Long Live Summer 2009

What a summer it has been so far! Mildish weather-nice-a few vacations here and there-kids not sleeping-not so nice. But blessings come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes in disguise. Having Matt home has been a blessing for me. We have been able to spend time together as a family and go do stuff. I have had a lot of help. Nolan slept horrible for a while, so I got to sleep in. Once he started sleeping better, it took about 3 days before Reagan started getting up at night (seriously). She has been having bad dreams, I think. But Matt has been here to help me. It is hard to believe that July is almost over. Where did the summer of '09 go? Oh wait, right here below...our simple summer top 10.

10. Filling up crabbie with sand. Reagan sure loves this. We usually put water in it during the summer, but it is too gross and difficult to clean out. She could spend hours out here. She has entered the "imaginative play" stage of her life (hence the wild dreams) and we will often find her outside having conversations with her dolls that sound a bit like this:

"I am sorry you can't have that."
"But I want it."
"Nope, time out for you!"
"I don't wanna go to time out!"

Or Matt's favorite conversation:

"It is!"
"It isn't!"
"It is!"
"It isn't!"

You get the idea :) It is a lot like Matt's favorite 30 ROCK episode where Jack plays psychiatrist on Tracy and role plays as him and his mother.

9. We have spent so much time at the park, it is ridiculous. But fun, too. And since the weather is rather mild and I am not pregnant this summer, we have gone a lot. This is Reagan's favorite activity: riding her bike up at the far-away Clayton park.

8. This one deserves a number all on its own because she LOVES to swing.

7. Watching Dumbo. This is Reagan's current favorite movie, although sometimes she will still pull the Mickey and as of late, "Nolan's show" (baby einstein). I laugh at this picture because we were baby-sitting the Dickman boys and all the kids wanted to watch a show, but I am sure that something sports-ish, probably a game or Sportscenter was on, so Matt put on the DVD player in the bedroom.

6. Roasting dogs and smores. And Marisa put it so well, "You get the fun of camping without all the mess and prep." So true. Smores are so dang messy, as evident below, but no hassle of camping gear and we got to sleep in our own beds.. It was a fun night and reminded me of the firepit my parents have and use all the time with family, except us because we don't live near them :(:( What a fun tradition.

5. I am finally reading Harry Potter. I have always wanted to, but just never got the chance. I saw Half Blood Prince movie with Matt since he has been reading the series (just finished). It inspired me to finally pick up book 1. I did, hardly put it down, and same with book 2. They are GREAT! I need a little break until book 3, though, because it is hard to get stuff done. I need to go to bed earlier and when I am in the middle of a book, it is too difficult. Rowling is genius, I love the wizard world she created.

4. Back in April, I bought some of those cheap popsicles for the summer and we have enjoyed them really really often. Addie and Reagan were so cute with theirs one day. It was a warm summer evening and just the ambience and all, eating a popsicle on the front steps. These two enjoyed it. It was the perfect way to cool down.

3. Our favorite daytime game/activity has been Reagan riding her bike around the complex while I push Nolan in the stroller behind her. It is a win-win situation for all: Reagan loves to ride her bike, Nolan digs being outdoors and is at the stage where the world outside is so new and exciting, and my arms and back aren't dying from holding him. Plus it wears her out. So, win-win-win (Michael Scott).

This is how we usually end up, the bike is ditched because pushing the stroller becomes too much of a temptation for Reagan. So I park my tush on the steps and just watch her push him back and forth for a really really long time. Still a win-win-win, I guess.

2. We have had many ways of cooling off. We have gone swimming at friends houses, sat in our AC'd place and also used our season passes to Waterworld. It was a good investment for our summer. I think Reagan is a little more comfortable in the water than last summer, but we still have a ways to go. She sure does love this place, though. See how both feet are off the ground?

1. My number one is kind of simple. Its my kids. You read my complaints (or if your really lucky, you hear me complain in person) about how they are driving me crazy. They don't sleep as good as I'd like them to, they talk back, they cry, I can't get anything done, my house is a total disaster all the time, I have permanent bags under my eyes. The list could really go on and on. But not a day goes by that I don't realize how fast these months are going by and then before I know it, my children will be out of the house and I will be missing them. I am blessed to have healthy happy kids. Today as I was sitting at the piano in primary, I just felt drained. My eyelids felt heavy and I found myself wondering what I would feel like if I could just get a good nights sleep. Then I saw a woman in my ward who's children have grown up and left the home. About a year ago, she mentioned to me how much she missed those young years with her kids and how she would give anything to have them back. She even offered to babysit just so she could hear the sound of children in her house again. She and her husband were lonely. The chaos of raising kids wasn't always easy, but she missed it more than ever. I haven't forgotten that and it helped keep things in perspective for me. I know that is how I will feel years down the road. I will be begging my kids to come visit me! So for now, even though I look like night of the living dead sometimes, it sure is a joyous journey.