Last week was our first week of summer vacation, and we did it up right! This summer Gavin is attending summer camp two days a week with his best bud Olivia, and so far it seems like he is having a blast (it's hard to get a good read on an almost 4 year old...I'm taking the fact that he willingly goes to camp every time and leaves camp looking happy to mean that he likes it!).
With Gavin at camp, that leaves Declan and I with some one-on-one time. Declan and I are signed up gymnastics and swimming lessons. Swimming didn't go very well for the first 10 minutes or so (he screamed bloody murder) but Dec finally got the hang of it and didn't want to get out of the water by the end of the lesson! Hopefully he remembers next week that he really does like the water...
Gymnastics went pretty well. Declan loved the ball pits, and is already trying to jump in. But he doesn't know how to jump yet, so he pretty much takes a big step into the pit. He wasn't crazy about circle time because it took precious seconds away from playing in the ball pit, but he tolerated it. Dec really didn't like it though when it came to practicing "skills" (in the 18-24 month class, the "skill" this week was rolling back and forth on a log to get ready to try somersaults).
In between all the camps and classes, we found the time to get out and enjoy summer as a group of 3 as well (poor Daddy has to work!). Last week we went to the children's museum, and it's the first time we've been there since Declan learned to walk on his own. Dec loved it and Gavin pretty much played on his own. Gavin is becoming more and more independent these days, and it's both exciting and a little bittersweet.
We've also spent plenty of time outside. We play a lot in our front and backyard, whether it's splashing around in the water table or hitting tennis balls hit into the air and running after them (basically glorified catch, but the kids love it). Both Gav and Dec love going in the wagon to the park, feeding the ducks and fish at the pond, and walking down to the library. And Declan's favorite outdoor activity by far is "watching cars." This means that Declan wants you to walk up and down the busy road on the edge of our neighborhood while he rides in the wagon and watches the cars go by. He does not tire of this activity, so I get a good 2-3 miles in each time we go out!
At the end of last week we went to Libertyville Days for the kids party. Dec and Gav got to play free games and win prizes, as well as eat their fill of donuts and suckers, all while playing with their buddies on the playground and having a picnic with friends!
Earlier this week we went to the Treehouse at Gavin's request and had a great time. Declan loved exploring this place in more detail now that he's an avid walker and climber, but he still needs my help on most things. Which means I got to ride down the giant slides quite a few times!
We also took another walk to the library to sign up for the summer reading program. Gavin was really excited about signing up this summer, and spent a good 20 minutes reading by himself under the big fake tree inside the library. Gavin has really gotten into reading on his own lately, mainly because he doesn't want to take a nap so instead he has quiet time where he sits quietly in his room and reads to himself. He usually ends up falling asleep anyways, but either way its a win for me.
Here's some pics from our adventures so far!
Dec having a blast at the children's museum.
Ta-da! Gavin loves performing. Today he would come out from behind the curtain and tell a knock-knock joke. Gavin's idea of a knock-knock joke is to start with "why does" and then he just lists off a bunch of things he is thinking about, then he says "because" and again just rambles away. Then he laughs and you know the "joke" is over :)
Mmm, beans.
Gav loves fishing in the pretend pond.
Dec loves trucks and fire trucks are no exception.
Not sure when fire trucks included a 90's land line phone, but it's a hit with the kiddos!
Gavin told me that these were his robot arms.
Gavin was very excited about his first day of camp (and his first time using a backpack!)
Backyard fun!
After months of only going down slides head first, Declan has finally figured out the more orthodox way to do it.
Dec not only loves to watch cars, he also loves riding in cars, playing with cars, watching the movie Cars....
Declan exploring a tunnel at the Treehouse.
I love this pic of Gav coming down the twisty tube slide at the Treehouse.
