Our Summer-y Summary: Part 1

Ironically the summer that I was dreading the most ended up being one of the best yet. Somehow we've packed a lot into a little time off. Sass was right with her "most rockin' summer ever" description. I think the best part is that we've gotten to catch up with a LOT of friends and family. So much in fact, I told R that I'm nervous that something is going to happen to us--yes, this is really how my mind works sometimes. So if that's the case, I'm glad I got to see you!

The other great part about our summer is that SO much of it revolved around water. Isn't that what summer is all about?

In May, we camped with Grandma, Pop, Aunt B and Uncle S. The girls loved the beach and had a blast sleeping in the camper. . . Poor Mom and Dad had to be all alone in the tent. . And sleeping in? Ok, if we must. :) We also celebrated the girls' birthdays which worked out great. I don't think we ended up with ANY free weekends for a party!

Sand castles with Aunt B

Birthday cupcakes

June brought our camping "adventure" where the tent, as Stinkus puts it, melted. And Daddy went on a guys' weekend float trip but I don't seem to have any photos to share. Probably a good thing. :)

July got a little crazy. We went to my husband's hometown for Great Grandma's funeral and got to spend the 4th with family. The girls loved it. . . until one of the fireworks fell over and shot down the sidewalk where we were sitting. Twice. :) Hey, we were just trying to impress those cousins from Texas.

Snappers

We had five girlies 6 and under!

More water fun!

Then it was time to meet up with the "M Aunties" for the girls' first float trip. It was such a great time. And as we said more than once, we ate WELL. I'll have to remember some recipes the next time we camp! Like walking tacos!

With Auntie Mo and Auntie My in the "riffer!"

Auntie Monie and J aren't doing too much paddling. . . 

Dad's idea worked great!

We also did a day trip to a local state park and met up with some good friends who live a few hours away. It's the perfect halfway point. The kids can run around and climb on the playground or build castles out of dirt (yes, they tried. My girls really should have been boys some days. . . ) or play in the river. We're planning to do it again this fall so I'm excited to see them again!

Playing with W

Love this pic--one sister is shocked to be splashed and the other
(GUILTY) sister is enjoying it way too much! 

A few days later one of my best friends from college came to visit. It was so good to see her and her two boys. The girls were SO nervous because all they had were "girl" toys but after a short introduction to Barbies AND Polly Pocket, all their fears subsided.  I know C and J's daddy would be so proud. I love this pic of C! I think he was a bit embarrassed to be caught!

We took the kids to the nearby lake and spent the day. They had a blast. They built an "oasis" in the sand and swam, and it was SO good to catch up with S! We vowed not to let YEARS go by again!

Then we were off the next weekend to the lake to see my aunt, uncle, cousin and her family.  She has three boys and Sassy remarked:  "Not more boys!"  Let's hope she keeps that attitude for the next twenty years.  :)

J took the girls out on the Sea-Doo and they LOVED it.  Stinkus may or may not have thrown a few fits any time someone else was riding. . . 

It has been a few years since we've been to the lakehouse ("waterhouse" according to Stinkus) so it was really fun to see everyone.  And SO much easier than when Stinkus was a baby.  I need to remember this the next time I'm sad that I don't have a baby anymore.  Summers like this wouldn't be possible!

While I'd like to say we took it easy the last week of July, there's more summer to post.  Which will have to wait until another day.  The other great part of summer is getting plenty of couch time.  Which didn't happen. Until now.  :)

Lemonade Day

The last two times we've gone camping, it's rained overnight. I'm choosing to believe that this last time we stayed dry not because we were in the "better" (albeit smaller) Cabela's tent, but because it was a gentler, steadier, less tsunami-ish rain. At least that's what I'm believing. :) Sassy was pretty upset at the prospect of another storm last weekend so my sister told her that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. (Of course, Hubby says he prefers Ron White's version of using your lemons to find someone whom life gave tequila. . .) It's a lesson that I struggle with, but as I've said before, it's something I want the girls to understand. "Lucky" for me, we got our chance yesterday.

