As the summer came to an end, we squeezed in lots of friend and family time. We visited good friends from school at their community pool one afternoon.
Emma and Brooklyn are the best of friends, and they enjoyed swimming and playing together.
Hallie became fast friends with Brooklyn's little sisters, Bellamy and Blakelee.
Emma was invited to her classmate, Ella's, adorable movie theater-themed birthday party.
Emma and Brooklyn got their faces painted at the party
While Emma and I were at the birthday party, Dan and Hallie had a date night. They went to a playground, ate Chick-Fil-A for dinner and Krispie Kreme donuts for dessert, and had a movie night at home.
The girls also got to spend a day with Dan's parents at Hunt Club Farm.
They loved holding and naming all the chickens at the farm.
And feeding the parakeets in the aviary.
Hallie and Grandpa both held three parakeets at a time! The birds must've been hungry!
The girls took turns being the sad cow being taken to the market by the farmer. Ha!
Before school starts each year, Emma, Hallie, and I have an annual "Mommy and Me Day," where we spend the entire day doing things the girls enjoy. As soon as they woke up, they went on a scavenger hunt around the house to find gifts I had wrapped and hidden for them.
They each got a Bible with their name on the cover, and a new crossbody bag to carry their Bibles, notebooks, and pens to church.
I introduced them to the wonderful world of B'loonies, which I grew up with as a kid. You put colorful, toxic-smelling goop on the end of a straw, blow air gently through the straw, and voila!
A fun balloon to play with! They never lasted long, but the girls really enjoyed learning to make them.
They got a karaoke microphone, which inspired them to make a music video.
And they each got a cozy bathrobe
Which of course inspired a spa day
We went shopping for toys, and then grabbed lunch on the way to Bounce House, an indoor gym that's full of inflatables for kids to bounce and play on.
In addition to the inflatables that the girls had played on in the past, there was a brand-new obstacle course.
Hallie was up for all the challenges this year!
The girls and I ended our day at Dan's parents' house where we swam and ate dinner, and waited for Dan's sister, Robin, and her family to arrive from Salt Lake City! Spending time with Robin, Rob, and their daughters, Naomi and Miriam, was the biggest highlight of the summer! Unfortunately, Dan had COVID that week and wasn't able to spend time with them until the very end of their visit.
The girls were SO excited to see their cousins, Naomi and Miriam, again! They spent their days playing non-stop together.
Their five boy cousins joined in the fun, too!
The unicorn float got quite a workout that week.
So did Uncle Rob
Hallie and Miriam loved playing together
Emma was determined to catch a frog, and she finally did!
They roasted marshmallows and had sleepovers each night
And woke up to play video games together
We took the kids to the James City County Library to play one day. They got to meet the robot dog.
Emma, Hallie, Josiah, Miriam, and Naomi loved the vet area
Emma and Naomi made art on the giant Lite Brite
Micah built ball runs with magnetic tubes and slides
Miriam and Hallie played with the library's toy figures and games
Once Robin's family left to go home to Salt Lake City, it was time for school to start.
This year, Hallie is in Mrs. Gross' 1st grade class
And Emma is in Mrs. Petry's 4th grade class.
Our beautiful girls at StoneBridge School. We pray they have a year of growth and development that brings them closer to the Lord.
