Perfect summer days

The last few days have been perfect summer days.  Temperatures in the high seventies, low humidity the kind of days you want to last forever.  

On Tuesday we decided to head to the beach for maybe the second time this summer.  Sad I know.  The water is so high this year that the beach near our neighborhood has hardly enough shore to set a towel down.   Driving to the beach seems like a pain so we have hardly gone this summer.  Also now that Evan is a teenager he is starting to exhibit the teenage "not wanting to do anything except sit around and play video games" which makes me super sad.   Then if he doesn't want to go Hailey doesn't want to go with just me.  Ugh.  Why can't they just stay little?

Anyway - with the threat of turning off the WiFi, we convinced Evan to come with us to just check it out.  I honestly didn't know if we could sit down or if the water would be warm enough to swim.  Luckily it was a perfect day.  The water was warm and just wavy enough that the floats were fun and you didn't have to worry about an undertow.

In typical teenage fashion - Evan had a blast once he was there.  It is just the getting them to do something that is tedious.

They stayed in the water floating and jumping waves for over two hours.

Evan even decided to make one of his famous sand castles.

Yesterday we decided to cross another item off the summer to do list and bike ride to Frosty Oasis.  Since there was ice cream involved the teenager didn't have any protests.  Hailey was actually the one complaining about her legs hurting.  I think she needs a bigger bike and that would solve the issue.  Evan biked like a champion on my old 26 year old Fuji Thrill.

On the way home we took some detours and went by the school to see the improvements being made to the playground.  We also rode by the house where I grew up.  It looks like it is abandoned and I don't know what it up with the horrible white primer.  It makes me sad to see it.

It was a perfect day to bike ride with a nice breeze and not super hot.

Two quintessential summer days!   I love days like these and it makes me so sad to see the school light at the end of the tunnel.  We are not ready for summer to end!

Bueller? Anyone?

I'm still here!  This poor blog has taken a back seat for a lot of months.  

We  had an epic July!  We spent most of the first week out west in South Dakota and then headed back east through Wisconsin with a brief stop in Madison to visit with sister and family.  I haven't included any of those pictures in this monthly recap.  There are way too many - I would probably break the blog.  They deserve their own post anyway.  I am sure I'll get on it right away...crickets. 

The day after we got back from vacation Hailey and I headed downtown with Grama for the annual art fair. 

Hailey paid five dollars of her own money to paint her own art.

Trent bought his favorite golf partner a new set of lefty clubs.

While Trent, Evan and Hailey went to the golf course, Spencer and I used his new cookbook to try out a skillet chocolate chip cookie.  Delicious!

The next weekend Trent, Hailey and I checked out Bike Time for the first time ever.

It was kind of loud but a nice festive atmosphere.  Hailey spotted the face paint booth right away.

Poor Dickens didn't know what to think about that.

Hailey and Spencer got into the Bunch of Balloons we have been holding on to since Christmas.

This is the boat that Evan was supposed to sail back from Mackinac Island on.  Due to inclement weather it never happened.  He was pretty bummed.

I love this picture of Evan at the yacht club pool.  It just has a calming sense about it.

Evan and Hailey participated in the second session of summer tennis.  They both did a great job.

The high school coach mistakenly thought that Evan was headed to ninth grade and was disappointed that he had to wait another year for him to join the team.   That was a nice compliment for Evs.   They both seem to enjoy tennis (unless it's 90 degrees out) so I think I will sign them up for fall lessons at the tennis club.

After tennis we all cooled off at the yacht club pool.

Hailey bought a new Popsicle float.  Good for the water or to just sit on and eat popsicles.

I also gave in to her making slime.  She has never really asked before but now she is totally hooked.

Oh and this happened.  He completed the level one class of driver's training.  How is that even possible?

We spent his "real" birthday in Grand Haven.  He wanted to have lunch at Culvers.  Then we headed to Chinook Pier for some mini golf and then to the Pump House for dessert.

Being goofy with our baby boy at the Pump House!

On Friday Spencer invited some friends over to hang out then go to the escape room to celebrate his birthday.

It was quite a month!  I hate that it is August already - August just has an unspoken sense of counting down to it.  I guess we will try not to think about it and enjoy the summer adventures we have left.