July Summer Fun

We had lots of fun in the month of July. The kids finished their reading challenge through the library and they each earned a brand new book. They were so excited!

After getting their reward books from the library, we went to the spark cafe and got ice cream.
We love this little ice cream shop and their mini tables that are the perfect size for kids. 

Then one day we were going to go to build a bear for their "pay your age" promotion, but we got there and the line was hours and hours long. It was insane.
The kids were disappointed, but we decided to make the day super fun. 

We went to Wal-Mart and each kid got $5. They each picked out a small toy and we got these awesome puckered lip suckers. I love my little people!

We ate lunch and had ice cream and rented a red box movie. It was such a fun day and all the kids told me separately that it was the best day ever. We don't need stinkin' BAB. We had fun all on our own. 

The next Saturday we went swimming with our Allred cousins. 

Daddy was gone to drill, we all went to the pool and then back to our house to grill hot dogs and watch a movie. It was a fun day with the cousins. 

Then on Sunday I took all the kids to church alone, and before we left I snagged this sweet pic of the kids. They are so sweet when they want to be. 

Later the next week, we went swimming with the Larsons. The kids love their neighborhood pool. 

We did make it to the bowling alley for their "kids bowl free" promotion. 

I'm not a big bowler, but my kids like it, so I try to take them once each summer. 

Benson was there too, but he was too busy getting into everything to take a picture. 

Our friends, the Lowdens, came with us too. 

We also got invited to the lake with some friends. The Ehlers have a boat and they have asked us to come boating before, but we always always have plans already. But this time, we didn't have plans so we were able to go. 

Benson loved this peacock floaty

After playing at the beach and grilling some hot dogs, we hopped on the boat with the Porters and the Ehlers. Look at all these cute kids. 

The boys went boating first while the girls played on the beach. 

I didn't get any pictures, but they had a great time!

Then the girls got to tube. Bailey LOVED it. She kept asking to go faster. 

Benson loved snuggling Daddy on the boat. 

He didn't love wearing his life jacket, but he loved when the boat was moving. 

Oh and I don't want to forget about CFA cow day.
We love cow day. And I have the cutest little bovines. 

Our new discovery this summer was Lake Avalon. It's this awesome little swimming area in Bella Vista that we have fallen in love with.  The city imported all this soft sand and they have beach umbrellas for you to use. It's super nice. We loved it. 

Oh and there's this little zipline park next to the lake and Tanner loved it. 

We went to Lake Avalon with the Lowdens and stayed for hours.
We love the beach and this place was great. 

There was also this great aqua pod in the swimming area. the kids had so much fun swimming and playing on it. 

The kids had so much fun playing in the sand together. 

We were also able to catch a baseball game on one of those rare cool summer nights.
The kids loved it and it was $1 hot dog night so that was perfect. 

Dad bought 10 hot dogs and I think we ate them all!

Tucker also got some cotton candy and happily shared it with everyone. 

Benson didn't love having to sit still, so he did a lot of wandering the aisles. 

And Tanner did a lot retrieving Benson and carrying him back for us. 

Look at this cute boy! I love him and his little freckle face. 

I love these shots of the kids watching the game together. 

Benson spent a lot of time on Daddy's lap. They are a cute pair. 

Well that's it for our every day fun. We had  a great month and ended it with a trip to Arizona for the Cluff family reunion. Stay tuned for that fun. I really can't believe July is over and school starts in two weeks. AHH!