With the official start of summer over the weekend (July 21st), what better time than now to share our Summer Bucket List?  in resolution to keeping you all fooled with my organizational skills.. I’ve been meaning to knock this list out since early May, but that hasn’t happened yet.  Something about being pregnant and marking things off my ‘to-do’ list don’t mesh well in my brain.  

BUT- we are here now, and I’m excited to share.. as well as continue with my theme of foolery in that we will get everything marked off this list before baby girl arrives in three weeks or less.

Yea, nope.  

Regardless, some of these bucket list items have been checked already and some will be marked off as a family of f i v e before the summer comes to an end.

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//make homemade ice cream//
When I mentioned doing this soon to Jordan (he’s a pro), he basically lost his marbles with excitement.  Homemade ice cream is his favorite!  The girls haven’t ever tried it yet, so this will be fun for them to help daddy with.  I found many Pinterest ideas for making homemade ice cream in a bag and all kinds of ways to do it.. but for the girls’ age the traditional ice cream maker is the route we are going this year.

//go to the farmer’s market//
There are TONS of small markets in and around the cities we live.  You can easily find a local farmer’s market through googling your own city.  I love the idea of walking around the market and letting the twins pick out their own piece of fruit or veggie to take home to ‘prepare’ or eat right away!  

//mom + daughter mani/pedi date//

This was so much fun to do with my girls.  They loved to paint their toes and request it often at home.  For our first time, Jordan dropped us off and hung around close by in case I sent a panic S.O.S. text for him to come to the rescue.  But really, they did great and sat very still while they had their fingers and toes painted.  We have plans to do this once again before baby girl arrives- because mama is in need of a fresh pedi:)

//watch fireworks + play with sparklers//
This is an easy one with all the bajillion options for the fourth of July.  I have a feeling the sparklers may scare them a little, but cant hurt to introduce them!

//puddle jumping//

With all the rain we have been having- it is really easy to find a puddle!  Not to mention.. just let them be little- get a little messy, a little wet, and have a lot of fun.. even while wearing white!
Not my smartest move, but hey we were in the moment.

//make homemade pizza//
We cook at home together a lot.  Allowing them more time in the kitchen with me makes for a fun activity.. perhaps after visiting the farmer’s market?  

//go bowling as a family//
Pull out the bumpers and order a pizza for the table to share.  This one would is super easy and affordable to do with young kiddos- especially the twins’ age.  

//build a living room fort//
Auntie and Uncle J make the best forts for their sleepovers with the twins and I am determined to be just as fun:)  They pull out the blow up mattress and make a legit fort that consumes their entire dining room.  I think their daddy and me have a challenge.
//sleepover with Auntie + Uncle J//
Baby Greyson will be here in just a couple weeks (or less !!), so we are hoping to squeeze in just one more sleepover before he arrives.  The girls ADORE spending the night with those two.  

//paint with water//

When the girls visited their Granny, Woogie, and Bunny last month, Bunny had the genius idea of painting with water.  The girls talked about it (and still do!) non-stop upon their return.  One $6 pack of paintbrushes and two $1 plastic pails and you have cheap toddler entertainment for eternity.  Okay- for like a half hour to 60 minutes- but thats like forever on a mom watch.

//visit the splash park//

We’ve done this many times- and its f r e e!  Really great way to meet up with friends and run through  the water on a hot day.  We love the splash pads!  Again.. google your city and those surrounding to get an idea of local pads in your area.

//finger paint//
Its been a couple months since we transitioned our dining room into a play room for more space (the smaller room we had it in was way too small).  Truth be told there is nothing to share about it because it is relatively incomplete.  I got in nursery planning mode and lost interest.. but finger painting a couple of canvas prints (cheap and occasionally on sale at places like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s) would be fun to hang on the walls of the room for added decor.  Not to mention- it would be way fun for the littles!  Jordan and his dad are 3rd generation painters on the side of firefighting, so they have ‘drop cloths’ to be able to lay out to protect the patio.  I would find something similar to protect whatever your allowing the kiddos to paint on.

//chase the ice cream truck//
Not always but sometimes I hear the ice cream truck music playing through our neighborhood.  We will track you down – even if its for a scary Spongebob ice cream head.

