Kid dates

This month Eric took Riser out on a date while I had Bonnie. Both kids wanted Chick-fil-e so we all started there together. Then Eric took Riser to Five Below to pick something out (he chose foam swords), then went home and had some epic sword fights together. 

I ended up taking Bonnie to paint pottery. She picked out a little heart container and I painted a Christmas ornament to commemorate the occasion. 

Bonnie was in love with the pink bathroom. 

This was the perfect activity for us and was so fun! At one point Bonnie asked me where the 'oven' was where they 'cooked' our pottery. The lady who was working there overheard and offered to show her the kiln in the back, which Bonnie was thrilled about.

That evening I had also promised Bonnie we could do a sleepover together. She was so excited to stay up late and it was really fun hanging out with her! We did lots of crafts, played some video games, painted our nails, and watched a movie before bed. It was the first time she actually slept in bed with us - we didn't get the best sleep but it really was a fun night!

And later that week we got to go pick up our finished pottery!

Norfolk Zoo

Recently we went to the Norfolk Zoo with some friends. It was our first time there and we were so impressed! We were fortunate to go on an overcast, more tolerable day weather-wise. The zoo itself was beautiful, and so much larger than I thought! We will definitely be going back there at some point. 

I was also super impressed with Bonnie. She was so curious and had so many questions. Every time I turned around, she was asking the employees specific questions about whichever exhibit we were at. I was proud of her for being curious and eager to learn, but also so proud of her for not being afraid to go up and ask whatever she wanted to know. There were times we didn't even notice she was lagging behind because she was deep in conversation with one of the employees.

It was a very fun experience for us and we can't wait to go back!

4th of July

4th of July weekend started early on the 3rd with Eric coming in town and going to Water Country. It's always more fun with cousins!

The morning of the 4th, we helped the kids decorate their bikes and got ready for our neighborhood's bike parade.

Bonnie was at the front of the pack with some of the big kids. 

This was Riser's first year participating and he did great!

Then we went to Katie's pool and had some family pool time which was so nice!

That evening we went to a neighbor's house for hamburgers and river time with friends.

Bonnie got to ride on a jet ski for the first time and loved it.

Riser didn't last in the river too long as he couldn't really keep up with the girls, but Bonnie had a blast and could have swam all night.

We went home for a quick bath before going to our neighborhood beach for fireworks. This is the first year we've let the kids stay up late enough to watch them - which means it's also the first year I've seen them here as well! 

They were beautiful! Another neighbor gave the kids these sparkler swords which they were very excited about. After about one second Riser decided it was not for him and passed it off.

On Sunday we all went to Mom and Dave's for family dinner - it was a wonderful feast! I love that we've started family dinners and it was so nice Eric was able to be here for this one. 

Proud to be American - Happy 4th!