Summer Traditions

Check out the turtle we found one night in our flower bed.  We had already put the boys to bed, but went to get them so they could see the turtle.  She was digging a hole to bury some eggs. 

Here she is again.  We were able to get really close to her and watch the whole process.  It was pretty amazing. 

First day of the summer in Minnesota where it was warm enough to swim outside without getting cold when you got out of the pool!!  On this day, we spent several hours running around in the pool and I have never seen Aiden sit so still after dinner.  He was exhausted that night.

Liam on the slip and slide (we put dish soap on it to make it a little faster)

Luke on the slip and slide

All the boys plus our neighbor

Liam feeding the goat at the Fair

AJ riding the cars.  He has asked several times this week to see the picture of him driving the car. 

Luke riding the pony at the Fair

We are getting ready for Lunch with our tie dyed shirts!!

(L to R) Charlie, Jack, Liam, Aiden, and Luke

Water Ballons!  Liam is trying to throw one at me through the door.

This is our 4th summer in Minnesota and during this time we have developed some summer "traditions."  The neat part of this is that Luke and Liam are beginning to remember these traditions.  In fact, sometime in the middle of winter on a cold and somewhat dreary day (could have been virtually any day in January or February), I remember asking the boys what they wanted to do today.  They suggested that we go to the Fair and see the animals and ride some of the rides.  Sounds great, doesn't it?  After we discussed that the Fair only comes during the summer when it is warm outside and we can wear shorts, they have been waiting all winter for the Fair to come.  Last weekend, the County Fair was here and we took three very excited boys.  Luke even suggested that he should get up "super early" on Saturday morning so we can go to the Fair.  The boys loved feeding the animals and riding the rides with our neighbor friend, Jack.  I am pretty sure nothing changes from year to year with this very small County Fair.  The rides were exactly the same, the animals were all in the same areas, and it looked pretty much the same way it did last year, but the boys loved it.  The big State Fair is in August and I am sure it will be a hit as well. 

Another one of our summer "traditions" is lots of swimming outdoors.  On just about any day that its warm enough, we have the pools or the slip n slide or something out in the yard.  Unfortunately, summer in Minnesota is often a little on the chilly side for swimming so you have to take advantage of warmer days.  We have "Pool Fridays" every week with our playdate friends.  At one of our recent "Pool Fridays," we tie-dyed shirts at a recent playdate and they turned out so cute.  We have talked about doing this for awhile because it is much easier to keep track of everyone at random parks, zoos, or other play places if they are all wearing the same thing!! 

A couple of our other summer traditions that we are looking forward to include our upcoming vacation to the beach, vacation bible school, a Twins baseball game, a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Carrithers, and more!  Stay tuned.....