{fun in the sun}

The city pool is perfect around 4pm--people are going home, just as we are arriving. We have our pick of the lawn chairs, plenty of space in the shallow end of the pool, and it's not quite as hot. Don't ge me wrong, I love people, but when you have to park the next street over it's just too busy.

My girls don't love being in the water, but they like playing with the water. Ryan is always happy when he has someone to play with, and I'm happy to be outside in the sun.
Oh, and have you noticed that being at the pool makes kids hungry? I can never bring enough snacks, even if we've just eaten. Okay, so maybe it's not just the kids. :)









Hooray for summer!

{little piece of heaven}

Kate was very unhappy right after dinner tonight, and I just couldn't get her to calm down. So, I sat her on the island, told her to close her eyes, and that I would get her a surprise. I went to the pantry, got out some of my chocolate stash, and broke her off a piece. She was scrunching up her eyes, waiting patiently. I placed the chocolate in her little outstretched hands, and left her to her bliss. She took a bite, and then said in her tiny 2-year old voice, "Happy, mom. Happy".

I'm right there with you.

{gardening day}

Tuesday was gardening day, and I finally took some pictures of our garden and the kids working. It was a very warm day, so Ryan took advantage of the watering cans and fountains inside the garden. We were able to cut some lemon basil, and I can't wait to make something to put it in!
I just love that we are learning together more about gardening, plants, flowers, and our earth. Today we were taught about the oak tree--we studied the different types and examined the leaves. We also reviewed what the White Pine and Spruce Pine looked like, and how you can tell them apart. We looked at bugs, and found out about milkweed. The teacher presents the information in such an interesting way that it captivates everyone, children and adults alike.
I'm really anxious to learn all I can, and figure out how to make our landscaping look nice and our garden flourish. Even better is that my kids (at least Ryan :)) are excited about it too.

{my new haircut}

My sister Memorie has been asking me for pics of my new haircut, and I finally got around to it this morning. Ryan took these, and I must say, did a pretty good job! I love this cut--fast, easy, and I can still pull it up when I need to. Great for the summer! I can never seem to grow my hair out anymore. I get to a certain length(shoulders), and I can't stand it anymore. If I could get it past that point, it would be much easier.

{random summer review}

I can't believe the summer is half over! It seems unreal that it's already mid-July. We have been up to a lot, but not so much, all at the same time.

1. Growing grass!

Our biggest project has been (and will continue to be) getting our yard in shape. The grass seed went down and the sprinklers in about 6 weeks ago, and so far the grass is growing fairly well. Coming from a place where everyone puts down sod, this has been a whole new process for me. I'm also quite impatient, and so Rick tries to let me know (pretty much everyday) that it's really going to come in nice and thick...eventually. I had no idea about the regimen involved--mowing schedule, fertilizer, weed killer, etc. Don't let me fool you though, it's absolutely worth it. My kids are outside everyday, as long as I will let them. We purchased a playset, trampoline, and basketball standard from some friends that were getting rid of theirs, and Saturday we moved it over to our house. All I hear is "umpoline", and "jump" from both Kate and Emma, or they want to be on the slide or swing. It is heaven! Popsicles on the back porch are another favorite...as long as we can be outside!
We are going to wait until fall to plant bushes and bulbs, so the rest of our yard looks pretty boring right now. We will be putting in our firepit next weekend, and we already have all the S'mores stuff ready to go!

Here's the backyard with the trampoline and playset as of this morning: (disclaimer: it's mowing day, so the grass is a bit ragged!)



Kate and Emma, enjoying popsicles in curlers (they didn't work so well :) )



2. Rick = Super Dad

I have been gone more than most summers, and Rick has done a GREAT job filling in. In June I went to youth conference for a few days, and I just got back Friday from a week at Girls' Camp. (That in itself is a whole different story--the things I learned! Have you ever played the Skittle game? The one where you pass a bag around, and whichever color you pick coordinates a place in your mouth to put it and keep it until you choose a red one? Mmmmmm....yeah. Let's just say I'm glad there are no pictures. However, spending a week outside at the lake and with amazing girls was wonderful!) I came home to a clean house, laundry done, and a happy kids. Yay!
He did have to learn onew new skill before I left though...putting a ponytail holder in. The girls have long bangs, so it is essential to get them pulled back out of the way. I was quite impressed with it how it turned out, after only one lesson. He didn't dare go near the curling iron, which I use on a regular basis, but we'll save that for future lessons. :) Here are pictures that he took while I was gone of his hair masterpiences:



3. 4th of July

I wasn't able to get 4th of July pictures up before I left for camp, so I thought I would add them now. We had a wonderful day. It started early that morning, with an adults' soccer game. We played hard for several hours, and had a really great time. We BBQ'd with friends in the afternoon, and played sand volleyball. That evening we attended a church dessert party, then stayed to watch fireworks on the church lawn. There are some really perfect days, and this was definitely one of them. Good friends, food, fun, and fireworks! :)






4. Parks, Gardening, and more

I signed the kids up for a gardening class this summer, and we are having a fabulous time. Ryan chose all the different plants for our plot, and then planted them. We go to a weekly class, where we have made scarecrows, learned about different plants and weeds, measured our plants and recorded their growth, watered and weeded, and even harvested a tomato! I haven't taken pictures yet, but I can't wait to show you how well they are doing with it. It's run by a local Children's Garden, and it's been one of the best parts of the summer.

Mostly our days consist of going to the park, hanging out with friends, playing outside, going for bike rides, eating popsicles on the porch, going swimming, and enjoying the beautiful weather.

5. Future Summer Plans

We have even more great times ahead! We are going to Chicago at the end of July, and we are counting down the days. We will be visiting the Field Museum, Children's Museum and Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, the Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, and the newly built Lego Discovery Center. We are also going to the top of Sears Tower, and riding the train. Some of our good friends are from Chicago, and are kindly giving us the inside scoop on places to visit and yummy places to eat. We can 't wait!!

In August we will be going on our annual camping trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes in northern Michigan. You can't beat camping, going to the beach, climbing the dunes, and being with good friends. It's our favorite thing of the whole summer, every year!

Rick is going to be SuperDad one more time, when I leave in August for a High Adventure with the Laurels on our ward. We will be gone for a few days, and will be camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Dutch oven cooking is on the menu, and just thinking about it makes me hungry!

Of course the beach is an integral part of the summer, and with our favorite beach only an hour away, we plan on going as often as we can!

Did I mention I love summer?

{it's about time}

Yesterday I was out with friends, and I asked them about something I had been thinking about for a little while---getting my ears pierced! They of course I agreed that I should have it done, and so we spontaneously drove over to the mall (the 4 of us, and our 10 kids!).

We really were like teenagers again, picking out earrings, making sure they were straight, and taking pictures (and video...:)). It was so much fun, and I'm so glad they were there with me. I wouldn't have had it any other way!

I also decided I wasn't going to tell Rick, and wait and see how long it would take for him to notice. Well, he didn't end up doing too badly! He noticed this morning, and his first comment was about my new "bling bling". I love them so far, but it is still taking come getting used to. Every time I pass a mirror I do a double take!