Mid-Summer Days

Here we are at the end of June, with firework stands popping up all over town. I used to silently dread this time of year. Everyone loves the 4th of July, right? I didn't. Noisy fireworks interfered with my babies' naps and bedtimes. It's hot and buggy. Lots of hype all around for a day (or days) of irresponsible partying. I know, I know, what a party-pooper I was. All that has changed now that my kids are older! I LOVE this time of year!!! Last summer my boys and I rode our bikes to the nearest fireworks stand and bought some goodies. I like to think we'll do that every year now. (until they learn to drive!) Braylen is old enough to light his own firecrackers, and nobody takes naps. :) I'm one of those super-cautious moms around fireworks, though. I think that's my firefighter daddy in me. :) My house is decked out in red, white, and blue. Salads and desserts center around a 4th of July theme, and the week wouldn't be complete without a big juicy watermelon. Top it all off with a visit from my parents, and this week is more fun than any other week of the year! I'm very excited for it to begin!

Playing hide-and-seek with Daddy

Ginger is 12 weeks old and growing so fast. These days she's chasing her tail and walking better on her leash. Derek got some awesome pictures of her the other night by our pink flowering shrubs. Pink is my absolute favorite flower color, and I just love it when these shrubs are in full bloom. What a perfect place for our puppy to plop down and pose.

This past week our activities really cranked up a notch. Aaron enjoyed a preschool VBS, which he called "PBS." :) Braylen kept busy mowing lawns and swimming at a friend's pool party. Kaleb and I had 2 hours to ourselves one morning and enjoyed a modified donut date. Let me explain. When we went to the donut shop, we saw it's closed for a month. A month?! Thankfully, Kaleb agreed to sit in the shopping cart and eat his grocery-store donut while I sipped a yummy iced coffee :) Throw in 3 doctor's appointments and pharmacy visits along with a house screaming to be cleaned, and I was one busy mama.

Last night I had one of those mad-mommy-moments when I found ice cream on the couch, water all over the bathroom mirror, and poor aim around the toilet. It's so hard to rise above that and look at what really matters. I'd really like a few hours (alone) to deep-clean my house before my parents come for a visit. I think that would do wonders for me. Since that wasn't happening last night, I opened my Bible to try and soak up some kind of cure for my grumpiness. I found it in Psalm 118:13-14. "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." So many times I feel pushed--pushed by my kids, by life's demands, by my own standards. When I take some time to be still before the Lord, He helps me. He quiets my spirit and helps me realign my priorities. My kids don't need a clean house, but they do need a mom who's grounded in the Lord. However, I'm still hoping Derek takes the kids out for a couple hours this week. :)

12 Years

June 21st is the summer solstice, the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. . .and our wedding anniversary! This is the first time that I can remember our anniversary falling on Father's Day. Because of that, we celebrated both events by boating as a family. The weather was nice and hot while the water was nice and cool. Part of me can't believe I've been married for 12 years. But another part of me thinks it should be longer. Derek and I dated for 3 years before getting married, so in my mind I feel like it's been 15 years. :) I am blessed to be married to my best friend.

7, 9, and 5 years old are my favorite ages so far!

Posing at camp before heading home

Braylen had a fun week at camp, but he was ready to come home to his cozy bed and loving family. As our van pulled up the camp drive, Braylen came darting out of the chapel and splashed through the mud to greet us. What a glorious muddy hug! As we stood in the chapel for the closing program, my eyes watered just watching him sing his camp songs and recite his memory verses. I vividly remember my camping days, and to see my own son experience his camping days made me a bit emotional. That's who I am, and my husband sees that and smiles at me. (inwardly he's laughing at me I'm sure!) One thing I wish Braylen would've left at camp is a skin infection. Instead, he brought it home and shared it with Aaron. Now we have 2 sons on oral and topical antibiotics for 10 days. It was so hard to keep them out of the pool today! Kaleb, completely healthy, had our pool to himself and splashed around for 3 hours. At least one son was happy!

Car-washing station!

