First Week of Summer 2015

It's hard to believe that our first week of summer is already over, and it's only June 7!!!  Summer is my busiest time, so I don't get to take a lot of time off with Tate, but luckily I do have 3 day weekends which allow for some impromptu day/weekend trips if we'd like.

Of utmost importance to me for Tate's first summer out of school was that it be as unstructured as possible.  I want him to just play, play, play as much as he can.  I don't think he needs to be working on learning a foreign language, I don't think he needs to prep for 1st grade, I don't think he needs to be sitting in a classroom doing math and reading problems.  I think he needs to get outside and have fun.  Or be inside and have fun.  He has his whole life to learn.    

There are only 2 things I want him to learn this summer: 

Learn how to tie his shoes.

Learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.

Everything else is just icing on the cake.

So he's going to mostly 'fun' camps.  I've actually signed him up for a lot of half day camps which is a great expense to me, because I'm having to pay his nanny to pick him up and take care of him.  But it's totally worth it to me.  They can go to the zoo, to the library, to the Children's Museum, to the park.  They can play outside...(read she can help him learn to ride the bike :) ).  They can have playdates with his friends, they can go to the spray park, they can even come meet for lunch sometimes!!!  So that's my unstructured summer plan...a whole lot of fun.

Tate did make a bucket list at the end of the school year for the summer;  I'll have to add that to my own bucket list for us in my next post!

Last Saturday we had our last Soccer Shots session;  I doubt we'll do it again in the fall...we've so loved this organization.  Tate started with them when he was 3 years old at his old daycare, and we started the weekend classes when he was 3 1/2 (while he continued the weekly classes at daycare).  We've truly enjoyed them, but I think I'm going to try to move to league soccer in the fall.

OOF...right in the face!

Saturday night I got to have a mommy night out with my tribe while Nanny S babysat.  I braved a torrential rainstorm and possible flooding to get there...all well worth it!!

The first Sunday of summer started off with church!  Tate loves helping with the collection plate...

After church we met some old college friends for lunch then came home and just hung out!!  Love hanging out with my little guy!

Monday morning it was time for Zoo Camp!  It starts after I'm at work, so Nanny S came over each morning and took Tate when camp started.  As always I'm a nervous wreck due to his food allergies especially when I'm not the one taking him to camp..I feel like I'm a lot more pushy and informed, but I had to have faith that Nanny S would rely my concerns.  Thankfully, we've done this camp two summers already, and I hoped the staff would remember Tate (and they did!)  He wasn't doing camp with any of his friends, but as always my outgoing little boy made some friends and had a fabulous time.  He came home with lots of crafts, lots of stories of feeding the giraffes, seeing a sea lion show and riding the carousel.  It's an all day camp; Nanny S picked him up as well.  However, I got to take him on Friday, and oh my goodness he was so happy, and so proud.  He told everyone who would listen that his mommy was bringing him that day!  And his smile was just huge.  My sweet boy.

Here he is at drop-off the first day...

Drop-off on Friday...

He was also so excited to show me this little song they learned!!

He proudly showed me the aquarium his group made and we had to be sure to say good-bye to the lion and elephant!

We then drove out to the burbs to go to my friend's daughter's high school graduation party, the one I mentioned in the other post.  We had such a lovely time.  Tate had an absolute blast.  He played and played!

Ready to go to sleep in the car on the ride home!!

Saturday the 6th was my dad's 75th birthday!  In true Daddy style there was no hullabaloo.  He didn't want a big to-do.  He didn't want a lot of fuss.  He doesn't enjoy going out to eat or anything like that.  So since it was his big day we had sandwiches and cake at my parents' house.  Everyone came, and it was a lovely day.  Oh and no pictures either...my dad thinks we take too many pictures.  I am kind of sad that we have no photos to mark the occasion, but again he's the boss!  I have the memories in my heart and mind...that's what's important.  The cousins played outside, we girls hung out inside and my dad was happy.  Tate and I spent the night and I got to hang out with my mommy last night.

All in all I think it was a fantastic first week of summer!!!