End of July Fun

July was H.O.T.  We had many days that our house felt unbearably hot and we just had to find a way to get outside.  Ethan has recently discovered that the sprinkler is fun to run through (Carter still has not jumped on that band wagon).

One afternoon I decided I better water the grass and Ethan decided to just strip down and make the best of it!

 Popsicles have been a favorite afternoon treat.  Too bad Carter makes such a mess out them whenever he eats them!

 One of our friends from high school cam into town to visit from Las Vegas.  Since none of us had met her family we decided to have a mini-reunion and BBQ and let our kids play and get to know each other.  We had it out at Kelly's parents' home--complete with tons of play structures, llamas, sheep, chickens, and apples trees to entertain the kids.  It was a beautiful evening and it was fun to see how different things are now that we aren't in high school anymore!

Having fun on the tire swing

 Ethan hanging on for dear life while Anderson and Sydney swing the tire swing

 Carter looking on from a safe distance

 Carter checking out the sheep and llamas

 and chickens...this kid loves animals!

 One Sunday afternoon the kids and I all fell asleep and slept for 3 hours...We didn't get up until 5 so I knew that even though I was ready for bed at the normal time, the kids would not be.  So I decided to put on a movie for them and let them stay up instead.  They thought it was really cool to be up when it was still dark out.  Ever since summer hit they haven't seen the dark night sky except for a handful of times because they go to bed early.  They had a lot of fun running around with their flashlights and actually NEEDING them, rather than going into a room and making it dark just to use them.

This summer I've been thinking a lot about summer.  Right now it just kind of blends into the rest of the year and our normal routine stays the same.  Soon the kids will all be in school and summer will be the time of year that we get to relax and enjoy having more time to NOT have a routine.  I'm grateful that Washington has summers that are so enjoyable and for the time we have to spend as a family.