Summer 2015 Recap

That first week of summer.  It was rough.  I had a 3 week old baby.  I had four kids out of school to entertain and take care of ALL DAY.  I had a husband that just started a new job AND was gone 3 hours every evening coaching Chase's all star team. My mom had left for Utah.  I didn't feel comfortable yet taking all four of my kids out anywhere on my own.  I was sleep deprived. I may have shut myself in my room a few times that first week to have a good cry.  Summer seemed so long and so impossible. 

And yet, here I am, 2 months later and summer is gone.  And you know, it wasn't terrible.  It was low key and slow paced at times, but I got in the groove after that first week or so.  My kids had fun and we really enjoyed being together and enjoyed our new little baby together.  And I have to mention how appreciative I was for good friends all summer that had my kids over for playdates, took them to the beach, and met up with me to hang out.   

Some of the highlights:

I discovered that indoor play places were my jam with a new baby.  We hit up Pump It Up twice, Big Air, and We Play Loud.

Leigh came to visit me for a week!!  This was so great and helpful.  We took the kids to the pool, went to the OC Zoo, and I enjoyed having an extra adult! 

The girls did swim lessons and Lyla became an independent swimmer!  This made it possible for many more trips to the pool over the summer.  SO grateful for pools. 

We headed up to Grandma's house twice for sleepovers and more pool time and had a day trip to Simi to see the Piscitellos.

The kids went to Hero Camp, and Lyla got several playdates that week.

Chase had a week of Scout Camp AND a week of tennis camp.  Lucky boy.

The Larsons and the Herreras came for a week at the beach!  The highlight of the summer for sure, and I didn't feel as guilty not taking my kids to the beach more.

And we still managed to squeeze in a couple of more beach days (thanks to Matt having a day off and Grandma helping out).

Two Angel games (with baby!) and one Dodger game.

Matt took time off and we did 2 days at Disneyland before our passes expired.  It was hot and crowded but still a lot of fun.  And I took a baby!

 

And we had plenty of days at home that ended up like this:

It actually ended up being a great summer.  Although it is nice to have them in school and return a little structure, a cleaner house, less fighting, and less running the dishwasher to my days.