Splash Park and Blueberries

We were finally able to fit in a few summer activities here around home this past week. It seems as though we've been gone every other week lately, and I know that before I can blink, summer will be over. Julia starts school on the 13th of August (!), and Lily starts on the 6th of September, so if we want to do any more fun stuff this summer, we'd better get a move on!

On Tuesday of this past week we went to a splash park in Kinston. I really really wish we had something like this in our town, because the girls absolutely loved it! And it was only $2 for the two of them to get in! When we first got there, there were at least 30 other kids with a day care group playing in the water already, but after about 15 minutes they left and Julia and Lily pretty much had the whole park to themselves, except for a couple of other children. If we can work it out, I'd love to take the girls there a few more times before the summer is over.

On Friday, my mom and I left early to go and pick some blueberries (without the girls!). We picked about 12 pounds in about an hour, then came back to pick up the girls and go to the Farmer's Market. We bought some zipper peas (anybody ever heard of those?), some red potatoes, some peaches, and a tomato. So for lunch, we added in some corn and some sauteed squash and onions that I already had at home, and we had ourselves a vegetable plate. And when I say "we," I definitely don't mean Julia and Lily. Maybe one day they'll eat their veggies. For now I'll just keep tricking them with veggie "chicken" nuggets. Which leads me also to say that I feel really old, because I got really excited about all the delicious vegetables we were eating. When I was growing up, I only really liked a few--and I do mean a few--vegetables. Now I like tons of them! So there's hope for Julia and Lily after all, I believe. Oh, I forgot. They did eat the fresh peaches. That counts. And Lily had a couple of helpings of my fresh/frozen corn. What was I thinking?!? They're practically vegetarians.

And just what did we do with the blueberries? We made blueberry jam, double blueberry muffins, and cream cheese blueberry bundt cake. And they ALL turned out deliciously.

Lily helped crush the blueberries to make jam.

Julia helped pick the stems off of some of the blueberries.