Wait. Where Did Summer Go?

Hmmm, so, I woke up this morning and realized, *gasp*, it’s October! When did that happen? It appears that summer is long gone… along with its shorts, sandals, coconut scented lotions and jam-packed, fun-filled days, and has been replaced by fall, with its pumpkin spiced lattes and cardigans. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some autumn. It may even be my favorite season; but summer comes in a strong second and I was not ready for this summer to end! Not only was the unseasonably mild weather amazing this summer, but the fact that our son, Simon, is now the big 4 and super fun, made this summer insanely awesome. I had wanted to blog all of our fun along the way, but we were having so much fun, who had time to blog?

So, what did we do this summer?

Well, first, we started the summer with a nice, fresh haircut for Simon. Where did our baby go? He has always had long hair, so he looked so much older with his “big boy” haircut. (don’t worry, it’s growing back)

We also took several trips to Pierce’s Park in Baltimore City. If you haven’t been there (even if you don’t have kids) you should go. Not only do they have this awesome tunnel slide, but they have homonyms carved into the brick walkways, giant xylophones to make music, and a reed tunnel. It’s a pretty cool little park, right across from the Pier 5 hotel and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse. Just in case you can’t tell, Simon has a Tech Deck mini skateboard, and is doing “cool tricks” in the “skateboard tunnel”

The park is also an easy walk to Baltimore’s National Aquarium. We are members there and we took several trips there this summer. Here are a few of the highlights…

Simon was pretty excited about this duck…

One of our favorite holidays is the 4th of July. Our family lives on a parade route, as well as near one of the local fireworks displays. And while we have always enjoyed the 4th, it is so much more fun now that Simon is old enough to really participate.

We also took our first family “camping trip” to Lake Glory and went to Knoebels Amusement Park.

I say “camping” because we cheated a little and stayed in a log cabin. Here is Simon and my husband practicing their scary faces for the campfire…

(These aren’t too shabby for hand-held, eh?)

We had never even heard of Knoebels Amusement Park before, but friends invited us on a trip with them… and it was SO much fun! We did so many things, but here are some of my favorite moments…

Simon rode his first “big boy” ride… and he loved it. This kid has a need for speed, that’s for sure. He is so little he can barely see over the harness! (The super-big kid and the super-tiny kid on the far left belong to me)

Since I had a wedding in Ocean City, MD again this year, we decided to go a week early and spend some time at the beach. I totally failed this year and did not take my camera to the beach a single day. My husband was glad we had one less thing to carry, but I regret it terribly now! I did take my camera to the boardwalk though, and I also repeated the fun bed-jumping series from last year!

We were also lucky enough to do some boating… a lot of boating. Simon’s Pop got him his first fishing rod and even taught him how to cast the line. My favorite quote of the day was “Thank goodness we aren’t teaching him how to shoot”.

I love how content he is on the water. It brings back so many memories of my childhood!

Speaking of water, did you know that the Baltimore Harbor has a splash pad now? I’m not sure when this happened, but we were delighted to find it!

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. And here is our little man starting his first day of school. I think he realized summer was over before I did!

Still cool as a cucumber!

Believe it or not, this was just a small taste of our summer. There were trips to Gunpowder Beach, the tire park, the Science Center, the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, bowling, Marshy Point Nature Center, roller skating, festivals, snowballs and much more. It seems that every week we were doing something fun and exciting.  But, as much as I don’t want to see “summer with a 4 year old” end, I’m very excited for what “fall with a 4 year old” will bring. So, BRING IT ON FALL! I’ve got my jeans, my spiced latte and my favorite scented candle. We are ready!

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