The Bend and Such

According to my Time Hop App (which is a great app that pulls up old pics, Facebook and blog posts to remind you what you were doing on that day each year from your social media past), we venture to the Bend about this point in the summer pretty regularly.  What can I say, we are predictable people.

This year it worked out for the kids to ride back with my parents to spend the weekend with them and I joined them for the week on Monday.  This left me about 4 days of child-free time.

I took advantage to do all the fun things a parent does when their kids are gone.  Ran endless errands, lunched with friends, cleaned the house (and it stayed that way), cooked NO meals at home, finished the last bits of unpacking and organizing in the house, and enjoyed several date nights out with Matt.    

The strange thing about parenting little ones is that you really just want 15-minutes to yourself, and then when you get that you don't seem to know what to do and you just wonder what the little ones are doing without you the whole time.  #conflicted

Ready to roll.  They LOVE when their car seats get moved to a car other than ours.  Can't blame them at all.  G-Mom sent plenty of pics so I could rest-assured they were having a great time and not missing me at all!

They talked G-Mom and Papa into stopping in Marion to play at a park on the route to GB.

And McDonalds with TWO Happy Meal toys (I usually make them split).

G-Mom is a sucker for letting them chew gum...this was bound to happen...

Manis, pedis and plenty of pampering!

Trips to the pool and even water fights in the backyard!  Hard to tell who is enjoying it more.

Game time fun!  We've been playing this same Memory game for the last 25 years.  The pics to be matched are actually strangely creepy but I kinda love that the kids love it!

Made a trip to the Wetlands Pool and spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Keeley's house too.  Cade is getting where he likes to play with Matt's old lego sets.

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Cookie baking time!  Reese actually is a great helper in the kitchen.  G-Mom was impressed!

Cade pretty much just showed up for the candy-unwrapping and the eating!

MaKenzie arrived home from her summer gig in Panama City Beach, FL in time to hang out!  #BabysitterBarbie

While they were having fun in the Bend we hit up Westport, the Legends, and the Plaza for dates.

Matt headed off to more basketball camps and I headed to the Bend.  Matt has had the busiest July ever with pretty much back-to-back basketball camps here in Olathe and all over the country!  He is very knowledgeable about the fundamentals of the game and has been getting rave reviews for his camp.  It's neat to see him find so many avenues to use his passion for the game!

We were all about the Disney Headbanz game during our time at my parents.  The kids' Disney character knowledge is nothing less than impressive.

Franklin's Treasure Hunt...MaKenzie's favorite childhood game.

And no time in the Bend is complete without a trip to eat at Delgado's where you see at least half the town.

A huge thanks to my mom for organizing such a fun few days for the kids during their visit.  We are so lucky to have SO many people in our lives who love on our kids!

Just a few things left on the 'ol summer bucket list...the end is drawing near.  The LAST day of July?!  Say it isn't so.