Summer Stories

We had Shelly's friend and cousins come over for a pool party and sleepover. They spent a bunch of time fixated on a spider they found at the edge of the pool, paddling their raft a little closer, little closer, then screaming and paddling away as fast as they could. Then, of course, edging closer and closer until they could see where it was again. Screaming and squealing all the while. They kept splashing water at it to flood it in the hopes that it would wash farther away from the pool. Finally, I went over to investigate. Closer and closer I crept, I saw it curled up and dead on the cement and in a moment of bravery, I reached down, with the intention of picking it up to throw at them. Or maybe not REALLY throw it, maybe just THREATEN to throw it. Closer and closer my fingers got, I reached out to grab it and then NO!! SCREAM! Its STILL ALIVE! I almost picked up a LIVING SPIDER!! I leaped into the air, screaming like the rest of the girls, they all screamed and laughed at me as I retreated back to the safety of the deck. Bampa of course had observed the whole spectacle and laughed along with me about my reaction. Brave Mom turned out to be just as much of a scaredy cat as the girls. Oh what an adventure!

We stopped off for a movie on the way home, then nail painting, movie and snacks, finally bedtime.

I've been dragging the kids along with me for my runs, they ride bikes, I run. Sometimes there are some antics. Like Archer getting stuck in the van. Mostly I have fun and they try not to complain too much. Sometimes I get really scared that Archer's going to flip over the trailer that Eli is riding in, Archer just whips around corners, off-roads up and down hills, weaves back and forth across the trail. Eli loves it. I hold my breath and wait for disaster. Shelly just tries to stay out of the way.

Eli had a minor meltdown the other day over his shoes and I sat him up on the washer to put his shoes on for him, then understood his problem. Two sizes too small!! What! Two days of shoelessness. We went to the store with him in only socks and found the BEST pair of shoes ever. Minions. He's in love. New Minion Shoes for Eli. (And Shelly too. New shoes, not minion.) New summer haircut for Archer. And a taxi ride in the grocery store.

And that's been our summer fun for the last few days!