summertime bucket list

And so summer begins. Today was warm, but in an inviting sort of way. We spent most of it outside.

We started with a scavenger hunt. The boys always love looking for trees, leaves, flowers, flags, birds, bugs, and other things typically seen in the neighborhood when we are out and about, but actually taking note of what they saw added a new, enjoyable dimension to it.

Let's see, what's next?

"Look, Mom! I find somefing!"

Checking flowers...

...and bugs off the list.

The scavenger hunt turned into a walk to the playground which eventually resulted in an afternoon nap. When everyone woke up, we walked to the library, stopped at a few stores, then hit the playground again, this time with swimsuits so the boys could play in the sprinklers. I can't speak for Garrett and Caleb (who, 45 minutes after I tucked them into bed for the night, are still awake and dinking around in their bedroom), but I'm exhausted. I'm realizing, though, that exhaustion will be the price I'll pay for an enjoyable summer with these boys.

Here are a few more ways I plan to wear us all to the ground during the next couple of months:

• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Garrett has been begging to do this again for a long time, and now that the weather is decent, I guess it's time we did.
• Ride the tram to Roosevelt Island and explore the island once we're on it.
• The second section of the High Line opened a few weeks ago, so we'll need to check that out.
• Go see the new Curious George exhibit at the Children's Museum of Manhattan.
• Thanks to a sweet summer deal my friend, Whitney, found, we'll soon be making a visit to City Treehouse.
• Attend one (or more) of the Transit Tots programs (which run every Friday at 11:00) at the Transit Museum. Visit the rest the rest of the exhibits while we're there.
• Both boys can't seem to get enough of the zoos, and with several here to choose from (Prospect Park, Central Park, the Bronx, and the Aquarium), we'll likely be visiting all of them at least once.
  
• My youngest sister, Chelsea, is coming in a few weeks to spend a month with us. With her help, I hope to brave one of the public swimming pools. I've never done this before, which is why I'm waiting for her to get here so she can help me wrangle both boys so I can still comply with the strict pool rules.
• On hot days we can visit the Brooklyn Children's Museum.
• Our local branch of the library is also air conditioned, so I imagine we'll spend some time there, too, especially since I just signed Garrett up for their summer reading program.
• And of course there are always the playground sprinklers. And the playgrounds for when the water is too cold and they need to warm up.
• I'd like to take the boys to the beach at Coney Island. If I do it on a Friday and time things right, we can watch an evening fireworks show as well.
• We'd also like to plan a family outing to see a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game.
• These free summer arts programs in Brooklyn Heights look fun. Plus, it's right near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which is a nice walk.
  

Whew. I'm sure there's more we can -- and will -- do, but this is enough to list for now. If any of my local friends want to join us on any of these outings, let me know. It's always merrier with more!