end of summer fun

Today was the first day of school.....YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! Even though only 1/3 of my kids are away for the day, it makes such a difference. Less noise, less fighting, better naps, and a more laid back mommy. First-day-of-school pictures to come soon.

Anyway, here's what we were up to this last month before school. Going to the pool, going to the pool, and going to the pool, with a trip to the lake thrown in the middle somewhere. Gillette has a great city pool that is free. Yes people, free! I thought I would have to stand in line forever everytime we went, but 20 minutes was the longest we ever had to. It's totally awesome for my kids' ages. I could just let Carter and Addie loose in the shallow end and they were in heaven. I also have the best tan I've had in years. (Not hard to say after coming from Oregon though.) The snow-cones that we usually ate on the lifeguards' breaks weren't bad either. And Brad loved it from the first moment we put him in. Another bonus, he now enjoys bath time as well. He is hilarious to watch in the pool though, non-stop kicking and a constant smile.


First time in. He doesn't look that thrilled here, but trust me, he's loving it. And don't worry, he had on proper swim attire every time we went after this.
We often met friends there. The boys liked to jump off the side, while the girls liked sunbathing by the side of the pool.



And here's the lake that's about a 45 minute drive for us. We just decided to check it out one day, and we definitely picked the right day. Some friends of ours happened to go out the same day, and they were nice enough to let us ride their jet skis! It was Carter and Addie's first time out, and while they were a little scared at going too fast, they couldn't stop talking about it afterwards.