Summer Break Send Off

Hello!! It’s the final full week of summer break for our boys and we are determined to make the most of it. Our big kids begin school next week — third grade and kindergarten! — and then Rhett’s preschool picks back up after Labor Day. Knowing summer is drawing to a close, Ryan and I wanted to do something fun with the boys on Saturday and decided a family trip to Carowinds would be something they’d all love!

Summer Break Send Off

Carowinds Amusement Park

We excitedly piled into Ryan’s car and headed south to Carowinds amusement park. We knew the day would be warm. But the weather looked mostly overcast and highs were supposed to hover around 86. Well, the forecast was wrong because the sun blazed all day until it rained and temperatures reached 95 degrees. It was H-O-T and we were all melting… and the boys were melting down.

There were definitely some high highs during our Carowinds trip — the boys loved Camp Snoopy and the waterpark — but all visions we had in our head for a 10/10 family trip to our local amusement park went out the window within 90 minutes of our time at Carowinds.

The boys just seemed off and Ryan and I repeatedly looked at each other like, “What is going on with everyone today?” We honestly usually go into family adventures with low expectations because we know by now adventures with kids are unpredictable and never, ever seamless. But after such a wonderful experience at Disney, I think we forgot that amusement parks can be very hit or miss depending on weather, how everyone’s feeling, tiredness levels, etc.

Despite meltdowns, melting kids and patience levels that slowly tanked all day long, we did have some really fun moments throughout the day.

Waterpark

The waterpark turned things around for our crew. And I’m fairly certain we did nearly 8 laps in the lazy river because the boys loved it so much! Rhett was in heaven because it was only 2.5 feet deep. So he could swim the whole time but pop up on his feet when he need to catch his breath. It was so cute to see him so thrilled and so independent!

Once everyone cooled off a bit at the waterpark, attitudes shifted for the better. But then everything shut down for inclement weather that was on the horizon. We decided to throw in the towel and head home at this point and, go figure, as we got in the car to leave, the boys said they had a blast. Ryan and I laughed out loud and looked at each other like, “Well, ya’d never know it!” but at least the boys left the park with good memories, I suppose! They asked to go back to Carowinds the next day. And while we promised a return visit soon, we’ll pick a day when it doesn’t feel like the surface of the sun outside.

The rest of our Saturday looked like much-needed showers, pajamas, pizza and the Olympics! We are absolutely loving watching the Olympics together as a family. And it’s been a blast to see the boys get really into the various events. Swimming, track and field, diving, gymnastics and rowing have been their favorites!

Sunday

Sunday morning began in the kitchen! The big kids wanted some chill time to do the Legos my sister sent to Chase for his birthday and Rhett was all about helping me make zucchini muffins and homemade pasta sauce using some of the goodies from our garden.

Sally’s Baking Addiction never steers me wrong with her recipes and we loved her muffins so much!

We had just enough time to smear butter on our muffins and dig in before it was time to get dressed and head out the door for church. The boys were thrilled because it was “moving up day”. And Ryder is now officially in the big kid church auditorium with Chase. (Rhett is still thrilled to be in the little kid section and none the wiser.)

Once we made it home, we ate lunch and caught a few Olympics events live (how about the U.S. women’s 4×100 medley relay smashing the world record!?) and then headed outside for some lake swimming to round out our Sunday.

Sunday was a great day from start to finish. And we ended the day with big plates of spaghetti and key lime pie for dessert!

While I’m not exactly sure what we’ll be doing to fill the rest of our final week of summer break, our plans for today include a pool play date with friends which should be a good way to beat the heat. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!!