//visit a children’s museum//

We discovered Play Street a couple weekends ago after attending a birthday party and LOVED it!  They have open play during the week and it would be a great place to take the girls for a couple hours of make believe fun. I also would love to take them to the Perot Museum of Nature + Science – we’ve been meaning to go for months – but I think this summer would be a great time for their age to go for a half day. 

//go to a baseball game//
My favorite part of summer.  I LOVE going to baseball games.

//stay in our pj’s all day//
I’m thinking PJ’s + movie marathons + living room fort.

//go to the zoo//
We’ve been a couple times to the Fort Worth Zoo as well as the Dallas zoo, but not yet this summer!  With my maternity leave coming up, going on a Wednesday when its half-price would be opportune- not to mention that the FW Zoo just opened a splash pad!  We are SO there.

//swimming until the sun goes down//

We’ve done this nearly every day since the pool opened.  Every available afternoon after I get home from work we load up the strolled and walk to the neighborhood pool.  This makes for a little bit later of an evening (dinner at 730p vs 6pm), but we have really been enjoying the days being longer so we can catch a few rays before bed.

//have a park picnic//

We’ve done this a couple times with friends and plan to make several more attempts to getting outside and doing to more often this summer (in the shade, mind you..).  I usually pack easy things like cut up fruit, popcorn, crackers/goldfish, cheese sticks, and nuts.  Easy things that aren’t super perishable and don’t need an enormous cooler to tote around.  We have a park date this weekend, actually- coupling it with a splash park playdate:)

//see a movie in a theater//

We’ve successfully seen our first movie in the theater!  Aside from 3 potty breaks in between, Inside Out proved to be a success – not to mention super cute for the adults!  We decided this would be a great idea for our 2.5 year olds because they will actually sit through an entire movie while at home.  I think the first time they needed to go potty, it was a true need..and the rest of the trips were because they found it to be a game to take their very pregnant mother up and down the stairs:)

//make homemade smores//

This is sort of like the homemade ice cream and swimming until dark.  Its summer.  You just have to.

//visit the water park//

I mentioned of our recent trip to the water park HERE after winning a family pack of tickets on the radio, and we had so much fun that I am dead set on making another trip before its over.  It is affordable (girls still get in for free!) and really focused on the little kiddos. 

//eat sno cones//
there is a place almost within walking distance of the house- my pregnant brain is dreaming of a cotton candy (pink) cone as I type this.  I think I might just have to leave and go right now.

//play with side walk chalk + scribbles//
Another fun way to pass up the time with toddlers.  Daddy has been working in the garage a lot recently, and while mama is at work he brings them outside with him to play and there is almost always chalk involved.  We decided after seeing all the toddler doodles on the garage floor that we wanted them their forever.. SO- Jordan’s amazing idea was we to let the girls color all over the garage floor, making sure to drawn puppy and wubby, and definitely including the newest little sister (mama can take care of her coloring) and then sealing it up forever.  

//blow bubbles//
I just bought one of those enormous bottles (I mean h u g e) of bubbles and plan to use them all up before the summer is through.  It is the most favorite thing for the girls to do!  Bubble love has turned into bubble bath love – if you follow on IG you have definitely seen my #bubbletubfortwo photos.

//feed the ducks at the pond//
You mention the d-word around Parker and Jolie and the day is over unless you find something to feed them and a handful of ducks to chase around. 

//visit story time at the library//
Barnes and Noble has story time during the week (it is on Tuesday morning where we go) as well as our public library.  There is a splash pad right next to our B+N, so its like knocking two birds with one stone before nap time.  Thats a win!

//attend open gym//
We have several churches in our area with ‘open gym’ that allow, during certain hours, the public to come and play.  Its free and provides some great indoor playtime when it feels like it eight hundred degrees outside.
A couple local that are our favorite: The Ark at Grace Pointe Church, The Treefort at Watermark Church, The Tubes at Irving Bible Church
There is also places like Jump Street ($4 for under 4 years) and Pump It Up that the girls will wear themselves out in. Of course the indoor mall areas are always a win (and free).

…

//have a baby//
We will get that marked off the list here pretty quick, I think..