Summer Starts

Summer is eluding us today... 50's and rain. But last week we had a day warm enough for some water fun, so we made up a new game--water slide! We put the hose on the big slide and a pool at the bottom, and called it our own Seven Peaks. The kids thought it was pretty awesome.

This is what the boys thought though. They woke up kinda cranky and  it took awhile for them to get close.

Our summer has been kinda slow also because we caught a yucky bug. Mike, myself, and Maddie were all bed-ridden for a day (separate days). We tried not to share it with friends so we mostly stayed inside and took it easy.

One day I decided to have a little map lesson with the kids. By the age of 2 Maddie knew about 20 countries, Ella knew about 15, and Ty knows about 2. That's okay, at least he knows where WE live now.     

We had a picnic on the back deck to get some fresh air.

We ventured outside when the UPS man delivered Maddie's Dollie & Me jammies! (This was her prize for finishing the No Sugar Challenge in May. Ella's was the movie Frozen, which she loves, but it had lost some of it's savor by the time Maddie's came, and she was a little sad she couldn't match her dollie too.) These girls have played with their dolls a ton the last few weeks. I love summer because they get to use their imaginations together more!

Jake escaped and we found him exploring the shade garden. This kid loves dirt!

This is a typical Ty moment. He is often partially in costume, doesn't want to take his pajamas off, and surrounded but his tractors.

A few other quintessential summer pictures... The library has saved us from doom and despair! Ella had so many books to choose from, she would start one and move on to another before finishing. Meals often interrupted her reading so she started using her stool as a bookmark! Funny girl.

As often as possible we go on family bike rides and walks. This was a Sunday when everyone had already changed into jammies, so they just put their shoes over the top and hopped on the saddle!
That's how we roll.

There are lots of tractors around us working on landscaping projects, so the boys are often at the window watching. This was a sweet moment--often Ty is stealing the stool or knocking Jake over, so I'm glad I caught it.