Summer is a favorite time of year!  Since Toddler Checkers turned two this year, this is the first summer she has been able to actively participate, engage in, and enjoy a number of activities.  We wanted to take full advantage of this time with her and begin building some fun summer memories.

  • Swim Classes – Our city offers some very affordable Mommy & Me type swim classes, and since she enjoys water play so much we thought this would be really fun for her.  A few WOHM friends of mine and I enrolled our babies in the weekend classes.

 Pool time please!

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  •  Local Venues (library, aquarium, park, museum, etc.) – We have been frequenting the park almost every day this summer, and took a day to visit the aquarium. They have a number of toddler/kid-friendly activities, including short films, touch pools, and an area where you can feed the lorakeets.  I thought she might be too young or scared to hold and feed the birds, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Feeding the friendly lorakeets

  •  Mini Getaways – This summer, instead of taking a big family vacation where we would have to travel by plane (which can be both stressful and costly), we decided to take a couple of mini-vacations (1-2 nights each) that were a drivable distance.  Our first stop:  Las Vegas – While it may not be the kid-friendliest of locations, it is possible to make it family-friendly!  Plus, there are so many good eateries and we could not stay away for very long.

Enjoying breakfast in Vegas

Visiting the Shark Reef in Vegas at Mandalay Bay

  • Our second stop:  San Diego, CA – There are so many family-friendly locations in San Diego, including the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Wild Animal Park, Legoland, and Sea World, not to mention the number of parks and beaches in the area.  We decided to take a trip to see the animals at SD Zoo, and we made a pit-stop at Coronado Island and rented and rode a surrey bike.  You can rent the bikes for a half or full hour and give yourself a tour around the bay.

Enjoying our surrey bike ride

Loving the animals at SD Zoo

  •  County Fair – Ever since we were married, it has been an annual tradition for us to visit the county fair when they come into town every summer.  Last year we took Toddler Checkers and we took her to the petting zoo and strolled around with her; this year she was big enough to ride the kiddie rides, play games, splurge on corn, and see all of the animals.  I loved seeing her excitement and enjoyment; this was the most fun I have ever had at the fair.

Discovering Fair foods, rides, animals, and games

“Bye bye fair!  See you next year!”

While I am sad the summer is quickly coming to a close, I am so glad for these moments and memories with our little girl.

Hive:  What summer fun activities did you participate in this year?  Do you plan on making any of these traditions?