Does anyone know where summer has gone? I am getting a little sad as we get ready to turn another page on the calendar to move into August this week. It starts a whole lot of forward planning to get ready for the new school year, and a whole lot of cramming to get all of our last minute summer fun things completed. But if we're in a race with summer right now, summer is definitely winning!
We have been having lots of fun, although my picture taking has been a bit lacking. I blame the 6 month old little girl who won't allow me to put her down for even a second...and don't think I'm kidding. To tell you about the crocodile tears that I see when I sit her down so that I can, I don't know, use the bathroom or something totally selfish like that. It's making me a little bit crazy...and I may well be on my way there if she weren't my third such baby. But I know it's a phase, and I've made it my mission this time to just enjoy each stage instead of dreading them. So, things have been a bit more challenging in terms of being productive, but I've also had a whole lot of baby kisses and tons of snuggle time with Mara. And I know that, down the road, I'm going to cherish those slobbery kisses more than I am an empty dishwasher. And so it goes.
Early in July, right after my last post, we started a week of Bible School. Lord, please forgive me, but this is likely my least favorite week of the entire summer each year. Not because it isn't awesome, because it certainly is. But because I get so worn out by the end of the week from working all day, running home just long enough to change clothes (if I'm lucky), stuff food into the kids and then rush out the door again, only to return three hours later with dirty, tired, sugar filled kids who need to go to bed, but still need baths, another snack, pj's and some general winding down. Do that 5 days in a row, and that ought to explain my sentiments on the subject. This year, Joshua was a big boy and went to his own class without me. I stayed with Lauren's class with Mara attached to my hip (shocker). We had fun, but spending that time with that many small kids was probably part of my exhaustion. The picture below is a picture of Joshua on the night they were asked to dress up as cowboys or cowgirls. He was all over it! The highlight of the week for him was winning the contest that night for the best costume. He was the only one of the kids who brought a horse. But in his words, "Every cowboy needs a horse." True story, Josh.
The kids have spent many afternoons swimming in the pool on the deck. It's not fancy or big, but it works when it's hot and they need to cool off. I so wish I had more time this summer to have spent days with them at the big public pool, but the work schedule just hasn't allowed that. They both love the water, but I'm learning that I'm going to have to be much more purposeful about getting them into swimming lessons.
We had a great time on my birthday at the Sunday School class picnic at the house of one of our classmates who have a pool. I will spare you the details about the tragic ending to that event when, on my last trip to the van with all of our belongings, I spilled an entire container of pasta salad all over Mara and their kitchen floor. We'll focus on the positive, which was that all three of the kids had an absolute blast swimming in the pool. Joshua is getting more brave, Lauren remembered swimming from last year at the beach and wasn't afraid and Mara just kicked and splashed and squealed the whole time. Really, up until the pasta salad, we were having a great time!
There has been a whole lot of sister love lately. Mara is smitten with Lauren, and the feeling seems to be mutual. I absolutely love watching the girls together, smiling and giggling with each other. I just hope it is a bit of foreshadowing for the years that are to come. I pray daily for the relationship of all three of the kids, and that they will always be close with each other.
Mara has been working hard on some big girl stuff in recent weeks. She has mastered sitting up on her own and now rarely falls over unless she's reaching off to her side or purposely wants to roll over for a while. She has also been a pro at eating baby food and has made it through all of her fruits and veggies. The only ones she doesn't really like are peas and peaches, but even the peas have been OK lately. She's eating two solid meals a day right now- a veggie, fruit and cereal around lunch, and the same combo at supper. We'll soon start some yogurt as well. She is growing like a weed- lately moving into mostly 6 month clothes and putting on what I estimate to be a little more than a pound since her 7/9 doctor's appointment. As I recall, this was the same growth pattern that Lauren had, so I'm hoping that all of the worries about her weight gain are behind us. She continues to nurse well, and often- usually every 3 hours round the clock. If we're lucky, we get one 4 hour stretch during the day, which is helpful for the pumping situation while I'm at work. The sleeping, well....that's not pretty. She's up constantly and only sleeps soundly when she's either in my arms in the rocking chair or sleeping beside me while she nurses. We have some work to do there, but this too shall pass. What hasn't changed is that we love her to pieces. Honestly, I just can't get enough of that adorable grin.
See, I can't even stop myself from taking multiple pictures!
And finally, Mara isn't the only one with big girl milestones to celebrate. Look who else got to move out of her crib/toddler bed into a big girl double bed! She was so excited about it, especially when she got to pick out her bedding and decorations. It was no surprise that out of a whole aisle of girly bedroom stuff at Target, she chose the purplest one. She's such a big girl all of a sudden. The best news is that she hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since we set the bed up for her. And that, my friends, was worth every penny.
Hope your summer has been going well, just like ours has. We are gearing up for a very exciting August- a trip to Lewistown this coming weekend for the Richard Reunion, our yard sale and the beach trip at the end of the month. More pictures soon!
