The Best Parts: Loads of Family Fun

It's the final weeks of Summer and we're busy doing a mix of relaxing, enjoying our time off together and getting out to do fun things!  It is really fun to be able to stay up late and play outside.  Kevin's still working/teaching/counseling/researching all summer long, but his schedule is a little less busy.  We enjoy the extra time with him and went out of our way this week to celebrate our family's birthday (our anniversary) with the whole family.

The best parts of our week were:

I booked one of our favorite babysitters for a surprise date night on our anniversary.  I also booked reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in town as another surprise.  Kevin loved both  And speaking of things I LOVE... let's talk about this shirt dress.  It's from Time and Tru from WAL-MART!!  It was under $20 and I get so many compliments on it.  And it has POCKETS.  I can't wait to check out the Fall Time and Tru line.

Kevin surprised me with roses.  Lots of roses.  He came home on Tuesday with 2 dozen hot pink roses from the grocery store.  They were gorgeous and so affordable.  Yay!  Then he came home on Wednesday with 2 dozen light pink roses.  I mixed the bouquets to recreate our wedding flowers and put them in our fanciest wedding gift vases.  They're just gorgeous!!

We went to a local arcade for some half price fun on Tuesdays.

We had several cool days to go on family walks after dinner.

Olive and I have been working hard on photographing, researching, reading, writing and learning all about butterflies this week.  There are so many hanging out in our yard this time of year.  It's been such a fun project to do with her.  Stay tuned for more details on our butterfly unit.

We went to Stables Steakhouse for dinner.  Everything is horse themed and it was so fun!  The food was amazing.  The booths (in horse stalls) were so cozy.  I think it's our new favorite spot.

I love living near a college campus!  We really enjoy walking through ISU's campus.  It's so pretty!

We've been checking out new parks around town.  The kids like to say they're training to be American Gladiators.

These are Fletcher's favorite shoes.  I stopped in Family Dollar to pick up crayons that were on sale.  They were all sold out so we started exploring the store.  These cute sandals were regular priced $5 and marked down to $3.50.  We bought them and loved them so much that I went back to buy a back up pair for this Summer and the next size up for next summer.  He can put them on himself, they're great for wide feet, they're so cute and comfy.  They come in white, blue and pink. 

We had some really warm weather earlier in the week which kept us looking for all the indoor fun.  Our children's museum has a really fun space exhibit.  The kids got to talk to people from NASA and hold a meteor rock. 

Of course Astronaut Olive would have a bow on her helmet :)

We used a gift card to try a new ice cream place.  Everyone loved it.

Our power went off for several hours on one of the hottest days.  We loaded up and headed to the pool.  Seemed like the best option to stay cool.

My parents came up for a quick visit.  We worked on projects, ate cookies and enjoyed the day together. 

My kids love these tricycles that can tote someone around. 

Whew!!  No wonder I'm worn out from a busy week.  We packed in a lot of fun.

It's time to link up with my favorite blogging buddies for High Five for Friday.  Join us with a few different blog posts and be sure to look around to find some new blog friends

Becky @  By BMG Blog
Della @ Della Devoted
Tif @ Bright on a Budget
Whitney P @ Come Home for Comfort

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