Officially saying 'good bye' to summer

It seems that sidewalk chalk paint is one of my go-to end-of-summer activities.  All of our little stubby pieces of chalk get mashed to powder and then I add some water to make a fun paint.

Bella wrote on the path steps, "I *heart* Kilps family." 

Graydon made a blue and green blob that Bella said looked like our country.  Graydon said it was a bouncy house. 

I painted flowers and wrote the kids names on the steps.  Curtis added his own touches.

Everything looks so colorful now and I love it.

For the past few summers, I've created a summer bucket list.  I decided not to do that this summer.  But when we did do something fun or summer-y, I wrote it down. 

This was our summer. . .

• day trip to Sesame Place
• playing at 15 different parks!
• homemade popsicles
• eating ice cream on the porch
• fruit picking at a farm
• catching fireflies (and letting them go)
• helping Daddy wash the car
• riding bikes
• eating watermelon
• climbing trees
• afternoons at the pool
• swimming lessons
• Camp Hope (Bella)
• picking veggies from our garden
• lighting sparklers
• sidewalk chalk
• indoor forts
• rootbeer floats
• playing on the tire swing
• attending a parade
• cooking on the grill
• Vacation Bible School
• road trip to Wisconsin
• eating corn on the cob
• swimming in a lake
• Jelly Belly Factory tour
• eating at a frozen yogurt bar
• making/eating s'mores
• bouncing at Monkey Joe's!
• seeing a movie in the theater (Despicable Me 2)
• evening picnic at the lake
• outdoor movie in Jodi's backyard
• indoor carnival
• sleepovers with cousins
• cotton candy and snow cones
• blowing bubbles
• water balloons
• trip to the shore
• nature walks
• picking wildflowers
• sidewalk chalk paint  

 Most of the things on this list are simple, every day activities.  But when added together, they created one happy summer and lots of treasured memories.

So long Summer 2013.

Hello fall!