1000 Hours Outside :: July

At the rate we are going, we are clearly not going to hit 1000 hours by the end of 2021. But I am 100% ok with that. We're doing really well to get outside for at least an hour every day, and I think that's still worth it. Having the tracker helps keep the goal of getting outside at the forefront of my mind, basically forcing me to be intentional and get creative about our outdoors time. So it may take us awhile to hit 1000 hours, but we're going to keep tracking along, no matter how long it takes! :)

That being said...we had A LOT of really fun {and different} outdoor activities for July! We kicked off the month by grilling out with friends. We got to spend time with the Walberts, which included a yummy dinner, fun diggers and trucks, a walk to the creek, and a smoke bomb display. To say my kids had a blast is an understatement! And us Texans kept commenting on how amazing the weather was! Seriously, it was 70 degrees. In July. Amazing.

The Walberts have a trail just down the street from their house, so we were able to take a little post-dinner walk to the creek. Their oldest daughter, who is 9, was so sweet and kind to Maddie, and I think Maddie has found a new best friend. She stuck by A the whole night and hasn't stopped talking about her since then. I am so thankful for A's kind heart to love my little girl.

Their oldest son had recently come into a large stash of sparklers, poppers, and smoke bombs, and he couldn't wait to show us what he had. Since we weren't sure how the kids would react to the noise {they all seem to be pretty sensitive to loud sounds}, we stuck to the {quiet} smoke bombs, and the kids LOVED it! We clearly need to get out more haha!

Love adventuring with our crew!

We tried out another new {to us} playground in our neighborhood {Freedom Park}. We had the whole place to ourselves, and the kiddos had a blast! The consensus was that the truck was the favorite attribute of this playground :)

Our library also did an outdoor story time on Thursdays this month. We got to go several times, and the kids really enjoyed it! They had bubbles floating through the little outdoor amphitheater, sang fun songs, and then read a couple of books. It was such a fun activity, and I am still amazed that we can do this kind of stuff OUTSIDE in July. AND NOT MELT.  We got to take Daddy once, and Grandma and Papa got to experience it with us too :)

Speaking of Grandma and Papa, the kids had A LOT of outdoor time while they were here. While Mike and I snuck away for an anniversary trip {and had our own outdoor adventures}, the kids were living it up with Grandma and Papa with walks in the neighborhood, playing with sidewalk chalk, playing on multiple playgrounds, and going to the zoo! And that was all just while Mommy and Daddy were away. We had a couple more days with them when we got back from our trip, and we got to explore Great Country Farms and enjoy ice cream at our favorite small-town general store! 

Granny and Grumpz sent a fun gift of a big, colorful parachute! The kids are still figuring out the whole concept of holding on to the handles, coordinating with each other to move the whole thing, etc., but it's fun {and comes with colorful balls too}, so they absolutely love it :)

And, of course, it's always good to just eat dinner outside, play in the backyard, or go on a walk in our neighborhood. Hutchison Knoll is a popular destination for our kiddos; it's a short walk from our house, and then they love just running around the knoll, finding sticks, and "making gardens" {collecting all the leaves, berries, dirt they can find}.

Wearing our rain boots, looking for some puddles :)

I have a love-hate relationship with the sandbox. I love that we can just go outside and play on the deck, and the kids can spend all morning digging in the sand. But I hate that it can often be the source of many sibling fights, and I really hate that most of the sand ends up outside the sandbox {and trekked into the house}. The box was full when we moved in, and was basically empty by June. I finally decided to refill it, and we have spent many a morning digging in the sandbox. It's still a love-hate relationship, just now with more sand :)

We are seeing fewer things bloom around here, but every now and then, we still see something that we hadn't seen before. Of course, we still have to work hard to make sure bright red, enticing berries don't go in mouths...

Our landlords left a large bucket of birdseed out on the deck. We hadn't opened or used it, since we had our own birdseed to use. But one of the neighborhood squirrels {and we're convinced it's the same one who stole Aiden's bird feeder haha} chew through the bucket lid, and has been helping himself to its contents ever since. Several birds have tried {unsuccessfully}, but it's basically a personal buffet for this one squirrel. He comes every morning and every evening for his fill of birdseed. I don't have the heart to take it away, basically letting him finish it off before tossing the bucket. You win, Mr. Squirrel. Props to you.