This Is How We Roll

Have you heard this song?

I'm pretty sure it's our summer anthem. Jett. is. addicted. Some music awards show was playing in the background one evening & this song was performed & my boy, he fell hard for it. He has since worn out youtube & the country music station in my car searching for & listening to it. The kid loves music & I love that. 

I know, I know, I realize this song gets a bad wrap because of it's hip hop wanna be edge & I realize the old country music stars may be rolling over in their graves at the fact that this actually classifies as country music. But last I checked, I'm no Patsy Cline. And I can dig what the Florida Georgia Line are puttin' down. I'm a music junkie & my son hasn't fallen too far from the music junkie tree. I've got an appreciation for just about every genre of music out there & there isn't much I can't find some enjoyment from. 

Okay, okay, you got me. Luke Bryan is a little hottie boom bottie & at least if I have to watch a video 254 times a day, I get to sneak a few peaks at him ;). 

So without further adieu... this is how we roll-- summer style.

Evenings spent at the ballfield.

This is Jett's first summer of t-ball & he is loving it. Actually, our whole family is loving it. There are some sweet friendships & memories being made up at those ball fields under the hot summer sun. And the entertainment is top notch--seeing a bunch of three & four year olds dog pile on top of one another in the outfield in an attempt to be the one who gets the ball in their glove--it's absolutely hilarious. 

Thanks to The Sandlot  movie, he wanted to have what those Sandlot boys passed around at the fair & stuffed into the side of their cheeks  {& eventually proceeded to upchuck all over the place}. We told him it was gum. And Daddy went on the hunt to find Big League Chew. Because we knew if we handed him a piece of Hubba Bubba, he was gonna flip on us & tell us he wanted the kind you dip out of the package. Oh boy. 

Number 4 {he chose the number 4 because he's four. Duh.} likes hitting the ball & running the bases. After that, it all kind of gets boring for him. Once in awhile a ball will roll his way when he's fielding & he will go for it, but usually, he, along with half the rest of the team, are busy collecting dirt in their gloves while they're out fielding. 

Lulla girl loves t-ball night. She loves running up & down the bleachers with friends, collecting rocks, cheering her Bubba on.  But...I have an inkling there's a different reason our girl gets a scoot in her step come baseball night. Her loved ones--friends, family & grandparents--they all bring fruit snacks to try & bribe Lulla to warm up to them {when I say warm up to them, I mean the people. Not the fruit snacks. She's plenty warmed up to"gummies", as she calls them}. Not even kidding, this girl has 3-4 people every game bringing the big sacks of Welch's fruit snacks for her--simply to convince her to kinda sorta like them. No lie. 

Jett loves a cheering section

A table a the local sno cone stand.

Summer just wouldn't be summer without a fluffy pile of fruity flavored shaved ice every now & again, now would it? Watermelon for Lulla & green apple for Jett. Yummo.

Picnic-ing it.

Before it started to really warm up around our parts, we jumped on any chance we could to take our lunch outdoors.  Less mess, anyone? Our entire backyard is shaded throughout the morning so it provides the perfect grounds for a picnic lunch.

What? Your kid doesn't eat a slice of pizza like this? I swear this child maneuvers her food so that she can make the biggest mess possible. I've never seen anything like it. You should see my kitchen floors..every.single.day.

Spending our days dockside.

It's so exciting to watch our children beginning to develop the same love Jared & I have for our little place at the lake. So many summers before we ever had children, Jared & I spent here together & the place just holds a lot of wonderful memories for us. I love that the kids see past the fact that the house isn't fancy & that sometimes the boats don't work the way they're supposed to. They roll with it & still find the joy in the slower pace that lake life brings. It's a pretty great lesson & has helped Jared & I to mellow a bit when things aren't going as planned. Cause let's face it, how often do things go as planned? Watching these new memories & adventures being built with our kids is food to my soul & I envision many years of skiing, tubing & dangling our feet off the old dock. 

Backyard splashin'.

As a stay at home mom, I'm always trying to find ways to keep my little ones moving, both their bodies & their minds. It helps with moods {both theirs & mine}, it helps to drain energy & it just seems to make the day go smoother when we are all active. But I also like to be home. I'm not a gone from home all day kind of mom. I'm a stay at home mom--& I like to be home. Sure, venturing out is fun sometimes, but I would much rather be making the life we have at home a fun one, a place we enjoy & always want to be. So I have to get creative. I'm not talking about over the top creativity here, either. Something as simple as a water hose & a cheap kiddie pool does the trick many an afternoon at our house. 

Jared isn't the biggest fan of this pool. He hasn't come right out & said it, but it takes up room in his garage, it's bulky & big & he's the one who has to drain it at night. But this pool ain't goin' anywhere. It has saved my life for the past four years & when it breaks...I'll go to the hardware store & cart home a new one. Best twenty bucks I've ever spent.

Summer sippers.

Since I can't have my all time favorite summertime drink at the moment, Strawberry Mojito --I've found something else that wets my whistle. Strawberry Basil Lemonade. 

Here's what you'll need:
Frosted mason jar
Pink lemonade {the Countrytime kind works just fine}
Fresh strawberries
A few basil leaves
Lemon slices
A cute straw to dunk into it

Talk about a summer refreshment.

 Pool bums.

We've got our pool passes. We've got our pool snacks. We've got our friends to share the days with. Nothing beats a day at the pool to break up the summertime heat. We are pool rats & proud of it!

Tell me, how you rollin' this summer?  :)