The summer draws to an end...

As summer time begins I am always filled with the feeling of possibilities.  With nine weeks or so off, I seem to have an unlimited time to do everything I want to do- gardening, reading, exercising, taking the kids to the park, or on a hike, or to gymnastics, swimming, or dance.  There's time for house projects, for lazy afternoons on the hammock, unhurried trips to the Farmer's Market, sleeping in.  Yet, somehow each summer the days fly by and I find that I have two weeks left- I haven't been to the park as many times as I would have liked. That hammock did not get enough naps taken on it.  There are still about a million house projects I wanted to get done.  The weeds are starting to peek through the plants again.  My burst of going to the gym has dwindled a bit.  With two weeks left and still so much on my summer to-do list, all I want to do is curl up with a good book and have a little peace and quite before the swirl of the school year descends on me once again.

Picture by Cairo Raine

Picture by Cairo Raine

I've enjoyed the amazing weather this summer.  The typical June gloom that sets in shortly after we normally arrive didn't show itself until this last week... and even at that, it is a beautiful sunny day today.  Erik, the kids, and I spent countless hours in the backyard, the kids making cakes and pies out of flowers, rocks, and mud (Jonah picking all the flowers, much to our displeasure).  The kids have a habit of collecting buckets full of stuff from all over the yard.  Cairo has become more daring on the swing set.  She is constantly calling out, "Hey, look what I can do" or "I want to show you this new trick."  All of these things seem to revolve around a new way to swing- on her back, on her side, on her tummy- or a new way to traverse her play set.  Jonah takes his sissy's lead and does the same.  "Hey, Mommy, look what I can do."

Picture by Cairo Raine

Picture by Cairo Raine

During the mornings, Cairo and Jonah kept bust with a variety of activities- gymnastics, swimming, dance.  Four weeks of swim lessons have made Cairo a more confident pre-swimmer.  I say pre-swimmer because she still tends to sink even though she is finally getting more aggressive with her kicking and stroking.  Four weeks of swimming for Jonah just led to an increasing love of the hot tub and more resentment for the cold pool.  Talk about a total grump.... actually, it's more like a total stubborn grump.  He would get so mad that we weren't in the hot tub that he would cover his eyes with his hands, tuck his chin down, bury his face in my shoulder, and hold the rest of his body rigid... for the entire half hour of the lesson. When the half hour was up I would tell him that if he dunked his head I would let him go into the hot tub.  I couldn't even finish that sentence before he was leaning out of my hands in attempt to submerge himself underwater.  After the dunk- it was a smile and a "can we go into the hot tub."

A perk of living up here is that some of my most favorite people in the world are here.  We get to spend LOTS of time with the Loomis family- relaxing, playing, goofing around...

...decorating Uncle Will....

...and doing our hair...

Katie B

Lili

When we haven't been out and about or had people over to play, the kids have had a lot of fun playing together.

As always, the best part of the summer is spending tons of time together as a family.  This summer has been the most enjoyable, yet.  The kids are just getting old enough that they confidently venture off on their own and we are comfortable enough to let them get more than two feet away from us.  Cairo can even make herself a sandwich ALL BY HERSELF.  I don't even have to get off the couch.  :o)