Summatime Funtime!

Soaking in every drop of summer!

Corn on the cob = perfect summer dinner side!

Family time:

S'mores on roasting hot days:

Pullen park play date:

Family bike ride (Daphne is in the bike cart behind Jason):

Summer $1 kids' movie club = the best! Also, the only time our kids see the inside of a movie theater! So far, we've seen Storks and The Lego Movie.

One of our favorite annual traditions is Cow Appreciation Day! So glad I spend $10 on cow fabric 3 years ago! 

We ran into church friends; Russell and David were excited to see each other!

Everyone was so excited to see the cow!

Wonderful, wonderful summer!

End of School and the Capitol

We finished our school year in May - woo hoo! The kids did a great job on their end-of-year testing, and for the last day of pre-k, 1st, and 2nd grades, they each made a summer bucket list. Now that we're in July, we've done most of the things they wrote on the lists: biking, ice cream, going to the movies, cousin/grandparent sleepovers, s'mores. The only things left is a beach trip :)

The next day, our sweet, dear friends from IL came to stay with us for a night. It was so great to catch up with them! We took the kids to visit the capitol building in Raleigh, as well as the NC history museum. The kids had a wonderful time together.

Keepers/Rangers Derby and Awards Night

Meredith and Russell loved their Keepers of the Faith and Royal Rangers groups this school year! They are scouting groups that our church hosts twice a month. They've learned all sorts of things, from sewing, gardening, and baking (Keepers) to knot-tying, chess, and safety (Rangers).

In May, the groups had a combined Pinewood Derby. There was also an "open" category that anyone could enter, so Paige designed a car too.

Russell's 75 Pontiac Wagon, Meredith's Emoji car, Paige's Rainbow Dash - ready to race!

Jason is the co-leader for Russell's Ranger Kids group, so he was one of the race helpers.

Watching their cars!

Winners! Russell's car won second place for design, and Meredith's won first place for speed!

Two weeks later, both groups had their awards ceremony! Here's a sweet picture of Meredith's whole Caring Keepers group. (No pictures of Russell's group :( Daphne was bored and loud so we had to go to the lobby.)

Snacks after awards :)

Looking forward to starting again in the fall!

We are the Imps!

We are the Imps
Couldn't be prouder
If you can't hear us
We'll shout a little louder!

Our summer has been commandeered by swim team events, and we like it! Practice is for an hour each day, M-F, except for meets, which are on Tuesdays and last no less than 5 hours. Monday nights after practice we have Pasta Pump-Up, which is a potluck meal for all swim team families, with pasta, pizza, salads, fruit, and desserts.

Paige is on the Sunfish team (a team for 4-6 year olds who aren't quite ready for the "real" team), and Russell and Meredith are on the 7-8 year old team.

The swim team kick-off was a Cinco de Mayo breakfast - yummy!

Russell and his "big Imp," coach Steven:

After each practice, if they've done their best and have brought their own allowance to spend, they are allowed to buy a drumstick or an ice pop!

Sunfish practice - see Paige lined up? Sunfish practice from 4:15-5:15; 7-8s practice from 5:15 to 6:15.

Russell enjoying Pasta Pump-Up with friends after Monday practice.

Swim meets: lots of down time, lots of snack time, lots of play time!

...and lots of great swimming!

Awards: Russell's relay team has won 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in some of the meets, but he is most proud of this - his "heat winner" ribbon for winning his freestyle heat.

And Meredith got Swimmer of the Week on Week 1 :)

Team Picture Day: all 235 Imps!

...and our favorite 3 Imps!

We have 2 meets left and then the swim banquet! They are all growing as swimmers and having a blast.

Disney World: Cars