As summer heats up, I'm getting brown. Last week someone asked me what nationality I am. That's a new one! I think she was disappointed when I rattled off my European roots. Was she expecting Native American? Hispanic? No such luck--I'm just a white girl who happens to tan easily. My boys look blonder to me these days, with brown skin as well. I like to say they got the best of me and the best of Derek--tan blondies! Braylen tells me Kaleb's hair is "getting baggy." That made me laugh, because I don't get "Braylenisms" very often. It's usually Aaron providing me with such great material. :)

Speaking of that, Aaron's latest switcharoo involves our dog's name. Sitting at lunch the other day, Aaron said, "Ninger likes to play with me, Ninger likes to lick my fingers. . ." The first thought that popped into my mind was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (A flash from the past--right, Eric?) Then I realized he was talking about Ginger. Too funny!

While Big Brother's Away. . .

Life at our house is not how it should be with one child missing, but we've managed to find lots of fun moments together while Braylen's been at camp. Kaleb finally had a full week of t-ball games, we enjoyed a full day's worth of lake fun at a friend's house, and we made our first trip to the pool. It finally feels like summer around here! In fact, Aaron and Kaleb were swinging one night when Aaron said, "Summer is always fun for some reason! These are happy days now!" I agree.

Just a glimpse of the water-fun we had. Our boys are in the paddle boat.

Kaleb does love to drive!

Speaking of happy days--Aaron learned how to ride his bike without training wheels on Monday! Daddy's been working with him for weeks, and Aaron was so close. All he needed was about 30 minutes with Mommy, and off he went. Part of me feels like my baby bird flew out of the nest that day. My kids are growing up and needing me less; one small step at a time. In this case, one pedal at a time! :) Aaron's secret to success were some really good knee pads, elbow pads, and biker gloves.

Aaron with one of his toads

Aaron's discovered a real love for toads this week. He's collected 5 toads that I know about. One is now in our window well, three are in frog habitats on our front porch, and one was released in the neighbor's landscaping. Kaleb won't touch them, let alone pick them up. He calls himself a good frog finder and finds the frogs for Aaron to pick up! Aaron collects ants and worms to feed his toads. Even at the pool today he was more interested in playing with the bugs on the cement than swimming. He is SUCH a boy. One odd thing Aaron's been doing lately is tying his feet together with rubber bands and hopping around the house. The other day I had to help him get 10 rubber bands off his feet! Silly boy!

Kaleb will wave at the toad! This toad ended up in our window well.

Kaleb played basketball at a neighbor's house the other day. Being a sweat machine, Kaleb loved the water brought out for him by this neighbor's mom. She said it came straight from the cold refrigerator. After a few sips, he looked into his cup and said, "Do you have grass in your fridge?" Little grass pieces couldn't have come from the ground--in his mind they came from the water's source! :) He loved playing at the pool today, and spent 2 hours jumping off the diving boards.

Yes, Kaleb and Aaron have had lots of fun this week. But we're all looking forward to Braylen coming home. Then I'll have all of my chicks back in the nest. . .for now. :)

Changing Places

With Braylen off to camp for a week, Kaleb and Aaron are now "roommates." Aaron's always had his own room. Kaleb and Braylen have always shared rooms. This week, Kaleb moved into Braylen's top bunk, while Aaron moved into Kaleb's bottom bunk. Both boys are delighted! I'm anticipating a week of bonding sprinkled with occasional fights. :)



Dropping Braylen off at camp for a week was like stepping back in time. I loved going to camp as a kid! But being the mom instead of the camper is weird. I think about things like, "Will he apply sunscreen and bugspray? Will he take a shower this week? Will I get a call from the camp telling me he needs stitches?" When did I go from a carefree camping kid to such a worrywart adult?! Sometimes growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. When leaving the camp, I saw a sign posted that read, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them.'"--Ecclesiastes 12:1 My prayer for Braylen, beyond his bodily safety of course, is that he finds MUCH pleasure in the simple things of being a kid this week. That he enjoys these days of his youth, before adulthood comes to swoop him up.

Have fun at camp Buddy! Ginger will be waiting for you to come home!