the afternoon spent at the Bay.

the outdoor breeze.

the little girl who can turn around now to see what momma is grabbing.

the ice cream dance.

the eagerness in Paul to wear his free sunglasses.

the loving and handsome papa.

the togetherness.

After spending the morning setting up my classroom and missing these little ones’ faces

I am realizing that time has once again slipped away

and an entire season is wrapping up

which I am never fully ready for.

I am so terrible at saying “good-bye.”

and the humidity force little boys to play in their “undies.”

Joe keeps them busy with painting 

while I find a cool bath works wonders

especially for a baby girl who doesn’t sweat well.

We are hanging in there.

for our little baby girl who has quickly become a six month old.

Any day now we will try out some solids, but I will admit that I am clinging closely these days to a baby who I know will be my last. I want to hold her just a little longer at this size.

With the coupon Jich gave us

plus “Back to School” sales

we couldn’t pass up the chance to go shopping.

 has plenty of toys.

The boys were having a blast today in his backyard

and ignoring the heat.

It’s part super hero and part cool sunglasses.

enough to sneak bites off of eachother’s plates.

in age to play make believe and whisper so I can’t always hear.

to fit together on a seat bulit for one.

to flying off the slip n’ slide with Zahir pushing

to figuring out how to play with older brother’s toys.

to teething with everything going into her mouth.

to admitting that summer is winding down.

I have been anticipating the seeing of Jen and Kurt

not just because they have this handsome little boy now

but because parenthood changes everybody.

Plus introductions were overdue with between Olivine and Alton.

It was last summer when we had round bellies full of hidden babies.

It feels a bit mysterious how seasons change

and families are widened in a relatively short span of time.

There is always plenty to catch up on

and the secret wish that we lived closer.

But I will say that taking walks and sharing meals with out of town friends can add an element of normalcy

and make the distance between Long Beach and Minneapolis not feel so far.

We went to the doctor’s office and found ourselves grateful for orthodpedic specialists who can watch our Henry walk down the hall, look us in the eyes, and tell us he has a 99% chance of not needing surgery.

He is “in-toeing” because of internal tibia torsion just like my sister. Thankfully this is not the 80’s, so he will not have to endure the special shoes with the bar between them (which reserach has since proven doesn’t make a difference). This will all most lilkely clear up and self correct between the ages of 6 to 8. It is so comforting to meet someone who can briefly and concisely explain medical concerns.

Olivine was just happy to tag along and listen attentively.

Saturday was devoted to the rummage sale

while today involved visiting family in Oceanside

cousins from Texas were visiting which is another excuse to wear cowboy boots.

These masks (inspired by Charlynn) kept me busy on the drive down knowing the boys would love to play super heros in my aunt’s huge backyard.

My grandma was thrilled to hold her first great grand daughter.

She is almost 84 and olivine is almost 6 months.

The heat had us all wanting to be a bit more carefree

and the busy-ness had us all pooped by the end.