Summer Bucket List

Some of you might remember last summer when I did "Cool Summer Days" with the boys. It involved this really cute calendar.

Basically I put a small piece of paper inside each ice cream cone. The boys would pull out the paper to discover what the activity was for that day. Super cute idea. The boys loved it. However, it was a lot of work for me. The task of having a DAILY activity all summer long quickly became a stressful chore for this momma. 

I decided to do something a little more relaxed and low key this summer.

Presenting....Our Summer Bucket List Poster

It's a simple white poster board that I decorated with images from PicMonkey.

The bucket hanging next to the poster has slips of paper with different activities written on them. Some of the activities are ones the boys came up with on their own, and some I added. As we do an activity, we write it on our poster board.

Even though I didn't want to have the stress of thinking of an activity to do every single day, I did want there to be an element of surprise on some days. So I made this.

A small banner of buckets with pockets so I can slip a paper in the bucket.

I've decided to just pick a couple of days a week to have a planned activity so the boys still get the thrill of pulling out a slip of paper that reveals the fun for that day. I'll likely use these buckets for planned outings.

I'll also let the boys randomly choose an activity from the bucket from time to time. These activities will most likely be crafts or activities at  home.

As you can see from our Summer Bucket List poster, we have already done a handful of activities. Last week I took the boys to the park for some playtime and a picnic lunch.

Yes they are dressed exactly the same. And yes they both have a mohawk hairdo. No, it was not my idea to make them look like twins. Whenever Benjamin picks out his clothes for the next day, Caleb then chooses a shirt the exact same color (or in this case, the exact same shirt). Benjamin usually bases his hairstyle on whatever Bubba chooses. So that is why they look like twins.

After some playground fun, Caleb wanted to hit up the basketball court.

Like a good little brother, Benjamin would get the runaway balls for Bubba.

 Our summer is in full swing!

Gettin' a sports chair!!

Last fall we applied (through Challenged Athletes) for Caleb to get a grant for his very own sports chair, specifically for basketball. We have been waiting months to hear back and we recently found out that he was awarded a grant! We are so excited. The grant doesn't cover the full cost of the sports chair (those babies are pretty pricey) but it gave us enough that we could cover the rest on our own. Caleb went to Per4Max  last week to get fitted for his new chair.

While we were there we got a sneak peek at how they make all the chairs in-house.

It was really neat.

It's remarkable how they can transform these plain pipes into amazing sports chairs!

This is the style of chair Caleb will be getting. He chose Royal Blue for the frame with white rims on the wheels. We can't wait to see it. It should be ready in just a few weeks! Yay!

School and Basketball pictures

Both boys recently had their pictures done at school.

Somewhat of a "toothy" grin...but still a good lookin' boy :)

Caleb also had some basketball pictures taken.

So cute.

If you've ever wondered what a four year old would look like with a toupee...

...it might look something like this.

Poor Benjamin was in desperate need of a haircut but I just didn't get to it before he had his school pictures taken. He still looks cute with his little hands folded so sweetly on his knee. Love that boy.

Wheelchair Fencing

Caleb's wheelchair basketball team had some special visitors after practice. All of the kids got an opportunity to try fencing. How neat is that!?

Putting on all the necessary safety equipment.

Before they got started, I noticed that Caleb seemed really nervous about it. I wasn't sure what was making him anxious at the time but later in the car he told me that he was worried the swords would hurt. Once he realized this was just for fun and no one would get hurt, he was ready to give it a try.

He's ready to go!

En garde!

Facing off with his opponent.

Caleb can now say he has tried fencing. Man this kid gets to do a ton of fun stuff!

Year In Review

I thought it would be fun to do a quick (yeah right!) summary of the past year. 

January

The year started with some fantastic family photos. Seriously, just gorgeous.

February

We took Caleb to his first wheelchair basketball practice...he was instantly hooked.

March

(This was a busy month, a lot happened during this time.)

We took a trip to San Antonio.

Benjamin said "good bye" to his burp cloth.

And we learned that Caleb's spinal cord was tethered and surgery was scheduled.

April

Caleb had tethered cord surgery.

(That pretty much consumed April)

May

Caleb got to meet Wheelz. Very cool.

And I had a "mommy tantrum".

June

It was the summer of crafting at our house!

It was also the summer of the Slip'n Slide!

I ended the month with some Deja Vu

July

I went to the SB Conference. It was amazing! These women are amazing!

We got ready for the Olympics.

August

Caleb turned 7....I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that!

Caleb started 1st grade.

Bond between Brothers

September

With your help we raised $1335 for the SBANT!

Benjamin got up close and personal with a fire truck.

Benjamin started preschool, just 2 days a week.

October

(an exceptionally crazy month)

The month started off with a "Rough Few Days"...and that's putting it lightly.

Benjamin photo shoot at the park.

We celebrated a Shuntiversary.

Awesome Cardboard Creations.

Pumpkin Patch fun.

November

Caleb had his first basketball tournament.

Spina Bifida Family Camp.

December

Our ADVENTure began.

Oklahoma Basketball Tournament.

A lesson in "Sibling Love"?

My baby turned 4. Unbearable to believe he is already 4.

I think that about sums up our year, well the highlights anyway. Thanks for sharing this journey with us!

B-Ball Tournament

Caleb's wheelchair basketball team had an out-of-state tournament this weekend. We drove about 4 hours to Oklahoma on Friday to stay one night for the tournament on Saturday. The boys were very excited about a road trip and an overnight stay in a hotel. Glenn and I were less than thrilled with the drive but this team and the coaches are such a blessing to us that it was worth it.

The boys always love staying at hotels.

Caleb was able to watch the Disney channel on a flat screen tv...we don't have either of these at home.

Benjamin loved the big bed with all the pillows.

Eating a surprisingly good hotel breakfast on Saturday morning.

On the court, ready to play.

We got to see our buddy Casey again.

They are fighting over the ball. This was in between games when the kids were just playing around.

Benjamin liked opening the covers on the court so he could look in the holes (again during the off time).

Climbing into a locker.

It is so fun watching Caleb on the court. He is still learning the game and he doesn't always know what he is supposed to do but he has so much fun. He truly loves it and he wants to practice and get better. I see true passion in him. 

Caleb played 2 games on Saturday (his team won both) and then we headed back to Texas. It was a short trip to Oklahoma but it was fun, exhausting, but fun.

Home Sweet Home.