The reality of summer...

 

It's not pretty or decorative, but it is a bucket list of all the things Jonas and Lorelei (mostly Jonas) wanted to do this summer. So far we've only checked off 4 out of 12 items from the summer bucket list. Yesterday the pediatrician asked him if we had done anything fun this summer and he replied "No."  Making a dreamy list of ideas is hopeful and fun, but the reality of July is a little bit different than our inspirational ideas from June. 

A lot of our plans required extra fun money to go do. Unfortunately our summer started with replacing our entire a/c system, which with our size home meant four separate units. Let's just say it ate up all our fun money. Now being on a budget is no excuse for not having summer fun, it just means looking for cheaper and free things to do. 

The pool is definitely our go to place in the month of July for fun. We try to make it to the pool at least once to twice a week in July. 

Lorelei had been really wanting to go to what we fondly refer to as the "spinney park" AKA the Helotes Park. You are never to old to play on a playground! But in Jonas' case, maybe too tall!

It is pretty great to live in a small town like Helotes, right outside a big city like San Antonio. The small town vibes make summer feel like days from the past, especially when it comes to celebrating the 4th of July (on July 3rd)! We headed over to O'Connor with Sonic shakes, a picnic blanket and family. 

We spent the 4th of July cooking up a feast-ribs, homemade bread, coleslaw, roasted corn and S'mores pie! 

We ended the evening with a fabulous game of Apples to Apples! So many laughs and memories. 

A lot of July centered around Lorelei's diving schedule. She has been working hard and it shows. She had practice nightly for nearly two hours. Her hard worked paid off as she won the end of season Championship. 

She is now working toward tryouts for the high school diving team at O'Connor. Go Lorelei!

This month was quite challenging with weather and general moods. There were lots of stormy days which sometimes left us feeling gloomy ourselves. We found lots of little activities to fill our days and cheer us up.

~Coffee runs.

~Frequent Rummikube games.

~Tennis time, right after the rain cleared.

~Puppy cuddles and naps.

~Freddy's was on the bucket list! Hooray!

~A trip to Lolli and Pops.

~Time for leisure mornings of coffee and reading.

The storms and weather did make for some great photography moments this month.

We did have one family outing which was also on Jonas' bucket list...a day at the lake. We headed to Boerne Lake which is a great place for a quick getaway. 

Our big summer project is the bedroom shuffle that's going on. The kids are all switching up rooms, since the older two are moving on. Savannah will be moving out this month as she heads to Austin. Jonas is taking over Bailey's old room and started with a fresh coat of paint. More to come in photos as they finish up the big switcharoo!

For me I had a few guilty pleasures like too much binge watching t.v., lazy days by the pool and late night gym visit with my peeps. Okay, my the gym visits weren't a guilty pleasure but one of the things I am proud of this summer. 

We wrapped up the month with a full day of doctor's appointments, brunch and an IKEA trip. Productive and fun!

I wasn't feeling my usual positive self this summer. I was feeling down and as if we haven't accomplished all the bucket items we should have. The beauty of taking the time to write and reflect helps me realize the reality may not have seemed exciting or magical, but there's still so many memories made and moments of gratitude to experience in the day to day of summer. 

School is just around the corner and it's time to savor these last few weeks. The real reality is summer is slowly coming to an end. Time to tackle a few more bucket list items. 😉