Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer Highlight Reel

I have a couple of drafts sitting on my dashboard, letters to the kids full of thoughts and stories and all the things I want them to know about our life right now.  But I can never seem to get them written all the way and published.  I will.  I tried this afternoon while the littles listened to a Magic Treehouse book on CD...but dinner time crept up (and we were having guests) and I had to save and postpone and start the pasta.

But for the past few weeks I've been antsy to get it on the books that this summer has been so...so good.  I feel like gratitude and sunshine have seeped in to fill the hollow places in my heart.  I have absolutely relished the time with my kids.  Soaked and savored it.  Adored them very big and really bad.  Here's a glimpse:



The night before the bunk beds were delivered, after we took the old beds apart, we put the kids' mattresses on the floor in our bedroom and had a family sleepover.  It was giggly, wild, brim with anticipation and the kids thought it was maybe the funnest thing that had ever happened to them.




Lily turned 4.  Four!  We woke the kids up that morning and told them to get dressed as fast as they could, then we took them to Elmer's for breakfast.  We ate ourselves sick and Lily got sung to with a coffee filter on her head (?!?).  


We're eating peaches every chance we get.  Last night for our family night treat we had peach milkshakes.  Yum.  



We went bowling with Mimi & Halley.  Lily + a bowling ball = so funny!  And we are so thankful to have an Aunt Halley.  She really is fantastic and we've loved seeing so much of her this summer.  (Above: she took Lil down to move the water a few mornings ago.  Lil brought along her plastic pistol.  Just in case.)


We hiked Roxyann with Nana & Abby.  Henry was so darling and offered to piggy back his tired sister for a spell.  Didn't last long, but my heart, they are cute.
 

The kids have conjured many an imaginary scenario in the front room.  Tea parties and pirate adventures and pet shop and save the fair maiden (Lily) from the evil villains and lego fortresses and dolly daycare.

We have read many, many library books.  Like, easily more than a hundred.  We don't mess around at the library; we haul out as many books as we can carry :)  And we have fallen in love with The Lorax and Poppleton and Matilda and all of the Rosemary Wells books.  A funny little note about The Lorax: a huge section of the orchard near our house was recently cut down and all the trees were ground up into saw dust.  (very sad!)  One day as we drove past all the fallen trees Lily cried out in dismay, "Oh no!  This is just like The Lorax!"





We celebrated Nana...




and the USofA.


We marveled at the wonder of a tiny warbler's nest (those eggs are the size of peanut m&m's).



And stayed up way past bedtime toasting marshmallows over a crackling fire in mimi & grandpa's backyard.


Oh, and even though we bought a really nice set of bunk beds...the kids still sleep like this.  Every single night.

Hello, August.  Happy Birthday, Uncle Rob!

4 comments:

  1. The Nub is 4 in a few weeks and I'm dying that enough time has passed for that to be happening. Weren't we just pregnant, waiting for the other to hatch?

    Love these shots of your life with these kids. It seems like a truly beautiful one my friend and that you are justly enjoying it.

    XO

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  2. Happy birthday Lily! What a sweet relationship Henry and Lily have. I think it's absolutely adorable that they still sleep together!

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  3. Em, I'm so glad your summer has been great & filled with sweet times. I too love Poppleton books (I don't think I've met a Cynthia Rylant book that I don't like). Love to you all! E

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  4. What darling children. What a beautiful life you live, Em.
    I'm so glad we got to enjoy you for a bit this summer.
    It was such a treat for me and my boys.

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