The Hayes Herald: SUMMER PLAY!

Oh, how we love summer! The carefree days and getting to spend our time doing whatever we choose is right up our alley! We are missing playgrounds during this quarantine time of life, and hoping that we can take part in our favorite summer activities this year. My "summertime" blog post looks pretty similar every year. I love the bonding opportunities that summer brings. It's therapeutic for us to all get outside and play together, and often my happiest memories with my kids are the ones when we're playing outside. How lucky we are to have so many places we can go to play!

Meadowlark Park--

Look at that hand-holding! Heart-melter!

Eli thought for certain he would catch a fish with his net! Haha! Unfortunately those fish were faster and smarter than us and Eli came home empty-handed. He did put forth a good solid effort, though! :)

The Hayes grandparents did an awesome job at creating their own fun playground in their backyard! The kids loved playing on it before we all went to cousin Ethan's graduation party--

This guitar is Ezra's favorite toy at his grandparent's!

Being silly eating lunch with cousins Wyatt and Ellie

The result of Ezra eating a very frosted sugar cookie!

Founders Park--

After playing at this park Clara decided she wanted to grow up to be a mountain climber!

Founders isn't too far from David's work, sometimes he'd take a little bit longer lunch break and stop by for a quick visit! Having Dad at the park is a real treat!

Bat cave!

Holliday Park--

The trees at this park are outstanding!

Whenever we go here Eli always works on the rock pit.

West Park--

This park got a brand new section in a wooded area with a zipline and a few other things. The boys loved the zipline! Clara had no interest in trying it. She preferred to make a climbing obstacle course.

Freedom Trail Park--

The boys practiced a new trick: going down the slide together!

Cool Creek Park--

This park was renovated this year. The changes were excellent! It includes an exercise area that is fun for both kids and adults.

Central Park--

Inlow Park--

The park was also renovated. The splash area stayed the same, but the playground is all brand new. It's very cool!

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Clara LOVES rope courses!

This new climbing structure that leads to a couple slides sort of terrified me this summer. It's a steep climb up to this roped area, and I definitely worried about Ezra falling on his way up. Thank goodness that never happened! He was sure brave to go up there!

When I'd take the kids to the splash pad/playground in the afternoon after school, Clara always insisted that she wasn't going to get wet so she didn't need to wear her swimsuit. Every.single.time. she would stay on the playground until it was time to go, and then she'd get upset that she didn't every play in the water! So I'd let her run through in her clothes (which of course turned into much longer than a "run through". Looking back, I can't believe the number of times we played this game!

Mulberry Fields--

It seems like every time we came here, Eli always began a game of water gun fights with other boys.

This upside-down position became a popular way for Eli to hang out.

There is a little path in a meadow that Clara loves to take me through here.

Ezra swimming in this water hole cracks me up!

Quaker Park--
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This park also always has kids who Eli water fights with. They also turn one of the playground sides into a water slide!

One of the happiest places in the summer--the creek!

Cool Creek--

The best shells are found here!

Dillon Park--

I always get a kick out of spotting wildlife. We liked watching this squirrel nibble his nut.

It was the BEST DAY EVER when the Kona Ice truck was at a park the same time as us! Snow cones were such a nice treat on some super scorching days!

Eli was often happiest when he was holding a bug, dead or alive! At the Nature Play Area he liked having this very light green stick bug climbing up his arm. (It almost looks invisible, but it's close to his hand here.)

Flowing Well Park (our other creek location)--

Clara and I both admired these beautiful hyndrangeas!

Eli is always lucking out on his finds at the creek! Handfuls of golf balls were his favorite to collect.

Ran into some boys fishing! I was impressed they were doing it all by themselves!

Forest Park--

We didn't go swimming more than a few times, but the kids always had a blast! We got to swim once for free at the Monon waterpark for earning tickets from the library's summer reading program. I don't have any pictures of that day, but our favorite part was definitely going around and around the lazy river! The pictures here are from a small and simple place, but it's just perfect for our young, not-so-great-at-swimming family.

Jumping backwards!

Warming up

I love making nice breakfasts on slow mornings. Clara and Ezra both enjoy being special helpers when we make Buttons & Bowknots. It's a perfect recipe for little hands to participate in, by rolling the dough and cutting out the shapes.

Summer is also a perfect time for lots of reading! The older kids love being able to go to the library with me in the summer and choose their own books. I use the stroller at the library to carry bags and bags FILLED with books. (If I ever have to put Ezra in the stroller and carry some of the bags I feel like my back will most surely break!) Our book table is always piled to the brim (which is both a blessing and a pain, merely because trying to keep it looking orderly and not having books scattered all over the room and table is always a feat). We joined both Westfield's and Carmel's summer reading programs, and it was especially fun to earn prizes for all of the reading we did! The reading program also hosted different activities and events. One of them that we attended was a magic show! It was great fun!

The book table, where we keep all of the library books. It now stays piled up even higher than this!