One of my (and definitely Aubree's) favorite summer traditions is City/Farm School. This summer, the stars aligned, and Jaylen joined us for a weekend with a party every evening (which made "city" life seem rather more exciting than reality).
We picked her up late Friday afternoon, and made a straight beeline to the end-of-sports-camp carnival. Jaylen was with us for this event last year as well, so she and Aubree knew just how to navigate themselves around the best attractions (with a special focus on food).
The next morning we batted around a bunch of different outing possibilities, before ultimately deciding to stay local and check out our city's KidsFest. That ended up being an extremely fortuitous decision. The KidsFest was really quite fantastic - with face painting, balloon animals, more icees, games, and prizes.
Mark and I employed a divide and conquer strategy. He took Thane and Graham, while I (with Nellie in the carrier on my back) took Aubree, Bryce, and Jaylen. I think I got the easier end of the deal. The big kids were largely independent, and spent a lot of time at arts and craft tables.
Thane and Graham moved through their activities quicker, but had a rollicking good time.
In fact, Thane even willingly let me take his picture. I guess all he needed was cool-guy sunglasses.
Following the KidsFest, we stopped at a local church that had advertised an open-to-the-community BBQ. That was a little awkward, but the kids loved it. After eating, Aubree and Jaylen jumped over to the woodworking table and proceeded to build themselves bird houses!
Before we left, they even got ice cream cones.
The day's festivities still weren't over. After putting the little ones to bed, I took Aubree, Jaylen, and Bryce to our friend's annual Open Mic night. When we arrived, we were asked if any of us would like to perform. Everyone responded with a quick, "No!"
Aubree, however, soon changed her mind. "I want to sing," she told me. I was nervous. She was not. When it was her turn, she walked confidently to the mic, and sang "Rip Tide" acapella. She totally rocked it! She loved performing, and immediately started talking about what she wants to do next year. Here's a clip:
Sunday, being Sunday, was a more low key day. I was super impressed with how well these girls got along this year. I am also treasuring every summer we have when they spend their time playing with their American Girl dolls and creating elaborate make-believe games and scenarios. I know the clock is ticking...
Speaking of their American Girl dolls, while Aubree and Jaylen had a wonderful weekend, their poor dolls did not fair nearly as well. Both suffered from broken limbs, fevers, braces, and possibly a plague or two. At least they were taken care of quite well.
It's nice to have capable kids around to help make treats.
Monday we went to the Museum of Flight and were excited to discover that it had been totally revamped in the few months since we'd last visited. There were a ton of new things to see. Mark walked over from work and joined us for a little bit.
Walking through the insides of some of the big planes (777, 737, 787 Dreamliner, Concord jet) was really neat.
They also found some fun interactive games. In this one, they are virtual geese trying to stay in correct flight alignment.
Another night, another party. This time it was a graduation party for a young woman from our ward. Basically it meant an enjoyable evening at the park with friends. Which reminds me... the previous day (Sunday) was Pioneer Day, and during primary, the kids got to participate in a bunch of pioneer related activities - eating homemade bread, making butter, and playing pioneer games. One of those games involves putting a button on a string and turning it into a whirligig. Aubree and Jaylen practiced ALL Sunday afternoon until they became shockingly good. They could do partner whirligigs, whirligigs fast or slow, even whirligigs on their feet!
Tuesday morning we loaded up and drove to Jaylen's house for the start of Farm School. I think City School was a success this time around.
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