Summer is Here!

Monday morning's conversation with Rix and me went like this:

Rix: Mom, what are we doing this morning.

Me: Going to the office, like we do every morning.

Rix: GOING TO THE OFFICE! But MOM, it's SUMMER VACATION!!

Unfortunately, we don't all get a summer vacation (maybe that's why I became a teacher??).

I have always been a huge fan of summer, although I don't claim it as my favorite season. I love fall because of the change in the leaves (so pretty!) and because it is always the start of something new - this year will be kindergarten for Rix and maybe preschool for Bryce. Winter is full of fun snow activities and holidays - I love Thanksgiving for the food and Christmas is, well, Christmas! And spring is so wonderful because it comes and saves me just when I am getting done with winter and cold. And I love that all my flowers start to come up! But this summer is going to be a blast! The boys are old enough to do fun things and, as you can tell, Rix knows what a summer vacation is, so we are going to make the most of it! Here are some of the things we have planned:

* Go to the zoo - a lot. I have an annual pass to it's a free and fun day for the kids.
* Have a family fun night at the Family Fun Center in Tukwila. We scored half-price tickets from our local radio station.
* Swim at the lake. We have some friends who live on the lake and have given us the use of their beach and dock!
* Go to the Oregon Coast. We'd go to the Washington coast, but from experience, I know the more south you go the warmer it gets. And Washington beaches are rocky where Oregon beaches are more sandy (this creates better sandcastles!).
* Lots of bowling. We signed up for this program for the kids that lets them bowl two free games every day for the whole summer. They have to pay for shoe rental, but it's a cheap day for them to have fun.
* Swimming and jumping in the backyard. I finally got a bigger swimming pool for the kids, and now that our deck is cleared off, we can nicely fit a little pool on it for the kids to splash in.
* Go on a hike and pick huckleberries. For heaven's sake, we live by several mountains and ranges, we should go on a hike once in a while! And if we research our trails well, I hope to find an easy kid-friendly hike that not only includes huckleberries but salmon berries too!
* Go to Great Wolf Lodge. It's only an hour south of us, and since we are pretty flexible we should be able to find great rates. If we don't get to this by the end of summer, it is a definite for September. By then rates should be amazing.
* Go to Hawaii! Without the kids. That makes me sad, but the break will be really nice.
* Go to Utah! We hope to see old friends, see lots of family from both sides, and enjoy all the Utah things we have missed. We are also going to Moab during that trip for my mom's family reunion. Should be fun!
* Two words: Harry Potter

* Be a single parent. Wait, what?? That's right. You heard it correct. Bryan has the amazing opportunity to redo the sealing rooms of the Seattle Temple with my dad's company. It will take him away most of August (they plan on staying the night up in Bellevue on several occassions so they can work late and get up early without commuting). It will be a long month, but worth it.

* Go to lots of parks with lots of swings and slides. My kids think that we need to do something fun everyday, and since it's summer vacation I totally agree! Even if we are short on time or money, going to the park is always fun (and free!). And if I'm in a giving mood - and my kids leave the park without screams or tantrums - I might swing in to 7-11 for a Slurpee.
* Go to Sunnyside Beach. It's part of the Puget Sound, so it's still salt water, and when the tide is out it can be somewhat sandy. There is a play park, lots of rocks to throw in the water, BBQ facilities, tons of room to run around, and (this is the best part) there is a train that goes right down the border of the beach every 15 minutes or so. The kids love to stand by the fence and watch it go by. It's SO loud!
* Go to Snoqualmie Falls. We discovered this wonderful area when Brent and Stina came last year. It was so beautiful and the boys could have spent all days throwing rocks in the water. Now that I know what it is, I will be better prepared this year (i.e. bring water for the steep climb!).

I know there are plenty of other things we plan on doing. We just haven't planned them yet! We will have lots of posts about our exciting (and not so exciting) adventures. Hooray! Something for you to look forward to!