy, busy, busy with our main focus being  finishing up school and then all our other extra curricular activities that are winding down.  We are looking forward to a slower pace that summer brings after a busy spring.  We have officially blown up the blow up pool and also enjoyed going down to the river and attending the local outdoor pool.  It is so nice to be warm. :)  My kids test next week and we are feeling pretty good about it.  We will continue to do some schooling over summer, but on a much more relaxed and paired down schedule.  We will have our garden which does need to have some replanting done due to the week of pouring down rain we received right after we planted it.  My son has his own pumpkin patch that he will probably have to replant some plants, and my younger girls have a watermelon patch they are tending.  Watermelon just does NOT grow well up here, but they are convinced that it will do good.  My oldest does not like gardening, but does help out.  She is learning to cook this summer, at least that is the plan.  Hopefully she will come to enjoy it. :) We have visited with cousins over the holiday weekend and everyone enjoyed themselves.  We visited the pool, played at the park, and had a ball just playing.  It was a nice not to have to rush anywhere to just sit and enjoy the kids. We took some pictures at a beautiful gazebo on a pond with ducks walking around and frogs croaking their nighttime song,  You can see the fountain of water they have in the middle of the pool which is right out behind the gazebo.  It  would be a beautiful place for a wedding.  We did not get pics of the gazebo, but we did get some of the kids sitting on it.



My two little monkey girls with their two little monkey cousins whom we still cannot tell apart. :)




One of our little cutie pie cousins posing for a pic after a fun day at the pool and park.

 We also finished up dance for my two youngest girls.  They had their final recital which consisted of a ballet one night and a tap recital the next day.  They loved them both.  The ballet was called the Princess Gala and it was a huge hit.  The tap was fun the next day also.  Here are some pictures.


My eight year old on the left and her friend waiting to go out on stage at the ballet recital.



My youngest two girls the day of their tap recital.  This was taken after the recital.




Here they are posing outside after the tap recital.




My wild child at her recital.  This face says it all!



The other major event this spring for my oldest besides her musical at school was that she went to the prom. She was very excited and had a wonderful time. She was looking forward to it for a while.  I told her that when the time comes for her prom she will be a pro. :)  She looked so beautiful!







Prom night.



 I have a "to do list" planned for jobs around the house for this summer and some fun activities planned also.  My oldest has already made use of our hammock and the new swing that we put up.  She loves to go out and lay there and read.  We are planning some more hiking expeditions on the Blue Ridge Parkway also.  Overall it should be a fun summer!  One we are greatly looking forward to.  Now if only my hubby could come home and enjoy it with us.  His truck has been having some maintenance issues this year, but we are hoping we have gotten most of them complete.  Lord willing. 

Now that things are calming down I will be blogging more, also my camera died and I have taken over my hubby's so we are all good.   God Bless!