We're only half way along in our summer vacation and already we've been seeing reminders of others gearing up for the new school year.  There are "Back to School" ads, bins of school supplies lining the aisles at Walmart, and we received our CPI form in the mail from the local school district for us to fill out and return.

Well, we're not done with our summer break yet.  The supply bins and CPI form will just have to sit.  We're just having too much fun!  J

So, what exactly have we been doing so far this summer?  Are we just lazing around in our hammocks with stars in our eyes, listening to the local tunes?

Well, not all of us anyway.  J 

Our family’s summer has been packed with things to do, places to go, and people to see.  Here’s just a sampling:

Playing at Parks

Homeschool Conference Weekend

While I attended NICHE’s homeschool conference on both Friday and Saturday, Norman took the boys to the Science Center and other places around Des Moines.  This is always a special time for them.

Our 15^th Wedding Anniversary

We have always set aside our anniversary for our yearly family trips.  We used to go to places further away, but each year we have gotten closer and closer to home.  This year, with gas prices the way that they are, we decided on a trip to Des Moines.  And, although we had the boys with us, it was still a memorable anniversary trip.

We visited the place where Norman had proposed to me 15 years ago… the Botanical Center.  The boys enjoyed hearing us tell about how Norman had “popped the question” up at the top of the waterfall.  J

We also took a field trip to the Salisbury House.

Its design was based on a castle in England and includes flint from the White Cliffs of Dover and other materials from all over the world.  It also includes over 3,000 rare books and documents and very valuable paintings.  One of them was recently removed from the collection and sold at Christy’s Auction for $2,000,000.  Much to our dismay, though, a majority of paintings that the original owner had collected were of nude women.  We were also disappointed that they had taken out the shrunken head, which had once been a part of the Indian collection.  I had remembered this from when our 5^th-grade class had taken a field trip there “many moons ago” and this was one of the drawing points of talking our boys into going there.  J  The tour guide told me that they had stored it away, due to issues of sensitivity.

Camping Out

Our family has picked up the tradition of roasting hotdogs/brats and s’mores and then camping out in our backyard during the 4^th of July holiday.  This works out great!  We get the fun of camping out… plus the luxury of going inside the next morning and taking a shower.  J

Fun with Family

Summer is also a good time to see family members from out of state.  Norman’s aunt from Texas was in town for a month, so we got to spend quite a bit of time with her. 

Also, Norman’s sister and her family from Florida were up.  We all got together at Happy Joe’s for supper one evening and then went over to Jumping Jim’s so that all of the boys could wear off their pizza.  J  The boys had a fun time with their cousins.

Fun with Friends

Earlier this week, we got together with some friends of ours who used to live next door to us when we lived in Mt. Pleasant.  Both of our families have since moved away, so we (moms & kids) decided to meet at our old stomping grounds.  We started out at the park, where the kids played and we all ate our picnic lunch.  Then, we walked up to where we used to live and checked it out.  To finish up our day--and to get cooled down--we all went to get some ice cream.  Yum!

Library’s Summer Reading Program

This year’s theme is “Catch the Reading Bug”, so the special programs, videos and prizes all deal with bugs.  I took the boys to Dizzy the Clown’s program a week and a half ago.  She asked for volunteers to help her perform different tricks and do silly things for laughs.  One boy was given a large chocolate candy bar, so when she asked for volunteers the next time, our youngest son raised his hand.  He and a girl were chosen.  The clown painted a butterfly on the girl’s face while music played, and painted a spider web on our son’s face.  I think he would have preferred the chocolate bar instead.  J

The last day for the reading program will be on July 29^th, when they will have a carnival and give out the grand prize.

Gardening

Okay, so not all of our summer has been play.  Some of it has been work, but it’s still fun (in my humble opinion, anyway – ha!).

We’re still getting an unusually large amount of rain here, so the garden is starting to suffer.  The above picture looks pretty good, but lately, the corn is starting to fall over.  I think it’s because the ground is so water-logged that the tall, heavy stalks are just too much for the roots to keep them standing.

We’re hoping the tomatoes do okay, though.  Our oldest son has his own special project going and intends to make some money out of it.

Well, that’s just half of our summer.  We’re hoping that the last half goes as well as the first.  And then after that, I guess I’d better be getting that CPI form filled out and sent back to the local school district.  J

Coming soon… our day at Adventureland!