my punkins at the patch
Headed up the coast to our favorite local patch for some pumpkin selection last weekend. Here are the highlights in pictures:
Sam took this picture of David and I:
uncle T turns 30 … giants style
My brother is the most amazing uncle. He has five little nephews who completely adore him and think they want to be big just like him someday. ;) So when he turned thirty, we brought all our chaos to him with an homage to one of his greatest passions in life (aside from the lovely Miss Jeannie, of course, and writing)… the GIANTS. And I must say we were quite a site to behold. Some tourists even started taking pictures of (and then strangely, with) our family. Awesome. But I dare say I think he felt celebrated. As well he should.
longest day of the year
…which means although it’s been summer in this house for several weeks already, it is official now. And oh my goodness have we been having fun. We celebrated the summer solstice by enjoying the warmth and splashing in the backyard pool. Boys were happy (mostly) and content (mostly) to do their own thing. Love that. Brother3 was fascinated with a dribbling hose and loved letting the water run down his belly, then onto his toes and then finally into whatever vessel he could find. Brother1 made rainbows and had a running narrative of how/why it was happening. [sidebar - have I mentioned lately how much I love that my husband thinks my kids can understand a scientific answer to anything... and they usually do. Really love that.] And Brother2 was shooting water into the forest as far as he could, playing with goggles and pretending to swim. Sheryl Crow in the background. Iced tea in my hand. Hello summer, indeed.
U-pick/eat/play/make-pie/do-laundry
David was gone all week so he took today off to play with us. I love it when all 5 of us can take off on an adventure – really just starting to feel like we can do that without overwhelming chaos. One of the things on our funner summer list that Brother1 has been asking about daily is strawberry picking. So that is what we did. Red, juicy faces, mucky feet, brisk June fog. It was perfect. And we came home with bags of berries that are just BEGGING to be made into a pie. mmmm… more on that later. For now, our picking pix:
This little place had the most charming little farmhouse with toys, books and yummy jams & treats. We could have played in there for a long time had we not been craving some lunch at Whale City in Davenport which did not disappoint, I must say.
boy time
I have this mental list of the ideal people I want to build into my boys’ lives. Different folks are there for different reasons – some family, some represent roles that are significant, some are my favorite people are some are there by God’s grace. All of them by God’s grace, to be honest. And somewhere very near the top of my list are 3 boys. I’ve known them since they were born (typing that alone made me feel old). And they are some of the coolest guys I know. Their parents (my cousin & his wife) have done an aMAZing job teaching them all the things David and I dream of teaching our kids – courage, chivalry, godliness, goodness, kindness, gentleness, silliness, adventure-loving, …. I could go on. Really.
So I was beyond thrilled when the two younger brothers jumped at my offer to watch my boys one or twice a week. And they don’t just “watch” my boys, they play with them. On their level. It’s as though these guys have one foot into manhood and one still firmly planted in boyhood. And my boys are learning more how to navigate boyhood through their example. They bring their old toys and get dirty and loud. My boys get happy and tired. Awesome.
And even yesterday as B3 screamed for me on and off for 2 hrs, they took it in stride. And as they leave and I trip all over myself thanking them profusely for investing in my boys, they just give these boyish smiles, shrug their shoulders casually and tell me it was fun. {contented mama sigh}
[insert squeals]
After a busy morning playing with my cousin’s big boys, we headed out for a late afternoon beach trip. And there really isn’t much else like the happiness that comes over kids at the beach. Glee. We ran and ran through the water, let watermelon drip down our chins and drank in the sun – big, satisfied gulps. Thanks for snapping a pic, dad. :)
muddy party
Part of what makes a “funner summer” is getting to do things you normally can’t, right? Exhibit A:
He takes his mud mixing VERY seriously. And although he looks completely bothered, he was beyond delighted. I’m guessing that shirt is toast, though.
That was a lot of fun — all before lunch. Oh and believe me, we’ve got big plans for the afternoon. Might even be a 2 bath day!!
the funner summer begins
Friday, when school got out and summer vacation officially began, we launched our funner summer by making a ‘sandcastle’ cake out of molded rice crispy treats. We invited the neighbor girls over (who my boys adore) and let the kids play and create and eat. After we did some serious damage on the cake, they jumped on the trampoline and played with the hose. A perfect start, I’d say.
And the idea came from our summer fun wall… see below. I basically spent one naptime listing all the fun things I could think of and, in an effort to be intentional about doing new and special things with the kids, put them up on this fun wall. Every day we’re going to tackle something – big or small to make it FUN. And even though there are already hints at a fun entitlement backfire issue, I am determined to have a BLAST. To enjoy being together. To make memories that will last all of our lives. Here we go…
*sew* much fun
Girlfriends. Wine. Bobbins. Oh yes, good fun.
Last night my dear friend Jill (who worked with my dad during my growing up years) drove down to teach 3 of us clueless girls how to sew. Honestly, we all had NO IDEA what we were doing. But after we pushed all the toys to the corners of the room, we laid out our fabrics and unfolded our patterns. Even that was daunting – you know that weird, tannish, thin paper. Almost hyperventilated right then and there. But a little more wine and we were sailing away, machines humming.
And by the end of the night we each had our own pair of elasticized PJ pants that we wore home/to bed. But not before we ate these ridiculously delicious oreo cupcakes thanks to the other Jessica. Crazy, I tell you. So here we are .. Wah Lah! I’ll spare you the butt shot with us looking over our shoulders. You’re welcome.
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