We've Got Kids

Not babies.  Not toddlers.  Kids.  In some ways it is really awesome, as we can sleep in a bit even if they get up super early.  They are far and away old enough to find a snack and occupy themselves for a half hour or so.  We can go places and not worry too much about if they're falling in a lake or going home with a stranger or eating dirt.  We can stay up late to watch fireworks without anyone having a total meltdown.  But Chad and I really miss our toddlers sometimes.  They were the world's most awesome toddlers.

Girly Day

Although James did not finish kindergarten until the second week of June, May finished preschool at the end of . . . well, May.  So she and I relished our very last "Girly Day" - a day where James went to school for the full day and she and I were on our own.  We chose to visit Red Butte Garden and have a picnic.

I love how tactile May is with plants.  She examines the textures of the leaves and petals very closely, commenting on the differences between various plants.

Here she is pinching a flower, just to see what will happen.  Spoiler alert:  they do NOT bounce back.

 We stopped for a little snack in the rose garden.

We saw a bee.  Here's May getting her finger nice and close to it as she explains to me the importance of NOT touching said bee.  Ah, youth.

 She was an especially big fan of this crazy metal moose.

After settling down beside her on this swing, May asked me to sing.  We spent 20 minutes swinging and singing in the "fragrance garden" before she fell asleep.  It was absolutely adorable.

 Here's May smelling herbs in the fragrance garden.

 This giant snake mouth gave her pause.

 But she was a champ at the stepping stones.

 And at stepping on giant lizards.

After nearly 4 hours at the garden it was time to pick up some mac n' cheese and head to the park for a well-deserved lunch.

As we gear up for fall (ACK!) I am reminded that we will no longer have luxurious Girly Days, as May will be going to school five days a week and I will be working part time.  I am trying hard to be brave about this. 

Me and My Shadow

 We are blessed to have to kids who adore spending time together.

 In fact these two will find a way to be together while playing, reading, eating, cleaning, etc.

 Unfortunately, neither child seems to recognize how much together time is too much.

Thus we end the day quite grumpily.

Tetherball is Hard . . .

On one of our camping adventures we came across a tetherball pole.  (They are all but extinct on playgrounds these days, but I remember them fondly from my own time in elementary school.)

The kids were excited to give it a try, but May soon discovered that her head was like a magnet for that darn ball.

 And when not being clobbered with it . . .

 . . . the ball was totally out of reach!

Bonk.

Painting with Magnets

The kids and I found a really fun idea on Pinterest.  Painting with magnets!  So we got out our paper plates and squirted a few blobs of paint on them.  Then we threw a paperclip on top.

Using a magnet underneath, the kids guided the paper clip through the paint blobs, swirling and mixing them together.

It was pretty great. :-)

Summer

 Here is my handsome boy on his first day of school.  Purple Cons laced up and ready to go.

 Here is my beautiful miss on her first day.  Side pony perfect and game face on.

 And here's James on the last day of school.  Arms tatted up and where the heck did his shoes go?

Here's May on the last day, ponies askance and for whatever reason her shoes are missing as well.

Let's not even discuss the fact that neither of them appear to have grown even an inch . . .

This year school really did just seem to go on and on.  As the end drew near I began to drop the ball more and more steadily.  I pulled the kids to go do fun stuff (tulip festival!) and we just couldn't seem to get ready on time.  I was really looking forward to having them home for the summer and perhaps my own lackadaisical attitude really set the stage for a sort of senioritis in our home.

But man, I was so right.  This summer is the best summer I have had in a very long time.  I miss teaching art and I miss camp a lot, but nothing compares to our little family being together every day and doing as we please.  We can go camping in the middle of the week, or walk down to the coffee shop at 2pm.  We can spend the day at the pool or go through storage and find toys we haven't seen in ages.  It rocks.  Really hard.  You should be jealous.

Fathers Day 2013

 This year the kids wanted to make ties for Chad.  May chose to draw on hers.

 James wanted to tie-dye his.  After a bit of thought, I chose food coloring followed by a thorough spraying of white vinegar.

Look how cute they turned out!  May's depicts "Daddy being a ballerina in the rain."  James' is a mind trip.