Fun Fridays

While looking through our June, July, and August schedules, I realized that our Fridays are - at least when compared to other weekdays - relatively free. Will doesn't work or have high school workouts or club soccer practices on Fridays, and Hallie's Fridays are only peppered with occasional dance workshops rather than fully booked with regular classes.

So the kids and I decided that, in the vein of our summer plans to "do the fun thing, write the fun thing down...pressure off," we'd enact Fun Fridays. 

Our Fridays aren't completely free, which means our Fun Friday activities will vary significantly depending on the week. Last week we kicked off the "series" with brunch at a new-to-us restaurant near campus (Snooze, for anyone in BCS) before Hallie and I headed to her dance photoshoot and Will and Tom headed to Houston for soccer. As I write this post on Sunday night/Monday morning, we've yet to decide what we'll do this Friday. We only have the morning and early afternoon to work with so we probably won't go out of town; maybe bowling or a midday movie, especially given that the temperatures is expected to climb to its highest point so far this year...

We decided we should take some kind of picture to commemorate each Fun Friday, so I grabbed this one of my breakfast tacos because they were AMAZING. We forgot to take a picture of the three of us inside, and the picture we took outside is - as a result of it being the brightest day in the history of time - the worst picture ever taken of any three people so it won't be shared here.

Also on our list for Fun Fridays are Big Shots driving range and miniature golf, Star Cinema for dinner and a movie, Trader Joe's in The Woodlands, the (soon to open) Museum of Illusions in Houston, Bahama Bucks for shaved ice, Freezing Cow for rolled ice cream, and browsing our favorite bookstores with iced coffees in hand. The "maybe" category includes Aggieland Safari, axe throwing, hiking, disc golf, the Farm Patch market, and possibly either Hurricane Harbor Splashtown or Typhoon Texas water park. 

We'd love suggestions - preferably activities within an hour's drive of BCS, and preferably not activities that cost an arm and a leg. They can be as small - think bookstore, coffee shop, ice cream parlor, or park - but on occasion we'll do bigger, longer Fun Fridays as well. For reference, Will is 16 and Hallie is 14.

Do the fun thing. Write the fun thing down. Pressure off.

(thanks, Emily Ley)

High Five for Friday (6.2.23)

 

One

I take the kids - separately - out to lunch on the final days of finals week, and it's one of my favorite "traditions." Hallie picked Mad Taco for her lunch, and Will picked an Asian noodle restaurant (where we'd never been before and of which I can't remember the name) for his lunch. The food was delicious at both places, but the company was better. And I didn't make either of them take a photo with me...even though I wish I would have.

Two

That's a lot of change in one year...

First day of school...

...last day of school.

 

Three

Last Friday these two - and both of their families - said goodbye to middle school. 

First day of school...

...last day of school.

Then they - along with their friends (and all the mamas) - cheers-ed to the end of the school year, the end of an era, and the beginning of summer at Starbucks.

Later that night we watched our sweet friend Danielle graduate and then celebrated her at a fun party. Will couldn't celebrate with us, however, since he was playing in the orchestra for the graduation that followed Danielle's.

Four

We spent ALL day Saturday and Sunday recital-ing, and other than a few minor snafus, the weekend went very well. Best of all, my mom and niece, Lily, flew down so they could come see Hallie dance as well!

Five

Milton and Kirawee are pre-adopted, but Wooloomooloo - the little black tuxedo - is still available. Y'all, he is friendly and social and cuddly, not to mention clever and curious, and he has a motor that doesn't quit. Let me know if you would like to meet him!

Happy weekend, friends!

Hallelujah - School's Out for Summer

A (small) part of me is glad this school year has come to an end. It was, for the most part, a good year, but the past few weeks have felt like (what I imagine) the last mile of a marathon feels like: borderline impossible. 

The kids need a break. I need a break. And we all need to celebrate, even if it's just our traditional last-day-of-school "surprise": summer baskets and cookie cake. (Will and Hallie are of course not at all surprised anymore, but I love this tradition and I'm keeping it alive, surprise or not.) Hallie and I will also grab Starbucks with friends after getting out of school early on the last day, because apparently during COVID we started this tradition and according to the girls it must continue until high school graduation.

We have quite a few things on the calendar for the summer: two weddings; two college visits (hold me); short field trips to Washington, IL, St. Louis, MO, and possibly Ann Arbor, MI; longer visits to see our families and friends in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois; high school workouts and club soccer practices and tournaments for Will; ballet intensives and dance classes for Hallie; working as a futsal referee for Will; and working as a dance assistant and volunteering for VBS for Hallie. We're also trying to build in plenty of run-of-the-mill summer activities, like sleeping in, night walks (a favorite of mine and Hallie's), ice cream for dinner, swimming, water balloon fights, movie marathons, reading books, and lots of time with friends.

We'll have a few rules and responsibilities, but we won't have bucket lists or activity calendars or school fun guides or chore charts or job jars. We've been there, done (all of) that, but with each passing year this organization and these "systems" have slowly faded into the background...which makes sense given my kids' ages. I still like to document our summers though, so a couple of years ago I started using an approach borrowed from Emily Ley (the founder of the Emily Ley Simplified Planner and the Simplified brand): a summer memory list.

"Do the fun thing. Write the fun thing down. Pressure off."

I hope your summer is full of fun things.

~

This kid just wrapped up 10th grade. It's truly mind-boggling to think he's halfway done with high school and only has two years left before going away to college...

End of Kinder

End of 1st Grade

End of 2nd Grade

End of 3rd Grade

End of 4th Grade

End of 5th Grade

End of 6th Grade

End of 7th Grade

End of 8th Grade

End of 9th Grade

End of 10th Grade

He only agreed to be photographed if he could hold Plié. Scroll to the end of this post to see how they both really felt about our photoshoot... 

~

And this (once) pipsqueak is somehow off to high school herself.

End of Kinder

End of 1st Grade

End of 2nd Grade

End of 3rd Grade

End of 4th Grade

End of 5th Grade

End of 6th Grade

End of 7th Grade.

End of 8th Grade

It goes SO fast...

~

Note #1: I say this every year, and I'll say it again - I should have started with a bigger or less fitted cut of shirt for my girl...not sure why I went with the baby tee. 😂

Note #2: I'm not sure what it is about putting on this teeny tiny shirt - it makes her want to do tricks. So here are those she wanted me to save for posterity. 

Note #3: These two don't love doing tricks. I feel like they're both looking at me with disdain...