Settling in to summer

Evie pulled the wagon all the way home from the pool!

During our first full week of summer, we've been trying to find our stride.  I'm wondering if I should give our weeks a little more structure, or if we should embrace the openness of the weekly schedule.  Evie, Noah and I went on a few adventures during the past week - we checked out Wildflowers Studio, Sandbar State Park, had some play dates, and of course, spent some time at the neighborhood pool.  We head to Shadow Lake at the end of this week to continue the summer fun!

Wildflowers Studio

Wildflowers Studio

Sandbar State Park (never mind the swarming bugs and rain while we were there!)

Helping himself to a taste test

We gave up on a real dinner and let the kids eat "taste tests" from the cutting board until they were full!

Evie is enjoying summer, but I think she is missing her school friends and teachers.  She will ask me out of the blue, "Mommy, will I NEVER see Ms. Terri again?"  I am doing my best to keep her busy, but I simply don't have the stamina of a 5-yr-old to play all day long!  Thankfully, cousins, neighborhood friends, Noah, and grandmas have helped fill the void.

There is so much talk about the "terrible twos", but I actually adore this age (mostly).  I think I had a harder time with the "terrible ones!"  Noah's emotions are intense, but very straight-forward.  He loves to play with his trucks and play drums, and he will also do things to get me to laugh.  If I don't laugh enough, he will demand, "Mommy, waaaaf (laugh)!" He is like a sponge, commenting on everything around us, from the traffic we pass on the road, to the music on Pandora.  On Sunday, I told him we were going to church, and asked who we might see there.  His response: "Matt!  Jerome! Jesus!"  Ha ha!  

My little swimmer

He woke up from his nap like this, saying "Uh oh, Mommy!"  I have no idea what he was trying to do with his shirt?!

I also had a fun break from my normal life over the weekend when we celebrated my friend Mary-Alice's bachelorette day.  We did stand-up paddleboarding, beer tasting, dinner and creemees downtown.  Lots of fun and relaxation was had by all, and we wish her all the best with her upcoming wedding!