summering

Just a couple more weeks remain in our summer break. I can feel how we're all starting to crave that structure that comes with formal school time, but not just yet. We're headed out on a road trip for most of September, so my plan is to have a short unit touching on some of the topics we'll encounter on our trip -- the civil war! the Wright brothers! the ocean! the mountains! I'm getting excited.

But first, this summer has been wonderful. Not quite how I envisioned it -- the lazy days have been few and far between. I specifically didn't get all bucket listy for this season, but I suspect that if I had it would look pretty close to what we've done. Which, when I truly think about it, makes me also suspect that we're not just letting this life thing happen to us, rather we're working hard to "do our thing" and that makes me very, very happy.

music in the park * hotdog roasts * pool time * park time * neighborhood walks * trips to the woods * outdoor movie with friends * swimming lessons * gardening & canning * Juniper's 1st Birthday * puzzles * rainstorm dancing * sewing & knitting * a lot of hot glue * some serious screen time * ice cream for dinner * blueberry picking * teddy bear picnic day * voracious reading * all things pokemon * science museum * zoo * baby crawling * cooking * so much playing with friends *

I'm sure there have been many other things, but the best things have been when the grown ups pull a "today we are going to..." as a surprise to the kids. Which frequently ends in a Best Day Ever exhaultation from the back seat.

Here are 8,000 for your viewing pleasure! Ha!

 

Summer has become the time for Guthrie to read, read, read. I don't know if there's just too much other brain stuff going on during the school year, and it's not that she doesn't read during the year, it's just well, holy cow. Lots of books. And long books. She doesn't bat an eye anymore at 350 pages. She still likes the quick little chapter books too but they're punctuated by other, more complex novels. It's been exciting to watch, if not a bit frustrating when she is entirely engrossed. She's also done so much physically - 6 weeks of track and field put on by our local running club, 4 weeks of swimming lessons, her first race -- with 3,500 other kids. 

Laithe has spent the summer most of the summer upside down. Literally. And memorizing evolutions of Pokemon. Which means I have been memorizing them too. I had hoped that this summer would include swimming lessons for him as well as Guthrie, but he declined. He's not been a fan of deep water for as long as I can remember. However, we got a pool pass this year (which was kind of a parenting rite of passage for me) and he's slowly realizing how much fun can be had. Then last week we snagged a life vest from friends who were done with it and I requested he at least try it out so we could see if it fit and would work for our vacation. There was some anxiety and concern and then there was absolution elation as he realized I AM FLOATING!! And then we couldn't get him out of the pool until it closed and he was purple. He's also been playing monument valley a lot, which none of the rest of us can do very well. 

Juniper is days from walking. She just fell off the piano bench - she had climbed on top of a box, then up to the bench. By herself. She is a stair seeking missile. She's been signing 'more' and all done, waving bye bye and blowing kisses. She's an absolute joy. Actually, she is about the happiest baby ever. Turning one means we're moving towards toddlerhood and though it's not my favorite stage, everything is pretty great with her so...she just pushed our dining room chair over to the staircase though...hmmm.

As I said, we're all doing our thing and it's been lovely.

Enjoy the rest of summer! I know we will!