Two more weeks. That is all that is left of our summer break. The boys are beginning to lose their buoyancy, replacing cheerful adventurism with gradually deflating spirits as the school year looms ever closer. I don’t understand this trepidation. When I was growing up, this time of year brought a heightened excitement akin to the coming of Christmas. I LOVED school. So much. Yes, I loved learning. But I also loved the predictability, the structure, the immediate validation when I did well, the bulletin boards, the calendars, the smell of the lunch room, the inspirational quotes on the walls, the pencil dispensers, the scratch and sniff stickers, watching my teacher’s mouth move when she’d talk (especially if she got lipstick on her teeth–fascinating)…basically everything about being at school. Even now, I anticipate with bated glee the arrival of school supplies at Walmart just so I can enjoy the feel and smell of newly sharpened pencils and fresh composition notebooks. Mmmm.
Not so much for the other strange creatures I live with. The excitement is not shared.
With only a few treasured days left before the dreaded {and glorious} return of routine, I thought it might be time to finally post a few picture highlights.
Father’s Day
(The fun goes away when mom forces the “group shot“.)
LOTS of outdoor play:)
Joseph tried baseball for the first time.
Not a fan of the standing around, not moving part (or forgetting his glove).
Or the underestimation of these kids’ self-esteem! If after about 10 swings you didn’t connect with the ball, you were told to run to the base anyway. Joseph was totally bugged. So was I. Because now he hates baseball:(.
Crane Family Reunion in Logan
Sunday evening family time.
Lagoon excursion. Seeing faces like this throughout the day made the heat and lines and headaches so completely worth it:).
Quiet days at home.
A day with cousins at BYU. (Monte L. Bean Museum. I highly recommend it. Remodeled, updated…a total hit with the kids).
Striking up goofy dialogue with a white wolf.
Family Home Evenings, outside.
One of my personal favorites of summer time.
Sad and entertaining fate of the tower build on sand. Foolish builders:).
Growing adorableness.
Oh, that squooshiness!
A little swimming.
I finally was able to take the boys swimming for the first time this summer (it takes quite a bit of planning and a little serendipity with two babies at home, it turns out) and brought the long lense so that I could take pictures from a distance without embarrassing them. However, Ashton decided it was still too mortifying so he made Joseph join him in hiding from the camera whenever he spotted it, resulting in my failure to get a good shot. Unfortunately for him, this failure also forced him to be reeeally, ultra embarrassed while I made them pose for a picture up close…he he! I don’t think he’ll be playing that game in the future:).
Water fun with Grandma and Grandpa. I really think he’d prefer they just live here.
Also, this is happening.
The beautiful apple orchard across from our home is turning into a new 42 home community. I am sad in some ways, like when I see the poor deer that used to graze here wander through as if to wonder where they will go now. And to have the quietness disrupted by the sound of construction machines and trucks. But, it is also a little exciting to soon welcome in so many new neighbors. I’m ready for that change. And this little guy sure thinks its awesome. He will sit here for many minutes at a time just watching and observing, mesmerized by the noises and movement of all the trucks and equipment.
It’s pretty adorable:).
Back in May as the school year came to a close, with a brand new baby and a two year old I was slightly worried about the success of the impending three months. However, our summer was unexpectedly good. To save my sanity, I did incorporate some structure, though in a looser form than previous years. But we really didn’t plan a whole lot. It was very low key. Our lone “vacation” was a family reunion two hours away. And to my children’s astonishment, our summer was still fun! I did far less managing of their activities and encouraged them to find things to do without my usual scheduling. We had a general standard of only two hours of screen time a day, which they had to earn by completing their five responsibilities for the day (chores, reading, piano, learning time, and exercise). Also, they were expected to be outside for the majority of the day. But that was about the extent of my involvement of their daily activities. Consequently, they rode their bikes/rip sticks/scooters a lot, played at the school and with friends a lot, played their sports a lot, and messed around in the yard a lot. And it turned out to be pretty great:).
I think maybe it’s a little impossible for this season to not be.
