I don't know why we haven't been doing this all summer, but the local bowling alley participates in the Kids Bowl Free program, which allows you to bowl two games for FREE every day of the summer. You have to pay for shoes ($5 per kid), but it made for such a fun afternoon. And of course, everything is more fun with the Hawkins family!
Colby, just watching his ball roll...
We squeezed in one more day at Hawaiian Falls before Kinley and Aubrey went back to school! How is this summer nearly over??
There was hardly any line for the Reef Racers, so the kids rode multiple times in a row...
They did the ropes course multiple times...
While Mel entertained Emery in the pool...
When we got home, I think I started on some yard work, so Brooke brought out the chalk and began working on this masterpiece...
Colby made this kite completely on his own and was 100% confident in its flying capabilities! He ran up and down the sidewalk with Brooke, trying his hardest to get it to fly, and it did kind of go in the air, haha.
Colby's zinnias were getting more bold and vibrant every day! He still didn't want to cut any of them for a bouquet, so we just admired them around the trees.
Our post-piano lesson park time was short and sweet. It hadn't been quite as hot that week, but there was still a reason we were the only ones there. It's not quite park season yet, haha.
Brooke and I had the best smoothie/ice skating date while Colby was playing at the Lundeen's house. We've been talking about an ice skating date ever since last summer when she completed the goal of reading 100 books! I felt awful that she's had to wait forever, but I'm glad it finally happened because hanging out with my girl was the best.
The rink didn't open until 11, so we had a little bit of time to peruse Nordstrom Rack together. I had a little moment where I imagined shopping with her as a teenager, so hopefully she'll still want to hang out with me when she's 15 :)
Then it was time for ice skating! It's been about 2 years since we've been here, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but Brooke did way better than I thought she would. I think she surprised herself as well. She started out holding on to the sidewall, but by the end, was skating next to me while holding my hand :) 
The boys went on a date as well and finally completed a bucket list item for Colby. He felt like such a big kid going to the batting cages with Daddy, which I'm sure is the first of many outings there. He starts his first season of baseball at the end of the month and my boys are BOTH so excited for it.
Colby finally agreed to a hairstyle change and I love seeing more of his sweet face. He really loved his "flat hair" where it was combed to the side, but it never stayed and was constantly falling down on his forehead. We need to let the sides grow out a bit along his crown, but it's a huge improvement.
Friday night on the boat started with a trip to the marina for gas :) Colby wanted to be Kevin's helper...
He was in the silliest mood and I have the funniest videos to prove it.
The kids loved the novelty of tubing until dark. But the definite highlight for me was listening to their giggles as they played.
The next morning we went to Griffin Peterson's baptism, then headed to In-N-Out for lunch. Brooke asked me if I thought people were staring at us because we were in our church clothes, so we had a good little chat about confidence and not worrying what other people think about you.
Then it was lake time with the family. Colby was the ultimate scorekeeper of who he thought had more turns, but overall, it was a great day.
LOVE this one so much...
We had the best cloud cover and ended up spending the entire afternoon out there on the water...
I was happy when Brooke wanted to wear her baptism dress to church again, but I couldn't get over just how big my kids were looking...
Sunday dinner with friends turned into "Dibbly Dot Shakes" and a deck covered in soil. Sorry, Tracy!! My kids both came home jealous that we don't have bunnies, chickens, or soil boxes.
While hanging out at the Myers' house, they shared with us that they had put an offer on a house in Colorado. It wasn't shocking news because they've tried several times over the last year to get a home in Grand Junction, but while we were there, their realtor emailed them with the news that their offer was in the top spot. THAT was a bit shocking, given that the housing market is so crazy right now. Tracy commented that she wasn't really thinking it would work out because of the way their previous offers had gone, but then an hour later, they received word that their offer was accepted! It was such a weird moment. We were, of course, excited for our friends, but it was also devastating to imagine Texas without the Myers. As soon as Tracy started crying, I was toast. (Danielle had already excused herself to the bathroom.) We just hugged each other, then talked it out.
Early Saturday morning, Kevin and Scott headed back to the lake. I wasn't interested in waking the kids up early, so we joined them around 10. The lake was the smoothest I think I have ever seen it in the 8.5 years we've lived here. I loved floating out there with the kids, but within 45 minutes, the winds changed, the sky turned dark, and a storm rolled in.
Sharing a little treat on a VERY hot day!
We did have one fall because a kid cut me off, made me lose my balance, and then I failed at helping Brooke maintain her balance...but we survived :) We really need to do more of these one-on-one dates because I think giving her this undivided attention was amazing for our relationship.
I took these photos in the Kroger parking lot before we headed in for groceries, haha. The crepe myrtles were just so beautiful and my kids were looking cute :)
We made a quick visit to the doctor to get ride of a wart on Colby's foot. He was a brave little dude and was trying SO hard to be still while she used the liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart.
