Summer Wrap-up

Summer officially ends for us when we have to send Jake and Sarah back home.  I think it gets harder each time to let them go, knowing we won't see them again for a while.  But we are so grateful for the many memories we get to build together as a family each summer.

Our summer began with some creativity - and we kept the craft ball rolling throughout the two months we had the kids with us!  Here are the four working on a Sharpie tie-dye scented rice pillow.  They each made designs on white cotton fabric with Sharpie markers.  Then we used droppers with rubbing alcohol to give the tie-dye look.  We let them dry, ironed them to set in the color, then Sarah sewed them together and we filled them with rice that had been scented with essential oils of the kids' choice.  These pillows can be heated in the microwave to be used when they aren't feeling well or have some ache or pain.  

 Sarah got a sewing machine this summer for her birthday celebration.  She loved it and used it all summer!  This was her first project to sew...but she used it for lots of other creative things.  She is a natural seamstress!

 We also did this Kid-friendly Glue Batik project, which was really fun!  The kids "drew" with gel glue on fabric, let dry, then painted over.  We washed the glue out, set the paint and then Sarah sewed each pillow with a backing fabric.  They turned out great!  (I'm sad to say I did not get a photo of the finished products.)

 Sarah and I also sewed a messenger bag for her new school year.  She just loved being able to pick out her own fabric.  We used overall fasteners as the closure and used contrasting fabrics to make yo-yo's as the decorations, which made it even cuter!

As typical of all summers in the Meyer family, we spent a great deal of time outside.  We took a beautiful nature walk at one of our favorite parks.  (Jack and Sarah spotted a large owl here!)

 We all participated in our church's Vacation Bible School; the theme was "International Spy Academy", so the boys loved wearing their Fedora hats and really got into the mood of it.  I played a role in the drama, Jake helped out in the boys' classroom and Sarah had nursery duty!

 Jake continues to hone his baking and cooking skills.  He is really talented and shows such a passion for making meals and treats!  We are all happy to be his test audience.  Here is one of his creations - a fondant-covered orange cake.

 Sarah is learning her way around a kitchen too, even if it isn't with as much enthusiasm as her big brother.  However, she did show a lot of excitement when she made her first pie from scratch.  It was a blueberry pie with a custard filling and meringue top.  Josh said it was the best blueberry pie he's ever eaten!

One aspect of Dayton that we've been meaning to explore is the Dayton Art Institute (museum).  We saw artwork from all over the world, representing different time periods and styles.  Everyone had certain favorites - George seemed to prefer all the still life paintings.  No one seemed too fond of the modern art.  But the basement held a kids' area that EVERYONE enjoyed!  

 Sarah decided she wanted to learn how to mow the lawn this summer - so Josh taught her! She also learned how to start up the charcoal grill and do some other outside tasks.

 One fun evening we had dinner and a bonfire and Uncle Greg and Aunt Maddie's house.  The kids had fun roasting marshmallows and we all took turns trying to see who could swing the hula hoop around the longest.  Even Grandma got in on the action!  (Sorry to have missed snapping a picture of that!)

 At the end of July we took a trip to the Columbus Zoo.  Once we got past all the souvenir/food stands, there were some pretty awesome animals to discover.  Some of our favorites were the manatees...

 ...the orangutans...

 (Jack and Jake went on a boat tour of the robotic Dinosaur displays)

 (Sarah and Jack took selfies all during the summer!)

 ...we loved the kangaroos and were able to get very close to them...

 ...the brown bear was kind of melancholy looking...

 ...and by the end of our day, we were all ready to head home and get off our feet!

 Jake had to return to Pennsylvania two weeks earlier than Sarah for some school commitments.  We asked him what he'd like to do before he left Dayton.  He asked to take a picnic lunch downtown to the Riverscape park, where they have a fountain for kids to play in.  We all really enjoy downtown Dayton.  But this day was extra fun!

 The kids all decided to take turns rolling down the hill.  We captured a few of these antics on video and just about died laughing!  So funny!

 Another request of Jake's was to make a pinata.  (Not sure why, but sounded like fun!)  We ended up using a paper mache dinosaur that the boys and I had made earlier this year.  Jake picked out the candy to fill it with and we strung it up in a tree and let the kids have fun!

 After Jake left, we took our remaining four kids to another park in town.  The boys love playing in the waterfall area...and Joe was so excited he looked as if he might bust right out of his seams with happiness!

 One of the highlights of the summer was returning to Mount Vernon to have a barbecue with Barb's former neighbors on the farm.  (We were so sad that Jake couldn't be with us for this!)  We had a wonderful time seeing our friends after over a year of being away.  Jack and Sarah got to ride their horses.

 Joe happily munched on watermelon.

 And we took a walk up the lane to the old farm.  We always wanted to say we had a picture of Joe on the farm, too.  We know who the current renters are, so they were gracious enough to let us walk around, take some pictures and soak in how much we missed the farm.  It was pretty emotional for all of us.

 Jack was in absolute heaven with Kirby the dog.  This is a boy who needs a dog.  However, our Georgie lived in absolute terror of the dog the whole time we were there.  We aren't sure why he has such a fear of dogs and we hope he will outgrow it eventually.

 Here is our last day with Sarah.  (Notice the skirt?  She designed a skirt pattern all on her own and made several skirts...but this one, made with matryoshka doll fabric, was her favorite!)

We love Jake and Sarah so much and love having them with us. We pray for them as they get ready to start their new school years on Tuesday.  Jake will be starting his Junior year of high school and Sarah will be in 8th grade.  We know that we may not have too many summers left with them as they get older, so we cherish each day we get to spend with them.