I Love Summer.

I love the easiness of summer.  As a kid, I remember it being a lot easier than it is now, but as long as I fight the business of life enough, summer still has that twinge of calmness, just like back in the day. I remember spending days on end reading out in the country where we lived. I would take luxurious walks and punctuate them with an afternoon nap. Easy. These days, naps seem hard to come by and often dinner needs to begin around three for my very hungry two year old to eat at 4. I have set out this summer, however, to not schedule too much. This series of pictures captures our days perfectly. The kids needed something a little different to do (and they really needed to get cooled off) so I turned the sprinkler on for awhile. They had so much fun!

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time - remember exactly what the warm air felt like - everything supercharged with kid energy. The smell of barbequing and ripe tomatoes and clothes fresh off the line. I guess there is something about this much vitamin D that makes me a bit nostalgic.....

Boss' 2nd Birthday Gathering.

I feel like at a bare minimum, this blog should provide a place for me to preserve the kids' memories as they grow up. Birthdays are such benchmark days, aren't they? For Boss' second birthday, we had an intimate family gathering. Everyone brought a side dish for a brunch menu and I baked some shortcakes, piled high with strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Boss LOVES strawberries and finds various random opportunities throughout the days to talk about strawberries. We felt this was a very appropriate birthday dessert.
 

For some reason, he insisted on eating straight off the number 2 candle.

He got a new helmet, which I feel will be very handy in the years to come.

He has been waiting for a bubble making lawnmower since he discovered their existence on the 4th of July at a friend's house.

This was his face while everyone was signing "Happy Birthday" to him.   I do recall seeing some childhood photos of Colin with this very same face...

Jude and Wyatt - oh my. What a team! They wanted to drink milk out of the vintage Lenox china I bring out for every birthday. 

Boss getting a Veggie Tales movie.

I love this picture.

Sissy seemed pretty happy to place herself by all the shortcakes.

I took Boss for his 2 year well child visit, where they put each child on a growth graph and you get the moment of truth whether your child is growing in correct proportions. Boss has always had a very large head (90% currently). His weight and height hovers around 75th percentile. The doctor heard him say "Boss go on the baby scale" and noted that he is pretty advanced for language. I told her that by the 4th, they are exposed to so many words from their siblings, that language would probably naturally come easy.

Boss loves books (Veggie Tales and any books with tractors, baby faces and especially animals). He loves all animals and George has never seen so much attention in his life.  He is especially proficient in eating - he can put away the same amount of food as Samuel most of the time. We've had to take discipline to an exhausting level because Boss consistency earns his name. Since time-outs are a welcome and happy break for him, we have had to find other ways to deter his behavior. He is by far our biggest snuggler. He really doesn't know what to do when his siblings aren't around, which always gives me pause. What are these kids going to do in the world when they aren't surrounded by other like-aged family members all the time?

Sissy.

Here is a photo series of Sissy, which depicts her perfectly at age 4 1/2. She is animated, busy, funny, and as it turns out, pretty athletic.

I love this girl.