Our summer is off to a great start! I love this laid back time of year. We decided to kick off summer with a backyard cookout. We started by roasting hot dogs which turned out delicious.
Of course, you can't have a summer fire and not make s'mores!
At Mia's request, we decided to have a water balloon fight afterwards. Lily and I were on team Balloon Busters while Ryan and Mia were on another team. We spread these balloons all over our deck and had a blast getting soaked! Hopefully we'll do this again soon.
Afterwards and we were drenched.
I put this picture in purely for Mia. Love her enthusiasm!
Liz took the girls to Shades' VBS for a week, and they had a superhero theme which went over well with our girls. Here's Lily modeling her superhero outfit for me.
One of Lily's recent drawings. Love her creativity!
Meme turned 93 last week. I adore this lady. I went to visit with her the Friday before her birthday. When I walked in, she was sitting in her wheelchair with her Bible open on her lap. When I asked what passage she was reading, she said she was studying the different names of God; she said that never gets old. I wish I could have snapped a picture just before she looked up; it's a sight I will never forget. I am so thankful for this wonderful woman and the influence she has had on my life.
I wasn't able to join Meme on her actual birthday because Ryan and I were in Florida. His grandfather passed away, so we went down for the funeral. Ryan was able to give a tribute to Grandpa Hooks at the funeral, and he did an outstanding job memorializing this incredible man. He certainly led an exciting, interesting and full life. There are many that are going to miss his zest for life, generosity and wisdom.
Back at home, the girls built this fort and we kept it up for several days. They had a great time crawling inside to read books or play on our iPads.
Last week the girls went to tennis camp. They had never picked up a racket before, but they both did great! They loved it, so we're looking into finding a coach to continue these lessons. I was 6 when I started, so I think they are at the perfect ages to start. I love that they are loving this!
I don't have a picture of this, but I took the girls to Barnes and Noble last week. They have a summer reading program that Lily participated in, so we went to pick up her free book. On the way, Mia asked if I would get her a toy there. I said no but I would get her a book. When she responded she didn't like books, I suggested that maybe we find one on a subject she really likes, like superheroes. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said "Mommy, just so you know, I'm just pretending to be a superhero right now but when I get older, I'm going to be a real one." Somehow I don't doubt her!
We also have enjoyed a Braves game with our good friends, the Gary family (happy father's day present to Ryan). It was a blazing hot afternoon game and the Braves lost, but we had a lot of fun with our friends. We also went that evening to a surprise party for Shane as he recently received his college degree. We are so super proud of him (he did a 4 year program in 9 months, yes, 9 months!) and look forward to seeing where this takes his family in the future. It was so incredibly hard not to say anything to him at the game though! Thankfully I hadn't told the girls so the secret was safe.
Let the summer fun continue!