Thursday, August 11, 2011

Things to do when it's HOT outside:

#1. Make some Watermelon Granita. It is seriously delicious and so refreshing on a hot day.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
4 cups (1 3/4 pounds) cubed seedless watermelon (from a 4-lb. melon)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Preparation
Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a 9x9x2" metal baking pan. Freeze mixture for 1 hour. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover and freeze mixture until firm, about 2 hours. Using a fork, scrape granita vigorously to form icy flakes. If you want it can be made 3 days ahead just cover it tightly with foil and keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.

#2. Spend some time reading books.


#3. Go to the pool as much as possible. We probably go to the pool 3-5 times a week. I'm so thankful that we have a community pool! My Dad visited recently and we went to the pool with the kids. My dad was a great swimmer/diver growing up so he was so happy to see Brooks in the water and swimming so well.


#4. Visit your local waterpark. We went to Volente Beach here on Lake Travis with Team Hancock. Brooks LOVED going down the big slides. The tunnel slide was his favorite. I think he just really enjoyed being able to do the things that Bryan and Dawson and Megan were doing. Here's Brooks and Dawson in the pool after coming down the slides (the water isn't dirty, it's just lake water):

Laney was such a trooper. Well, actually, she was a little grumpy due to a cold and some teething pain plus she was going with no nap (it was kind of hard for her to nap when it was 105 degrees outside). But, she had her happy moments being passed around. She especially enjoyed her time with her Daddy:

The kids were wiped at the end of the day:


#5. Explore a museum. My mom was in town and we left Laney behind and took B to the Children's Museum in downtown Austin. He had a great time going from room to room getting his hands on all kinds of fun things.
Serving Gammy some food:

Brooks and Gammy pulled on the rope to launch a pig on a parachute:

Learning letters with Mommy:

He even made a rocket out of all kinds of scraps:


#6. Play ball inside. I hate that it's too hot to go to the park, but Laney and Daddy pitch the ball to Brooks in the living room instead (it's become a nightly event). Everyone was quite entertained.



#7. Clothing is optional. If you haven't figured that out by all our summer pictures then you haven't been paying attention. Brooks is usually running around the house in his underwear and Laney is crawling behind him in her diaper. It's too hot for real clothes.