This Summer

I don't know how it is all going so quickly.  I am compelled to admit in all honesty that it has been a great Summer so far.  My biggest challenge (as always) is finding balance.  On the one hand I have a lot of goals and ambitions ~ many, MANY things I am determined to accomplish...daily efforts to instill the best habits in my kids, to live more excellently and serve more fully.  I don't want to just "survive" and "make it through."  As my dear friend, Rachelle, and I discussed recently (in a recurring conversation we've had over the 16 years we've known each other), I want to live life deliberately - to grow, make a difference, become better!
 This effort to improve and not just float along requires monumental effort when you have so many constant demands from the precious, needy little people in your home! The push to do what is required just to survive  is sometimes overwhelming all by itself.  And while pushing is good, and while I yearn for improvement in all areas of life, I often feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water...which creates stress...which causes me to some days not even enjoy my incredible life!  I wish I could push a pause button on life so that there could be more time to simply be with my kids...to cherish and enjoy them!

Notwithstanding the constant struggle to live with balance and wisdom, here are some great things that this Summer has been full of so far:

* late nights, watching Fox's "The Five" after the baby is finally asleep!

* splash pads, swimming, and playing with friends

* endless piles of laundry...and I do mean endless

* chapter books!  Okay, we haven't read nearly as much as we wanted to, but we totally loved reading our first "Goosebump" book together.

* the new chore chart & earning nickles

* 80's movies and homemade pizza

* a new obsession with pirate ships

* lots of homemade kefir shakes...for the kids: gagging down cod liver oil & green drinks (Sophie tolerates it all much better than does Weston!)

* lots of crawling for Brighton, the constantly moving baby

* missing mom and talking about her lots and lots

* making new things like cream cheese & yogurt (which was a total fail, by the way!)

* the kids talking about their dreams every morning

* discovering "the magic school bus" cartoon, which is seriously great

* sleeping kids in forts, on the floor, and on couches...anywhere but their beds!

* oodles of silliness

* endless to-do lists (oh yeah, that is not unique to the Summer months...)

Here are some pics of the kids with friends at the dinosaur park looking at the turtles...

 Grandma Laurie has been in town a couple of times.  The kids ALWAYS look forward to her visits!

 Lots of lincoln log building around here...

 Brighton likes to get in on the action too!

 This amazing pirate ship was purchased from the DI for $1.50.  Such a worthy buy!  Here are the kids hanging out with their Uncle Chris.

 Princess Sophie

 My handsome pirate

Swim lessons ~ the teacher is telling Sophie to "zip her lips" so that water doesn't get in her mouth (although it is good advice to keep her from talking everyone's ears off too)!  I am really not one to talk though...

 I don't know if you can tell or not, but Weston is gracefully blowing the snot out of one nostril in this picture.  He and Sophie really liked wearing the goggles.  He kept asking the teacher if they had "real UB protection," which I thought was funny.  Obviously he meant "UV," but I don't know where he heard about it!  The teacher mentioned that in all her years of teaching swim lessons, that is the first time any kid has asked that question!

 Brighton loves being outside, especially when there is a lot going on around him.

 More sit dives...

We also had a pool party for mutual one night.  Oh how the kids love hanging out with the young women!

 Especially when popsicles are involved...

 Swimming at Preston's house, Sophie immediately made friends with Riley

 Weston and Preston

 Making cupcakes at Riley's birthday party...

 And having a blast on the bouncy house water slide...what better way to survive a 116 degree day?

 So happy for a moment with daddy during the busy fireworks season

 Too bad Sophie is so camera shy (yeah, right)!

This little dude just brightens up my life!  It is amazing how well he gets around.  He is 23 pounds and his 6th tooth is already trying to pop through!  He was 7 months old on the 8th.

 And many more pictures to come...