Summer Feels

Summer is little dirty feet pitter pattering their way through my fly filled kitchen. With sticky red drops of popsicle melting down scraped knees to those little dirty feet.

Summer is the worn out breath they release after a long, hot day at the pool. Where the smell of chlorine and sunscreen flood the nose, right before it's plugged before jumping into the water. It's a sleepy heaviness as little feet trudge up the stairs to peel the sticky swimsuit off after being in it from the time the sun came up that morning.

Summer is the sound of crickets starting up their nightly chorus as little hands roast fluffy marshmallow over the fire. Somehow the heat of the fire is ok as the heat of the day goes away. Ooey gooey little lips sharing kisses with their mama as the fireflies start to wake up.

 I never really liked summer. It's hot, it's long, it's sweaty, and I prefer other seasons. But since having kids, summer has become one of my favorite times. I love experiencing summer with them as they do it all for the first time. It's nostalic of my childhood and fun as a parent. Our days have been so full, in the very best of ways! I'm thankful for our summer.

First up, July started with a BANG! Quite literally as we celebrated the Fourth of July. We spent the day playing with our cousins and ended with fireworks. 

Every week we have gone to State Farm pool (sometimes a couple times a week). I have been amazed at Isla and Ewan's ability to teach themselves to swim. Isla went from being very timid at the beginning of the summer to jumping off the side and swimming under my legs. We have a weekly standing playdate at the pool with some of our good friends and I have loved watching the kids thrive while swimming. And of course Eleanor naps the best at the pool... I think it's the white noise and hot sun that lulls her to sleep!

We were able to visit cousin Easton and Elouise's church to witness their dedication, which was special. Afterwards we had a lot of fun at the arcade ;)

Co-op for the month of July was a lot of fun! We spent a morning learning about bees where we made our own beeswax candles together. The next week we attended a Shakespeare for kids in the park. I can't say Isla and Ewan understood most of what was happening, but they loved watching people on stage.We also had our second family night at one of the family's homes. We loved meeting their chickens too :) And lastly, we had a spanish lesson at an ISU professor's house (a contact from one of the mamas in the group). I was impressed with Isla's ability to catch on quickly. Although she has informed me she wants to learn French rather than Spanish.

Summer is always full of good food! If we aren't grilling, we are making some kind of fresh summery food. AND Michael got himself a smoker after being influenced by one of the homeschool family's delicious meat ;) I love having the kids in the kitchen with me. We are always cooking up something good. And we try to incorporate food from our very own garden. While it is covered in weeds (because I have almost no time to devote to weeding), it has still put forth a lot for us. We have enjoyed everything from radishes on our toast, mint in our lemonade, tomatoes on everything, and cucumbers turned into the most delicious pickles (in which Isla ate the ENTIRE jar... not kidding).

I am really finding myself in an era of slowing down in the kitchen. Using our hands to put love and time into the food we make, rather than microwaving a processed lunch. Don't get me wrong, my kids love their boxed mac and cheese, but I'm finding when they can spend time growing the food that ends up on our table or smelling the ingredients before we mix it together or thumbing through a cookbook to find the perfect recipe... they really can see the value in food and the meanings of comfort and home.

We set out at the start of summer with a big old bucket list of fun things to do. We have accomplished half of them and have a month left to squeeze in the rest. Some of the things have included trips to the farmer's market, tie dyeing shirts, a visit to the lemonade stand (where we purchased popsicles), and a trip to get icecream!

We have spent lots of time with friends, some old and some new. I am grateful for good friends, both for myself and my kids. I truly feel like I have found my village.

We have been trucking along in our reading goals. Isla and I have started a new series about a mouse and her adventures. And she has continued to listen to the Little House on the Prairie series. I think she is on her 7th time through the series and has now started talking in that way- phrases like "I declare" and "jiminy cricket!"Some of our homeschooling buddies adored our pioneer days so much that we have decided to create a kid's book club where we will read a book and follow up with a day of celebration and activities! I just love it.

For me, I finished Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne for my book club. And I would say it is by far one of the best parenting books I've ever read. Every parent should read it in my opinion. And then I read The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. It was a fast mystery read with an anticlimatic ending. I'm sad to report I have NOT finished Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis like I promised I would in July. Sorry Crowder, I might never finish it.

The rest of July has been full of play and fun! A baby crawling all over and pulling up on stuff, a 4 year old who is constantly creating, and a 2 year old who is either playing or fighting with one or both sisters. I love these summer days :)