Brooklawn Park

I haven't been to Brooklawn Park in New Bedford since I was a kid, but today we went there to check out the (fairly) new splash pad and playground.  It was funny to be in that park again; it brought back so many memories.  I remember going there to feed the ducks when I was very young.

The new splash pad is very nice and the playground is great too.  The girls enjoyed it!  The sun was warm, but there was a cool breeze; the girls did not care.  Kate was shivering, but insisted on staying in there for quite some time.  Both girls dried off to play on the playground for a while and then went back to the splash pad.

Papa and Grandma met us at the park.  It was very nice having them there to help keep an eye on the kids, and it was great to spend some time with them!

 Kate loved the little bursts of water coming up in the above picture.  They seemed to be just the right size for her.  She spent a lot of time there.

Reagan was all about the HUGE splash of water being dumped on her from the buckets.

Collin wasn't up for splashing, but he did like the playground.  I didn't get any pictures of him though.  That's okay, we'll definitely be back there this summer and I'll make sure to take his picture then!

I did drive by my grandparents' (Wade) old house to show the kids.  18 Edna Street - funny how I remember that address even though I was very young when they lived there; I think they moved to Fairhaven when I was about five or six, but I'm not certain.  I took a picture just for the fun of it.  I remember sitting on that front porch with sparklers!  So funny!

I am thoroughly enjoying summer vacation right now.  It is SO nice to be able to do fun things with the kids and be more relaxed.  They are all at great ages for going places and having fun.  I hope we have a wonderful summer!

Tennis

Collin and Reagan had their first tennis lesson of the summer this morning.  I think the indoor tennis was worth the money over the winter, because they both looked pretty good out there today.

Tennis lessons with Steve are the best.  He is so positive and just wonderful with the kids.  He makes the lessons so much fun, and he boosts their confidence while helping them become good tennis players.  The kids enjoy their lessons and learn so much each week.

Around Here

On Sunday, we went to Papa and Grandma's house for breakfast.  After eating, we went to the New Bedford Airport because they have a fairly new playground.  

It is a cute little playground.  It's definitely better suited for Kate, but the bonus here is watching planes take off and land.  We saw four planes take off while we were there.

 I didn't have any pictures of Tyler in my last day of school post, but I managed to snap one when he walked in the door that day.  Can you believe he is going to be a senior in high school?  How is that even possible?  Yes, that is his phone in his hands; I think it is surgically attached to him.

Speaking of the last day of school, I meant to post this little video in my other post, but I forgot, so here is a tiny piece of our water balloon silly string fun after school:

Reagan has wanted her ears pierced for quite some time now.  We were trying to wait until she is older and a little more responsible, and also trying to hold on to the "little" in our little girl.  Well, we made her a promise that if she earned two 4s on her report card, she could get her ears pierced.  Her grades were fantastic, and so her ears are now pierced.  I think the little birthstone flowers are perfect for her!  She did so well too, no tears at all.

Reagan's friend Karlie came to Ma Raffa's with us for lunch after the ear piercing.  The two of them were trying to rap.  I have no words for this, just watch the video:

Karlie, Reagan, and Kate played with water balloons.

They were trying to catch them in the milk jug scoops I made years ago.

The week isn't over yet, but this post is getting long, so I'll leave you with one last picture.

Ah, yes.  Lazy, relaxed summer days spent on the hammock.  Ha ha ha ha ha!  Sitting on the hammock with these two is anything but relaxing, but I still love it.

Baking Soda Dough

 This is yet another Pinterest find.  I used one large underbed storage bin for both girls.  I gave them each two cups of baking soda, and then they added one little packet of Kool Aid for scent, a few drops of food coloring to match the color of their Kool Aid, and 1/4 cup of water.  Kool Aid reacts with baking soda, so we had a little bit of fizzing going on.

 They mixed it all up.

 The texture is crumbly and the scent is delightful.  They enjoyed playing with it just like this for a while.

 And then I gave them squeeze bottles full of vinegar.

 I had to refill those squeeze bottles a few times!

When all of the fizzing stopped, their red and blue sections had combined to make purple, and they added boats for an entirely different play experience.

Polka Dot Slime

I mixed up a batch of polka dot slime for the girls this morning.  I saw the idea on Pinterest (of course) and thought it looked cool.

 To make this slime, you simply dump two five ounce bottles of clear glue into a container and then add liquid starch 1 TBSP at a time until you have the right consistency; I didn't keep track of how much starch I used, maybe ten tablespoons? maybe more.  Then you dump in pom poms.  That's it!

 I think I enjoyed this more than the girls.  I couldn't put it down.

 

 Kate touched the slime a little, but mostly stuck to mixing it with her spoon.

 Reagan said it was "kind of cool".

 When we decided we were done stretching the slime, we rolled it into a big ball and played catch.

School's Out for Summer

On the day before the last day of school (yesterday), I thought we should have a fun treat.

 Reagan was at Karlie's house, and she doesn't really like s'mores anyway.  Her treat was hanging out with her friend!

 I discovered that Kate doesn't like s'mores either.  She likes all of the pieces, just not combined and ooey gooey melty (CRAZY, right?!!).

I made cinnamon rolls for our last morning with Ellie.  I was so happy that Ellie likes cinnamon rolls!  I wanted something special to thank her for spending time with us before school each day, and she did indeed enjoy the special treat!

While they ate, they made tape/crayon creations.

OF COURSE, I had to take a few last day of school pictures.

 Of course Reagan had to be silly.

 Poor Ellie is trying to get Reagan to cooperate so that we can get the picture thing over with!!!

Finally, one normal picture.  As much as I like this picture, the silly pictures are the TRUE Reagan.

Reagan's class had a pirate party to celebrate the last day, and I jumped on board with the theme.

 While they enjoyed their last day of school, Kate and I got ready to greet them.

Happy Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!