Summer in Hershey

Not long after we got home from Utah our new appliances were installed.

Here's the before:

And after:

We plan to do the countertops and sink next

Of course we had more visits to Hershey Park

We got two ice creams for the price of one with one of my coupons. I figured two ice creams for the four of us to share would be plenty. But the girl dipping the ice cream thought Carter was so cute that she gave him his own cone for free! He was pretty excited!

We rode bikes then cooled off in the creek

The kids and I went to pick berries at the Orchard. We picked over 6 pounds of raspberries!

We also got some sour cherries and blueberries. Last year I ordered 40 lbs. of blueberries which I froze away. This year we couldn't get any because the man that coordinates the giant shipment of blueberries from New Jersey had some health issues. Good thing I still have some in the freezer and that we could get some fresh ones!

Afterwards we got some strawberry and apple cider slushies

At the Symphony Patriotic Concert held at the Med Center. 

One of our favorite traditions, even cooler that I get to play! It was so hot and humid that day. During our sound check rehearsal the heat index was well over 100 and the sun was shining right into our eyes. I have never sweat through clothes like I did then! Once the concert started the sun was blocked by the trees and it cooled down enough to be tolerable.

The Free ice cream is a highlight! The girls were super sunburned because we swam for a few hours after their lesson earlier that week, and didn't reapply sunscreen like we should have. 

They have been doing a great job with swimming this summer!

For July 4th we went to the ward pancake breakfast, played at home, and invited our neighbors over for hamburgers and our patriotic cookie bars, featuring the berries we picked.

It was drizzling most of the afternoon and evening, but it cleared up enough to watch the fireworks. Carter especially loved watching them.

After two super late nights in a row, the girls were exhausted by July 5th!

The girls went to a birthday party of one of Lily's preschool friends. It was held at the Country Club Pool so it was pretty fancy ;)

Post Piñata candy scramble!

Really cute cake with edible Lego bricks!

Since the Clydes moved away only a month before Evie's birthday, they wanted to have a party with all her Hershey friends. Shanna and I made a plan to surprise her at our house! The whole family came down to Hershey (I can't remember her excuse for coming, maybe our friend Emma's birthday?) She dropped the kids off at the Manor apartments where we both used to live, then came over with the Sand Castle cake. She had smuggled it in the car without Evie knowing! I was very impressed with how it turned out, along with the molded chocolate shells and the Nilla Wafer oysters with sugar pearls inside!

All the friends arrived and then Evie came over, just thinking she was going to say hi to Brielle before they went back home.

She was very surprised! We played water games in the backyard. The first half of this summer has been very dry so the grass looked terrible. They all had a great time though and I'm glad it worked out for us to get together!

Brandon and I went on a date to the Hershey Gardens. We got fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, some cupcakes, listened to the big band, and visited the butterfly house. 

A butterfly landed on his head!

More HersheyPark. Carter loves the Carousel. And he's just barely tall enough to get to go on some of the other rides which is lucky. He has a lot more fun now than when he was too little to get on anything.