true boy tales: summa time

Sunday, June 30, 2013

summa time

Let's NOT talk about the fact that June is over which means summer is half-way over because that's a huge mood-killer right there. Let's just enjoy the moment, shall we? And I hate to brag, but the weather could not be more gorgeous in Iowa right now. I think we've hardly hit the 90's yet. Today is a glorious 78 degrees. Am I making you Southern Californians and Arizonians jealous?? Well, let's rewind to May 12th when we were shoveling snow, shall we??? So there.
Ok, enough with the weather talk. Sheesh, I'm old. Anyway, as each summer has approached with my children, I kind of know that it's either going to be wonderful or not so fun, based on their ages. Last year Channing was a little peanut who would sit contentedly in his stroller wherever we went. I knew this summer would be slightly less enjoyable. He's 16 months old. That's kind of smack dab in the middle of my-kid-won't-sit-still-but-he's-not-old-enough-to-do-anything-cool stage. Not to mention the nap that has to happen. So we've done fun things here and there but its been really low-key overall.

The boy LOVES water, just like his brothers:

I think he's over it:

Bennett's last soccer game. He wanted to play goalie so he "didn't have to run so much". I can't blame him. Given the choice of running or standing in one spot, I'd choose standing in one spot every time.

Channing's favorite spot:

His first and last time as "Coach Jon":

These two. Oh my word, I wish I had a video camera following them around everywhere. We're so blessed with awesome cousins:

One day, when we were feeling particularly bored, I decided to pull a Kate Gosselin and let my kids paint each other with chocolate pudding. It was a huge hit. They thought I was the coolest mom in the universe. And actually, it wasn't all that bad to clean up. They rinsed off with the sprinkler and then went inside for a bath.

Dawson was licking the pudding off of Bennett's body the moment before he looked at the camera. Yummmm:

Drinking the leftovers:

I went inside for a few minutes and came back out to this. And then I died because it was the cutest thing ever. I think I'm going to pretend its the 1800's and bathe my children in a bucket from now on:

And this is neither summer time nor related to this post in any other way but it'll make you laugh and laughing is fun. So here you go:

(If that doesn't work for some reason, go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdbj1ndNYA)

1 comment:

mandaJuly 3, 2013 at 3:57 PM
I have to say the pudding painting makes me feel a bit queasy...especially the licking and drinking the lefotvers. *shudder* But way to go, mom!! HA!
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.