Maybe we had it coming since it was our only Saturday in about eight weeks that we didn't have plans. So what do we do? Make plans. Why not jet down to the local amusement park for a few hours and let the girls ride? So we headed out. And the farther south we drove, the darker and darker it got. By the time we got there, it was maybe 70 degrees and it wasn't IF it would rain, but WHEN. So we headed to an indoor theater at the park for a show, hoping that an hour later, the weather would be better. The good news--it appeared to be holding off. So we rode the tea cups, and got on another ride. We were buckled up, ready to go and Stinkus pulls out the dreaded: "I have to pooooop. . . ." Ugggh. I asked if she could hold it, and she said her tummy hurt. And thankfully, a little voice whispered at me: GO. So I grabbed her and ran. This is where I should state that while I love the park, I've never understood why there are NO restrooms in the kid section. HELLO park engineers! And of course, the elephant ride is at the very END of the section. So I RAN. Not an easy task when you're carrying 35 extra pounds of weight, it's UPHILL, and there's apparently no limit on strollers and scooters. Seriously people, get out of my way! Stinkus said, "Oh no!" as I threw open the first stall and ripped her shorts down. . . right as I realized why my baby's tummy hurt. I'm already blogging about poop so I'm not sparing you the details. It splattered everywhere. Luckily because she's so newly potty trained, I had the good sense to pack an extra pair of shorts and panties. Which were in my backpack. Which was in a cubby at the elephant ride. I started to call R. . . and realized I didn't have my phone either. I had NO clue what to do with her or how to let R know that I needed the backpack. I was this close to wrapping some paper towels around her and heading out. Dear Park Engineers: If you won't build a closer bathroom, it's only fair to install a clothes dispenser. Size 4T please. I finally looked like a crazy woman and asked the moms at the sink if someone had a cell phone I could borrow. And of course, R didn't answer it because he didn't know the number. Luckily he listened to the voicemail, and in a few minutes, Sassy appeared--which scared me too because she's really too little to be sent in by herself, but I was desperate. A few moments later we were out the door, everything all cleaned up and minus a pair of Dora panties and purple shorts.

After just one ride all morning, we headed for home. The girls were disappointed but surprisingly, they were ok. I just couldn't risk it happening again--especially with no extra clothes. R came up with a great new advertising slogan: "Season Passes. . . in case your day is cut short when you poop yourself, you can come back again!" And we laughed SO hard. Then Stinkus got the saddest little look on her face, blinked her big eyelashes and said: "Sassy, I sorry you not get to wide your whoa-wer coaster," which made me cry. (God forbid when my children ever have real hurts--I hate to see them hurt!) But it was ok. We were making lemonade. I wasn't letting it ruin our day.

We stopped at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants on the way home. I got a great fortune: "Your troubles will soon cease and good fortune will smile upon you." It was partially right. My troubles weren't quite over. First, the ice cream machine at the buffet was broken. WHAT?! And apparently, if you run like a maniac through an amusement park carrying something the size of Stinkus, your legs are REALLY sore the next day. But in the true spirit of making lemonade, I needed to tone up a bit, right?

More Firsts and Lasts

I'm finding that life with kiddos means lots of firsts and lasts. This summer has been no exception:

We are still on our last box of diapers! I may have to get some Pull-ups for overnight when these are gone, but she's even doing pretty well with that.

Sassy has now lost her first TWO teeth. And not to steal the spotlight, but I'm pretty darn proud of my role each time. Yours truly who wouldn't dare pull her own teeth (hence the braces later in life. . .) pulled both of Sassy's loose teeth. It was pretty cool. She was SO excited and relieved, AND it helped my "Trust me, it will feel better when it's out" pep talk. I may not be right on much (especially as she gets older), but this time, I was the mom who knew something. I'll take it. :)

Sadly, Stinkus experienced her first funeral (and it was the first one Sassy remembers). We will miss Great Grandma, but we celebrate her 90 years here and the many lives she touched. She lost her husband during the Korean War, never remarried, and raised four kids by herself. It obviously wasn't the best of circumstances, but it was really nice to see so much family, and to see the girls play with R's cousins' kids. The next generation was pretty cute together.

And we're also adding to this generation. . . In June, we got to see cousin B become a big sister for the first time. The girls are in LOVE with Baby E.L. And she's SO pretty! Congrats to my sister and her beautiful family!!!

AND. . . the girls are getting their first cousin on R's side! Congrats to Aunt B and Uncle S! We're so excited to meet "Sonic" in December and know that they'll be wonderful parents.

Sassy had her last day of kindergarten which was surprisingly harder on me than the first. Watching her get on the bus for the last time as a kindergartner really choked me up. I think it's because everyone tells you how fast it goes--and how much faster it goes the older they get. Well, this year FLEW. And I got really upset wondering how on earth it could go any faster. Years from now, when she's pulling away in her own car, this is how I will see the first year of school--little legs and a Hello Kitty backpack. And darn it, I'm getting all teary again!

And we experienced summer school for the first time. She loved it, I made easy money, but I'm seriously bummed that my summer is just four weeks long. Sassy made me feel a little better one day when she said this was the "the most rockin' summer EVER!" I was like, Really? :( And then she went on to say that each weekend felt like a little summer. Oh happy heart. :) I'm reminding myself that it's quality vs. quantity, and that there are few parents who get a month off every summer let alone three. So we're making every minute--and memory--count. :)

One of the memories we made was the girls' first big float trip. We've taken them out in the kayaks and canoe quite a bit, but never for a 7 hour float. Three of my sisters and a boyfriend made the trek down and we hit the river. We had a blast and the girls were rock stars. They're at the age where life is just EASY. No diapers or feedings to mess with, they can hold certain bodily functions until we get to an outfitter on the river, they can shade themselves with umbrellas. It was great. I love that our girls love to camp and be on the water. I see a lot of this in our future summers!

It honestly has been a rockin' summer. I'm trying to forget that I'm back at work in three weeks. Instead, I'm wondering what firsts and lasts these next three weeks will bring--and remembering to cherish every moment.