summer fun things: joe's swim meet

Do you know what's a fun thing to do during the summer months? Wake up early.

Ha ha. Just kidding. That's not fun. But it is fun to go swimming and/or go to the park while your brother is swimming. We did have to get up early to get there, but Joe enjoyed his two days a week of swimming and really improved in his strokes. The summer ended with a swim meet between Oakville pools and Joe was super happy/surprised to win a ribbon - third in backstroke. So that was fun.

summer fun things: last hurrah

This is our getaway from the every day. Or maybe our (my) getaway from the reality that summer is coming to an end and we need to go back to school and wake up at regular times and pack lunches and do homework and all of that. Hmph. I sound really lazy. Anyway, just before we go back to all that, we went to have a bit of fun doing this. Surprised the kids with an overnight to Great Wolf Lodge for a water-sliding extravaganza. It was pretty awesome. We are all excellent sliders. See? Not lazy after all.

summer fun things: dinner at a very fancy restaurant

Way back in May, for Mother's Day, I got a new cookbook, which Joe enjoyed looking at. After perusing the recipes, he told me that, one night, he was going to cook supper for me and Daddy. And so he made a list, we bought the things, I talked to him about oven safety and timing things out and blah blah blah and - voila. Our fancy meal. He made us zucchini linguine, rainbow chard salad with feta and sour cherries, and a chocolate berry meringue for dessert. Delicious. (See the chef? All chefs at fancy restaurants lick out the pans like that.) Unfortunately... embarrassingly... David and I both forgot our wallets and couldn't pay our bill so we had dish duty to cover our meal. Still, really worth it.

summer fun things: gardening

These girls have been my faithful garden helpers the whole summer. When you add Janie into the mix, it usually means plants are going to get squashed. But Annie is pretty thorough, and careful, and, even though she can't see the difference between peas and beans, she is my best farmer. One day, as we happily picked our harvest, her head popped up behind some bean plants and she exclaimed, "This is fun!" She's right... it is so fun.

And look at the things we made! Tomatoes! And a weird cucumber!

summer fun things: more baseball

We're still doing this... baseball is part of our weekly routine, about four times a week for Joe and Henry combined. This weekend was Henry's playoff tournament - some close and fun games, and they were the winners! Yay Blue Jays! Henry loved his season and we loved watching him grow.

Dance squad right here:

well loved

This is probably not a very good advertisement for my quilts but... cousin Jett has really loved the quilt I made for him when he was a baby. Really, really loved it.

another not fun summer thing: broken toes

Just don't take your toes for granted. They are important for balance and walking. Also, note to self, stop being such a klutz.

summer fun things: and also

Today is also our anniversary. We had fun celebrating Annie today, and I think we maybe high-fived and exchanged anniversary greetings? Anyway, 12 whole years. Beautiful, busy years.

summer fun things: party time

Annie had her first ever friend birthday party this year... she's been planning for months and the day is finally here. A backyard crafty carnival with lots of games and (hopefully?) fun. There were lots of giggles, so I'll take that as a good sign. Happy Birthday, Sweet Annie!

summer fun things: TRI-umphant

The big kids took part in the triathlon today. I love their faces when they do this - every length and every lap is so. much. fun. Also, proves to be a good work out for the parents, who are running like mad to catch up to them at every point. (Except we didn't get medals.)