The summer continues to fly by. Somehow it is August 3rd already and we haven't yet been camping and we've only taken out our boat twice! Summer weather didn't really start until late June and I had to be out of town for work for three days at the end of June and 7 days in July which has seemed to shorten the summer substantially. We have been having lots of fun, though. Lately we have been spending weekend mornings at the pool with friends. No one is there at 11AM so we get the good spot in the shade with an umbrella and set up camp for a few hours. The kids are finally at an age where we don't have to monitor them every second so both Brian and I can read our books, enjoy our soda or iced coffee, and chat with our friends. Tanner is a little fish- I could definitely see him swimming on a team when he is a little older. Faith is unafraid but doesn't seem nearly as "buoyant" as Tanner and though she wants to be self sufficient she sinks when I let go of her. Jake can play for hours with his friends, using the basketball hoop, doing front flips off the side, and playing football in the shallow end. When it gets too hot Brian and I hop in for awhile and Faith jumps in to us and Tanner does cannonballs off Brian's shoulders.
We leave for our big trip tonight. We are flying to Reno where Nana will pick us up (with bells on, I am sure!) and we will stay the night in Truckee and leave for the Bay Area Thursday morning. We will spend two nights at Auntie Sue's house. Grandma Mary will also be there so we will celebrate all of the August b'days (me, Auntie Sue, and Mary) by heading to Marine World for the day on Friday. Faith can't wait to see the whales and dolphins. On Saturday afternoon we will pack up and head to Discovery Bay for a week of waterskiing, swimming, hanging out with friends, and celebrating our big 4-0. On Sunday we expect to have over 40 people there- friends from high school and college and lots of family.
The kids are all doing great! We have gotten Jake to a healthy spot with his anxiety and our household is about a million times calmer and happier. He is getting so old and has basically had the run of the neighborhood this summer with his friends. He has done lots of camps to keep busy: football, lacrosse, speed camp, and more. He and I have had quite a bit of "quality time" lately and I find that I enjoy him so much more nowadays. Drama no longer lurks around every corner. His favorite thing is still sports, but he had a babysitter this summer that was very creative. He did a lot of cooking and crafts and fort building - which was really good for him. He made me jewelry and made up new recipes and did creative things instead of just sports.
Tanner is so funny. He is my little blond boy- almost white hair these days after spending so much time outside and at the pool. He is excited about Kindergarten, is learning to read, loves to color and draw, and is still so snuggly. If I could keep him this age forever I just might agree to it. He keeps me laughing with his funny expressions and mischievous grin. Lately he has taken to a little drama himself- he feels so put upon sometimes by his siblings and will say things like, "WHY does no one EVER believe me?" as he throws himself onto the ground. He loves to play Clue with the family (he is on Brian's team usually) and loves to play "Guess Who?" with Faith.
Faith, too, is doing well. She finished her gymnastics
classes and now wants to play soccer. She seems to be over her cheerleading thing for now (whew!). She got her first "real" haircut a few weeks ago. We took her to a fancy "girly" place where they actually gave her a style (much shorter and so much easier to brush and keep tangles out!) and painted her fingernails. She still loves to color and paint and will happily do that for long stretches. She wants to be a swimmer but, like I mentioned above, is having trouble making it happen. She will definitely need a life jacket the entire time we are at the Delta next week! She still refers to "yesterday" as "last day" and calls "dessert" "zert". She loves to play with all of her guys and has a different favorite each day it seems. She takes her puppies on walks and plays so much more make believe than her brothers ever did.
We had a block party last night and we all, even Brian, had a great time meeting some new people and watching the kids play. We have new neighbors two doors down that have four kids: a 7 year old, a 5 year old, and twin boys. Our block is now full of kids that meet outside and ride scooters and bikes, draw with chalk, go bug hunting, etc... I love it. This is exactly the way I wanted our kids to grow up.
When we return from the Delta we will have Brian's Dad and Joan in town for a few days, hopefully we can take the boat out for "Happy Hour" one night. Optimist Football begins August 15th, and the school year starts the 24th. Labor Day weekend we are heading back up toFamily Y-Camp in Cascade. So... things are hopping. Life, definitely, is Good.
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