Kids with the Nannies, Grandma Friday, and Quality Dad Time

I'm thankful that when my kids aren't with me, the people that are taking care of them are willing to capture memories and send them to me via text.  Those little notes brighten my day and remind me that my kids (and our family) are lucky to have others around them that care about them and do their best to make sure they have fun and experience new things.  Enjoy the following post with pictures from the summertime nannies, my mom, and Danny.

The kids started out their summer break with our nanny, Taylor.  We learned about Taylor through Danny's office; Danny works with Taylor's mom.  Taylor is a teacher and was looking for part-time work for the summer.  The kids were originally going to go to summer camp part-time & have a nanny part-time; then, COVID hit.  The opening of summer camp kept getting postponed.  Taylor was great with the kids and she was super reliable.  Apparently, she has a bit of a culinary background, so she did some baking with the kids!

She also braided Cadence's hair in a super cute way!

Mom kept her Fridays open for "Grandma Friday" - the kids still love a McDonald's treat for lunch.

Cadence was proud of her "Frappuccinos"

Grandma made sure they did some reading

And fit in some physical activity by going on walks

They love to go to the park and walk on the trail too

When more was learned about COVID, our nanny, Taylor, had to put in more hours at school prepping for students to return to the classroom.  That, coupled with the fact that she was pregnant, meant that she wouldn't be able to watch the kids 5 days a week.  Luckily, her younger sister, Brooklyn, was able to fill in the gaps!  Brooklyn started staying with the kids a few days a week and eventually every day of the week, Monday through Friday.  Brooklyn was super hands-on and tried to do a lot of activities with the kids.

They went hiking at Highbanks Park...

They LOVED going to Alum Creek Lake...

They went for walks in Westerville...

Grabbed doughnuts in Sunbury...

Spent time at the dam...

And made homemade lemonade!

The kids miss Brooklyn and want her to return next summer!

The week prior to the 4th of July, Danny was home with the kiddos.  He sent me this sweet picture during a shopping trip to Kroger.

They went hiking at Highbanks and went to the lookout in search of bald eagles.

The kids love pool floats.

And Scarlet loves the heat!

Jellystone RV Trip

Mom and Dad spoiled all of us again with a weekend RV trip this summer.  They took the kids to Jellystone Park (not far from our house) - they left on Thursday and came back on Sunday.  The kids have a great time with all of the activities they offer and they have fun getting spoiled by Grandma and Poppa.  They made multiple trips to the camp store - they have gifts, fudge, food; they went fishing; they painted pottery; they went hiking; and had fun on the waterslides.  Cadence actually went on the slides this year!!  Woo hoo!!  We were so proud to hear she finally did it.  We're so lucky my parents are willing to do this for us every year.  The kids have a blast and Danny and I get some quality time together.  We normally get lots done around the house and we usually go out to eat a couple of times.  Maybe next year, if work isn't too crazy, we can meet them up there for a day.

Dad took the kids fishing

Cadence got lucky!

June and July 2020

June and July brought us a visit from Mamaw, Papaw and Gracie, NBA playoffs, Father's Day, more hair dye, fun with friends, 4th of July celebrations, and lots of pool time.  As I'm writing this, it's actually the first day of December and the kids didn't have school today because of snow.  Yes, we had fun sledding in the snow, but I really miss sweet summertime.

I love how our kids cherish our pup.  I've heard that dogs don't like the position Cadence has Scarlet in - she's such a good dog.

While Mamaw and Gracie were with us, we did some shopping and found some fun things at the local antique shop.

Danny and Colin enjoyed watching the NBA playoffs this summer.  It was a special time for them to watch LeBron win another championship!

We made French Toast for Danny for Father's Day - we NEVER make French Toast!  That's how special he is to us!

Auntie Donna sent the kids some professional purple and blue hair dye.  Here's the before and after of Cadence.

It looked cool when we were done, but boy, did it take a lot of rinsing before we could dry her hair.  We're learning - next time, we'll rinse in the sink with cold water.  The color didn't last very long.

The Marinellis came over for a pool day - we always have fun with them.

Joe set up their inflatable screen and projector so the kids could watch an outdoor party.  Between s'mores and running around outside, I don't think the kids ended up watching much of the movie in the end.  Poor Joe.

Danny found one of his old Cincinnati Reds hats in a box of his old sports stuff.

I think we bartered TV time with exercise.

Cadence finally got her mermaid outfit for the pool - she's been wanting one for a long time!

Since local firework shows were cancelled due to COVID, Danny and Dad bought a bunch of fireworks for the 4th of July.  Mom and Dad came over, and so did the Marinellis.  We spent the day pool side and had fun shooting off fireworks at home.

The rest of the holiday weekend was spent out by the pool.

Cadence confiscated my phone and snuck several selfies - here's just a couple of the photo gallery.  She's a nut.

This is how Colin sleeps EVERY NIGHT.  Precious.

Pup sleeping while I work from home.