More of this.

I didn't have a lot of goals for this summer.  No particular manner I intended to go about filling the next couple of months with things to do.  But I can tell you this much-- we're having a pretty good one so far.  I am loving the fact that we aren't scheduled to the hilt.  We've been making plans for fun things to do on the fly, something that doesn't usually happen with us.  So far we seem to be focusing on doing things together as much as possible, and spending less time than normal going in separate directions to accomplish things.  And while it isn't always efficient to drag the kids to Sams Club or to pack up the whole family for a quick run to Target, I have been appreciating doing it together.

 

Admittedly, summer time is the time that I feel most guilty for being a working Mom.  There are so many things to do with the kids that I always feel bad leaving them during the day.  I think back to the gift that it was to have my mom home with us during the summers.  That teaching gig certainly had its benefits for the teacher's kids!  I am becoming more aware of it because Joshua is becoming more aware in recent days.  Last night, we were watching a movie about George H. W. Bush and talking to Joshua about what kinds of things he is going to do when he is President.  His answer... "I'm going to make it so that no matter whether you're a man or a woman, you get the summer off from your job."  Ouch.  Straight to the heart of working parents who are already hating leaving the kids behind at home for the summer months.

 

Joshua is absolutely loving spending time with his Daddy this summer.  No sooner does Jason get in the door, and Joshua is asking him to make all of their plans for the evening.  I swear, he must be planning all day long about the things he wants to do.  It usually involves basketball or playing Super Mario Brothers.  But this past weekend, the boys got a chance to go fishing, and they caught their very first fish together!  They were both pretty excited.  The girls and I stayed at home where I was working on jobs at the house- cooking, cleaning and laundry.  Surprise surprise.  I've been admittedly having a very hard time lately with the amount of things that Joshua is dying to do that don't involve me.  I can only describe it as the fact that I am missing spending time with him.  So I'm going to have to do something to fix that.  Last weekend the girls and I accompanied Josh and Jason to the lake where they were fishing, and that was fun, but the girls definitely make it hard for me to focus on Josh.  I guess I'm just having a little bit of a hard time with the stage we are in right now with Mara in particular- where I am the only one who can occupy her and keep her happy, making it nigh upon impossible for me to be doing the things that I want to be able to do with Joshua and Lauren.

 

Despite the struggles of having kids at the ages we have, I will say we are doing a good job of focusing just on the kids when we can.  We're spending lots of time outside blowing bubbles and taking walks and riding bikes.  

 

We're eating lots of watermelon and fresh strawberries, which I think is making the kids extra sweet.

We're loving watching Mara dig in the sandbox.  Talk about an investment of $50 that we have seen pay for itself over and over and over throughout three children!

And we've had lots of giggles about the kids making funny faces-- like this one!  Mara has learned how to roll her eyes--- in my estimation, this was perhaps not something we should have taught this little girl.  Something tells me she isn't going to need any help in the "attitude" department over the next few years.  But for now, we all got quite a laugh out of her. 

I think, if we can keep focusing on doing more of these things, and less of the things that aren't important, we're going to continue having a very good summer full of fun memories together.