Summer Bucket List, Week 11

We have a Summer Bucket List, thanks to Kelly over at Little Wonders' Days.  This is simply a list of fun things we want to do or accomplish this summer.  We completed our eleventh week of summer and unfortunately the end is in sight.  I start back to work full time this week, Braedon and Colby next week, and Brody the following week.  I plan to continue to check things off the list until the end of August, though we might be moving a little more slowly toward this goal.


Our previous weeks can be found here: 
week one, week two, week three, 
week four, week five, week six,
week seven, week eight, week nine and week ten.


1.  Visit ten parks to play and picnic:  We had already completed this one, but we revisited a playground this week and it is worth mentioning.  We had so much fun meeting up with Kim's Daycare last week to play and picnic that we did it again.  My kids get along better with each other if they have other kids to play with as well.  So Friday we met up with Kim and her kids at the lower playground at East Lake.  This is the original play area and much of the equipment has been there since Kim and I were children.  It's fun to see our kids explore the merry-go-round and other equipment that used to be prevalent in playgrounds and is now pretty rare.


7.  Iowa State Fair:  We went yesterday.  We couldn't go until mid afternoon since Ron had to work and the rest of us had to do farmers' market.  So we didn't experience as much as we would have liked to.  We met up with some friends and with my sister and her family.  The boys did the giant slide, played in the sprinkler park and a playground, and had corndogs.  We also saw some art exhibits and a giant sand castle the artist is carving to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the butter cow.  We also went through the building that had the animal babies inside.  We saw a chick hatch and viewed baby ducks, pigs, and an ostrich.  Then we parted ways--Ron, Braedon, and Colby went off to their concert (more on that later in this post) and Brody and I saw the butter cow and some other exhibits before the buildings closed than we ate some more fair food and Brody fell asleep waiting for the concert to end.


28.  Swimming Lessons:  The boys finished this week.  Who knew it would be so chilly in August?  Colby has made progress, but still needs to work on some skills and ultimately on getting more comfortable in the water.  Braedon has just blossomed in swimming lesson the past two weeks.  He was so excited and proud to go in the 12 foot to practice some skills.  He passed his test, though still needs to work on efficient treading (he kicks so fast that he tires quickly).  He even braved the diving board during fun day and jumped off 5 or 6 times.  Each time with a huge grin on his face!


Other things we did that were not on the list:
*We went to a cousins birthday party that involved cake, ice cream, and sprinklers.
*Saturday was Customer Appreciation Day at our farmers' market and we enjoyed listening to a local dentist sing and play his guitar as the entertainment.
*Ron and his friend Kris have been wanting to see a Def Leppard concert together since they were teens, many years ago :).  They got to go last night at the fair.  Since my boys are eighty hair band fans, the older two (and Calob) also went to the concert.  I hear that much fun was had by all.  Brody and I enjoyed the post concert fireworks as well.


I'm back to work this week, but Ron is home most of the week with the boys.  Next weekend is Braedon's birthday party.  Hopefully we can check a few more items off the list.  :)