Our Summer in Paducah

It took a lot of strength not to put a nasty adjective in front of that city in the title. I'm trying (and failing a lot) to make the best of it. So here's what we've been up to this summer.

There's an above ground pool where we live, and the kids, especially Avery love it. It's nice to be able to walk to the pool.

I signed Avery up for swim lessons. She did so well. I'm so proud of what she has learned how to do in the pool these past few summers. If only I could get Colt interested in lessons.

In June Metropolis had its Superman Celebration. It was a really fun event. I kept reading how Dean Cain would be there, but we found out when we got there pictures with him were $50. This nice Superman was free, and the kids didn't know the difference.

We are still really enjoying our church, and I'm so thankful for an awesome place to worship and take the kids. It's really been a bright spot in this dark city.

The kids went to VBS a few weeks ago. The theme was Galactic Starveyors. They learned all the songs and dances, and got to perform for us on Friday night. What a great week. One day they called and said Colt had hurt his finger. I went to pick him up and he was crying with that visor on. I couldn't handle the cuteness.

The kids and I went to Birmingham for a few days at the end of June. We had so much fun. My mom and I took the kids to Railroad Park, Vulcan, and Savages. We all went to Alabama Splash Adventure one day and had a blast. I took Avery to get a haircut, go roller skating for the first time, and to Steel City Pops. We also found the Birmingham sign and quickly found out the restaurant it's on isn't quite as kid friendly as we thought. What a fun week in my hometown.

For the 4th of July we went to St. Louis. I have been wanting to go there since we lived here in 2009. Monday was amazing. We went to this awesome restaurant, Blues City Deli, then we found some tickets to the Cardinals game that night. We sat in the BrewHouse across the street from the stadium and had so much fun. Tuesday started out fun with going to see the Arch. It's really amazing. Then we went to this fair that turned out to be a dud. Both Daniel and I said that St. Louis reminded us of 8 mile in Detroit. It was scary. The game and the Arch were awesome, but other than that I wasn't impressed with St. Louis. 

Still in Paducah. Still waiting to go somewhere else. Trying to stay positive. Thankful for this time with Daniel and the kids. Hopeful for the future. Get here fast, future.

Beach Vacation

Back in May we went to Panama City Beach. A perk of homeschool is going on vacation before the crowds hit. It was marvelous. It was sunny everyday, not too hot, and not crowded at all.

View from the balcony. They were ready to get to the beach the minute we got there.

I'm so glad both kids love the sand and the ocean. They had a ball, and the water was perfect!

We went to the pool a couple times. My little fish (Avery) loves swimming more than anything. Colt likes it as long as his face doesn't get wet.

They also love the sand. By the end of the week I thought if I had to build one more sand castle I would chew my arm off just to get out of doing it. Sorry the pictures are sideways...no patience to learn how to fix that.

There must have been a parasailing place close to where we were. We saw them go by all day long.

Another sideways picture. This is our favorite restaurant, and once again, it didn't disappoint. If only we could get the kids to eat seafood.

Daniel took the kids to do something I would never do...get airbrushed tshirts. The kids absolutely love them. I admit they are cute, but they are a little high maintenance if you want them to last.

The kids had a blast at the beach. Beach trips look much different when you have kids, and I'll admit I was ready to go home at the end of the week. But all that matters is we got to spend a week together, and the kids had fun.