Summer Slow Down

July is that glorious part of summer where life slows down just a bit, the calendar days are filled with nothing, and we try to make the most of every minute. The kids are at such a fun age....the age where they're old enough to do just about everything, but young enough to still want to be together and with Dad and Mom. We crammed in a lot during the few weeks between our Great Lakes trip and a final trip to the lake....playdates with friends, trips to fun places, VBS at our church, bonfires, bbqs, bike rides, and all the other great things that summer has to offer. Some of those special moments were captured on camera....

The kids saw me reading a newspaper article about my friend's dog that was injured in a hit-and-run. They were inspired by the article, which told of a family friend that had a bake sale to raise money. The Sturm kids (plus many neighbor buddies) held a lemonade stand and raised over $60 for Cali.

We finally got back to our annual trip to the blueberry farm. We took two extra helpers (our sweet neighbor girls) and together picked almost 12 pounds of yummy blueberries!

 

The kids have a chance each year at school to earn free tickets to Six Flags. They log six hours of reading during the winter and are given passes to use once during the summer. This was the first year we cashed in on those passes. Joel stayed home, but our friend took his place for the day. We had lots of fun! Leah and Alexa rode more rides than the slightly overcautious Caleb, but everyone had a blast nonetheless!

We still love to take trips to the children's garden at the Morton Arboretum....and it's even better when some of our best buddies get to come with!

We lucked out with some unseasonably cool days this July. That meant we missed out on swimming and beach trips, but it was perfect for a trip into the city. We took the train one afternoon and then walked around part of the city to see some of the fun sites. The kids loved Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park. 

Summer is truly such a great time of the year. Don't get me wrong, there are days when the kids fight 90% of the time and I wouldn't mind them being back at school right then and there, but for the most part we love the break from the busy months of school, sports, and all sorts of other activities.