Summer In Review

Summer officially wraps up today and we are set to embark on a brand new, BIG adventure tomorrow.... 3rd grade, Kindergarten, Preschool, and I will be in PreK! Big changes are happening for all of us! I hope Terrell Selph is ready!! Ha! #alltheemotionshappeninghere #it'sbeenalongandcrazyweek #prayforus

The summer season has grown on me by leaps and bounds since Garrison's Kindergarten year when we experienced our first baby being in big school. Before, it was just a miserably hot season off of school with the only real highlight being vacation. It was okay, but definitely not my favorite. But now, it's a time of relaxation, slowing down, no commitments, no sports, no real schedule, and soooo needed by all of us. 

While the start to this summer was really different and a little challenging, we have wrapped things up on a high note. Other than some unexpected sickies this week, we had the best 2nd half!! And the 1st half wasn't too shabby either. =) 

Here's a recap of our summer start to finish...

Our very first day of summer, Garrison Cade had a tonsillectomy. Everything went really smoothly with the surgery and other than day 3 being pretty tough on our patient, we were so pleased with his recovery. And thankful! We consumed tons of popsicles, were stuck inside almost non-stop for a week or so, spent some of Garrison's DQ gift cards, played in the rain, and Terrell and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with a family date night. =) It was challenging for sure with one boy recovering and 2 boys still going strong, but we did it and looking back it wasn't so bad.

Once we felt good and confident about Garrison's recovery, Terrell and I were able to plan a very last minute anniversary trip! It almost didn't happen, but we finally found a place to stay and went back to PCB for the 2nd year in a row. We loved last year's trip so we went for it again. It was soo fun and such a special weekend for us. We have come to reeeally treasure our anniversary get-aways!! And the boys had a blast with Granna and Papa. =)

Once we returned from our trip, things were crazy. The boys were fighting a ton, I was tutoring (with a new student!), I was interviewing and awaiting word on the PreK job opportunity, we were planning to go out of town again, the house was a mess, the boys were a mess (haha), and the fighting was out of control! Did I mention the fighting? Gracious. It was crazy around here. 

BUT, I got the job!!!! And then we enjoyed a super fun trip to Gatlinburg! Then, immediately following our trip we celebrated Father's Day with the best dads! It was a really fun and exciting few days.

After Father's Day it was time to count down for the beach!! We went back to St George Island again this year and introduced the O'Mary fam to our favorite family vacay spot! (Part 1, Part 2, Part3) We had a wonderful week and LOVED having the whole family there this time!

After our fun and amazing time at the beach we returned home and finally, truly settled into summer. Things just seemed to finally click. It was the best! The boys started playing so well together and getting along better than they had all summer. We almost completely eliminated iPad time and cut back on TV time and just enjoyed summer perks... and each other! We had a fun 4th of July and enjoyed a few firsts of summer like going to see Cars 3, swimming in Mrs. Debbie's pool, and the boys had sooooo much fun at Nana Camp. =) It was a great start to July!




While the boys were having a blast with their cousins and grandparents I enjoyed a super rare girls day out and Terrell and I got in a sweet date night. =)


Next up, we were reunited with our babies, hosted our biggest play date ever, and tackled some early school supply shopping. It was a pretty great week.






We enjoyed our big summer weekend a little earlier this year with me going back to work and we had such a great time!! I love this tradition!


After our last big outing of summer, we got ready for my last week of summer. We spent some time working in my classroom, had a play date with Piper, made more freezer meals, went swimming, got haircuts, and I was able to meet the newest member of the Swatts fam. It was a really good one!

This week has been a crazy (and stressful!) whirlwind but ready or not our 1st day is tomorrow!! The highlight of the boys' last week of summer would probably have to be riding bikes, playing in the sprinkler, going out to breakfast, and their annual summer trip to Dauset Trails that Granna and Papa made happen. =) Even though it's been an exhausting week I'm so thankful for my kiddos' amazing grandparents helping us out and making the boys' last days of summer so fun!

This summer was a special one filled with all sorts of fun and adventures. Some big, some not, all priceless. Even though we have some really big changes coming, I am so blessed to spend my school breaks with my guys. It wasn't always pretty or perfect around here but we made some really great memories and some of my favorites were of just listening to my boys play together and have fun while they used their imaginations. Of course the trips, outings, and bigger plans were awesome too. =)


I am so thankful for our summer and praying for a smooth adjustment for this brand new school year full of change. We are all excited and nervous but putting our trust in Jesus! He is faithful and I know we're going to be just fine.

Happy Thursday! Have a fun Friday and a great weekend!!