Goal Update

1. Ashton to learn addition, subtraction, and reading. She also wants to learn how to tie shoes.
She worked on all of the above. Her reading is going very well and I hope it helps her in kindergarten. They teach reading in Spanish and the children often do well in both languages. Ashton can successfully tie her own shoes. Although the knots are a little loose so I go behind and double knot them for now.
2. Tanner to learn to write some letters and shapes. I also want him to be able to dress himself by the end of summer.
Tanner learned to write a T, N, A, R, E, L, M, and maybe a few others. Some times, it is by random chance that he drew the letter and other times, he does it intentionally. He actually improved a lot on his drawing abilities and started drawing people and very intense pictures. He can now put on underwear and pants by himself. His shirt is a little harder but we'll get there. With him, it's not so much a lack of ability but rather a lack of desire.
3. Go the beach!
We went once with my sister and hope to go a few more times in the early fall months. We tried more but things came up.
4. Complete temple ordinances for my grandparents.
This should be done by the end of the year. The Houston temple closed all of August, which slowed me down a little.
5. Live it up in Gatlinburg!
We definitely enjoyed our time in Tennessee. There is a slew of blog posts on that so I won't go into detail.
6. Plant a garden.
After many conversations, we decided to forego a garden still. Maybe another year.
7. Swimming at the pool.
We went swimming a bunch this summer. Gemma prefers to walk around the outside of the pool so I can't take the three kids myself. But we went at least twice a week, sometimes more. Ashton jumped off the diving board for the first time and did great. She can swim on her own about 30-40 feet or so. We worked with Tanner a little bit on swimming without a life jacket. We'll hit it harder next summer.
8. Complete some house projects like replacing all our gold door knobs, staining outside furniture, painting some more rooms, etc.
I got our half bath redone and it was everything I envisioned. I painted it, did the backsplash, and painted the cabinet. It was a fun project. We also replaced all the doorknobs, stained furniture, and got a few other minor projects done. We also added sod to some places in our backyard that used to be landscaping bricks. Now I'm working on painting the craft room, Tanner's room, Ashton's room and the kid's bathroom.
9. Move Tanner and Ashton together in a bedroom and move Gemma to a crib upstairs.
We decided to keep Tanner and Ashton separate for a little longer since we have the space. Gemma is moving upstairs in another bedroom in a few days. 
10. Build a massive fort inside.
We built some forts, probably nothing "massive" by definition.
11. Visit all the local splashpads.
We accomplished this with all our ward playgroups. The kids enjoy splash pads. Gemma takes a while to warm up to them and then enjoys sitting by the small fountains.
12. Make a slip and slide in the backyard when it's not a rainy week.
Didn't do this. Maybe next summer or later this year. The kids haven't asked for it again.
13. Go hiking. Not quite sure where yet but maybe Brazos Bend State Park.
We went hiking in Tennessee but not Texas. We'll try Brazos Bend this fall when it cools off.
14. We'll all do the summer reading program at the library again I'm sure. With that, I hope to read a chapter book/week with Ashton.
We completed the summer reading program. We read at least three chapter books/week with Ashton. She loves reading Sophie Mouse books. The summer reading program gave out free books for the first level, which was pretty cool. They had great options too. I have been pleased with our library's story times and reading program so far.
15. Visit the Lone Star Flight Museum. They do a cool reading/story time once a week and I haven't ventured there yet. I know Tanner will love going.
I need to see if they still do the story time so I can take Tanner and Gemma. We didn't make it as we didn't have many open Fridays (when they offer story time).
16. Visit the space center as much as we can. Since we got a membership, I hope to go there when it's super hot outside.
We went a few times this summer and they updated some exhibits, which make it more kid-friendly.
17. Visit Schlitterbahn or another waterpark in Galveston.
We spent a WHOLE day at Schlitterbahn (like over 7 hours) as a family and loved it. We initially planned to just have Joseph and Ashton go but at the last minute, we all went. The kids had a blast. It was a fun day and we'll probably do it once a summer if possible. Because of height restrictions, Ashton had to go on a lot of rides by herself so one of us could ride tandem with Tanner. She did amazing at it and showed minimal hesitation. She even tried boogie boarding. She is so little and light that she just flew off the second her board hit the current but I was so proud of her for trying. Gemma hated the lazy river but loved played in the toddler sections of the waterpark. 
18. Visit the Houston Dog Show.
I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the dog show with Ashton and Tanner. It wasn't as big of a hit as I expected but they enjoyed it still.
19. Visit some new parks.
We tried out a few new ones. We still prefer the few close to our house though.
20. Be outside as much as possible. I know for many people, Texas summers are not "outside weather." I try my best to deal with the sweating and the heat and just enjoy it. I'm going to sweat no matter what so I am going to TRY to find the joy in the heat. I'll stock the freezer with popsicles to make it better. I really want to try to be outside at least three hours a day when possible. I have read a blog with a goal of 1000 hours outside each year. This averages out to be 2.75 hours/day. Right now, we probably spend 2ish hours a day outside so I'm trying to increase this. Some days are easier than others (rain vs. sun) but I can still be more willing.
I felt pretty successful with this goal. The kids were outside everyday for at least an hour or more. The summer hasn't felt too unbearable plus the weather blog I follow mentions a slight cold front coming next week. I'd love to have a longer fall to enjoy the outdoors more.