The Last Days of Summer

We're back into "routine" again, and like every year, that's not necessarily a bad thing. While I absolutely adore summer and the many things that we are able to do, there's also something to be said about being back into a regular schedule again. Here's a recap of a few things we did to enjoy the last few days of summer break...

We spent some time at the Hudsonville Fair. Grant is old enough now to participate in the pedal pull, so Eric took him to that while I went downtown with Brooke to meet my mom and sister for lunch (Crane's in the City - yum!) and so that Brielle and Brooke could play in the fountain. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera for any pictures, but I can't say either child was all too thrilled with the water, so we didn't stay incredibly long. Grant's first experience with the pedal pull was good. Because he's never, ever done it before, I don't think he quite knew what to expect, and thus, started off pretty slow. Eric thought he finished about tenth or so from about 30-40 kids, so hey, for not having any practice, that was pretty good! He had a lot of fun doing it, and that's all that mattered.

Pull, little buddy, pull!!

That same night, we met our friends at the fair. We walked through the animal barns and the kids rode rides. Am I just out of the loop, or are the ride prices at that fair excessive??? We bought Grant a wristband for $20, and that was well worth it considering all the rides he went on, but to buy individual tickets for rides cost either $3 or $4, and for kids under the height requirement (which for most all rides Brooke was), the parent also had to pay $3 or $4. Come on now - $8 to ride a carousel for 2 minutes. Ridiculous! So, sorry to say, my daughter and Brielle (we were babysitting for Chad and Kathi that night, as they were at a wedding) got jipped out of rides, but they were SO WELL behaved sitting in the double stroller.

The best group shot I could get (Isaac, Grady, Morgan, Hannah, Reese, and Grant). We were missing about half the group, but trying to get kids to stand still long enough in a place with fun rides is like pulling teeth.

The kids LOVED this slide. They'd get done and then go right back on up for another ride.
Grant and Ike's facial expressions here are absolutely priceless!
Brielle and Brooke being oh so patient, watching all the other kids enjoy the rides.

After the fair, we decided to swing by Little Caesars to snag some pizza. We were starving. So, there we sat at a picnic table next to the parking lot by Little Caesars (no seats inside) eating our pizza in the dark (it was about 9:30), with Grant running back into the store every few minutes to get a drink from the drinking fountain (no cups for water, either!). It was quite fun, actually!

Eating like a bunch of hillbillies outside of Little Caesars. Who needs plates, silverware, or cups?!

The following night we went to Eric and Lindsay's house for a get-together with a group of cousins. We ate dinner and hung out in the yard. It was a beautiful evening, and we had a very enjoyable time with everyone.

Tori, Joel, Grant, Brooke, and Brielle (missing: Grady - eating in crowds isn't his thing :))

The pool was a hit. I just loved watching Joel run gang buster into it, face first, come up laughing, and get out and do it all over again.

Eric and I have a preschool parent meeting tonight for Grant, and then Tuesday is the big day - his first day of preschool. He is so pumped and cannot wait to meet new friends. I posted this on my FB page but also want to mention it here for the sake of being able to read back on some day - we got the biggest laugh out of him Monday night. We had Eric's parents over for dinner and Eric's mom asked him if he was excited to start preschool next week. Grant's response - "Yep! I know how to wipe myself now." We have been working on bathroom independence with him in preparation for the start of school; however, that is not quite the response I expected. Sweet...glad we got that covered. I'm beginning to get nervous about the things this kid is going to bring up in school. Are his classmates going to know the color of my underwear, too?? Ha! Bring on preschool!!