I have been so excited about our new camera, that I have only posted videos for the last several weeks. I decided to write about our summer and post a few pictures to go with the narrative so that I don't lose my writing skills. And, yet, as I stare at the computer screen, the things I wanted to write about this morning have left my brain. AAAHH!!! Writer's block! I will now go to the pictures and see if they revive the inspiration I had earlier.
(Fifteen minutes later.) Ahh, yes. It is all coming back to me now. I have been very aware that I am losing another child to the public school system, so I have tried to make sure the kids are getting plenty of fun time this summer. We paid for Julie and David to take swimming lessons through the city. I was amazed at how much they learned during the two weeks of classes. They now officially have the basic skills necessary to have fun at the pool without hanging on to Mom or Dad.
Julie was very excited to take her friends to Fort Worth for her "birthday party." We started with a picnic at the Botanic Gardens. The girls fed a squirrel and took pictures near the pretty roses, especially the pink ones. (I was amazed, but happy, to still see blooms on the bushes.) Then we pressed on to the Kimbell Art Museum which is hosting a special exhibit on loan from Chicago: The Impressionists. I decided my favorite artists are Monet and Renoir. The girls and I also loved a piece by Caillebotte titled Paris: A Rainy Day; it comes to life as you stare at it, absorbing it's details. Little prints in books just don't have the same effect!
My dad called us to say he had a load (he is a truck driver based in Idaho) to Fort Worth, so we got to spend two days with him. Of course, he bought the grandkids special toys to remember him by (Julie got a Hannah Montana dress-up outfit), and gave them a ride in his semi; James loved "driving" it.
I have had a "creative" bug, so I finally finished a rug for my kitchen that I started last year. I cleaned out my craft area, repaired some clothing that had ripped or unraveled, and bought yarn to start a rug for my laundry room. I also found the material I bought to make a window cushion for the boys; I hope to get to that before school starts.
My black thumb has not yet killed our garden (although my herbs did die from neglect). We finally picked our zucchini today (note: you are supposed to pick the zucchini before it gets that big; it is edible but not quite as tender as baby zucchini), and the pumpkin plant is taking over the yard. I didn't expect the pumpkin seed to grow. David brought it home from Lockheed Martin's "Take Your Child To Work Day" in April and was very upset when someone dropped it outside, breaking the planter it was in. We transferred it to the garden, and well, you can see the results.
Yesterday, we took Dad to a petting farm that the kids and I had visted with our ward's playgroup. Three ducklings had hatched, and we got to watch the sheep and goats go crazy for Suppertime. James loved the peacock and petting Dumpling the deer, and the rest of the kids loved watching the ducklings come out to drink water for the first time and petting Lightning the bunny. Sadly, we had taken the camera out of my purse to upload photos, otherwise I would share pictures of this fun outing. I loved watching James love seeing the animals.
There is still more fun yet to come. This week we will attend a minor league baseball game; Jesse has a voucher from Lockheed Martin for four free tickets (the better seats, I might add). Our library hosted a summer reading program sponsored by Ringling Brothers circus; Julie, David, and Josh each received a free coupon to attend the circus after reading ten books. I took the kids to Dallas (you have to buy the tickets in person at the box office) to redeem their coupons and purchase tickets for Mom and Dad. We will go the first weekend in August. Then, we will join the Hatch's (Jesse's mom's extended family) in Utah for reunion the second week in August, coming home just in time to start school.
Okay, so I have reached that I-have-been-doing-this-too-long point (my mom called, and we talked for a good hour and a half as well) and am hurrying to finish, so here goes - the crazed rush to the finish line. The summer has been good, although we have started watching a little too much TV over the last few weeks. I need to get back to my original goal of keeping everyone productively busy. Jesse is always great at getting the kids to do "fun" things. He put a diaper on James' head and proclaimed him the super hero Diaper Boy. Julie and David had to try it out, too.
Happy Summer!!!
Thank you, Nana, for the beautiful Christmas clothes. We look great!!!
