Off to a great start!

We’re only three days in to summer vacation, but I’m feeling really good about it so far.  I know that many people like to do nothing during summer; I am not one of those people.  You’ve probably guessed by now that I have a lot of energy.  I don’t do sitting around very well.

Wednesday night The Bear’s restaurant choice was Chinatown, “because there are tablecloths and no crayons!”  Certainly finishing Kindergarten is a dignified milestone, and we celebrated accordingly.  The Monkey was well-behaved, too, and it was a refreshingly enjoyable family night out.

Thursday morning I dropped The Monkey off at MDO and The Bear and I headed to the Rockin’ River water park.  It was awesome.  We played in the fountains.  We rode around the lazy river.  I watched The Bear play on the water playscape.  We played dolphin and minnow.  We had swimming races.  But perhaps my favorite part was just lying on the deck chairs, soaking up the sun’s warmth, and The Bear saying, “I love being with you.”

Friday morning I biked both boys and myself to Fire Station 12 for a tour.  It’s one of the oldest stations in Austin, so it isn’t big or fancy.  But the boys thought it was fantastic.  They loved climbing in the fire truck, too.  Kudos to Firefighter Fred and his colleagues for being such gracious hosts.

Last night The Bear and I went to see “Annie” at Bass Concert Hall.  I had briefed him on the plot, and my sensitive boy was still a bit scared when the delightfully nasty Miss Hanigan took the stage.  He soon settled in to the magic of the musical, though, and applauded appreciatively after each number.  I was sad that he fell asleep with about 20 minutes left– but he made it until past 10.30pm, which is really late for him– but he didn’t seem to care.  He thought the whole thing was really exciting.  It was a very special night out for us.

Today there was swimming and personal training clients and a group class.  I also sewed up a dress for a birthday gift for one of  The Monkey’s friends.  We ended the day with the great summer ritual of eating ice cream.  Although we felt it was too hot to bike to Amy’s as we usually do, it wasn’t too hot for some fun playing after we ate our treat.

Sure, summer is hot.  But it’s also so much fun.