I watched as Colby just chatted it up with Kinley. They were both laughing and being super adorable, so I had to get a few pictures.
I felt a little bad that we were there when they received such important news, but it also felt like such a tender time with friends and an opportunity to show our love and support during such a critical moment. Ahh, just love them all so much! The next 30 days will probably be crazy with preparation and planning, but hopefully we can still fit in some fun.
Afternoon play date with Jones and Harley, which meant lots of costume changes, running around, and imaginative play.
The long-awaited Daddy-Daughter Pow Wow, hosted by the Activity Day leaders. They changed the date multiple times, so the anticipation was unreal, haha. Brooke definitely looked the part with her Pocahontas costume. They even made headbands for each other once they arrived. Kevin was 'Warrior Mallow" (s'mores over a fire pit were on the agenda), and Brooke was "Princess Pigtails."
Another Hawaiian Falls date with the Sturgills and Myers...
Little buddies: Colby & Brandt, Nora & Brooke. I've actually started letting my kids go on slides without me, which is a big step for me! But they've done awesome going in pairs and coming straight back to check in. And I'm always close to the attraction just so I can keep my eyes on them.
And the best part of letting the kids have a bit more freedom is having time to spend with these friends! We are gonna miss you like CRAZY, Tracy!
We are surrounded by the best "big kids" that are willing to hang out with the littles. Cooper rode several slides with Colby at the end of the day and you could tell that Colby felt like a million bucks. Cooper is 7 years older than Colby, yet is able to have fun with my little buddy :)
Somebody tell these kids to stop growing up!! (Maddy also brought a few friends.)
Kevin was able to take Friday off, so you better believe we went to the lake. As we drove over the lake, we were shocked at how calm the water was. It's normally only that calm on Sunday when we don't go boating, haha, so we were in for a real treat.
Somehow Kevin's hat was left in the car, but Brooke was happy to share, haha!
Squirting Mama...
Working on that wakeboarding...
Taking to get a selfie while both wearing big hats is always a little tricky!
Boat snuggles are the absolute best! He didn't fall asleep, although I would have loved it if he did.
Colby drove us all over that lake!
We ended the day at Hawaiian Falls. The Lazy River and Wave Pool were definitely our jam after stuffing our faces at Torchy's Tacos for lunch!
As I squatted down to get the picture of the guys, Colby came over and was kissing my cheek and posing for a picture, haha. I love this boy SO much...
They are just the cutest together and I ADORE this picture of Brookie. Her happiness about the whole evening just radiated from her little face.
Danielle even snapped a few pictures of the mom zone...
Kevin's friend Scott came to town for a few days and brought gifts for the kids. The foam airplane kept Colby entertained for a solid hour the night that Brooke and Kevin had their pow-wow, and Brooke loved sketching villains in her new sketch book with Scott.
We were all gonna sleep good after a full day in the sun!
But thankfully it cleared up that afternoon so we could play outside in Grandma and Papa's backyard. Colby was pumped to bring all his new baseball gear, and Brooke did so well hitting, we ended up researching and signing her up for a softball league.
But before baseball, she made sure to spend lots of time with sweet Emery...
I'm always amazed at how long they are entertained with play-doh. Brooke had an entire set-up for her tiny Barbie baby. She was sad when it was time to clean up, so I let her take pictures of everything.
We had plans to go to the science museum in Fort Worth, but luckily I checked the times before heading out and found out that they are only open on the weekends now. So, we headed to the Arboretum instead. We spent the entire time in the Children's Garden, but it was definitely time well spent.
I tried taking a picture of all three of us with White Rock lake in the background, but when Brooke came over she started rubbing my head and made me nearly fall over. I got after her for doing that, and then she didn't want to come for a picture. We later apologized to each other, but I sure wish we had the picture of all three of us because it really was such a fun, carefree day together.
We were all pretty hot by the time we made it back to our car, so I promised the kids a trip to Bahama Bucks and it did not disappoint!
That afternoon, Tracy came to get some moving boxes that Kevin had brought home from work for her. While at our house, Brooke started begging for a playdate with Miss Tracy's kids, so we coordinated one for the next day. It ended up being pretty rainy, but that didn't keep these kids from water balloon fights and homemade snow cones.
During the playdate, Tracy took Cooper to his allergy appointment, then stopped for snow cones on the way home. She is the sweetest and brought us a gift card (she knows we love Bahama Bucks), and we definitely put it to good use a few days later!
The end of August was kind of rough with Covid at our house, but the rest of the month was pretty great!
They participated in a science experiment about how seeds travel, and Colby was especially excited to tell Kevin all about it that night.
That night was Meet the Teacher, and we started school the next day! (Separate posts) On Sunday, Kevin woke up sick and tested positive for Covid that evening. I will post about that separately as well, but the kids both went to school on Monday and Tuesday (when Colby took his home-grown zinnias to his teacher)...
